Record-setting Taylor, power back Boyd-Meents headline Shrine Game rosters.
ST. JOSEPH - Two of central Illinois’ top high school football talents and other members from the Illini Prairie Conference will join an elite group of players from across the state for one final game in their prep careers. Coy Taylor of St. Joseph-Ogden and Robert Boyd-Meents of Paxton-Buckley-Loda will take the field June 21 at Tucci Stadium in Bloomington for the 51st Annual Illinois High School Shrine Game. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m., with pregame ceremonies beginning at 10 a.m. Tickets are $10 and available at the gate.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
This all-star event, sponsored by the Illinois Coaches Association and the Shriners of Illinois, benefits Shriners Hospitals for Children, with all proceeds supporting pediatric specialty care. Last year’s game raised nearly $13,000 for the cause. Taylor, who will continue his football career at DuPage College, leaves behind a record-setting legacy. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound receiver holds the IHSA all-time career receptions record with 259 catches, surpassing the previous mark held by Marist’s Nic Weishar. Taylor also ranks fourth in state history in career receiving yards with 3,658 and became only the second receiver in Illinois history to post three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. His senior year included 83 catches for 1,045 yards, highlighted by a postseason performance in which he had seven receptions against Unity in his final game. Boyd-Meents, meanwhile, anchored PBL’s offense for three seasons. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound running back amassed 4,020 total yards over 31 varsity games, averaging 129 yards per contest. In addition to his ground attack, he hauled in 39 receptions for 747 yards, helping the Panthers reach the playoffs each of the last three seasons. The Blue Team will feature both Taylor and Boyd-Meents alongside Milford’s Caleb Clutteur, an 8-man football tight end. They’ll be guided by one of their own: St. Joseph-Ogden head coach Shawn Skinner, who joins the Blue Team coaching staff. Skinner brings a resume full of recent success. He led the Spartans to a 10-1 finish in 2024, including a perfect 8-0 record in Illini Prairie Conference play. Over the past three seasons, Skinner’s teams have gone 25-5 and made deep playoff runs, including a narrow second-round postseason loss last fall to Roxana. In an interesting twist, Skinner will coach alongside Roxana head coach Wade Devries, whose team ended SJO’s 2023 season with a last-minute defensive stand on a 2-point conversion attempt. The Red Team will also include a solid contingent of area athletes:
- George Rouse, QB, Champaign Central
- Carter Foran, WR, Monticello
- Mason High, NT, Monticello
- Evan Parish, ILB, Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin
- Matt Suaava, OL (G), Paxton-Buckley-Loda
- Ryker Grauer, ILB, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley
- Matt Allen, DE, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Now in its fifth decade, the Shrine Game continues to celebrate Illinois’ football tradition while raising awareness and support for young patients. This year’s banquet speaker will be Jared Williamson, newly appointed head coach at Illinois Wesleyan University, and a former Shrine Game MVP in his home state of Alaska. Full rosters and game-day information are available online at IL HS Shrine Game.
