2 Shrine players face football hiatus

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BY RYLY JANE HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star

For as long as they can remember, Tyson Greve and John Dostal have played football in the fall.

But this year, the 10 days of practice for the Shrine Bowl and then the 50th annual game July 26 at 6:30 p.m. at Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium will have to suffice for the pair.

Greve, a linebacker from Lincoln Northeast, and Dostal, a quarterback from Omaha Gross, were invited to walk on at the University of Nebraska. They will take classes this fall but not join the football team until second semester.

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2008 Shrine Bowl teammates Tyson Greve (left) of Lincoln Northeast and Cody McCarthy-Fultz of Lincoln High. (Gwyneth Roberts)

2008 Shrine Bowl teammates Tyson Greve (left) of Lincoln Northeast and Cody McCarthy-Fultz of Lincoln High. (Gwyneth Roberts)

“It will be weird to have a fall without football,” Greve said. “My mom and I sat down and talked about my choices. Several (schools) asked me to walk on and I had some small schools offer scholarships. We figured there was a reason Nebraska asked me to walk on, so I might as well go there.

“Coach (Barney) Cotton and I have been talking and I’m looking forward to playing there.”

As tough as it will be just watching and not playing, Greve is positive about the situation.

“It will be worth the wait because I’ll be playing for Nebraska,” he said. “These coaches are bringing back the traditions of the program. I’ll be watching and taking notes.

“It’s a waiting game for me, but I’m not scared to do that and then step up and show them what I’ve got.”

Dostal, who spent the summer playing American Legion baseball, said that complements what he’ll be doing this fall.

“It will be tough to have a fall without football, but I’ll be trying to throw as much as possible and keep working out,” he said. “I will go to games, and I think it will get me amped up to get the pads back on. Then I’ll come into January with an open mind.”

Dostal had some advice for his younger brother, Kyle, who will likely take over the reins at quarterback at Omaha Gross.

“I tell him to work hard and trust his teammates and coaches,” he said. “And it wouldn’t hurt to hand the football to C.J. (Zimmerer) as often as he can.”

Zimmerer has already committed to NU.

While Greve and Dostal knew all summer that they would be playing in the Shrine Bowl, Cody McCarthy-Fultz got the news just two weeks ago.

“I’d been working out anyway, getting ready to go to Northern State (in Aberdeen, S.D.), so I was in shape,” McCarthy-Fultz said. “I knew this would be the best of the best, so I had to get mentally ready.”

His uncle and coach at Lincoln High, Mike Fultz, provided some help.

“He talked to me about it. He played in the Shrine Bowl and was the Shrine Bowl Celebrity last year, so I knew a little of what to expect,” he said. “Playing with a new system emphasizes that there are more things out there and this prepares me for anything.”

McCarthy-Fultz said he’s looking forward to the move to Aberdeen, which is 20 minutes from South Dakota’s northern border.

“I’m doing something a lot of kids aren’t, going far away to school,” he said. “It’s a chance to leave Lincoln and not just set in my roots here.

“I’m going to major in environmental studies or sports marketing and then I’d like to come back to Lincoln and go to law school. Then, I’d be coming back to Lincoln because I wanted to, not just because I was stuck here.”

Reach Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com.