This town, forged in the grit and pride of Nebraska football, has sent warriors into the Shrine Bowl for generations. For nearly two decades, the Bison’s connection to the state’s premier high school all-star game had gone silent. But then, the tide shifted. Central City football found its way back into the conversation, and now, Riley Lavene becomes the 26th player in school history to take the field in the Shrine Bowl.

And he knows exactly what that means. “It means a lot,” Lavene said, his voice carrying the weight of the moment. “Looking at the list of the 25 other guys who have played in the Shrine Bowl, seeing those big names—Jordan Paup, for example— it really sticks out. To be able to add my name to that list and put it in Central City history? It’s huge.”

Paup, a former Bison superstar, went on to play Division I football and carved out a legacy worthy of the Central City High School Hall of Fame, where he was inducted just this past season. Now, Lavene follows in the footsteps of legends, adding his name to the growing list of Bison greats.

But Lavene’s football journey wasn’t written in the stars—it was earned.

He stepped onto the field as a freshman in 2020, when the team finished 3-6. The next year, they clawed their way to 5-5 and a playoff berth. His junior year saw a 4-5 finish, narrowly missing the postseason.

Then came the senior season. A historic, electrifying, unforgettable season. Lavene and his teammates didn’t just improve—they shattered expectations. The Bison stormed through the competition, finishing 11-2 and earning a place in the state championship game for the first time in school history.

“Freshman and sophomore year, we struggled,” Lavene recalled. “My freshman year, we only won three games. Sophomore year, we made the playoffs, but we weren’t quite there yet. Junior year, we missed the postseason, and I had to really fight for my spot. But then senior year happened, and it was something special.”

And it was. The Bison bulldozed their way to Memorial Stadium, the cathedral of Nebraska football, where they fought for a state title. They came up just short, finishing as the Class C-1 runner-up, but the legacy was sealed: they had accomplished something no team before them had ever done.

“Playing my last high school football game in Memorial Stadium… that really capped it off,” Lavene said. “To be able to play where so many great football players have played—it was just a really cool experience.”

Now, he carries that experience into the Shrine Bowl, where Nebraska’s best senior football players will clash in Kearney on June 7, 2025. Lavene will represent Central City on the North team, joining elite talent from Omaha, Grand Island, Norfolk, and beyond.

“It’s a really cool opportunity,” Lavene said. “To see all these guys who are at the highest level in Nebraska and to be able to play with them—it’s awesome. I know a few of them already, but through practices and banquets, I’ll get to know a lot more. It’s going to be fun.”

But the Shrine Bowl is more than just a game. Since 1958, it has raised over $2 million for Shriners Children’s, a network of hospitals dedicated to providing specialized pediatric care, regardless of a family’s ability to pay. Every player who steps onto that field plays for something bigger than football.

It’s a stage, a proving ground, and a legacy all wrapped into one. For Lavene, it’s another chapter in a football journey that was never promised—but earned, yard by yard, rep by rep.

And when he takes the field in Kearney, wearing the North’s jersey, Central City will be watching. Because he’s not just playing for himself. He’s playing for the 25 before him, for the ones who will follow, and for every kid in town who dreams of making their own way to the top.

Riley Lavene’s name is now part of Bison history. On June 7, he’ll make sure everyone in Nebraska knows it.