Marshall's Bryce Frank makes a break on the ball from his safety position at the WFCA all-star game at UW-Oshkosh's Titan Stadium on Saturday, July 16.
Saturday, July 16 marked the gathering of some of the state of Wisconsin’s best when it comes to the gridiron. Coaches, players, and fans converged upon UW-Oshkosh’s Titan Stadium to participate in the 2022 Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) all-star game.
Included in the participants for Saturday’s festivities were two of Marshall’s own. Class of 2022 running back/defensive back Bryce Frank and head coach Matt Kleinheinz made the trek north and represented the school both on the field and from the sideline.
Frank started at safety for the South Small School squad, which wore red jerseys in contrast to the North’s blue. Kleinheinz was heavily involved in the offensive gameplanning, offensive substitutions, and even had some special teams responsibilities.
“It felt great,” Frank said. “Words can’t explain how it felt just to get the chance to come out here. A lot of my teammates were guys I grew up playing against, so it was nice to finally be a team with them and create some friendships that will last a lifetime.
“Even though we did some flashy things with guys spread all over the field, there’s still a lot of option in the offense when you boil it down,” Kleinheinz said. “When I come to something like this, I love to pull passing concepts and learn. It’s fun for me as well because I get to interject some option run concepts. When you put a lot of good football minds in the same room, good things happen.”
In the game itself, Frank was sure to make his presence known. His biggest play of the game came on a 2-point conversion attempt from the North following its second touchdown of the game. The North dumped off a quick pass to a running back on the goal line, but Frank read it perfectly from his safety position and rushed forward to smoke the receiver and bury him short of the endzone, preventing two more points from going on the board.
Frank also handled the punting duties for the South squad, and had another highlight play there. Early in the third quarter with his team trailing 12-7, Frank stepped up in his own territory to punt the ball. The booming kick was not caught and had a favorable bounce, rolling all the way to the three yard line to pin the North and give the defense a chance to swing the momentum of the game.
Marshall's Bryce Frank makes a break on the ball from his safety position at the WFCA all-star game at UW-Oshkosh's Titan Stadium on Saturday, July 16.
In the end, a few good bounces for the North’s offense in the first half and a struggling offense for the South led to a 25-7 North victory.
The all-star experience didn’t just pertain to Saturday, however. Frank and Kleinheinz spent all week working with the South squad at UW-Whitewater for practice. This proved to be a valuable experience for Frank, who is set to head to Carthage College in the fall to continue his football career.
“Every guy here is competitive and wants to win,” Frank said. “With the fall coming up, I knew this would be a good chance for me to get conditioned and get back into being physical and experiencing contact. I had a lot of fun and learned so much from these coaches. I’ve grown in my knowledge of the game in just one week.”
Just as he did at Marshall, Frank was a standout. His week of hard work and dedication to bettering his craft is best encapsulated by his coach.
“It sure was a blast all week,” Kleinheinz said. “It’s always special to have one more game with Bryce. Bryce has been a class act all week and the coaches loved him. He established himself as a starter from the first day. He’s a great football player and I’m glad he got to finish up his high school career here.”
Beyond getting to play the game they love, both Frank and Kleinheinz put an exclamation mark on what’s been a stellar athletic season for the Marshall Cardinals.
“We are held in a high regard in certain circles in a lot of different sports around the state,” Kleinheinz said. “That’s a credit to our kids and the work they put in. It also speaks to the sacrifices the families and coaches make to make things happen. Our kids at Marshall are very blessed for the support group around them. We’re very lucky, and days like today remind us of just how lucky we are.”
The importance of the community is not lost on Frank, who left the event with this closing thought.
“Today, I wore ‘south’ on my jersey. But, I’ll always have Marshall on my chest.”
