CASTLETON — The 65th annual Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl football all-star game will kick off at 5:30 p.m., this coming Saturday at Castleton University’s Spartan Stadium.
Among the 36 recent high school graduates expected to suit up for Vermont after six days of practice at Castleton are Middlebury Union standouts Tyler Hotte, a lineman, and Cody Pomainville, a defensive back.
Their Vermont team will be looking to extend a winning streak to three straight. With some of New Hampshire’s top players choosing to play in a different all-star game, Vermont prevailed in 2017, 19-0, and in 2016, 50-2.
Those wins were Vermont’s first since 2000, when a team that included future Middlebury College quarterback Mike Keenan topped New Hampshire, 47-40.
Windsor Coach Greg Balch will head the Vermont team, with his quarterback, Seth Balch, and Burr & Burton’s Jay McCoy both expected to take snaps for the squad.
Game day will include a parade starting at 3 p.m. that will feature Shrine units from throughout New England and parts of Canada. The game will also feature an all-star high school and alumni band made up of more 80 musicians from both states.  
The Maple Sugar Bowl Game is sponsored by the Cairo Shriners of Rutland and Mt. Sinai Shriners of Montpelier. General admission tickets for the gave are on sale throughout New Hampshire and Vermont for $12. On Saturday tickets will be priced at $15. Parking will be offered at $10 per car and is close to the stadium.
Tickets are also available by calling (603) 448-1042. Tickets can also be purchased online at shrinemaplesugarbowl.com on the “Game Ticket” heading, or at various outlets listed on the website.
NSN Sports will be streaming live coverage of the game at nsnsports.net. Handicap-accessible parking is available for those needing assistance.
All proceeds will benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children. According to the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl website the game has raised more than $4.5 million since it was founded in 1954.