2022 Shrine Game profiles

Jul. 30—Three students were chosen from the 2022 class to represent Baker High School in the East-West All-Star Shrine Game. Defensive lineman Alex Ritter and running back Gauge Bloomer will play for the East team and cheerleader Alexis Conant will represent Bulldog spirit on the sidelines as the game kicks off on Aug. 6.

The Herald set out to interview the kids as things ramped up to their first practice this coming weekend.

Alex Ritter, lineman

Ritter has been busy, like the other kids, but still found time to make some memories this summer.

"I've spent most of my summer working on my strength and conditioning in preparation for fall camp," Ritter said. He committed to play for the Lutes at Pacific Lutheran in Tacoma, Washington.

"I was fortunate enough to go on a trip with my family to the coast, where we did some deep sea fishing," Ritter said.

At PLU he plans to study law and will be the first in his family to get involved in legal practice.

Though he and Bloomer know each other, most of the experience Ritter's had with the rest of his team is as opponents throughout his football career.

"I'm really excited to play another game with Gauge and also some of the dudes we played against the past four years," he said. "I played lineman all throughout high school, so the Shrine game will be my last game in that position."

He's expecting to adjust to a new head coach for the Shrine Game but will have a familiar face on the sidelines: Baker head coach Jason Ramos will be there as an assistant.

Ritter said he looks back fondly on football camp at EOU with the team.

"Friday nights are the reason we played, but I loved any moment I could be making memories with my teammates," he said.

Gauge Bloomer, running back

Bloomer has been employed since the summer kicked off, preparing for college and trying to work in some time with his friends before the big change come fall.

"I've been doing a lot of work," he said, "but I have been out rafting and hanging out with friends."

Bloomer has been accepted into the University of Idaho, where he plans to major in rangeland management. Though he has considered it, he doesn't think he'll pursue college football.

"It was a hard decision," he said, but he'll close out his football career in excellent health.

For the game coming up, he says he's ready and excited to work under a new coach and local coach Ramos with familiar teammates. For Baker he played running back and linebacker and will likely fill the same roles for Team East as needed.

"Oh, I know most of the guys on the team. We played together in the Oregon eighth grade GOL team, they're all my buddies," he said.

Bloomer says he always loved spending time with the team on the long bus rides whenever they deployed to faraway destinations like the Portland area.

Alexis Conant, cheerleader

Alexis Conant's high school experience was broken in half by the pandemic, but she persisted in cheerleading through her senior year and this summer was honored by the GOL team selection.

"I will be going to Montana State, Bozeman, studying psychology/sociology and minor in criminology. I want to be a criminal profiler," said Conant, having taken part of her summer to visit Montana preparing for the move, though she says she still found time to float the river in the meanwhile.

The upcoming game will have her working in the company of cheerleaders she's never performed with, but Conant was confident she'd enjoy the experience.

"I don't know any. I'm ready to meet them. I'm just excited to work with the other girls on the team and get to know them and practice with them."

The GOL will select their own cheer coaches and choreography for the event, and Conant says practice gets underway just a few short days before Aug. 6, the day of the game.

Conant says she's contemplated coaching at some point, and was even aware of some of the more hazardous facets of the sport in competitive circuits.

"Actually, there are a few stunts that are illegal in high school," she said, with a note of amusement. "I think we might have tried one, once."