Just as his brother Brett did four years before him, Free State High center Michael Lisher will play in the Kansas East-West Shrine Bowl Football Classic that pits graduated high school all-stars from Topeka and all points east against the those from the rest of the state.

Brett told Michael what to look forward to most for the nine-day experience that culminates with a game in Pittsburg on July 31.

Hearing his name called in a packed stadium with friends and family in the stands will be nice. Blocking for college-bound running backs and quarterbacks makes it more than just another football game.

Living with teammates in the dorms at Emporia State, where the players train in advance of the game, will give him a taste of impending college life.

All that makes Michael Lisher and the other 65 players selected to play in the game fortunate, but it’s not what will stay with them the longest.

Players from both teams will take a train to and from St. Louis on Saturday to visit children at a Shriners Hospital.

“My brother loved visiting the hospital,” Lisher said. “He said it was a real eye-opening experience on how some kids have to live every day. He said it makes you feel a lot better about how lucky you are that you don’t have any problems.”

Everyone should visit a children’s hospital because, as Brett Lisher told his brother, it’s remarkable what so many of the children must endure every day, yet those around them don’t have to put up with hearing whiny complaints.

“I’m looking forward to it a lot,” Lisher said of the hospital visit. “Brett said they were all sick, but they were all happy little kids who just wanted to play. My brother said it was incredible. We get to hang out with the kids for a day and come right back. It’s going to be a really good experience. And I’ve never ridden a train so that should be a lot of fun, too.”

The high school all-stars have a busy week ahead of them. They report to Emporia State on Friday, take the day trip to St. Louis on Saturday, practice twice a day in Emporia until leaving for Pittsburg on July 29 to resume practice and on the eve of the game have a dinner.

Not long after participating in the 37th annual all-star game, Lisher will leave for Nebraska-Omaha, where he and high school teammate Camren Torneden will play football. UNO plays in the same conference as Missouri Western, where Free State High running back/linebacker Kirk Resseguie is headed to play football. Central Missouri, Fort Hays State, Lincoln University, Emporia State, Missouri Southern, Missouri Western, Northwest Missouri, Pittsburg State, Southwest Baptist, Truman and Washburn also play in the 10-member MIAA.

Lisher will red-shirt as a freshman.

“They basically said there’s no way an 18-year-old can compete with a 23-year-old,” he said. “That’s fine with me. That will give me more time to get all my classes in.”

He said he will major in business.

“It’s a really good business school, and because there are so many businesses in Omaha, they have a really good internship program,” he said.

Lisher will spend his first year in school toning his 270-pound body. His head doesn’t appear to need much reshaping.

Correction: This story previously incorrectly listed Missouri-Rolla as a member of the MIAA. Missouri-Rolla, now called Missouri S&T, competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.