Treveon Thompson (left) and Maddox Burton played midget football together when they were in middle school. They attended Lincoln Southeast together and soon will play for the Huskers.
The beginning of Shrine Bowl week is somewhat a meet-and-greet session.
From 11-man schools to eight-man country, the all-star football game brings together players from all parts of the state, and the event serves as a great chance for the kids to meet new people.
But there is no introduction needed this week between Maddox Burton and Taveon Thompson.
They were teammates at Lincoln Southeast, but their friendship started about two years after they learned how to walk.
“Since I was 3,” Burton said of how long he’s known Thompson. “Our moms were best friends, so we just became friends.
“We pretty much hang out every day if we’re not in school.”
Maddox Burton (left) and Taveon Thompson have been friends since they were 3 years old.
Fittingly, Burton and Thompson will be playing for the same team, the South squad, when the Shrine Bowl takes place at 6 p.m. Saturday at Cope Stadium on the campus of Nebraska-Kearney.
“It means the world to me,” Thompson said of the opportunity to play one more high school game with his longtime friend and teammate. “Growing up with Maddox has been a real journey.”
Their journey as best friends will continue at Nebraska, where both will walk on to play for the Huskers.
Thompson committed to Nebraska on Jan. 21. Burton made his pledge eight days later.
Burton and Thompson grew up playing sports. They were on the same midget football team in seventh and eighth grades before playing for Lincoln Southeast on Friday evenings at Seacrest Field.
Lincoln Southeast’s Taveon Thompson runs for a first down in the first half against Lincoln Southwest on Sept. 4, 2020, at Seacrest Field.
Thompson, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound wide receiver, caught 14 passes for 265 yards and two scores while adding 45 tackles and three picks defensively as a senior.
He had shoulder surgery after football season, which forced him to miss basketball. But Thompson returned to compete in track in the spring.
“It kind of sucked a bit, but it felt good to get back on the track field and compete with some good athletes and fast athletes,” he said.
Burton, a 6-4, 285-pound defensive lineman, made 47 tackles and was named a first-team Super-Stater as a senior.
For Burton, playing in the Shrine Bowl has extra meaning. His older brother Jadyn has cerebral palsy and had more than 20 surgeries growing up. The Burton family made several trips to the Shriners Children’s Twin Cities hospital.
“It’s a big special part of my heart,” Burton said of playing this week. “(Jadyn) will be at the game Saturday. It’s really special, especially for my mom. I know that’s a big thing for her, too.”
Lincoln Southeast’s Maddox Burton (55) celebrates a sack by Teitum Tuioti (2) against Lincoln East on Sept. 24, 2020, at Seacrest Field.
While Burton and Thompson will be wrapping up the high school chapter of their playing careers, they’ll soon begin to grow closer in college.
“Basically we already determined if I committed and he committed, we were going to be roommates,” Burton said.
They’ll be arriving on campus at Nebraska on June 14, ready to add to a memory bank loaded with Southeast and midget football memories.
“We just grew up playing the sport we love,” Thompson said. “Maddox is a big football player but we also used to play basketball. Playing different sports helped and having that close connection and growing up as friends, it just made us a lot closer.”
Thompson and Burton are two of nine Lincoln players set to compete in the Shrine Bowl. Lincoln High’s Isaac Montgomery (DL), North Star’s Jake Seip (OL) and Lincoln Lutheran’s Wyatt Marr (OL) are on the North roster.
Joining the Southeast duo on the South is Lincoln East’s DeKendrick McCray (WR/DB) and Grant Springer (WR/LB), Southwest’s Grant Miller (WR/DB) and Lincoln Christian’s Josh Free (OL/LB).
Photos: Scenes from the 2020 Shrine Bowl, which marked a return to football in a pandemic
South quarterback Evan Johnson unleashes a pass in the third quarter during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
South’s Davon Brees (9) rushes in the first half against the North during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
South’s Tyler Palmer (21) grimaces as he loses his helmet in a tackle by the North’s Logan Macumber during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
South’s Keithan Stafford (19) goes up for the second-quarter reception in front of North’s Austin Dougherty during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
South’s Deryk Huxoll (83), shown here in the first half, scored on a second-half reversal against the North during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
The North’s offensive line goes up against the South during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
South kicker Alan Mendoza (97) celebrates his 51-yard field goal with his teammates on July 11, 2020, during the Shrine Bowl at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
North quarterback Nick Bohn (right) releases the ball under pressure from the South’s Jordan Kavulak (71) and Braden Klover (second left) in the third quarter July 11, 2020, during the Shrine Bowl at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
South kicker Alan Mendoza (97) connects for a 51-yard field goal in the third quarter under the hold of Ethan Twohig (23) during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
Rows were taped off to facilitate social distancing Saturday during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
Rows were taped off to facilitate social distancing during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
A handoff between South’s Jacob Diaz (bottom left) and Deryk Huxoll (83) on a reversal results in a second-half touchdown for Huxoll against the North during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
The South’s Jett Janssen (center), of Lincoln East, pressures North punter Cooper Heusman in the third quarter during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
The majority of those attending the Shrine Bowl went without masks on July 11, 2020, AT Cope Stadium in Kearney.
The majority of those attending the Shrine Bowl went without masks on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
North head coach Mark Macke (left), of Lincoln High, watches the action in the fourth quarter against the South on July 11, 2020, during the Shrine Bowl at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
Terry Gregory of Omaha watches the action in the fourth quarter as the North takes on the South during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
The North’s Luke Wakehouse (28) goes up, but can’t catch the ball in the third quarter during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
The South’s Jett Janssen (center), of Lincoln East, pressures North punter Cooper Heusman in the third quarter during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
North quarterback Jacob Dotzler (right) comes under pressure in the third quarter during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
The South’s Dalys Beanum (27) catches a pass against the North during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
The South’s Nate Boerkircher (with ball) celebrates after scoring on a touchdown pass in the second quarter against the North during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
South kicker Alan Mendoza (97) connects for a field goal in the closing moments of the second quarter under the hold of Ethan Twohig (23) during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
The South’s Nate Boerkircher (with ball) celebrates after scoring on a touchdown pass in the second quarter against the North during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
The South’s Nate Boerkircher (with ball) celebrates by dunking over the goal post after scoring on a touchdown pass in the second quarter against the North during the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
The South’s Jacob Ludwig (bottom) of Ashland-Greenwood settles into the three-point stance against the North in the second half of the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
South’s Jacob Ludwig (left) of Ashland-Greenwood eyes a tackle in the Shrine Bowl on July 11, 2020, at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
Reach Clark Grell at 402-473-2639 or cgrell@journalstar.com. On Twitter at @LJSSportsGrell.