CEDAR FALLS — Jaxson Hinkle got into his four-point stance, played to his typical high standard until the drive was over, and jogged off the field.

It was the kind of experience he could really get used to.

Hinkle suited up for the North team at Saturday night’s 54th annual Iowa Shrine Bowl All-Star Football Classic at the UNI-Dome, representing Marshalltown High School one last time on the gridiron before beginning his collegiate career at Coe College.

The former Bobcat standout put his blood, sweat and cheers on the line to help his North squad to a 17-7 victory over the South, and he was standing comfortably on the sideline for the final play as the North ran out the clock.

Playing one side of the ball or the other — but not both — was everything he’d imagined.

A two-way lineman at Marshalltown, Hinkle finished with 5 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 quarterback sacks to help the red-clad North rally past the South.

“That was amazing to only have played one position,” Hinkle said. “I was not winded on every play like usual. I don’t hurt every play. It was great.”

The North defense allowed just 98 yards in the second half and pitched a shutout to help stage a comeback from a 7-0 deficit midway through the second quarter. The North got a 38-yard field goal from West Sioux’s Jonathon Flores with two seconds left before halftime, and the South was blanked after the break.

Grundy Center quarterback Judd Jirovsky was named the North’s Offensive MVP, throwing a pair of touchdown passes to help led the Red roster to victory. Linebacker Joe Hardy of Sergeant Bluff-Luton, a South Dakota recruit, was the North’s Defensive MVP.

Hinkle had his highs and lows as in any football game, making tackles on back-to-back plays — including a sack of South quarterback Kyle Tracy (Iowa City Regina) to help stamp out a drive late in the third quarter. One incomplete pass and a punt later, Jirovsky connected with Korben Michels of St. Ansgar for a 54-yard touchdown to give the North its 17-7 advantage.

Hinkle stomped the turf and screamed in celebration of his quarterback sack, drawing a cheer from his family, friends and coaches in the crowd.

He also received applause after getting up from a brief injury during the fourth quarter, when he was tackled by offensive lineman Gage Swan of Wayne Community, a Grand View College recruit. Hinkle took his time to recover before doing a kip-up — an acrobatic maneuver where a person springs directly to their feet from a lying position on their back — and jogging off the field.

“They called me ‘Kip’ here, you could ask any one of them,” Hinkle said. “I did that once in practice and the coaches were like, ‘oh, you’re Kip now,’ so it stuck.

“It hurt bad for like two seconds, and then I was kind of exaggerating. I had to show out a little bit.”

For Hinkle, who headlined an offensive line in Marshalltown that paved the way to the third-most rushing yards per game in Class 5A last fall (245.1), punt return was his only opportunity to block during Saturday’s annual Shrine Bowl.

But it was catching punts during practice that stood out as one of Hinkle’s fondest memories of the experience.

“I didn’t think I would ever be doing that, but I did,” he said. “I caught like three in a row and tried to catch another one and it bounced off my hands. I was upset, but I mean, four punts for a lineman is pretty cool.”

The annual Iowa Shrine Bowl Banquet a week before the game featured was another opportunity for Hinkle to shine, standing up for his squad with a hamburger challenge that made the jumbotron during halftime of Saturday’s game. Van Meter’s Keaton Mennen, a 6-foot-4, 265-pound Iowa State commit, assembled a massive burger that Hinkle (6-1, 260) tried to outdo with eight patties of his own.

“It was great getting to know people, and it was just new friends everywhere,” Hinkle said. “I met so many cool people, literally people I’ve played against, and now they’re like my best friends in the world, so it’s awesome.”

Hinkle pointed to Drew Hobart of Mason City and Lincoln Oltmann of Cedar Rapids Kennedy as former opponents who are new friends, along with fellow Coe College recruit Carter Hoffmann of Cedar Rapids Xavier. Hinkle spent Saturday night after the Shrine Bowl hanging out with newfound buddies Max Larson of Clear Lake and Jack Guy of Humboldt.

“This was a good welcome to college because all these dudes are probably going somewhere to play,” Hinkle said. “It was awesome.”

The Shrine Bowl is an annual football game played each July featuring 92 of the best senior football players in the state to raise money for Shriners Children’s. The event has raised approximately $4 million dollars to date.