Central’s Paben, QHS’s Flachs to play in 50th Illinois High School Shrine Game

QUINCY — A pair of local prep football standouts and a couple of Quincy University recruits have been invited to play in the 50th Illinois High School Shrine Game, an all-star event taking place June 15 in Bloomington.

Camp Point Central running back/defensive back Drew Paben and Quincy High School lineman Chris Flachs will represent West-Central Illinois, while Flachs will be joined by Jacksonville running back Cam’Ron Mitchell and Springfield defensive back Kameron Beckman in representing QU’s incoming freshman class.

The Shrine Game is scheduled for 11 a.m. JUne 15 at Illinois Wesleyan’s Tucci Stadium with 92 recent high school graduates from throughout Illinois participating.

Paben, a 5-foot-9, 145-pound speedster, rushed for 1,072 yards and 15 touchdowns last fall as Central went 14-0 and won the Class 1A state championship. He averaged 10.8 yards per carry. He also caught 12 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Paben racked up 36 tackles and four interceptions.

Flachs, a 6-foot, 290-pound bulldozer, anchored an offensive line that paved the way for the Blue Devils to average 440 yards and 42.2 points per game last fall. The Blue Devils enjoyed the first undefeated regular season since 1935 and set a school record with 11 victories.

Flachs was one of the first players to commit to QU’s recruiting class and stuck to that commitment after Jason Killday replaced Gary Bass as head coach.

Mitchell, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound tailback, rushed for 1,433 yards and 12 touchdowns last fall, averaging 8.8 yards per carry. He finished second in Jacksonville history with 3,093 career yards rushing. Beckman, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound, was a two-time All-Central State Eight Conference selection for the Senators.