WATERVILLE – There wasn’t much sun on Tuesday. None of the players on the field wore distinguishable jerseys, and even their helmets were covered with stickers and decals from several teams.

In complete contrast to one another, the East team, winners of just one Lobster Bowl (18-7 in 1999), wore full pads and practiced with contact on the practice field across the road from Alfond Ice Arena and adjacent to the main football field.

Farther down the road, the West team was nowhere to be seen one hour before the end of scheduled practice. The coaching staff sat on the steps of a dormitory, talking football and life, and enjoying the warm but overcast weather.

“We have a couple of guys from the East team telling us that we’re going to have to mess up pretty bad to lose the game,” said West team member Shawn Demarey of Livermore Falls. “I don’t know about that.”

Whether the banter was part of standard media day gamesmanship or just a high school student being brutally honest, it really didn’t matter. The game itself will matter very little, too. What will matter are the children who will benefit from the game. They are currently receiving care at the Shriner’s Hospital in Springfield, Mass.

“We went down yesterday,” said Edward Little graduate Matt Capone. “It was amazing to see the people we are helping out. It makes us realize that there is more than football, and in a way makes us play a bit harder.”

When players from the West team did appear from behind the cluster of buildings beyond the track, there were six reporters waiting, already talking to members of the East team. While those from the East lugged pads and broke a full sweat after working for two humid hours, West players strolled across the track, carrying their helmets but bearing no pads. Many of them were in basketball shorts, and almost every single one was laughing or telling a joke.

“The whole idea of this whole thing is to make it fun,” said West coach Brad Biship of Livermore Falls. “It’s all for a good cause and all of these players know how to play the game, and by using basic plays that everyone knows from playing in high school, we don’t want to risk injuring anyone in practice.”

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