BIDDEFORD – The 15th Annual Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic had it all — great defense, clutch offense, steady special teams, big hits, last minute thrills, and even a hometown hero.

Phil Bourassa, the Biddeford Fitzpatrick Trophy winning quarterback playing his last game on his home Waterhouse Field, led a 14-point second-half West comeback, including a dramatic two-point run with less than two minutes to play for a 15-14 West win.

“It was better than I hoped it would be. It was perfect,” said Bourassa, the West MVP. “We had such a great game, a great crowd that saw as good a game a they’re ever going to see.”

About 3,500 fans saw what may have been the best game in the charity game’s history, proceeds of which go to the Shriners Hospitals. The West now holds a 13-2 advantage in the series.

Bourassa’s performance overshadowed an outstanding game by East MVP Phil Warren of Brunswick, who rushed for 210 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown, single-handedily out-gaining the entire West offense by six yards.

“In front of this crowd, for him to showcase his talent like that was pretty nice,” said East coach Dick Leavitt, who enjoyed similar performances from Warrent last year while coaching Brunswick. “Part of that was our offensive line, but Phil’s pretty special.”

Bourassa set up his winning score with a clutch fourth-and-nine completion to Portland’s David Philbrook at the East one yard line with 2:05 to go. Mike Grimaldi of Portland pounded it in from there, then the West called a timeout to decide its next move.

“We didn’t come here to tie,” said West coach Greg Stilphen. “I asked the kids what we should do. They’ve given up an awful lot to be here, and in a situation like that, you ask them what they want to do.”.

Stilphen called a QB sweep with two lead blockers for Bourassa, but the play quickly broke down. Bourassa had to run about 40 yards east-to-west to get three yards north-to-south, following blocks by Deering’s Joey Marsh and Marshwood’s Andrew Elwell into the end zone.

The East’s comeback attempt was stopped short when Bucksport’s Josh Johnson was tackled a yard shy of a first down on a pass play with 1:04 left.

The East had taken a 14-0 lead on Warren’s 53-yard touchdown run down the left sideline just 1:06 into the second half. But the West shut Warren down from there, allowing just one first down the rest of the way, although Warren did have another 62-yard TD jaunt called b back due to a penalty.

After being stymied for much of the first half, the West needed a spark, and Bourassa provided it, first with his arm, then his legs. He completed three of four passes on the West’s initial drive of the second half to get to the East 18, then ran it in from there on a perfectly-executed bootleg to make it 14-7. The East stifling defense had finally been solved.

The West made the first defensive stand in the game backed up in its own end zone on the East’s initial possession; A 27-yard run by Prentiss and a 22-yard QB scamper by Belfast’s Nick Arthers set the East up with a first-and-goal at the three. Scott Guillerault of South Portland stopped the scoring threat, though, when he knocked the ball out of Warren’s hands and into the end zone, where Lisbon’s John Tefft recovered.

The East defense topped that by holding the West three-and-out its first four possessions. Gardiner’s Nate Munzing and Paul Herman of Belfast hog-tied 2003 Fitzpatrick Trophy finalist Marsh and Noble’s Decota Cotton, holding the dynamic SMAA duo to 34 yards combined on 12 first-half carries. The West didn’t cross into East territory until midway through the second quarter, thanks in part to a poor punt that allowed them to start at the 50. A penalty and an interception by Gardiner’s Kris Ramsay brought that foray to a quick halt.

The West enjoyed most of its success on the ground when the East flushed Cheverus QB Andrew Schobert out of the pocket. Two of the team’s three first downs in the first half came on Schobert runs, the other on a harmless East penalty at the end of the half. The East had the West offense so hemmed in that their longest run from scrimmage in the first 30 minutes was six yards.

The star for the West in the first half was Tefft, who made several tackles in addition to the fumble recovery and off-set the East’s field position advantage all night with his punting (31.8 average on 10 kicks)

“They weren’t coming for any pressure so I just made sure I got the ball off,” Tefft said. “The frustration was getting a little high, but we kept our heads up and pulled through.”

The East, meanwhile, churned out four runs of 20 yards or more, including a 56-yard rumble by Warren (109 yards in the first half) to the West 13. Prentiss punched it in six plays later from a yard out with three minutes left in the second quarter. Adam Labbe of Oak Hill tacked on the extra point to make it 7-0 East, a lead they maintained going into halftime.

“They were pretty big up front, but we were in some ways quicker than them and we knew our plays and blasted off the line,” said East offensive lineman Cal Miller, of Mt. Blue. “We practiced hard all week and all we wanted to do was beat them. This was a great way to end a high school career, I just wish it could have been a different outcome.”