BIDDEFORD – Rain, thunder and lightning delayed the start of the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic for about 90 minutes. That, and some thunder and lightning in the locker room during the delay might have given the West the edge it needed to win its 14th in the 16-year history of the game, 23-12.
It seems the Biddeford representatives on the West used the delay not only to keep their teammates focused, but to fire them up even more for when they finally took to Biddeford’s home turf, Waterhouse Field.
“I think it was to our advantage that we didn’t go out on the field early,” said Fryeburg Academy’s Jim “Fuzzy” Thurston, the West head coach. “We really hadn’t got through our full warm-ups, just our special teams. So we could keep telling the kids, It’s not time to crank it up yet.’ We didn’t crank it up until just before we came out (after the delay).”
“And I’ll tell you what,” he added, “there’s nothing like coaching down here when you’ve got two or three Biddeford kids in the locker room with you. (Biddeford’s) Jon Benson, G-R (Ben Grant-Roy), (Noble’s) Jeremie Pillsbury, they just flicked the switch, and the rest of the kids followed. It’s like we played a quarter in the locker room.”
Then it’s no surprise that the West looked sharper than the East in the early going. Lisbon’s Chris Kates (interception to set up a field goal) and Livermore Falls’ Brad Bryant (31-yard run to set up a touchdown) had key plays in the early going to help the West out to a quick 10-0 lead. A 68-yard pass from Bonny Eagle’s Matt O’Donnell to Mike Joyce of Deering on the first play of the second quarter gave the West all the points it would need.
The West’s defense came out snarling and targeted Fitzpatrick Award winner Nick Tymoczko from Bucksport in the East backfield. The tailback tallied just 16 yards on seven first-half carries and was never a factor in the contest.
“We were smaller as a team, but we were very quick as a whole,” said Pillsbury, a lineman who got into the East backfield all night and blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown. “We felt that if we could beat them off the line of scrimmage, we could stop the Fitzpatrick winner and their QBs in the option.”
“The West defense did a nice job of shutting down our running game,” said East coach Butch Richards of Belfast. “We got behind and had to put the ball in the air more than we would have liked to.”
While both defenses were fairly stout against the run, going to the air often proved more hazardous for both offenses. The two teams combined for nine interceptions. Edward Little’s Robie Leighton, the first Shriner to ever play in the game, had three of them and earned Most Valuable Player honors for the East. He returned his last pick 85 yards for a touchdown to pull his team within 12 early in the fourth quarter and keep hopes of a comeback alive.
“That was a big play,” Richards said. “We need it at that point, and it was some pretty.”
The East threatened to get closer with just under five minutes left, driving to the West 18, but there was Pillsbury again, disrupting the backfield. He threw Bucksport QB Joey Carmichael for a seven-yard loss on third down to end the East’s last great hope.
Deering running back Al Axelson was the West MVP.
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