BIDDEFORD — On a fourth-and-10 play early in the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl, Gabe Seeley of Leavitt had a chance to make an impact.

Seeley dropped a pass from Falmouth quarterback Noah Nelson that would have resulted in a first down.

Was the stage too big for Seeley, who absorbed a big hit as punishment for the drop?

Absolutely not.

By the time the half was over, Seeley had four catches and two touchdowns, including an authoritative two-handed snag on a crossing pattern with 3.3 seconds left in the half to give the West a three-touchdown lead Saturday en route to its 45-21 victory at Waterhouse Field in Biddeford.

“I was a little angry with myself. I took a big hit on that and I just wanted to bounce back,” Seeley said. “Noah is an amazing quarterback.”

Seeley was one of many athletes from small schools who made a big impact.

None were more impressive than 5-foot-8 linebacker Tyler Frost from Dirigo, a Class D school. From the second snap of the game when a mistimed snap led to Frost chasing down East quarterback Mitchell Caron of Cony for a 23-yard loss, Frost cooled off the East attack with plays in the backfield.

“Coming in at Class D, there’s already something on you, and at my height I’ve got something to show,” Frost said. “I knew this would be the one game (when I’d) get to show every class what I could do, and I felt I did that well tonight.”

Frost teamed with Fitzpatrick Trophy winner Brett Gerry of Marshwood to lead a dominant defensive effort that held the East to 108 yards in the first half. The West stymied an East running attack that featured Cheverus star Joe Fitzpatrick.

“All season long, I knew people knew Gerry, but outside of Class D I don’t know who knew Frost,” Frost said. “I knew coming in, me and Gerry beside each other, we’re going to make havoc in the game.”

Seeley, who played for a Class C school, also took advantage of his chances to shine, as did several others from smaller or less-publicized schools.

On the opening kickoff, Oak Hill’s Alex Mace laid a hit that knocked down two East blockers right in front of the West bench. Mace also scored on a 4-yard run with Gerry serving as his blocking back.

Moments later it was Spruce Mountain’s Matt Vigue breaking open to haul in a pass from Nelson, who did a great job of stepping up to avoid traffic in the pocket. Vigue made the catch and completed a 71-yard scoring play.

Oceanside’s Preston Spear had the game’s only turnover, snagging a late interception and returning the ball more than 50 yards to set up the West’s final touchdown.

Seeley’s first touchdown was a leaping, one-handed grab with a defender wrapped around him as he tumbled in the end zone.

“Gabe has been making catches like that all week in practice,” Nelson said.

Nelson said the West squad did a great job of blending all of its players.

“Some of the C and D schools don’t get a lot of recognition, and we had a lot of talented guys from the lower divisions,” Nelson said.

“It was awesome that they got the chance to show it tonight.”

Steve Craig can be reached at 791-6413 or:

scraig@pressherald.com

Twitter: SteveCCraig

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