BIDDEFORD – Eddie Warren’s 40-yard extra point to give the West a nine-point lead would have made for a storybook-perfect Lobster Bowl ending had it come a quarter later. But with more than a full quarter left to play, the East players had a different script in mind.

The East rallied for three fourth-quarter touchdowns and held off a final West surge to pull out a 40-35 victory in the 21st annual Lobster Bowl Classic, played Saturday afternoon before a large crowd at Waterhouse Field in Biddeford.

Despite the loss, the West maintains a 15-6 edge in the all-time series, though the East has now won two in a row and four of the last five games. The charity all-star football game is sponsored by the Kora Shriners. It features Maine’s top graduated high school senior players, coming together to raise money for the 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children across North America. Over the years, the game has raised over $370,000.

Warren, from Sacopee Valley High School, has a special connection to the Shriners, as he was once a patient at the children’s hospital. Born with two deformed legs, he underwent numerous surgeries as a small child and eventually required a double amputation below each knee. He was fitted with prosthetic legs that have allowed him to compete and excel athletically.

With just over two minutes left in the third quarter, Portland’s Jake Alexander hauled in a 12-yard touchdown pass from Windham’s Jackson Taylor to put the West up 28-20. Alexander celebrated the play by dunking the football over the goalpost cross bar and drawing a 15-yard penalty. The flag drew the ire of the West coaches, who were told by the referees that they were “letting the kids play” after two earlier touchdowns by the East were finished off with end zone gymnastic displays that went unpenalized.

The infraction pushed the extra-point back and a motion penalty on the West as the team lined up for the kick backed Warren up even more. He was kicking from the 30-yard line. The stadium grew loud with both sides into it the West fans booing the referees and the East fans cheering their opponent’s progress in the wrong direction. As he lined up his steps, Warren waved his arms in the air, encouraging the noise.

The ball was snapped and Warren struck it well, sending a high-arching kick into the sky. On its way down, it found just enough distance to creep over the goalpost, setting off a West sideline celebration.

“To have him be in the spotlight like that with all these people cheering is special,” said the University of Maine-bound Taylor, who quarterbacked Windham to its first-ever Gold Ball last fall.

“I know when I’ve been there before and been cheered on, it’s meant something. It’s been a pleasure playing with him. He’s a great kid. He’s an inspiration to me. I’ve learned a lot and taken a lot from that kid. Watching him do that just makes you feel good.”

The kick gave the West a two-possession lead at 29-20, but the East answered quickly, covering 65 yards in less than three minutes. Leavitt’s Eric Theiss hooked up with Brunswick’s Rashon Edgerton for a 25-yard TD strike with 14:53 left in the fourth quarter. The PAT made it 29-27.

After a three-and-out by the West, the East marched down the field again, this time covering 67 yards in seven plays, the final one a 17-yard scoring pass from Lewiston’s Ronald Turner to John Bapst’s William Wetherbee to put the East up 33-29 with 11:02 to play. The two-point conversion attempt failed.

The East increased its lead to 40-29 with 2:19 left on a 34-yard TD run by Bangor’s Lonnie Hackett, who was named the East MVP.

The scoring wasn’t complete, however, in the highest-scoring Lobster Bowl ever. Taylor connected with South Portland’s Michael Foley for 16 yards (with an East personal foul penalty tacking on another 15), then Oak Hill’s Ben Foss for 32 to get the West down to the 3-yard line. From there, South Portland’s Ryan Curit barreled in for his second touchdown of the day. The two-point conversion failed, as did the onside kick, and Hackett was able to run out the clock by picking up a first down.

“Things didn’t go the way we wanted, but it was fun,” said Curit, who also ran in a two-point conversion to give the West an early 8-0 lead. “It was nice meeting all the new people. It was a great crowd, great atmosphere.”

Curit, who plans to play football at Bates College in the fall, said the week of practice at Hebron Academy leading up to the game really brought the team close.

“The first couple days, we had some trouble coming together, but after that everyone came together, the linemen and skill players,” Curit said. “We had a family, pretty much. We had a fun time up there.”

“You start at camp with 44 different individuals and you kind of mesh little pieces of it,” said West coach Kevin Cooper of Bonny Eagle. “As the week goes on, more and more parts come together. By the end of it, you’re really a team. That to me as a coach is the fun part.”

The West got off to a fast start, as Bonny Eagle’s Stephen Martin forced and recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff, finally getting wrestled down at the 7. Three plays later, Gorham’s Jon Day rumbled in for a 7-yard score and Curit’s two-point conversion made it 8-0 just 21 seconds into the game.

Midway through the first quarter, Curit scored on a 1-yard TD run and Warren’s PAT made it 15-0.

A 30-yard touchdown from Theiss to Edgerton put the East on the board with six minutes left in the first.

Thornton Academy’s Steve Trask scored on a 29-yard carry early in the second quarter for the West and Warren’s kick made it 22-6. Turner hit Cony’s Richard Orio for an 8-yard TD and a two-point conversion made it 22-14 entering halftime.

With 10:34 left in the third quarter, Theiss threw to Hampden Academy’s Nolan Turner for a 73-yard touchdown, making it 22-20.

Cape Elizabeth’s Tommy Foden, who played running back and picked off a pass as a defensive back, was named the MVP of the West team.

At halftime, Taylor was awarded with the John R. Schmidlin Trophy for Class A. The award is given to the most outstanding senior football player in each class. The West Team Advisor Award, selected by the coaching staff on the basis of character and leadership during training camp, was given to Dirigo’s Nicholas Crutchfield. Biddeford cheerleader Alycia Gelinas was the winner of the Spirit Award.

Skowhegan lineman Jerrid Herrin was the top fundraiser among the players, raising $3,400 for the Shriners.

Windham’s Jackson Taylor runs with the ball on a quarterback keeper for the West team in Saturday’s Lobster Bowl at Waterhouse Field in Biddeford.
Photo by Tom Minervino

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