Three Class D state championships as the quarterback of Oak Hill, for example.

So it means something that a 58-52 loss in the Lobster Bowl on Saturday ranks pretty high.

“It was one of the best high school football games that I’ve been involved in. Absolutely,” Therrien said. “I won three state championships, and this game ranks right up there.”

Thanks to fumbling the ball away twice on kickoff returns, the West squad fell behind the East 30-8 early in the second quarter.

The West didn’t look like it had a chance to be the best in the 27th Lobster Bowl. But under center, the West had Therrien and Leavitt’s Levi Craig.

“Dalton’s like a born winner. He’s only lost like five games in his whole varsity career,” West wide receiver Corey Hart of Thornton Academy said. “Same with Levi. Levi knows what it is to win, and he’s been around some good receivers, too, and so he knew how to get people the ball.”

At halftime of Saturday’s game both were honored as winners of the John R. Schmidlin awards as the most outstanding senior football players in their respective classes — Craig for Class B and Therrien for Class D.

They had some credentials, and credentials were crucial for quarterbacks in what was by far the highest scoring game in the Lobster Bowl’s history.

Facing that early 22-point deficit, Craig and Therrien went to work, switching off each West offensive series at quarterback.

“It was dead (on the sidelines), but we knew that we had to stay up, and the way to come back in this game was to not be dead,” Therrien said. “And the guys, all week we had no quit in us.

“You only get one last high school game. Everybody here, whether they’re going on (to play in college) or not, it’s one last game, so why end on a bad note?”

Therrien and Craig play different styles of quarterback: Therrien is more of a runner and roll-out passer, while Craig is more accustomed to throwing from the pocket.

The West had to account for that.

“We practiced it, they had to know both, but as the week went on, we kind of tailored it to a kid — certain plays — and it showed in their offensive statistics, I think,” West coach — and Oak Hill coach — Stacen Doucette said.

With limited support from the other side of the ball, they helped the West get back into the game. When Craig hooked up with Marshwood’s Zach Doyon, who was named West MVP, for an 8-yard touchdown pass it made the score 36-30 with 21 seconds left in the first half.

The West would have entered the intermission within one score if not for a 62-yard touchdown catch by Old Town’s Andre Miller on the East’s next play from scrimmage.

The West again got within one score, 44-38, in the third quarter when Therrien scored on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

After Miller scored another long touchdown, Craig led the West on a drive to the end zone that decreased the deficit to 52-44.

Doucette was Therrien’s coach at Oak Hill, but said having the familiar QB wasn’t any more beneficial than having Craig leading the offense.

“Both our quarterbacks are outstanding. It didn’t matter,” Doucette said. “They’re both great kids. They both had great passes, they both had great runs and great leadership. It didn’t really matter. It was whoever’s turn it was.”

For a few plays in the game, it was both players’ turn, including on the game-tying drive in the fourth quarter.

Therrien threw over the top of the defense to Hart for a 37-yard gain that put the West at the East 22. One play later, Craig took over the huddle and Therrien shifted over the slot. Craig handed off to Therrien, who ran to the 9-yard line.

“We had a little fun,” Doucette said. “And I think it served a purpose, everybody was backing up, thought it was a halfback pass.”

Doyon scored two plays later to make it 52-52.

The West wasn’t able to answer another touchdown by Miller and time ran out on the comeback, but that didn’t taint the game too much for Therrien.

“I would have liked a little smaller of a score and (for) it to go the other way,” Therrien said. “But, you know, it was a fun way to end.”

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