Lisbon’s Jared Glover dives for extra yardage after Wnthrop/Monmouth’s Nate Scott tripped him up during the Class D South championship football game in Winthrop in November.
FOXCROFT — With the exception of baseball’s effort on Tuesday, all-star games are inherently geared toward offense. The more scoring, the more entertaining the game.
Last year’s Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic, a 58-52 East victory, redefined that all-star game’s scoring standards. It shattered the old scoring record, set in 2010, by 35 points. Old Town wide receiver Andre Miller set a new record by scoring four touchdowns while catching seven passes for 194 yards and was named the East’s MVP.
The 2015 game, a 45-21 win for the West, showcased plenty of offense, too. Over the last 10 years, the winning team has averaged 35 points.
The defenses in Saturday’s 28th edition of the game (4 p.m., Thornton Academy), which raises money for Shriners hospitals, know the deck is stacked against them in the battle of Maine’s top football talent. But they’re out to show that the all-stars aren’t just on the offensive side of the ball.
“We’re trying to take it as a challenge to prove ourselves,” Dirigo’s Bryce Whittemore, who will play defensive end for the West, said. “We want the game to be just as exciting with defensive plays.”
Traditionally, the biggest names in Maine high school football line up on offense for the Lobster Bowl.
But it’s not just talent that tips the balance. The high school game has become more pass-oriented in the new millennium, and offensive coaches are even more emboldened to use their imaginations for the Lobster Bowl.
And the offense has more chances to get creative. While both sides of the ball are limited to a certain number of formations by the game’s rules, defenses are constrained further by not being allowed to blitz.
“It really gives the offensive line a little bit of an advantage and gives protection for quarterbacks who can really sling the ball,” said Oxford Hills coach Mark Soehren, who is a receivers coach for the East.
“We know defense is limited a little bit,” said Winthrop/Monmouth’s Alec Brown, who will play linebacker for the West. “It puts a little bit of pressure on us. But at the same time, we have a really good defense, and they have a really good offense. So, you’ve just got to try to go out there and do your best and do your job.”
Coaches have less than a week to prepare them for that job. Even with triple sessions of practice, getting a defense to mesh in such a short time can be a challenge, especially when there are a number of players being asked to play new positions.
Fortunately, the coaches have talented and astute pupils.
“These kids are here for a reason. They’re pretty special kids,” said Scarborough coach Lance Johnson, the West’s defensive coordinator. “They’re not only good athletes but they’re very coachable. They’re picking things up quick and they want to be successful.”
“These are very unselfish kids,” he added. “Some of these guys were the leading receiver or the leading running back on their team and we ask them to play defense.”
Whittemore was a semifinalist for the Gaziano Offensive Lineman of the Year award last year. On defense, he was an outstanding linebacker for Dirigo. But the West needs him to line up at defensive end Saturday.
“For Dirigo, it was pretty much read and react, go find the ball,” Whittemore said. “Now, at defensive end, there’s a little bit of pass coverage, a little bit of contain (the quarterback). It’s learning whole new responsibilities.”
Regardless of how much they’ve played their position, defenders are tested immediately in practice matching up against their own offense. It’s good preparation for the speed and skill level they will face Saturday.
“We’ve got a great group of receivers on our side that we get to practice against every day,” said Winthrop/Monmouth’s Nate Scott, a safety for the West. “We do a lot of work on coverage and we get to cover them, so it makes us better every day. Hopefully, we can go out on Saturday and try to compete with what they’ve got (on the East) and do our best to contain them.”
The defensive line can make things a lot easier for their secondary and linebackers by winning one-on-one battles and getting pressure on the quarterback.
“That’s been a huge thing. We’re trying to eliminate the big pass plays, so we’ve had a big emphasis on getting to the quarterback so they can’t get the ball out or they have to rush their throws,” Whittemore said.
That will be much easier said than done. Both sides have massive offensive lines to keep the quarterbacks — Skowhegan’s Garrett McSweeney and Taylor Heath of Cony for the East, Sanford’s Frankie Veino and Cam Day of Bonny Eagle for the West — on their feet.
Given all of the factors against them, defenders acknowledge they’re going to give up points. Ultimately, they want to make the offenses earn it.
“If you make a mistake, get over it,” said Lewiston’s Roman Dennis, who is moving from linebacker to safety for the East. “Coaches have been saying ‘Don’t hang your head after a bad play. Help the guy up next to you and then go on to the next play.'”
“We know it’s going to happen. It’s the Lobster Bowl. It’s the best players in the state of Maine. We know they’re going to get some,” Brown said. “We’re just trying to limit how many they can get, trying to take away the big plays.”
Lewston’s Roman Dennis pursues as teammate Darius Phillips and Oxford Hills’ Blake Slicer and go up for a ball intended for Slicer in September 2015. The pass was incomplete.
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