By Dave Dyer

Staff Writer

A summer football tradition will pit East against West Saturday for the 20th annual Lobster Bowl Classic at Waterhouse Field in Biddeford.

The game will feature 88 of the top high school senior football players in the state, as well as 60 cheerleaders coming from schools in Maine Classes A, B and C. The two teams are divided between the Western and Eastern conferences. 

Besides being a football all-star game, the Lobster Bowl  also is a charity event. The game is sponsored by the Kora Shriners, with 100 percent of net proceeds going toward the 22 Shrine hospitals for children housed in the United States and Canada. 

Six familiar names will play on the West roster, including Nate Curran and Justin Gagne of Biddeford High School, J.J. Begin, Patrick Randall and Jon Gilboy of Thornton Academy and Mitchell Blow of Old Orchard Beach High School. The West team will also be led by Old Orchard Beach head coach Dean Plante.

Cheerleader representatives include Lauren Boucouvalas, Danielle Dallaire, Felicia Manson and Ashlyn Mowatt from Thornton Academy, as well as Kaliegh Daigneault, Chelsea Gaudette, Kelsey Martin and Amanda Stackpole of Biddeford High School.

The selection process for players is made by a committee from the Maine Athletics Association. Players are nominated by their high school coach, and must be graduated seniors who will enter college in the fall.

Players reported to Hebron Academy last Sunday for a weeklong camp with teammates to prepare for the game. Curran, a quarterback/defensive back for the Tigers last season, said the team has been having double and triple sessions of practice to get ready.

“The first two days will be kind of rough,” Curran said.

Curran said growing up in Biddeford, it was always his goal to play in the Lobster Bowl game, as he watched former Tiger players participate in the game. He said he will have mixed emotions on Saturday, as the game will be his last high school football experience.

“It’ll probably be mixed emotions, but it’ll be a good experience,” Curran said.

Gilboy, a 5-foot, 10-inch, 285-pound offensive lineman, said he is looking forward to the chance to have one more high school football game.

“It’ll be great to be able to put the pads back on,” Gilboy said. “It’s also for such a great cause.”

The first Lobster Bowl game was played at Dr. Paul Hill Stadium in Saco on July 28, 1990, when the West beat the East by a score of 24-12. In 1991 the game was moved to Alumni Field at the University of Maine at Orono, but has now been a fixture each year at Waterhouse Field for the past 17 years.

Historically, the West has beaten the East 15 times in 19 games. The West team won last year’s contest 24-6, highlighted by a 72-yard touchdown pass from Massabesic quarterback Jeff Elliot to Bonny Eagle wide receiver Ricky Hoyt.

Gilboy said the coaches have talked to the players throughout the week of the East-West rivalry, but also told the players to enjoy themselves while they’re playing.

“It’s obviously the biggest rivalry game in the state,” Gilboy said. “[The coaches] said to make it the time of your life.”

Lewiston High School Athletic Director Jason Fuller said players who once played against each other on the football field become friends during the weeklong camp.

“If things go right, you develop some long lasting friendships,” Fuller said.

The game is the only opportunity for both Biddeford and Thornton Academy players to play on the same field together. Gilboy said the long-standing rivalry between the two schools does not take away from the respect the players have for each other.

“Of course they’re different kids, but they’re great kids and it’s great to play with them,” Gilboy said.

Tickets for the game are $10 for reserved seats and $8 for general admission. The gates at Waterhouse Field will open for fans at 1 p.m., with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m.

Staff writer Dave Dyer can be reached at 282-4337 ext. 219