HEBRON — Whistles were blowing. Pads were thudding. Footballs whizzed through the air. In the quiet atmosphere of Hebron, the noises echoed loud and clear.

It could only mean one thing in the middle of July. It’s once again time for the 21st Annual Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl football game.

Players and cheerleaders from Classes A, B and C will participate in the game, which will be held at Waterhouse Field in Biddeford, with 100 percent of the net proceeds benefiting the Shriners Children’s Hospital and the Shriners Burn Institute .

Due to roster shuffling, eight area players will be participating for the West squad. Thornton Academy has the most area representatives with three in quarterback Steve Trask, wide receiver Tim Grose and offensive lineman Sam Lalezari.

Grose, a late addition to the West roster, was both surprised and honored to be selected.

“I was definitely excited,” Grose said. “I knew I wanted to play in it, and I knew was going to be a lot of good kids on the team. I’ve been watching the game since I was a kid, growing up in Biddeford, playing around there. I always wanted to play in it and was excited to get the call.”

Also on the roster are Biddeford defensive back Travis Vigneault, Massabesic offensive lineman Gregg Callanan, Sanford offensive lineman Gage Lebeuf, Wells offensive lineman Alec Gatzogiannis and Kennebunk offensive lineman Will Foley.

Gatzogiannis is one of only a handful of Class B or C players on the roster, and is excited to show off his skills in front of his Class A allies.

“It shows that [Class] B and C players can play in this game,” Gatzogiannis said.

While the game is an All-Star competition between the best high school football players in the state, the players realize the true meaning behind the event.

“The coaches have made a really good point to us about what the Shriners do, and what this game is,” Callanan said. “To not to just put this on for us, but also for the kids in the hospitals. They really send a good message about the influence of this game and what it does.”

Currently, the Shriners Hospital system has 125,000 active patients, with about 1,500 patients who reside in Maine.

One of the best representatives of what the Shrine Hospitals can do is Eddie Warren, a defensive end/kicker from Sacopee Valley. Warren was born with deformed feet, and both were amputated at an early age. Warren was treated at the Shriners Hospital and has used prosthetics ever since. Not only did Warren play football for Sacopee Valley, which finished its first year of varsity football last fall, but he also pitched on the baseball team, and played for the Massabesic American Legion squad this summer.

“It means a lot to me that the Shriners are going to put this [game] on,” Warren said. “The donations that they’re getting out of this is just unbelievable. They do a lot of good work, and it’s just amazing that they can pull this off and do it.”

Warren will be the kicker for the West on Saturday.

“[Playing in the Lobster Bowl] means a lot to me, to be honest,” Warren said. “Just to be able to be out here with a group of guys who are amazing athletes. It’s a good experience to be out here with all of them.”

Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday. The gates at Waterhouse Field will open for the public at 1 p.m.

— Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535 ext. 318.