HEBRON – The Lobster Bowl is all about bragging rights and tradition.
Members of the West all-stars are just hoping to swing those things their way this year.
It wasn’t since 2007 that a team from the southern half of Maine last took the title, and that has left competitors hungry for a little redemption. They’re also going to need a bit of fortitude just to make it through camp. After nearly a year of being away from the game, the all-stars from regional schools have suited up at Hebron Academy for a week-long training session to ready themselves for Saturday’s classic, and they’re battling more than just each other while they’re up there.
With temperatures surpassing 90, and high humidity striking Maine over the past several days, every play can be taxing. What’s more, when they’re off the field, the players are also dealing with an unexpected foe: boredom. Hebron Academy is isolated, and with just a lone television, entertainment for a generation of young men accustomed to being overwhelmed by visual stimuli has been hard to come by. There is little else to think about other than the looming duel with the East.
But perhaps it’s better that way. It gives them more time to dwell on what’s at stake.
“It’s a great honor definitely – being able to play, and to represent my hometown,” said Michael Cyr of Scarborough, who will be playing college football for Trinity in Hartford, Conn. this fall. “All of my teammates here know each other, and they have all been reminiscing about games and playing each other. (The West) almost feels like a closer community because the towns are all so close together.”
“It is not as bad as you think – it’s not too hot,” added Trevor Bates of Westbrook, who will suit up for the Maine Black Bears in autumn. “But just getting back into it after a couple of months of not getting into pads is different. But I love it, and everyone here is just happy to be here and suit up. Personally, for me, it was pretty easy to try to transition into it, because football is just something I kind of do all summer. But for some people I think it takes a few days. But once everyone is into it, it’s pretty full-throttle.”
On Monday, the team was in full pads, and unlike Sunday, the weather mercifully obliged by clouding over with occasional showers. Each teammate stood wearing helmets emblazed with multiple local logos and mascots, to the point where it became difficult to distinguish what school a player hailed from.
“Each school brings their own decals, and you go trade with the other guys,” said Nicholas Ramsdell of Windham. “You just try to make the best out of them. We’re the West, and we’re trying to represent everybody. The helmets kind of show that – that we’re here as the west, and not just like the town of Windham.”
Players gathered on the broad, gently sloping green at the center of the Academy to run plays, with any traces of rust already falling away.
“It has definitely been tough getting back into things,” said Nicholas Gagne of Biddeford. “Most of us haven’t touched a football for months now. Just getting into that football shape and getting a feel for the ball is a process, but we will get through it.”
Gagne, in particular amongst his 30 some-odd teammates, will have an additional burden to carry in this game. It will be Gagne’s final opportunity to wow the home crowd at Waterhouse field in Biddeford, and he is well aware that a lot of local eyes will be on him.
“There are going to be a lot of people at the game from Biddeford, and there is going to be a lot of support for me,” he said. “It’s going to be pretty crazy how many people who are going to be there. Just playing on Waterhouse Field one more time is going to be pretty special. I like (how the stands are so close to the field at home), because it’s like everyone is right on top of the field. They can just pack so many people in there, and people stand around the fences. It’s just a great atmosphere.”
Another guy with arguably a bit more to prove is Andrew Hammond of Massabesic. Despite missing the entirety of the 2010 season with a torn ACL, Hammond was honored as the Mustangs’ representative in the Lobster Bowl. He is just happy to be out in the sunshine and running with the ball again.
“Playing with these guys is great,” Hammond said. “All of these guys are just great football players. And to come back has been special. I tore my ACL during the summer and missed the whole season. (My recovery) was tough, especially in the first couple of months, but now I am just getting back into it. This is the first football I have played in a while, but it feels good. Putting on the pads brings you back. I am just excited to get out there.”
What does a typical day of training consist of?
“You wake up, eat breakfast, play football, eat lunch, play football, eat dinner, watch some TV… and then play some more football,” said Shawn Goodrich of Sanford, who will be attending Blinn College this fall. “It gets tiring, but it is probably a good thing.”
And it’ll have to be, and the players will need every spare hour they can get to prepare themselves to meet the East. One thing they are confident of, though, is the outcome of Saturday’s game.
“The East is good – I mean, they have won it three years in a row – but personally I think we’ve just got the better team this year,” Ramsdell said. “Our offense is crazy, and our defense is pretty sick. I don’t think (the East) stands much of a chance.”
“I think they have zero chance,” added Cyr. “They have a lot of talented guys, but I think the West is just more consistently talented all the way through, at every position.”
Hammond knows that while confidence will be key against the East, the West all-stars still need to work in practice to make sure they are at their best on Saturday. “(The offense) has been kind of sloppy at first, but that’s to be expected,” he said. “We’re going to get it going. When you are out here, every guy you are going against, you know that they are the best on their team, and that they are here for a reason.”
With their helmets each emblazoned with the
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