Purchase this image
LEWISTON — Colin Moran said all week he and his West teammates had stressed that there would come a time in the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic when they would have to make plays under pressure.
The former Bonny Eagle High quarterback did just that Saturday, throwing a touchdown pass to Kai Turner of South Portland with 1:27 remaining to lift the West to a 28-26 victory in the 36th all-star game at Don Roux Field in Lewiston.
Moran and his teammates faced a 26-22 deficit with 5:15 to play after the East’s offensive line steamrolled the West defense on a 10-play, 65-yard drive, all on power runs, to take the lead.
“That final drive, I was just reminding my teammates that this is adversity and we need to answer the call,” Moran said.
They did, especially on fourth-and-6 from the 9. During a timeout, Moran and tight end Kai Turner of South Portland convinced West offensive coordinator Kevin Cooper (Moran’s high school head coach) to change the play call from a come-back pass in the left corner of the end zone to a quick slant to the middle of the field.
Moran zipped a dart and Turner snatched it cleanly for the winning score.
“I was talking to Colin and I said, ‘just give me the seam ball.’ We called a timeout and talked to Coach Coop, and he said he liked the idea and it worked out great,” Turner said.
Moran, who will continue his football career at Husson University, was named the West’s MVP. He completed 9 of 11 passes for 137 yards and two scores to Turner and sparked the team with his running in the first half, leading the the game’s initial scoring drive with 37 rushing yards before completing a 28-yard pass to Justin Searles of Biddeford to set up his own 1-yard touchdown.
Holding the MVP trophy, Moran said, “This is a surreal feeling, by the way. This has never happened to me in my life. This is awesome.”
The two teams put on an exciting back-and-forth show. The West finished with a 481-401 edge in yardage on a damp day that was more mist than rain during the game, after Boston Bruins anthem singer Todd Angilly boomed out the Star Spangled Banner under steady rain.
Players and cheerleaders also helped raise over $300,000. Maine’s Kora and Anah Shrine temples will donate the proceeds to Shriners Children’s 22 medical facilities across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Lobster Bowl had raised more than $1 million entering this year.
“This is the biggest game, not only because of the football game, but because of the cause,” said quarterback Tatum Doucette of Messalonskee, who was the East MVP after rushing for 116 yards and two touchdowns and completing 8 of 9 passes for 58 yards. “It’s a great cause to play for, and I’m really happy to be a part of it.”
The West now owns a 24-11 advantage in the series and has won three straight (not counting the 2021 game, which was 7-on-7 touch). Saturday was the 10th time the game has been decided by six or fewer points. The largest lead by either team was eight points after the West’s opening TD.
The East took a 26-22 lead on a 6-yard run by Kyle Johnson of Bangor, capping a drive that featured Cony’s standout quarterback, Parker Morin (10 of 21 passing, 60 yards) handing off 10 straight times. The power running of Nokomis’ Seth Bowden (10 carries, 50 yards) got the drive going. Joey Foley of Deering (6 carries, 43 yards) added three chunk runs.
Most of all, the offensive line of Josh Wolfertz (Old Town), Bohdy King Jones (Cony), Joe Hayden (Mt. Blue), Maddox McMahan (Oceanside) and center Matt O’Connell (Bangor) asserted itself.
“I’m going to remember that for the rest of my life,” Wolfertz said. “That was the best drive I’ve ever played in a football game.”
It was not the first time the East seemed to be in control, only to have the West respond.
Doucette’s second touchdown was a 7-yard run with 11:10 to play that put the East up 20-16. He bounced away from a would-be tackler at the edge of the line, got to the sideline and then burrowed his way inside the pylon.
The West responded with an 82-yard touchdown pass from Tres Walker of Falmouth to Ethan Horton of South Portland. Walker put a deep throw to midfield between two defenders, and Horton made an all-hands catch, sprinting away from the defenders who collided and fell to the turf.
It was the second longest passing touchdown in Lobster Bowl history.
The West took an 8-0 lead on Moran’s 1-yard run and a 2-point run by Gio Staples of Westbrook.
Doucette got the East rolling late in the first quarter, gashing the West defense with runs up the middle, both designed and freelanced. He gained 73 yards on seven carries during a 79-yard drive, capping it with a 4-yard run that cut the lead to 8-7 after Trey Tennett’s extra point.
In the second quarter, the West was called for six penalties, ruining two drives on offense and gifting 25 yards to the East’s go-ahead touchdown drive of 61 yards that ended with a 10-yard cutback scamper by Ayden Mulcahy of Skowhegan for a 13-8 lead.
The East’s standout outside linebacker, Aidan Bryant of Foxcroft Academy, appeared to stop Moran short on a fourth-and-1 at the West 30 with about three minutes to play in the half. The officials gave the West a generous spot, however, and a first down.
Fitzpatrick Trophy winner Connor Ayoob (21 carries, 114 yards) began to find some room, and with 38 seconds to play in the half, Moran swung a pass out to the left flat for Turner, who had clear sailing for a 31-yard touchdown and 16-13 lead heading into halftime.