BIDDEFORD – The West had handled the East with relative ease in the first two Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classics.

The West teams built their success around straight-ahead power football. The West ran its streak to 3-0 here Saturday, but by far different means.

The West senior all-stars made a pair of critical, second-half defensive stands and showed a few offensive wrinkles while grinding out an 18-7 victory over the East in front of an estimated 6,000 fans at sun-drenched Waterhouse Field.

The football faithful were treated to a dandy in Lobster Bowl III, sponsored by the Kora Shrine Temple of Lewiston with the support of the Maine High School Coaches Association. Net proceeds from the contest will benefit the 22 Shriners orthopaedic hospitals and burn centers.

Nick Napolitano, a linebacker from Portland High School, was selected as the Most Valuable Player for the West. Napolitano was in on 15 tackles while spearheading the West defense.

Jason Jabar, a quarterback from Waterville, was the East’s MVP. He rushed for 40 yards on 13 carries, keying the East’s lone scoring drive in the first half.

After watching the East offense dominate the game’s first 22 minutes, the West responded with 11 unanswered points in the final eight minutes of the first half.

The West caught a break with 7:59 to play in the first half when Chris Small of Lewiston recovered a fumble by the East’s Chad Mower (Winslow) at the East 38-yard line. Fitzpatrick Trophy winner Art Leveris of Thornton Academy in Saco carried six times for 16 yards and Joe Bedard (Mountain Valley of Rumford) side-stepped two defenders on a 24-yard pass reception from Biddeford quarterback Chris Cote to highlight the 11-play drive.

Leveris’ 3-yard plunge capped the march at the 3:09 mark. The West set up to kick, but holder Cote executed the fake and ran around the right side for the two-point conversion that put the West ahead for keeps at 8-7.

Three plays later, the West’s special teams struck again. Jason Agren (Edward Little of Auburn) blocked a punt by Gardiner’s Mark Ladner.

The West took over on the E-22 with 2:19 left in the half. Leveris punched a 35-yard field goal through the uprights with ease to make it 11-7 at intermission.

The East threatened late in the third quarter after Kirby Reardon of Dexter batted down a pitchout by West quarterback Chris McKean and the East’s Dave Best (Orono) recovered at the East 35.

Aided by penalties for pass interference and face-masking, the East marched inside the West 5-yard line. Mower had a 13-yard run on a draw play to spark the charge. However, Napolitano stuffed Skowhegan’s Jarrod True on third-and-goal from the 2 and the fourth-down pass by Jabar fell incomplete.

“It got our confidence up a little bit because we were up on them and then we figured that if we stop them, we get the ball back,” Napolitano said. “Then, things started going our way.”

The West responded with a nifty, 97-yard scoring drive that chewed up 5:13. Leveris’ hard-nosed running set the pace, while a 16-yard pass from Cote to Leveris was also key.

Yet, the biggest play of the game was pulled off by the West’s punt team. Matt Huff (Deering of Portland) dropped back to kick, but rolled right and hit wide-open Craig Pendergrass of Biddeford for a 23-yard pickup and a first down.

Cote then scrambled left and threw back against the grain to Kevin Bancroft (Old Orchard Beach) for a 27-yard completion that helped set up Leveris’ 2-yard TD run two plays later. Leveris added the PAT kick, giving the West an 18-7 lead with 10:44 to play.

“In the second half, we just made a few adjustments defensively,” Cote said. “Our defense did a great job inside the 10-yard line and our offense clicked in the second half. The fake punt was a big play.”

The East threatened on its next possession, moving 75 yards to the West 5, only to watch Michael Roche (Wells) pick off Marc Chabot’s fourth-down pass in the end zone with 5:12 to play.

The East opened the game purposefully, riding a wave of emotion during a 14-play, 74-yard scoring drive. True’s 17-yard jaunt early on provided a spark, but it was Jabar’s heady runs from his QB spot that keyed the march.

Tackles Pat Murphy (Orono) and Mike McDonald (Waterville), guards Julio DeSanctis (John Bapst of Bangor) and Kevin Vining (Madison) and center Joe Labbe of Brunswick were superb early on.

Jabar punched it over from a yard out and Pat Ryan (Morse of Bath) added the conversion kick to give the East a 7-0 edge with 8:01 left in the first quarter.

The West’s Shawn Stephenson (Massabesic of Waterboro) led all rushers with 78 yards on 17 carries. Mower led the East with 61 yards on 14 tries.

On the defensive side, Bowdoin-bound Best was the East catalyst with 12 tackles. Skowhegan’s Jamie Charrier was in on 10 hits, while Gardiner’s Nate Whalen made eight tackles and Todd Orcutt of Bucksport six.

Napolitano was complemented on the West defense by Biddeford’s Peter Poirier, Scott Cote (Old Orchard Beach) and Jason Szczepanik (York), who were in on seven tackles apiece.

West 18, East 7

West Stars 0 11 0 7 -18

East Stars 7 0 0 0 -7

East – Jabar 1 run (Ryan kick)

West – Leveris 3 run (Cote rush)

West – Leveris 35 FG

West – Leveris 2 run (Leveris kick)

West East First downs 17 19 Rushing: att. – yards 46-179 43-175 Passing: att. – comp. 12-8 20-6 Yards passing 114 91 Total yards 293 266 Intercepted by 2 0 Punts – average 2-29.5 1-0.0 Fumbles – lost 1-1 3-1 Penalties – yards 3-45 2-20

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – West: Stephenson 17-78, Leveris 16-30, Fuller 7-37, McKean 6-9, Cote 1-9, Bean 2-8; East: Mower 14-61, True 7-41, Jabar 13-40, Benjamin 4-17, Tarr 2-12, Tyler 1-7, Chabot 2-(minus-3)

PASSING – West: Cote 4-4-0-40, Huff 1-1-0-23, McKean 2-2-0-10; East: Chabot 5-12-0-80, Jabar 1-8-0-11

RECEIVING West: Pendergrass 3-44, Bancroft 1-27, Bedard 1-24, Leveris 2-17, Fuller 1-2; East: Mower 2-34, LaCasse 1-31, Tyler 2-15, Beers 1-11