The 35th Annual Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic kicked off Saturday, July 19 at Lewiston High School’s Don Roux Field. The event featured 140 of Maine’s premiere high school football all-stars.

Jack Karlonas GHS ‘25 laced up his cleats for the event one last time. Karlonas started the game for the West team, in the outside linebacker position. According to his high school varsity coach, Sam Morrison, he was also a part of several special teams. The East was led by Portland High school quarterback, Louis Thurston, who led the Bulldogs to the state championship this past season.

Similar to Karlonas, Thurston said, “this game means the most, it’s probably going to be the last time I suit up, and to do it for a great great cause couldn’t be a better way to end it.” This event means so much to the entire football community and exceeded expectations for the players and the coaches. All participants broke a fundraising record, raising $236,000 for Maine Shriners Children’s Hospitals.

A lot of memories were made all week long, starting with the team training camp held at Foxcroft Academy where players participated in many practices, a lake trip, bowling trip, and a leadership trip with the national guard. The team then made their way back to Lewiston for the banquet celebrating coaches, players, and cheerleaders for their incredible efforts in raising money for the Shriners Children’s Hospitals.
After months of preparation and their week-long training camp, on July 19 it was time to shine on the field with the annual East v. West football game with a spectacular halftime performance put on by the all-star cheerleading squad. The West scored early and with a slow start in the second half for both sides, the West would pull away with a cool touchdown from MVP quarterback Jamier Rose (Noble) to CJ Cooper (Bonny Eagle). The West would prevail for a second straight year with a 41-6 win, with the biggest accomplishment, of course, being surpassing their fundraising goals.
This would be the final football game of Karlonas’s career after being a two-time all conference player, Fitzpatrick trophy semifinalist, and the National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete. Kudos to Karlonas and to Coach Morrison for being key players in this momentous event.