DOVER-FOXCROFT — The last football game Dick Mynahan coached at Lisbon High was a tough loss in the 2016 Class C state final.
The last time Mynahan was part of the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic, he was an assistant coach on a West squad that was upset by the pass-happy East in July 2016.
Mynahan is back on the sideline for a one-week, head-coaching gig, leading the West all-stars in the 29th annual Lobster Bowl, which starts at 4 p.m. Saturday at Thornton Academy in Saco.
After one season away from the sideline, Mynahan says he “hasn’t given any consideration to winning or losing this game.”
Instead, he’s focused on the sacrifices the players make, which include pledging to raise $500 each for the Shrine hospitals.
“To me, they’re winners as they are and they should feel pretty good about what they’ve done. If we win the game, that would be a bonus, but they’ll never lose the feeling that they were part of a great cause,” Mynahan said at Tuesday’s media day at Foxcroft Academy, where both teams are training.
Mynahan, 72, retired after the 2016 season with a 30-year record of 209-83. His last Greyhounds squad went 8-2, losing 20-14 in the state title game when MCI turned a botched field goal on the final play into a winning touchdown. His Lisbon teams won Class C titles in 1997, 2005 and 2006.
“This is my last game and not one I expected to have but one that’s been a pleasure to be a part of. Obviously it’s for a great cause,” said Mynahan, who was also the winning coach in the 1994 Lobster Bowl and an assistant on “several” occasions.
The West roster is loaded with big-name talent, including Fitzpatrick Trophy winner Owen Garrard of Scarborough, Fitzy finalists Jack Bryant of Falmouth and Nolan Potter of Wells, and Gaziano Linemen award winners Arlo Pike (defensive tackle) and Zach Klein (offensive line), both of Bonny Eagle.
But expect all of the West roster to get a lot of playing time.
“There were times when I came to the game and I was disappointed to see the playing time for certain kids,” Mynahan said. “They’ve all done the same amount of work to get here – I’d like to make sure they all get equal playing time. That’s pretty impossible to do I guess but we’re going to do the best we can to make sure each person plays their share.”
BRUNSWICK HAD had a 2-8 season last fall, but the Dragons have significant influence on the East side. Coach Dan Cooper gets his first crack at being a Lobster Bowl head coach and the offense will rely heavily on three Brunswick linemen.
“It did not end the way we wanted it to and this is a chance to come back and get another shot at a win,” said Elijah Gagnon, a 6-foot-2, 265-pound offensive lineman who intends to play at Maine Maritime.
Gagnon and Max Friedman will play offensive tackle and Bailey Pelletier is an offensive guard. Each was a two-way starter as a senior. As juniors, Gagnon and Friedman were OL starters and Pelletier a defensive starter on Brunswick’s dominant 2016 Class B championship team
“We couldn’t have won the state title without those three,” Cooper said.
“We all worked hard to get here. We deserve to be here,” Friedman said.
“It’s awesome to be here and to have our head coach and also our line coach (Eric Sulzberger),” Gagnon said.
Pelletier was a late addition to the roster. Cooper had told him to stay ready.
“He just told me to keep working, working out, and it definitely paid off,” Pelletier said.
THERE ARE ALWAYS late additions to the Lobster Bowl rosters. Mynahan was happy to add Kennebunk running back Jacob Littlefield and Yarmouth free safety Henry Venden, who both had injury-marred senior seasons.
Mynahan said Kennebunk Coach Joe Rafferty strongly endorsed Littlefield, who rushed for over 1,000 yards as a junior but broke his collarbone in the third game as a senior. Littlefield will share carries with Garrard and Cooper Chaisson of Dirigo.
“When I started off my senior season this was my goal,” to play in the Lobster Bowl, Littlefield said. “As soon as I got in the hospital that night and sat down in the ER, I thought, well I guess that’s it. There goes everything. I’m just super excited to play.”
When Mynahan went to the Oak Hill-Yarmouth game he noticed Venden on the sideline.
“I thought to myself, boy, he looks like an athlete and he missed his whole senior year, so I gave him a call,” Mynahan said. “This is a game that’s important for a lot of reasons and I thought it was a good way for those guys who suffered through their senior year to come out here and have some fun.”
PORTLAND’S VINNIE PASQUALI is expected to play both ways for the East. “We like him a lot. He’s a receiver and defensive back,” Cooper said. “He’ll return some kicks. He’s a great kid. He wants to play.”
Steve Craig can be reached at 791-6413 or:
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