HEBRON -- Dan Hussey and Jack Hersom insist it doesn't matter who starts at quarterback Friday night in the 19th Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl at Waterhouse Field in Biddeford.

"No one has been named the starter," said Hussey, who directed the Waterville Senior High School offense last fall. "We'll split the reps. We're both pretty good so it doesn't matter as long as we both get on the field."

Hussey and Hersom, the reigning Fitzpatrick Trophy winner from Lawrence High School, emerged from a deep pool of quarterbacks representing the East, which trails the series 14-4 but has won the last three of five meetings, including two straight.

When training camp opened this week at Hebron Academy, East coach Butch Arthers had as many as seven players -- Hussey, Hersom, James Wood (Winslow), Jacob Arthers (Belfast), Joe Gilbert (Mt. Blue), Evan Barker (Leavitt) and Andrew Weiss (Rockland) -- who played quarterback last fall.

"We had six quarterbacks and we had to pick two to play the position," said Butch Arthers, who recently retired as Belfast's head coach. "Then we had to find spots for the others."

Barker and Gilbert will play out of the slot Friday night, while Weiss will see time at tailback. Woods will play corner and Jacob Arthers will help direct the defense from the free safety position.

"It should be a lot of fun," said Hersom, who threw for 1,427 yards and 17 touchdowns for the Bulldogs last fall.

"I'm not worried about playing time. We're just trying to get this offense down."

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Messalonskee offensive lineman Justin Grant laughed when asked to compare the East's offense to what the Eagles ran last fall.

"It's a big change," said Grant, who will play left tackle. "I come from a double wing and now we're doing split ends and throwing the ball. We may throw the ball once or twice a game at Messalonskee."

Messalonskee coach Wes Littlefield is on Arthers' staff as the linebackers coach.

"He's a tough guy," Grant said. "He's already scaring some of the players. I'm on the offensive line and he's coaching the defense, so I don't see him much, but it's good he's here."

The Lobster Bowl marks the end of competitive football for many players, and that is true of Grant. The 18-year-old Oakland resident joined the U.S. Army and leaves for basic training in early August at Fort Benning in Georgia.

After completing basic training, Grant plans to receive training as a medic at Fort Sam Houston in Texas.

"Then it's back to Fort Benning for jump school and Ranger training," he said.

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Mt. Blue quarterback Joe Gilbert is moving to wide receiver for the game, a position he played during his freshman year.

"I'm excited to not have to run everything," he said. "It's not that much of a change."

Still, Gilbert acknowledged the transition presents some challenges.

"Blocking," he added. "Knowing who to block is the toughest thing for me. It was kind of rough in the beginning."

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Hussey will attend Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., this fall. The school lists New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and George W. Bush, the 43rd U.S. President, as its notable alumni.

Hussey met Belichick at a post-graduate seminar June 7 and said the Patriots coach was nothing like he sometimes appears.

"He's a lot funnier then when you see him in news conferences," Hussey said. "I was actually surprised with how laid back he is."

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Woods is still recovering from two ankle injuries that slowed him during the last Winslow baseball and football seasons. Woods suffered a high right ankle sprain during the Black Raiders' football campaign. Then, during baseball season, he tweaked the other ankle.

"I still get them both taped up," he said. "I get them taped every day. I can still feel them. I'm still not 100 percent, but I'm definitely going to play. It's annoying because in all my years of sports I've never had any injuries before."

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Hersom's former Lawrence teammate Shawn Champagne will split time as fullback with Kyle Vanidestine of Bangor. Champagne's older brother, Aaron, played in last year's Lobster Bowl.

"He said to have fun and that there's a lot of competition," Shawn said. "He just told me that I'd get into the game and to enjoy it."

As for playing fullback, Shawn said he's never played the position but is embracing the challenge.

"I guess you just lower the head, hit the holes and get the tough yards," he said.

Shawn will attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the fall. Aaron is a running back at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, which plays in the Liberty League with RPI.

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The East's offensive line absorbed a hit Tuesday morning when former Bucksport center Dylan Small suffered a knee injury that will sideline him for the game. That leaves just one center on the roster, Mt. Desert Island's Christopher Ranco.

Coach Arthers said Cony offensive tackle John Carll may slide over to center to help fill the void.

"I've played center a little before," Carll said.

Carll added that the game couldn't come any sooner.

"If we aren't pumped up then there is no hope for us," he said. "We have to keep ourselves pumped up."

Of course, with as many as three practices a day -- each around two hours -- feeling 'pumped' isn't always easy.

"Yeah, a lot of us are tired all the time," Carll conceded. "We have two-hour practices, two-hour breaks, then two-hour practices. It's tough, but a lot of fun."

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Odds and ends: The East won last year's game, 44-27. ... Cheerleaders also opened training camp this week at Central Maine Community College in Auburn. ... Nicholas Ellis will represent Madison on the West squad. ... The East coaching staff also includes: Butch Richards (Belfast), Mike Marston (Skowhegan), Dan O'Connell (John Bapst), Mike Hathaway (Leavitt), Mike Siviski (Winslow), and Bill County (Lewiston). Richards is the offensive coordinator while Marston is defensive coordinator.

Bill Stewart -- 623-3811, ext. 515

bstewart@centralmaine.com