HEBRON — The 22nd Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic includes a rematch of sorts, of last November’s Class B state championship game.

That game was billed as a battle between the high-powered offense of Leavitt and the stifling defense of Mountain Valley. Defense ruled the day, as the Falcons shut down the Hornets, 20-0.

Don’t count on it happening again at Biddeford’s Waterhouse Field on Saturday (kickoff 4 p.m.). And that’s just fine with both head coaches.

Leavitt’s Mike Hathaway is serving as the head coach of the East, winners of two straight and four of the last five Lobster Bowls, and Mountain Valley’s Jim Aylward is leading the West squad, which leads the all-time series, 15-6. Both coaches want to win, first and foremost, but both want to do it in an entertaining fashion, too.

“Our goal is to score 40. I’m sure Mike’s goal is to score 40,” Aylward said. “We’re not going to come out and run the Mountain Valley offense, that’s for sure.”

Inspired by the slogan “Strong legs run so that weak legs may walk,” the senior high school all-star game annually raises money for the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Last year, the thousands in attendance got their money’s worth with the highest-scoring game in Lobster Bowl history, a wild, wide-open 40-35 shootout won by the East.

All signs point to another back-and-forth affair Saturday, especially if the teams can jell quickly at their six-day training camp at Hebron Academy this week.

The West is so loaded at quarterback with Fitzpatrick Trophy winner Peter Gwilym of Cheverus and finalist Jamie Ross of Deering that Aylward will be using another Fitzy finalist, the QB that led his Falcons to the state title, Cameron Kaubris, at defensive back.

Kaubris doesn’t mind switching to the other side of the ball, in part because playing defensive back in this game is just as challenging as playing quarterback.

“The thing that I’ve noticed in practice is the intensity level is just so high,” Kaubris said. “Everyone around you is just as good or even better than you, so you know that you have to bring it every single time. If you don’t, then you’re going to sit on the bench during the game. No one wants that.”

The East doesn’t want to spend almost the entire game trying to catch up to the West, like it did last year.

“They’re usually big and athletic and they’ve got a lot of kids to choose from,” Hathaway said of the West. “We’ll see how we stack up on Saturday.”

There will still be a silver Mountain Valley helmet in the offensive backfield. Taylor Bradley leads a versatile running back corps that also includes Winthrop’s Ryan Conant, Bonny Eagle’s Ethan Thorne and Portland’s Imadhi Zagon.

“We’ve got kids who are the real deal,” Aylward said. “This is fun. You’re not doing a lot of teaching. It’s just play installation, getting everybody some reps. It’s a pleasure. I’ll take this team and go into the season with them. (Mountain Valley) will even go up to Class A with these kids.”

Kaubris leads a West defense charged with the unenviable task of trying to stop what Aylward calls two of the best quarterbacks he’s ever coached against — Bangor’s Joe Seccareccia and Luke Duncklee of Cony. The rest of the speedy backfield features Edward Little’s Teven Colon, Lewiston’s Jeff Keene and Keenan Knox of Messalonskee.

“We’ve got pretty good balance on both sides of the ball,” Hathaway said.

The East has the edge in size up front with the likes of Morin and Mt. Blue’s Matt Archer.

“It’s a lot different. I’m not used to having all of that talent around me,” said Edward Little and East center Cody Meserve.

“We have a huge line. I’ve never seen kids this big,” said George Turner of Oxford Hills, a split end for the East. “We’re throwing the ball a lot. We don’t throw much (at Oxford Hills).”

That sentiment is common among players from the East’s more conservative, run-oriented schools.

Fortunately, the East roster includes four Leavitt players — Max Cloutier, Zach Frost, James Morin and Lucas Witham — who are not only talented athletes but handy reference points for East teammates trying to grasp Hathaway’s spread offense in one week.

“I’ve learned a lot of the new offense already,” Meserve said. “We never ran anything like it (at EL). It’s fast-paced.”

A fast-paced football game would make for a fun day for the players. But the rewards of taking part in the Lobster Bowl go beyond a few hours on the gridiron on Saturday.

“It takes a week out of your summer, but it’s definitely worth it,” Colon said. “You meet new friends. It’s like a college experience almost.”

Not lost in that experience is the real purpose of the game.

“The cause is amazing, and it’s really important for us to remember that this is a charity football game,” Kaubris said. “We’re doing this not only for ourselves and for our parents and our community, but we’re doing it for the greater good. We’re doing it for people who really need some help with the Shrine Hospital.”

“That adds to it, I think,” Kaubris said. “That adds to the intensity and adds to the meaning of the game. As a player, it’s great to have something fire you up like that. It’s definitely something worth fighting for.”