HEBRON -- It was early in Lobster Bowl training camp when Lucas Thomas stepped into the offensive huddle. Ten unfamiliar faces waited to hear Thomas call a play. Some made chit-chat while they waited. That won't fly in Thomas' huddle.

"They were talking and he was 'Guys, quiet down,'" said Wes Littlefield, Thomas's coach at Messalonskee High School and an assistant coach on the East staff. "He's very much a natural born leader as far as taking control of certain situations."

Thomas took the crash course in football leadership and passed with high marks in just one year of experience as a starting varsity quarterback. On Friday night, Thomas will split time at quarterback with Cony's Gabe Hinds for the East in the annual Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl, the all-star football game played to raise money for Shriner's Hospitals. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Waterhouse Field in Biddeford.

Thomas had to wait his turn under center for Messalonskee, with two-year starter Ted Fabian ahead of him on the depth chart. On the bench, Thomas was watching and learning.

"Everyone looks up to you when you're a captain, when you're a quarterback. Teddy, he carried himself well even through adversity," Thomas said. "I was ready to play my junior year. I knew once my senior year came around, it was a one-shot deal. I was confident I had prepared well, so I was ready."

When Thomas got his chance to start last fall, he learned he'd be running a new offense. Littlefield decided the Eagles would run the double wing offense. The double wing is known for its tight formations and time-consuming, sod churning running attack. A quarterback in a double wing system will not drop back and sling it 25 times per game.

"When (Littlefield) told me we were switching to the double wing, I'll admit, I was a little skeptical," Thomas said. "The advantage was I hadn't had any varsity experience before, so the varsity game was new to me. Learning the new offense, it took time. We really didn't click until Week 3."

At the midpoint of the season, the Eagles were 2-2, but played well in a 22-15 loss to traditional Pine Tree Conference power Bangor. Messalonskee won three of its last four regular-season games to reach the Pine Tree Conference playoffs, and Thomas played well.

Thomas finished the season throwing for 405 yards and four touchdowns. The southpaw led the PTC in completion percentage, and was the only starting quarterback in the league to complete more than 50 percent of his passes (53.2 percent). In Messalonskee's balanced, run-heavy offense, Thomas had 61 carries for 328 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns. The Eagles threw to Thomas on a pair of halfback passes, and both went for touchdowns.

"We figured the offense would suit (Thomas) in a way to give him a lot more protection on passes, and everybody would be so concerned with the run, that the play-action pass would be wide open for him," Littlefield said. "I think Luke's the type of quarterback, he can adapt. If it's spread, he can run spread. If it's double wing, he can do double wing. He's shown that here with Butch (Richards) and Butch's (Arthers) offense."

The offense Thomas is learning for the Lobster Bowl has a little bit of everything. Some power running, some shotgun, and it has Thomas excited.

"We open up in the double wing, but we do a lot of shifting. There's a lot of gun and variations in the shotgun. Most of our offense will be from the gun," Thomas said. "I love the gun. It's easier to make reads, you can see everything a lot better. We throw the ball around a lot, too."

Thomas will attend the University of Maine in the fall, and is considering trying to walk on with the Black Bear football team.

"He's a student of the game. I think he's taken this opportunity to showcase his skills and ultimately, he knows what he's here for, and that's for the kids," Littlefield said. "He's going to do the right thing when it comes time to do it. He's a gamer. Come game time, he's going to want to put on a show."

Travis Lazarczyk -- 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com