DOVER-FOXCROFT — Only at the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl, surrounded by some of the biggest high school football linemen in the state, can the 6-foot-1, 240-pound Nick Deckert get away with calling himself small.
“I’m not the biggest guy on the team, so I try to work with my speed a little bit,” Deckert, who graduated from Maine Central Institute this past spring, said. “Size doesn’t always matter. It’s how hard you play.”
As one of the top offensive lineman in the Little Ten Conference, Deckert helped lead MCI to the conference title in 2014, and that earned him a spot on the East squad for the Lobster Bowl, the annual football game featuring the top recently graduated seniors in the state. As always, the Lobster Bowl raises money for the Shriner’s hospitals for children. The game will be at 6 p.m. Saturday at Waterhouse Field in Biddeford.
Deckert was a late addition to the Lobster Bowl roster. When a few offensive linemen elected not to play, Dan O’Connell, head coach at Bangor’s John Bapst High School and the East’s offensive line coach, called MCI head coach Tom Bertrand. Deckert had a spot on the team if he was interested.
“It was a no brainer,” Bertrand said. “(Deckert) can play anywhere on the offensive line.”
Decket was honored to get the call.
“It was a bit of a wake up call, I was like, I need to start hitting the gym a little bit more,” he said.
Deckert played left tackle for MCI last season, and led an offensive line that opened holes no matter who was running the ball. Injuries tested the Huskies’ backfield depth in 2014, but the offensive kept chugging, averaging a league-high 430.5 yards and 48 points per game.
“We ran the ball a lot to that left side,” Bertrand said. “We felt really comfortable running behind those guys (Deckert and left guard Jimmy Hall).”
The highlight of Deckert’s high school football career was MCI’s 21-7 win over Bucksport in the LTC championship game last November.
“Jimmy Hall, he and I are good buddies, and in the last five seconds of the game, we’re taking a knee, and I just looked at him and said ‘Hey man, we’re going to states.’ That one right there, that’s going to stick with me for a while,” Deckert said.
With the East team, Deckert moved from tackle to guard. It’s been a smooth transition, he said.
“It’s not too bad. I’ve played guard in the past, so you learn the plays and make the adjustments,” Deckert said. “I’ve always been good at knowing plays, picking up my assignment, knowing where I need to go and executing. Being a smart football player, that’s what I try to do.”
Bertrand said while Deckert has a high football I.Q., he also has the physical talents — strength and speed — to be a strong contributor on the East’s offensive line.
“Physically, he’s as gifted as anybody. When he’s on the field, they’ll run behind him,” Bertrand said.
In the fall, Deckert will enroll at the University of New Hampshire. Being selected to the Lobster Bowl is a pleasant surprise, and it is also Deckert’s final football game.
“This is probably going to be it for me,” Deckert said. “I just hope I can bring a little bit to the team, and make those holes together.”
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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