Get ready for offensive fireworks in the 35th anniversary game of the Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic.

Both head coaches think their combination of top-tier QBs and big-time playmakers will keep the scoreboard operator busy.

As West coach Aaron Filieo put it at Tuesday’s media day at Foxcroft Academy — with East coach Kyle Gallant nodding in affirmation — the idea is to keep the other team to 45 points, “and maybe we can score 50 and pull out the win.”

The game kicks off at 4 p.m. Saturday at Lewiston High’s Don Roux Field. The charity event benefits Shrine Children’s hospitals. Each player and cheerleader that participates must commit to raising at least $500 for the cause. The first game was played in 1990. This is the 34th actual game, with the 2020 game being wiped out by the COVID pandemic and lingering virus restrictions that limited the 2021 affair to a 7-on-7 flag game.

Here’s a quick sample of players and things to watch.

THE QUARTERBACKS

It’s not just presumed starters Jamier Rose of Noble for the West and Louis Thurston of Portland for the East. We’re also interested to see how much and how well Pete Martin of York plays for the West. Martin is a 6-foot-4 classic pocket passer who played in a spread offense and set a York record for passing yards last season. Rose is the Fitzpatrick Trophy winner. Thurston was a Fitzy finalist and led Portland to a long-sought Class A title.

The West’s defense has to be focused on the East’s large targets — 6-foot-6 Gabe Lash (Medomak Valley); powerful 6-3 Will Francis (Orono), who was on two state championship basketball teams; and 6-5 state champion javelin thrower Andy Henaghen (Hampden Academy). The East also has a pure route runner in Zeb Foster of Oceanside. But Filieo said his team can’t just commit to covering the deep third and forget about Thurston’s ability to do damage with his legs.

“He can run. He can run fast. He can fly like a screaming eagle, and we have to keep him in the birdcage,” Filieo said.

Similarly, Rose is an elusive runner with great all-around athletic ability. He’s going to play basketball at Southern New Hampshire University, one of the top Division II programs in the country.

For both Rose and Thurston, this is their last football game. There’s no doubt they’ll want to make some memorable plays.

RECORD-SETTING SCORING?

The Lobster Bowl was long associated with Waterhouse Field in Biddeford, and fans routinely filled the old wooden bleachers on both sides. The last Lobster Bowl played at Waterhouse was in 2016, when the East won, 56-52, with future Husson and UMaine standout and current CFL Ottawa Redblacks wide receiver Andre Miller (Old Town) putting on a show with four touchdown catches.

Can this year’s teams combine to break the 2016 scoring mark of 108 points? Can one player break Miller’s record of four touchdown catches?

WHICH PLAYER(S) WILL STAND OUT?

There is always at least one player from a Class C, D, and now eight-man team who proves in the Lobster Bowl that the size of their school really doesn’t determine how good they are. Miller certainly did that in 2016. Then there are others who may be more well-known but show different skills. Last year, Jonah Barstow, a Varsity Maine All-State running back from Kennebunk, proved he was a downfield threat as a receiver. Everyone already knew Jace Negley was an All-State defensive linemen, but seeing him destroy the East offensive line from the opening snap was something special.

We’re guessing eight-man Small School standouts Riley Provencher (Old Orchard Beach) and Francis will disprove any lingering doubters when it comes to their pass-catching and playmaking ability.

We’ll also be looking to see just how well Chandise Wells of Sacopee Valley stacks up. Sacopee also plays in the eight-man Small School division. Wells is a 6-3, 280-pound lineman who has committed to play at Westfield State next season.

WHICH TEAM WILL WIN?

The West holds a 22-11 advantage, but most of that edge was built in the 1990s. The West won the first nine games before the East broke through in 1999 with an 18-7 win. Over the past 10 games, it’s been dead even, with each team winning five times. The West dominated last year behind the play of Leavitt quarterback Noah Carpenter, winning 49-18.

This year, the teams look evenly matched. In some previous years, the East has suffered from a lack of top-end Class A players. That won’t be the case this year, in large part because Portland’s championship team contributes Thurston, two All-State linemen in Anthony Tavares and Colin Kelly, and dynamic running back Aidan McGowan, who will be playing at Muhlenberg College, one of the top Division III programs in the country.