Gut-check, grade-check time for Lummi

Gale Jefferson hauls in a touchdown pass from Dustin Tom during the second quarter of the Blackhawks' 58-34 loss to Tri-Cities Prep on Saturday, Sept. 13.

It's gut-check time because top-ranked Lummi lost to No. 3 Tri-Cities Prep on Saturday after running out of gas in the second half. Senior co-captain Ray Jefferson told the The Bellingham Herald the Jaguars were in better shape than the Blackhawks. "We haven't taken our conditioning seriously enough," Jefferson said. "Our captains need to take more of a leadership role."

It's grade-check time because a new Lummi Schools policy requires students to have a C average in every class in order to participate in extracurricular activities. The policy is stricter than that of most Whatcom County schools, but assistant coach Dean Pederson, who teaches at Lummi, said the school's athletic success has brought added responsibility and scrutiny. The first grade check of the season comes this week.

Coaches Dean Pederson, left, and Jim Sandusky help Dustin Tom off the field Saturday. The senior quarterback sprained his ankle and is questionable for this week's game.

The Blackhawks led Tri-Cities 34-28 at halftime but failed to score in the second half. A handful of the players missed plays because of cramps, and without them Lummi couldn't use the defensive scheme it had put in to stop the Jaguars. "That was frustrating because we had a great game plan," Sandusky said, "but we weren't able to use it to our advantage."

The Blackhawks appeared slow in the second half, when they were outscored 30-0. After watching film of the game, Sandusky said it looked as though the players were jogging off the ball instead of sprinting. "We can be in a lot better shape," he said. "Our guys don't have the extra work ethic. I try to tell them, 'Don't count on me to keep you in shape. You've got to do the extra stuff.' I can promise you those guys from Tri-Cities Prep were out running sprints during the summer. Our guys don't have that kind of dedication. The coaches try to instill it, but it comes down to the players."

Tri-Cities Prep's Geovani Solorzano fumbles over his shoulder after a hard hit by Ray Jefferson as David James looks on.

The Herald's Michelle Nolan wrote that the second half of Saturday's loss was "one of the grimmest scenes in the Blackhawks' storied history." This is the seventh year of Lummi's football program, and in the early years the team suffered some lopsided defeats, sometimes failing to score at all. Sandusky didn't seem too concerned about Saturday's defeat. "It's nonleague, so it means nothing," he said. "This game is meaningless as long as we can learn from it. Once we get down the road we're going to get a lot better."

The Blackhawks play in the North Division of the Pacific Coast League. The top three teams in the division qualify for the playoffs. Lummi's first league game will be against Crescent on Oct. 11.

The Blackhawks travel to Othello Friday to meet St. John-Endicott, a 62-16 loser to Colton/Pullman Christian last weekend. The game begins at 4 p.m. Senior quarterback Dustin Tom sprained his ankle Saturday, and Sandusky said Sunday it is uncertain whether he will be available this week. The backup quarterback, as of today, is senior receiver Gale Jefferson, though Sandusky said he will consider all his options. "I have to see who's healthy and who we can move around."

Then there's the issue of who will be eligible after the grade check. Lummi endured some hard times on the football field in the early years of the program before becoming a state power. Now, the school is trying to achieve similar success in the classroom, where some of the players have struggled in the past. How quickly the players step up remains to be seen, but the first test comes this week.