Pride of a Nation

'Moon' shines for Lummi
David 'Moon' James among unheralded Blackhawks who excel in 60-36 win over Neah Bay.

Junior receiver David James hauls in an extra point from Dustin Tom in the second quarter of Saturday's game.

With three starters suspended for disciplinary reasons, and a fourth out with an injury, the Blackhawks came into Saturday's game against Neah Bay with half of their starters sidelined. Somebody needed to step up for Lummi. "Moon" James, all 5-6, 13o pounds of him, proved to be the man. He caught two touchdown passes and an extra point from quarterback Dustin Tom, and made a passel of big plays on defense.

Moon, who inherited his nickname from his father, is known for his exploits on the basketball court, but he's been fighting for playing time on the football field. With Gale Jefferson moving to running back for the Neah Bay game, Moon filled in at starting wide receiver. According to statistics compiled by The Bellingham Herald's Dave Rasbach for his game story, Moon caught six passes for a team high 167 yards. He also played well on defense, where he started at defensive back. "He can play," coach Jim Sandusky said. "He had a good defensive game, not just breaking up passes but coming up and making tackles, almost like a linebacker. He was doing things I wasn't even asking of him. He's just a player — natural talent, natural instincts."

Moon James heads for the end zone after grabbing a screen pass from Dustin Tom.

Moon wasn't the only Blackhawk to play a bigger role than usual on Saturday. Freshman Jeremy Roberts, a second-stringer, filled in at linebacker and fullback. "He played awesome," Sandusky said. "Asking a freshman to come in and do what he did, he played far beyond my expectations. I knew he could do the job, but I wasn't expecting the kind of performance he had offensively and defensively." Roberts is the "world's fastest Lummi," a title he earned by being the first Lummi to cross the finish line in this spring's Kwina Mile. You can see a photo of him running the race on SportsShooter.com.

Sandusky also had praise for Kody Dennis, who played last year but didn't turn out this season until a couple of weeks ago. Dennis filled in at receiver and defensive end, and he might see some action on the offensive line in future weeks. "He's kind of my utility guy right now," Sandusky said.

The Blackhawks will receive a boost this week with the return of running back/defensive end Tony Washington. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association granted the fifth-year senior a hardship waiver as a result of family issues that derailed his early high school years. He had to sit out the first five weeks of the season due to poor grades last semester, but his academic probation ended last weekend. His last action came in the 2007 state semifinal loss to Almira-Coulee-Hartline in the Tacoma Dome, where his touchdowns and hard running can still be seen on YouTube. Washington has been practicing all season, working on the scout team to prepare the first-stringers each week. "He's in decent shape and chomping at the bit," Sandusky said.