Have mercy!
Lummi's game at Crescent called in fourth quarter when Blackhawks take 72-25 lead.

Gale Jefferson, left, and Dustin Tom connected on three touchdown passes on Saturday at Crescent. Tom threw for nine TDs in all.

The trip from Lummi to the Olympic Peninsula town of Joyce, home of the Crescent Loggers, takes about five hours. Last year when the Blackhawks and Loggers met, Lummi put up a national record 118 points, and though Crescent is much improved this year, odds were that Lummi would not only win Saturday in Joyce, but handily. If at some point the Blackhawks amassed a 45-point lead the game would be over, following the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association's mercy rule. Lummi coach Jim Sandusky wasn't excited by that prospect. He wanted to run his full playbook and to give as many players as possible varsity action.

All was going well as the game entered the fourth quarter. The Blackhawks had a commanding lead — but not too commanding. Quarterback Dustin Tom, who completed 46 of 50 passes (two of the incompletions were drops by receivers), and the other starters were on the bench watching the second- and third-stringers. Sandusky had tried a bunch of different plays, including a tackle-eligible in which lineman Nelson Montenegro caught his first pass of the season, and assistant coach Rocki Sandusky had it all on film from the press box. "For me, that's the biggest teaching tool, watching film," Jim Sandusky said afterward. "That's the easiest way for a kid to learn, to see himself."

Nelson Montenegro, normally Lummi's starting center, streaks down the sideline after hauling in a pass on a tackle-eligible play.

With about 9 minutes left Crescent faced a fourth down and 5 yards to go near midfield. The Blackhawks were up by 41 points, 66-25, and Sandusky figured Crescent coach Tim Rooney would go for it. After all, what did he have to lose? But Rooney decided to punt, and the Blackhawks took over. And then with 8:34 left, sophomore Eddie Williams, playing in his first game for Lummi, took a hand-off and sprinted down the right sideline for a 47-yard touchdown. Game over. Sandusky was happy with the win, but he could have waited. "I don't want to 45 someone just to catch a ferry," he said.

Williams is a recent transfer to Lummi from Canada, where he played rugby. He is new to football and is still learning the game. "I just wanted to get him some plays, so he'd say, 'Hey I kind of like this,'" Sandusky said. Williams played both defense and offense, putting an exclamation point on his first action with his game-ending TD run. "He's got natural ability to run the ball," assistant coach Dean Pederson said.

Eddie Williams eyes Crescent running back Dylen Heaward.

Sandusky tells his players the season consists of four quarters, just like a game. The first quarter is summer practice; the second is the slate of nonleague games; the third is the Pacific Coast League games; and the fourth quarter is the playoffs. The Crescent game was the beginning of the third quarter, which continues at 2 p.m. Saturday when Highland Christian visits Lummi. The Blackhawks defeated the Knights 82-68 in their nonleague season opener. Highland Christian is a bit of a mystery. They've looked good at times, but played poorly in losses to Tri-Cities Prep and Neah Bay. "I see them as a pretty potent team," Sandusky said. "They definitely can move the ball and have athletes who can make plays." Lummi could be without four players who started in that earlier game against Highland. One is injured, one has been sick, and two have missed practices and games because of eligibility issues. Sandusky said this week is pivotal for those who've shown less than full commitment to the team. "Being half on, half off," he says, "hurts us."

The Blackhawks and their fans share the bleachers as Saturday's game at Crescent winds down.