The results are in: Lummi clinches division title
Blackhawks gain top seed in playoffs with hard-fought 60-38 win at Neah Bay on Halloween.

Ted Edge, wearing a Barack Obama mask, clowns with Jesse Cooper in the locker room before Lummi's game at Neah Bay. Senior wide receiver Gale Jefferson brought the mask with him on the overnight trip. "Got to celebrate Halloween somehow," he said. "Can't go trick or treating."

Rain poured down and fog hung in the foothills and drifted along the coastline at Neah Bay on Halloween. Few cars or trucks passed along the main street, and pedestrians were rarer yet. To say the village appeared deserted would be an overstatement, but not by much. Neah Bay is situated in the farthest northwest corner of Washington state — of the entire Lower 48 for that matter — and is home to the Makah Nation. The last day of October isn't exactly tourist season. By 4 p.m., though, the village began to come to life. A chartered bus carrying the Lummi Blackhawks arrived at the high school, and the Neah Bay players began drifting in. Nine-year-old Shannon Tejano, face painted in Neah Bay's black and red, showed up early with his dog Honey to watch the teams warm up.

Shannon Tejano's Halloween mask is a show of pride for Neah Bay.

Lummi-Neah Bay is a rivalry game, partly because both teams perennially are among the best in the North Division of the Pacific Coast League, but also because of their cultural and family ties. Both the Makah and Lummi tribes are Coast Salish, and it's not uncommon for Makahs and Lummis to be related by blood. Members of the two tribes attended boarding school together in the past or met at various events, and many eventually married. Some people who grew up at Lummi find themselves living at Neah Bay, and vice versa. When the Red Devils play at Lummi and public address announcer Freddie Lane says, "Welcome to our cousins from Neah Bay," he means it in a literal sense.

Both teams entered Friday's game undefeated in league play, and it was Neah Bay's homecoming. The game kicked off at 5:30, smoke from a nearby home's wood stove wafting over the field. The sideline behind the Red Devils' bench was full of fans cheering enthusiastically for Neah Bay to knock off their Lummi cousins, while others sat in the south end zone in their cars. About a dozen or so Lummi fans who'd made the long trip out the peninsula paced behind the Blackhawks' bench.

Captains for Neah Bay and Lummi meet at midfield before Friday's game.

The game was hard-hitting and emotional. Each team scored on its first possession, but Lummi took a 38-18 halftime lead, and it appeared the Blackhawks would roll to an easy win. Neah Bay pulled within 38-24 in the third quarter, executed a successful onside kick and then scored a touchdown and two-point conversion, cutting the Lummi lead to 38-32. The momentum had swung to Neah Bay and the fans were roaring for more. The Blackhawks promptly marched down the field for a score, Dustin Tom running in to put Lummi ahead 46-32 with 1:30 to go in the third quarter. The game never was in doubt again. "I thought Dustin played pretty courageously," coach Jim Sandusky said. "He stuck his head in there and took some shots. He was sacked a few times and thrown down hard." He responded by throwing four touchdown passes and running for four more scores. He completed 33 of 39 passes for 503 yards.

Lummi quarterback Dustin Tom took some punishment against Neah Bay, but he dished out some, too.

The victory assured the Blackhawks the top seed from the North Division (they are 4-0 in the league, 8-1 overall and ranked No. 4 in the state). They will play the fourth-place team from the South Division at 4 p.m. Nov. 15 at Edmonds Stadium. Their opponent likely will be Tahola or Oakville. First, though, Lummi will finish its regular season at 2 p.m. Thursday at home against Lopez. It will be the final home game for Dustin Tom, Lawrence Tom, Kody Dennis, Darryl James, Lonnie James, Gale Jefferson, Ray Jefferson, Nelson Montenegro and Tony Washington (see a photo of the group on SportsShooter.com).