Honors for Lummi
Six Blackhawks named to Pacific Coast League's 2008 all-star squad; Dustin Tom chosen as player of the year.

Dustin Tom, Lummi's senior quarterback, threw a state record 64 touchdown passes in 2008. He was named to the Pacific Coast League's first-team offense, as were Blackhawk wide receivers Gale Jefferson and Ray Jefferson.

Dustin Tom was named the Pacific Coast League's Most Valuable Player and the first-team quarterback Wednesday in balloting by the league's coaches. Tom was joined on the first-team offense by center Nelson Montenegro and receivers Ray Jefferson and Gale Jefferson. All four are seniors. Gale Jefferson also was co-winner of the special teams player of the year. Senior running back Tony Washington was named to the second-team offense.

Washington and Gale Jefferson were named to the first-team defense, Washington as a defensive end and Jefferson as a defensive back. Blackhawks named to the second-team defense were Tom and sophomore Jeremy Roberts, both as linebackers, and Montenegro on the defensive line.

Sophomore Jeremy Roberts was the lone Lummi underclassman named to the PCL all-star team.

Lummi vs. Lake Quinault slideshow

Bummer in Bellingham
Blackhawks battle back from two-touchdown deficit but fall 36-32 to Lake Quinault in 1B state playoffs.

Nelson Montenegro is consoled by Tony Washington, left, and ball boy Logan Toby in the Civic Stadium locker room following Lummi's loss to Lake Quinault. The game was the last in a Blackhawk uniform for Montenegro and Washington.

Late in Saturday's game, with the Blackhawks trailing Lake Quinault 36-18, the Lummi faithful began beating out the tribe’s “Creation Song” on the Civic Stadium seats. The Lummis are survivors of the flood — it’s the story of how the tribe came to be — and the fans hoped the song would inspire the players and lift their spirits.

But in the end the Blackhawks couldn’t overcome a deluge of near misses, what-ifs and could-have-beens. Passes that normally are completed for long gains missed by a few inches or were dropped. The Blackhawks turned the ball over three times: twice on interceptions and once on a fumble. Costly penalties erased big plays and stalled drives. And missed tackles helped Lake Quinault rush for 350 yards.

Moon James reaches out for Lake Quinault's Michael Mayton. The Elks quarterback rushed for 213 yards and a touchdown.

That's not to say the Blackhawks beat themselves. Lake Quinault returned most of the players from last year’s squad that Lummi nipped by 4 points in the state quarterfinals; so this was expected to be a tight game. Both teams scored five touchdowns on Saturday, but the Elks converted three extra-point attempts while the Blackhawks made just one. It was that close. “We haven’t had a game like this where we had all those things going against us,” coach Jim Sandusky was quoted as saying in The Bellingham Herald’s game story. “So we didn’t know how to react. It was frustrating because we had a good game plan going in, and we didn’t have to change things up too much from that, even when we got behind…. We just didn’t perform the way we needed and didn’t make the plays we needed throughout the game.”

Lummi coach Jim Sandusky exhorts his players during Saturday's game as Gale Jefferson looks on.

Lummi’s season ends with a 10-2 record, and for the first time in four years the Blackhawks won’t be playing in the state 1B semifinals in the Tacoma Dome. Lake Quinault (10-1) will play in the semis next week against Wishkah Valley, a team the Elks lost to by 2 points earlier this season. Sandusky said he liked the Blackhawks’ chances to make the championship game if they could get by Lake Quinault, but it wasn’t to be.

Senior wide receiver Ray Jefferson returns a punt 40 yards for Lummi's first score in the second quarter.

The game was the last in a Lummi uniform for a sterling class of seniors, but the Blackhawks will return a strong nucleus next year. Although the season is over, Pride of a Nation will continue to post stories and photos at least through mid-December. The Blackhawks will celebrate their season with a banquet next month, and a number of players undoubtedly will make all-league and all-state teams. Check back here next week for a recap of 2008 and a look forward to 2009.

Game on!
Lummi's playoff battle against Lake Quinault is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Civic Stadium in Bellingham.

Gale Jefferson, running against Lake Quinault in last year's quarterfinal playoff game, was one of the heroes of the Blackhawks' 28-24 win. The victory propelled them into the semifinals at the Tacoma Dome, where they fell to Almira/Coulee-Hartline.

The Lummi-Lake Quinault winner will advance to the semifinals in the Tacoma Dome to face the winner of the other quarterfinal between Wishkah Valley and Neah Bay. See the bracket here.

Lummi vs. Oakville slideshow

Lummi wins a laugher
Blackhawks run up 70-20 lead on Oakville before mercy rule ends game at halftime; next up: Lake Quinault.

The Blackhawks kick back and enjoy themselves on the bench during the second quarter of Saturday's win over Oakville while the substitutes see some action. They are, from left, Ray Jefferson, Jeremy Roberts, Ty Jameson, Ronomus Revey, Alex LaClair and Nelson Montenegro.

Lummi assistant coach Dean Pederson was almost gleeful Saturday night when talking about how hard the Blackhawks cracked the Oakville Acorns in their blow-out victory at Edmonds Stadium. “We made a statement,” he said as the players mingled with friends and family in front of the grandstand. “Jim (Sandusky) always preaches that we need to hit harder than anyone, and it showed there.”

Senior lineman Lonnie James said he was more pleased with how well the Blackhawks carried out their assignments. “I don’t really think it was the hitting,” he said. “It was our technique, what we were supposed to do on every play.”

David "Moon" James takes the direct route to Oakville quarterback Anthony Pender.

It’s probably not a case of either/or. More likely it’s function — as in teeth-rattling hits — following form. Sandusky says the coaches continually stress proper technique: taking the most direct angle to the ball, sustaining blocks, getting into correct position for tackles. At midseason the Blackhawks were relying less on technique and more on their speed and raw athletic ability. That works against lesser opponents, but won’t cut it the deeper they go into the playoffs; so in the past few weeks the team has been concentrating more on the basics. “You’re going to have more success,” Sandusky says, “you’re going to have more confidence.”

The Blackhawks played with confidence against Oakville, and their success was evident from the opening minutes. They built a 24-6 lead after the first quarter, and midway through the second quarter Sandusky began substituting. The Acorns managed three touchdowns, but they also turned the ball over four times. David James forced a fumble that Gale Jefferson scooped up and ran in for a touchdown, and Martin Oldham returned an interception 83 yards for a score. “Incredible,” Martin said of his first varsity touchdown. “I don’t know how to explain it. Best feeling ever.”

Martin Oldham celebrates with Michael James after returning an interception 83 yards for a touchdown, his first varsity score.

Sandusky used all two dozen of his players, and in a variety of positions. Freshman lineman Joe “Jolly” Phair kicked off following a touchdown. Junior guard Alex LaClair ran for an extra point, as did senior running back Lawrence Tom. Senior wide receiver Kody Dennis ran one in, too, but it was called back by a penalty; so he then passed to Michael James for the extra point. Sandusky said he wished the game had gone the full four quarters so the reserves, especially the seniors, could have played more. “With the score the way it was, and with the teams we’ll be facing the rest of the year,” he said, “some of those guys might not see the field again.”

Lawrence Tom leaves the field after running in an extra point in the second quarter. He had the wind knocked out of him on the play.

The Blackhawks advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1B state playoffs, where they will meet Lake Quinalt on Saturday at Bellingham’s Civic Stadium. (The time has yet to be determined; check back later this week.) Lummi squeaked by the Elks 28-24 last year in the quarterfinals. Gale Jefferson batted down a lateral and recovered the ball with about a minute to go to preserve the win. Lake Quinault is 9-1, its only loss a 36-32 setback to Wishkah Valley. The Elks and Blackhawks have four common opponents this season, and they both routed all of them. “They’ve got pretty much the same squad they had last year,” Sandusky said. “They are a little more of a running team than a passing team. They’re athletic and well coached.” In other words, it’s time for the Blackhawks to get down to basics.

Rewriting the record books
Dustin Tom's passing yardage and touchdown tosses reportedly tops in B-8 state history.

Dustin Tom lets a pass fly against Neah Bay on Sept. 27. The senior has thrown 54 touchdown passes this season.

David Maley of Rosalia keeps track of everything to do with Washington state high school football, and his numbers show that Lummi senior quarterback Dustin Tom has set single-season records in B-8 for passing yardage, touchdowns and completions. The Bellingham Herald presented Maley's findings in its prep notebook in today's edition. Check it out (make sure to scroll down to the item on Dustin).

Dustin will have a chance to add to his statistics when the Blackhawks face Oakville at 4 p.m. Saturday in Edmonds in the first round of the state playoffs.

Center of attention
Nelson Montenegro takes pride in setting Lummi's offense in motion with a perfect snap of the ball.

Nelson Montenegro prepares to hike the ball during Lummi's Nov. 6 game against Lopez. In five of 10 games this season he's made a perfect snap on every play.

The Lummi Blackhawks are headed to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year, and if they are finally to achieve their goal of winning a state championship they will need to avoid turnovers, catch some breaks and have Nelson Montenegro snap the ball exactly where it’s supposed to go.

Coach Jim Sandusky's offense positions the quarterback in a shotgun formation 100 percent of the time. That means the center hikes the ball six yards through the air on every play, regardless of rain, wind and nosetackles waiting to take his head off. “That’s the key (to the offense),” Sandusky says. “It’s a big deal; it’s a huge deal.”

That never was so evident as in 2005 when Lummi met Lacrosse/Washtucna in the state semifinals at the Tacoma Dome. The Blackhawks were moving the ball almost at will, but drive after drive ground to a halt when the ball was snapped over the quarterback’s head or at his feet and bounced crazily around on the turf. The Blackhawks lost the game 66-28, and Lacrosse/Washtucna breezed to the state championship. It's hard to say whether Lummi would have won the title that year had the snaps been on target, but the game clearly illustrated the importance of the center-quarterback exchange. These days Sandusky takes the snap so seriously he brings in a former Eskimo Edmonton teammate, Michael Bourgeau, to instruct his centers on the fine points of the snap. Bourgeau, a long snapper during his professional career, worked with Nelson last spring, explaining the importance and the mechanics of the snap, and what the quarterback is looking for.

The instruction and Nelson’s dedication are paying off. The senior center started the season with three games of perfect snaps. He misfired a few times after injuring his hip and his left hand, but he still has managed five perfect games. “You have to have your butt down low to make it go to the quarterback, and my technique was horrible because of my injuries,” he says. The second knuckle on his left middle finger is still swollen, but Nelson says he’s in good shape for the playoffs.

Many centers snap the ball using one hand, but Nelson prefers to use both. "There's a lot more control to the quarterback. The only thing about that is it's a lot harder to get off the ball."

Nelson’s emergence as an integral part of the offense is something of a surprise. He transferred to Lummi last year after starting out at Ferndale High School. He went out for the Ferndale football team in 10th grade but rarely played, even with the junior varsity. He says he mostly stood around and watched. “No one explained anything to me,” he says. “I didn’t know anything. I didn’t know how to put my shoulder pads on.” He joined the Blackhawks last season and didn’t play much with the varsity until the end of the year when he saw action at guard. “I still was learning the entire year,” he says.

Quarterback Dustin Tom accepts the snap from Nelson as Lonnie James pulls out to block during the Highland Christian game earlier this season.

Early last season the Blackhawks alternated Isaac Finkbonner and Dustin Tom at quarterback and center. When one was quarterbacking, the other was snapping. Carter Lopez eventually took over at center, but he and Finkbonner graduated, and Dustin now plays exclusively at quarterback. Sandusky asked his team at the beginning of the summer who was going to step up and fill the void at center. Nelson didn’t much like playing guard — he wanted to be a receiver when he was at Ferndale — and so he volunteered. “I wanted to help the team as much as possible,” he says. On the first snap of summer camp he says his hand was shaking so much he had trouble gripping the ball. He fired it back on the snap count and figured it must have worked because no one said anything to him. He didn’t know what to do about the guy across the line from him, so he simply head-butted him.

Isaac Finkbonner, left, and Dustin Tom look to the bench last year for instructions on who's going to play quarterback and who's going to be center. The two alternated at the positions early in the season.

Nelson has come a long way since then. Sandusky points out that the center is at a disadvantage as a blocker because he must make sure of the snap before dealing with opposing linemen. “Do that (the snap) and execute your blocking, then you’re gold,” Sandusky says, “and he’s done a good job of that. When he extends his arms he’s pretty good. He’s got really long arms and when he uses them to his advantage, he’s tough.”

Coach Jim Sandusky says Nelson Montenegro, above, was more excited about defense than offense at the beginning of the season, but that has changed. "As the season has gone along he understands more what he means to the offense," the coach says.

Nelson is confident the Blackhawks will finally achieve their ultimate goal of winning a state championship this season. “We have it as long as we are focused and 100 percent dedicated,” he says. And as long as he keeps firing his snaps right where they need to go.

The Blackhawks open the playoffs against Oakville at 4 p.m Saturday at Edmonds Stadium. Oakville is 5-4 and finished fourth in the South Division of the Pacific Coast League. See the playoff bracket here.

Lummi and Lopez Island

Blackhawks make a splash
Lummi thumps Lopez 50-16 in regular-season finale; first-round playoff game is Nov. 15 in Edmonds.

Murphy Julius, far left, and Alex LaClair, center, are among the Blackhawks enjoying a mud bath following Lummi's win over Lopez.

The weather cooperated for Thursday's game between Lummi and Lopez Island. It rained all afternoon. The downpour turned the field into a sloppy mess, ideal for the Blackhawks' end-of-the-season tradition of sliding face-first into the biggest puddle available.

Beforehand, Lummi took care of the Lobos, 50-16, finishing the regular season 9-1 and 5-0 in the Pacific Coast League. Gale Jefferson scored four times, including on a 93-yard punt return, in his final home game. He amassed 367 total yards, according to Michelle Nolan's game story in The Bellingham Herald. Thursday's contest also was the last home game for seniors Kody Dennis, Ray Jefferson, Darryl James, Lonnie James, Nelson Montenegro, Dustin Tom, Lawrence Tom and Tony Washington. This group has made it to the state playoffs every year, including the semifinals last year. Lummi has yet to win a state championship.

Seniors Kody Dennis, left, and Lawrence Tom listen to coach Jim Sandusky during a timeout Thursday.

Lummi opens the playoffs this year at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at Edmonds Stadium against either Tahola or Oakville. Those two teams play today, Nov. 7, to determine third and fourth place in the South Division of the PCL. Lummi will play the loser of that game, and Neah Bay will face the winner. If the Blackhawks win their first-round contest in Edmonds, they will play the following weekend at Civic Stadium in Bellingham against the winner of Lake Quinault's first-round game against either Highland Christian or Crescent.

Lonnie James protects himself from the cold and rain in the waning minutes of Thursday's game against Lopez.

A writer on bsports.org predicts the Blackhawks will meet Neah Bay in the state semifinals in Tacoma. Tri-Cities Prep, the only team to beat Lummi this season, would be in the other semifinal game according to this scenario. The Blackhawks moved up to third in this week's Associated Press 1B state rankings (no other team from the west side of the state is in the top five), and Tri-Cities Prep is fourth.

Lummi at Neah Bay