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.