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.