Overcome in Tacoma
Lummi battles gamely, but Tri-Cities Prep juggernaut proves too much for the Blackhawks in 1B state championship game.

Ted Edge, left, and Eddy Williams console senior Michael "Rook" James on the floor of the Tacoma Dome after Lummi fell 80-40 in the state title game.

One word repeatedly was mentioned as Friday evening's 1B title tilt between Lummi and Tri-Cities Prep wound down: "machine." It was accompanied by a lot of head shaking as the Jaguars purred up and down the Tacoma Dome carpet like a glistening new Cadillac Escalade. Pretty much all the Blackhawks could do was throw themselves in front of Prep and create a few speed bumps. In the end, the Jaguars rolled up 80 points, the most scored in a Washington state championship game by any team at any level.

Lummi's Eric Robinson sprints untouched to the end zone on an 88-yard kickoff return in the third quarter. The run tied a state record for longest return.

Lummi's Kyle Finkbonner eyes Prep's Kevin Ratuiste, 22. Finkbonner caught six passes for 134 yards in his final game for the Blackhawks.

Lummi finished its season with a 10-4 record and earned its second state runner-up trophy in four years. The championship game was the last for a handful of Blackhawk seniors: David James, Kyle Finkbonner, Alex LaClair, Ted Edge, Martin Oldham, Michael James and Joseph Fryberg.

Alex LaClair's outstanding career at Lummi came to a painful end in the first half when the senior lineman injured his ankle.

The Blackhawks will return an outstanding core of underclassmen next season, including quarterback Ty Jameson, who threw for more than 2,300 yards this year, and the team's leading rusher, Eddy Williams, who ran for 811 yards and 12 touchdowns.

David "Moon" James looks for running room Friday after one of his five catches. James led Lummi in receptions (53) and touchdowns (17) in his final season for the Blackhawks.

The 2009 state runner-up Lummi Blackhawks pose with their trophy Friday, Dec. 4, in the Tacoma Dome.

Who are these guys?
Lummi will field a vastly different team in the title game than that which lost to Tri-Cities Prep early in the season

Lummi manager Shaun Diggs, 11, bundles up against the cold during Wednesday night's practice at Civic Field in Bellingham.

Last spring Travis Pederson, a starting tackle for Blaine High School's football team, came home from practice and told his father Dean that a kid from Lummi was playing for the Borderites. Dean, an assistant coach for the Lummi Blackhawks, asked Travis the boy's name. Travis wouldn't tell him. "He was afraid we would recruit him," Dean said, laughing. As it turned out, the player transferred to Lummi Nation High School in the fall. His name is Eric Robinson, and he's now one of the standouts on the Blackhawks squad that will play Friday afternoon for the 1B state title. Lummi meets Tri-Cities Prep at 4 p.m. in the Tacoma Dome.

Eric Robinson's athleticism has been a factor in Lummi's turnaround this season. He returned a kick for a score and caught a pass for another in last week's semifinal win over Neah Bay.

Robinson sat out the first five games of the season because he was a transfer. That meant he missed the Blackhawks' 82-32 loss to Tri-Cities Prep in the second game of the season. Also missing from the Lummi lineup that day were starting quarterback Ty Jameson, who had transferred from Arlington, and senior running back/linebacker Kyle Finkbonner, who was forced to miss the first five games after receiving a hardship waiver to play this year.

Dean Pederson said the Blackhawks have improved steadily as the season has progressed — evidenced by their win last week over Neah Bay, which beat Lummi twice during the regular season. But he emphasized that the Blackhawks must avoid turnovers if they are to win their first state championship.

Lummi head coach Jim Sandusky discusses a defensive scheme with his players during Wednesday night's practice.

Lummi is playing in the state title game for the second time in its history; the Blackhawks lost in 2006. Last season's squad featured a bevy of senior standouts, including Dustin Tom, the state's offensive player of the year. That team seemed to have a good shot at the state title but lost in the quarterfinals. This year's team started slowly, losing two of its first four games, but has since won eight of its past nine. It's a credit to coach Jim Sandusky and his staff that they have taken such an inexperienced team to the brink of the state championship.

Of course they first must beat a team that earlier in the season pounded them by 50 points. So it's unlikely they will bring home Lummi's first state title, right? Well, it also was unlikely the Blackhawks would beat Neah Bay in the semis. And that they would even be here in the first place. As the old sports cliche goes, that's why they play the games.