Pride of a Nation

2011-08-26T00:13:00.000-07:00

Pride of a Nation has moved to a new site. Go there to follow the 2011 Blackhawks.

2010-12-05T15:54:00.000-08:00

Tony Rivera, shown here in Lumi's quarterfinal victory over Tahola, was among the seniors who led the Blackhawks to their first state title.

The Blackhawks are state champs!

Lummi beats Cusick 55-30 to win 2010 Class 1B title.

Read the Bellingham Herald's story.

Freshman Deion Hoskins will be among the Blackhawks returning in 2011 to defend Lummi's state championship.

2009-12-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

2009-12-07T09:12:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-12-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-11-30T11:38:00.000-08:00

Blackhawks prep for Tri-Cities
Lummi out to avenge early-season loss in Friday afternoon's 1B title game at the Tacoma Dome

Senior Kyle Finkbonner and the Blackhawks are on a roll.

How big of underdogs were the Blackhawks in last week's semifinal game? Well, a Web site that keeps track of high school sports in Washington state reported earlier this week that Friday's championship game would pit Tri-Cities Prep vs. Neah Bay. One problem: Lummi dispatched Neah Bay 64-36 in the semis.

The Blackhawks went to Tri-Cities in the second game of the season, with Prep coming out on top 82-32. That should make the Jaguars heavy favorites, but the Blackhawks know what it takes to beat a team that's beaten them before. They had lost twice this season to Neah Bay before their big semifinal win in the Tacoma Dome.

Tri-Cities Prep is led by senior quarterback Will Hoppes (pictured against Lummi last season). Hoppes has thrown for nearly 10,000 yards in his career, tops all-time in class 1B.

Prep took care of top-ranked Cusick, 42-26 in last week's other semifinal. Friday's championship game in the Tacoma Dome begins at 4 p.m.

2009-10-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

Blackhawks swarm Crescent
Mercy rule ends Lummi's 56-7 rout of Loggers in third quarter

Tony Rivera, 80, Michael James, 30, and a host of other Lummi defenders pile on a Cresent ballcarrier.

Kyle Finkbonner makes a flying attempt to pull down Crescent's Dylen Heaward.

Lummi quarterback Ty Jameson looks for a receiver as he rolls out against the Loggers. Jameson completed 7 of 8 passes or 172 yards.

Lummi's 215-pound eighth-grade linebacker Deion Hoskins shrugs off a Crescent tackler en route to an 85-yard touchdown on a fumble recovery in the third quarter.

Junior receiver Ray Wilbur heads for the end zone after pulling in a pass from Ty Jameson. The 27-yard touchdown play put Lummi ahead 56-7, bringing the game to an end midway through the third quarter.

2009-10-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

Moon eclipses touchdown record
Blackhawk senior reaches end zone eight times in win over Lopez

David "Moon" James sprints past a Lobo defender after hauling in a pass from Joseph Fryberg in the second quarter. The touchdown put Lummi up 32-14.

The Pride of a Nation blog will not be covering the entire Blackhawks' season, as it did last year, but it will be posting periodically, mostly photos. Good luck Lummi! See you in Tacoma.

Eighth-grader Deion "Tank" Hoskins heads for the end zone in the second quarter after catching a screen pass from Ty Jameson.

Senior Mike "Rook" James, right, knocks away a pass intended for Tak Peralta. Moon James picked off the deflection for Lummi.

Junior Devon "Bunny" Roberts evades Lopez's Colton Jardine as Tony Rivera looks for someone to hit.

Tony Rivera, left, and Deion Hoskins pull down Lopez's Tommy Kramer.

Kyle Finkbonner, striding into the end zone after a 7-yard scoring run, saw his first action of the season on Saturday against Lopez.

Sophomore running back Robert Scott gives a Lopez defender a face full of stiff arm.

Moon James shakes off a Lopez defender on the way to the end zone after snagging a pass from Joseph Fryberg. The touchdown, James' fifth of the first half, put Lummi up 40-14 at intermission.

2008-12-11T10:03:00.003-08:00

A fall to remember
Lummi's state-qualifying football and volleyball teams honored at annual banquet.

Devon Roberts, center, listens while coach Jim Sandusky recounts how he had to pay Devon $10 for correctly naming a song playing on the car radio. It was "Hotel California" by The Eagles. Flanking Devon are Ray Jefferson, left, and Joe Phair.

Shortly before Lummi's annual fall sports banquet Wednesday night, athletic director and football coach Jim Sandusky received an e-mail with results of the balloting for the 1B all-state team. Good timing. Sandusky announced the Blackhawk honorees to the 300 or so people filling a ballroom at Silver Reef Casino. Junior David James was named second-team defensive back, as was senior Gale Jefferson; senior Tony Washington joined them on the second-team defense at end. Senior center Nelson Montenegro made the second-team offense, as did senior wide receiver Ray Jefferson. Gale Jefferson was chosen to the first-team offense at wide receiver, and senior quarterback Dustin Tom was named the state's offensive player of the year. The state's 1B coaches chose the all stars.

Kelsey Jefferson is overcome with emotion as she and seniors Sarah Brady, left, and Tiffany Taubenheim present volleyball coach Dan Williams with a gift.

The Blackhawk football team finished its season with a 10-2 record and played in the state playoffs for the fourth straight year, losing to Lake Quinault in the quarterfinals. The volleyball team finished the season with an 11-9 record after going 1-2 at the state tournament in Yakima.

This post will be the final one on "Pride of a Nation" for this season. The blog will remain up and will have periodic updates, as news arises.

A heartfelt thanks goes to the Blackhawks and to their families and fans. It has been a privilege and a joy to follow the boys throughout the season and to spend time with Jim Sandusky and his coaches, the players and members of the Lummi Nation community. Go Blackhawks!

2008-12-01T14:33:00.000-08:00

There's always next year
Blackhawks will say goodbye to eight seniors, but stable of talented running backs returns in 2009.

Sophomore Ty Jameson, rolling out against Crescent this season, is expected to compete for the starting quarterback job next year.

Lummi won't honor the 2008 Blackhawks until next week, and the state 1B championship game has yet to be played, but it’s not too early to start thinking about 2009. Lummi finished the just-completed season with a 10-2 record and won the North Division of the Pacific Coast League. It was a successful season by most standards, but the Blackhawks fell short of their ultimate goal of winning the state championship, losing by 4 points in the state quarterfinal to Lake Quinault. Coach Jim Sandusky figured this year’s squad had a great shot at winning the title, or of at least playing in the championship game in the Tacoma Dome. “Shoot, it was not a cakewalk or anything,” he said, “but it was attainable.”

Coach Jim Sandusky checks the fit of Jerred Tom's jersey prior to a preseason scrimmage. Tom will be in the running to replace his older brother, Dustin, as the Blackhawks' quarterback next year.

An outstanding group of seniors will graduate, including Tony Washington, who started the past three years; and Dustin Tom, Ray Jefferson and Gale Jefferson, each of whom was an integral part of the Blackhawks’ high-octane offense the past two years. “Some of these guys played a lot of football the past two years,” Sandusky said. “That’s the toughest thing for me, not seeing them have an opportunity to win a championship.”

Sandusky said he expects to be back next year, though he said “I won’t paint myself into a corner” and refuse to consider other options, should anything come along. For now, though he’s working to return the Blackhawks to the Tacoma Dome. Lummi must find a replacement for Tom, its record-setting quarterback. Sophomore Ty Jameson played some as a third-stringer — Gale Jefferson filled in when Tom missed time with ankle sprains — and he is expected to compete with Jerred Tom, Dustin’s little brother. Lummi has good running backs returning in Jeremy Roberts, Eddie Williams and Michael James.

Sophomore Eddie Williams, here carrying the ball against Lake Quinault, played football for the first time this year and emerged as a talented running back and linebacker.

A replacement also must be found for all-league center Nelson Montenegro and lineman Lonnie James, but guards Alex LaClair and Murphy Julius will return. “We’ve got some key spots we’ve got to fill,” Sandusky said, “but we’ve got spots I feel pretty comfortable with.

“On paper, people would say we won’t be as good, that we’re young,” he added, “but if everyone comes back and is dedicated we’ll be right back where we were this year, playing to go to the Dome.”

Lummi Nation will celebrate its state-qualifying football and volleyball teams at at 6 p.m. Dec. 10 at Silver Reef Casino.

2008-11-26T19:05:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-24T13:42:00.001-08:00

2008-11-24T09:08:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-11-18T09:50:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

2008-11-17T09:23:00.001-08:00

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.

2008-11-13T09:59:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-11-10T11:48:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-07T11:23:00.001-08:00

2008-11-06T11:35:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-02T21:34:00.000-08:00

2008-10-29T13:27:00.001-07:00

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).

2008-10-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

Update:
The time of the Blackhawks' game at Neah Bay has been changed — again. It's now at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31.

Lummi vs. Clallam Bay slideshow

2008-10-26T20:46:00.000-07:00

2008-10-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

Lummi Nation illumination
Blackhawks make history in beating Clallam Bay 52-30 in first-ever home game played under the lights.

Blackhawk quarterback Dustin Tom rolls out under the glow of portable lights installed for Lummi's homecoming game against Clallam Bay.

The Lummi Blackhawks were feeling it Friday night. Senior wide receiver Ray Jefferson said, "You feel like big shots." Senior lineman Nelson Montenegro said he felt "like I'm in the movies." Senior running back Tony Washington said, "It's a different environment, a different feeling. It's like you're on Mars."

For once, the Blackhawks didn't have to travel to another team's field, let alone to Mars, to play under the lights. For the first time in school history, the lights came to them. Lummi school officials had promised the football players during the offseason they'd be playing at home under the lights this year. Permanent lights were expected to be installed and shining down on the Blackhawks when they played Neah Bay on Sept. 27. A holdup in contract negotiations made it an impossibility for this year, and so the school decided to improvise. Fourteen portable light poles, powered by chugging generators, were rented and set up around the field for Friday night's homecoming game against Clallam Bay.

"It's holding true to our word they would have a Friday night game this year," principal Heather Leighton said. "Playing under the lights is a whole different feeling. We felt it was important for our seniors to experience that. They work hard. They deserve it. They're good kids."

Each pole cost $89 to rent, bringing the total to about $1,300. "I think it was worth it," Leighton said. "I'm a football fanatic, though, so I don't care what it costs. I probably wanted it as much as the players."

The lights, normally used at construction sites, were much lower than those installed at stadiums, and as a result it was a bit tougher for receivers to judge the ball — thus Washington's comment about playing on Mars. Nonetheless, Dustin Tom managed to throw seven touchdown passes, including one to Montenegro, the first scoring reception of his career. "It's huge," Montenegro said of playing under the lights, "because we've been wanting it for a long time."

Blackhawk players, from left, Ty Jameson, Joe Brady and Lonnie James were part of a group that performed a drumming song before Friday's homecoming game.

This Saturday's Lummi-Neah Bay game matches two teams undefeated in the North Division of the Pacific Coast League. The game begins at 4 p.m. at Neah Bay and likely will determine first and second place in the division. The Blackhawks beat the Red Devils 60-36 at home in a nonleague game during the fourth week of the season. The teams that finish first and second in the North Division will face the third and fourth place teams from the South Division in the first weekend of the playoffs, Nov. 14-15.

Lummi vs. Highland slideshow

2008-10-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

2008-10-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Take that!
Blackhawks roll past Highland Christian 78-46. Next up: homecoming against Clallam Bay under the lights.

Jeremy Roberts evades a Highland Christian defender Saturday en route to the Blackhawks' first touchdown on a 34-yard pass play.

It's homecoming week at Lummi. Monday is "Fame Day! (Dress up like someone famous)." Tuesday is "Seeing Double (Twin Day)." Wednesday is "Wacky World (Wacky Day: dress weird)." Thursday is "Rival Day (Wear gear from other schools and teams)." And Friday, in addition to being "Blackhawk Pride (School colors & gear)," is Play Under the Lights Night (even if the lights are rented and powered by generators).

Lummi has never played a home game at night, but that is expected to change Friday when the Blackhawks play host to Clallam Bay at 7 p.m. The school has permanent lights on order — conduit already is laid under the track — but a bureaucratic delay prevented them from arriving in time for this season. Last weekend's game against Highland Christian originally was scheduled for Friday night, Oct. 17, but it was moved to the following day. School officials didn't want the same thing to happen for homecoming, and so they have rented portable lights powered by generators. Six stanchions will go up on each side of the field, plus another couple near the grandstand. Coach Jim Sandusky tested them last week and found them to be sufficiently bright. But they are only about 12 feet off the ground, which means receivers might sometimes be looking into them when going for passes; plus, fans will be peering into those set up on the opposite side of the field. Nonetheless, the experiment is expected to go forward.

Dustin Tom awaits the snap Saturday. The senior quarterback has thrown 17 touchdown passes in the past two games.

Dustin Tom was named the WIAA/Seattle Times state athlete of the week in Class 1B after throwing for nine touchdowns against Crescent on Oct. 4. He followed up that performance with eight touchdown tosses Saturday against Highland Christian. According to Dave Rasbach's game story in The Bellingham Herald, the senior quarterback totaled 589 yards through the air. Sandusky praised the offensive line for giving Tom sufficient time to do his thing, and he tried to reward them by involving them in the passing game. He ran plays in which down linemen became tight ends and thus eligible receivers. Sometimes it worked — Garrick Martin and Alex LeClair each hauled in a pass — and sometimes, well... the would-be receivers ran the wrong pattern or dropped the pass. In any case, Sandusky's goal of allowing the linemen to have some fun did succeed.

Offensive lineman Alex LeClair reacts after dropping a pass. He did catch one for an 8-yard gain.

Last week Sandusky stressed the need for the Blackhawks to reassert their hard-hitting, ball-hawking tradition. "I want them to strip the ball, to attack the ball," the coach said. Lummi forced nine fumbles on Saturday, according to Rasbach's statistics, and recovered four of them. The Blackhawks also picked off two passes. "I was pretty proud of them, to come out and do that," Sandusky said.

David James pressures Highland Christian quarterback Vince Kurtzenac.

Sandusky said he doesn't know much about Lummi's homecoming foe, Clallam Bay. The Bruins are 0-2 in Pacific Coast League play and 1-6 overall. They suit up only 14 or 15 players and had to forefeit a game earlier this year when injuries left them with only nine players. Lummi's roster includes about two dozen players, all of whom played against Highland Christian.

2008-10-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

Heaven sent
Blackhawks football program is an answer to prayers for many in the Lummi community.

Art Solomon sports his Lummi Blackhawks sweatshirt while watching Jack Horn mend his net. The two were fishing off Lummi Shore Drive earlier this fall.

Ray Jefferson grabs a pass from Dustin Tom and cuts through the opposing defenders, looking for a seam to the end zone. “Go Grandson!” Marie Roberts cries from the sideline. “Go Grandson!” Roberts is a Lummi elder and a fixture at Blackhawk football games. She shouts encouragement to Jefferson, her biological grandson, and to her grandnephews and to the sons of her “winter” daughters — women her own daughter’s age who have boys on the team and to whom she is a mother figure. “I’m not the only elder who sits there,” Roberts says. “I’m just the most vocal.”

To Roberts and many others at Lummi, the Blackhawk football team is a blessing. The games offer a place for the community to gather and celebrate a family-oriented, healthy activity; there’s no alcohol, no drugs, no violence (except for what’s restricted to the playing field). The players showcase the athleticism and skill of Lummi youth — not just to their fans, but also to opponents from the Olympic Peninsula to the Palouse — and they’re role models to the younger tribal members, many of whom idolize them.

“A lot of grandparents, a lot of elders have been praying for this to come into our community, and thank God it has come,” Roberts says. “They have been praying that with some generation the cycle will be broken, and I think we’re heading to that. It’s not going to be fixed in a year, it’s not going to be fixed in maybe 10 years, but maybe the next generation, or the generation after that, the abuse, the dysfunction, the cycle will be broken.”

Marie Roberts weathers the wind and rain at Lopez on Oct. 4 to cheer on the Blackhawks. The Lummi elder rarely misses a game, home or away.

Pauline Hoskins is Marie’s daughter, and senior wide receiver Ray Jefferson is the oldest of her five sons. She graduated from Ferndale High School and for years watched as Lummi boys struggled for playing time on her alma mater’s team (Lummi youth can attend Ferndale schools). It was tough for them to crack the lineup, though, because Ferndale is one of the top high school football programs in the state. “We’d always go to a Ferndale game and maybe see one of our boys in for one play,” she says. “That’s real depressing.” Hoskins points to another barrier Lummi boys confront when they leave the reservation. “Racism is there and I don’t think it will ever die, and that’s a sad thing,” she says. “They live where we live, and we live where they live and there’s still that boundary between the two.”

Lummi High School began playing football in 2002, and Jim Sandusky took over the program the following year, quickly turning it into a state power in the B-8 classification. Hoskins has witnessed the evolution of Blackhawk football over the past few years and expects to be watching much more of it in the future. Son Deion Hoskins plays for the Bellingham Regulators select team and is a rabid Blackhawks fan. All he wanted last week for his 13th birthday was to travel out to the Olympic Peninsula for Lummi’s game against Crescent. His parents reminded him that he would miss his Regulators game and told him he needed to stay home and play. Hank Hoskins, 10, and Stanford Hoskins, 8, are regulars at Blackhawk games, where they can be seen running and tackling each other along the sidelines and on the field at halftime. Paul Jefferson, 16, hasn’t wanted to play in Ray’s shadow but might go out for the team next year after his older brother graduates. “To see the expectation of all the kids — ‘I want to be a Blackhawk’ — it’s made a huge big difference in my boys,” Hoskins says.

Stanford Hoskins, 8, breaks the grasp of brother Hank, 10, while playing their own two-man game on the sideline of Lummi's game against Lopez.

Ray Jefferson (left) turned out for the Ferndale football team as a sophomore but quickly realized he wasn’t going to see much playing time, and he says he grew tired of “kids talking shit about Indians behind my back in the hallways.” He and his parents reached an agreement: He could transfer from Ferndale to Lummi, but only if he would pursue his AA degree while there; that way he would have a better chance of going to college. Today, he is a co-captain of the Blackhawks, a Running Start student and one of Dustin Tom’s favorite targets. “Lummi football is everything to me right now,” he says. “It’s the whole reason I’m in Running Start. The whole reason I’m at Lummi is for sports.” He says he hears his grandmother cheering for him, and he knows that when she shouts “Grandson!” she’s also rooting for his cousins Jeremy and Devin Roberts, and longtime buddies such as Alex, Lumpy, Dustin, Gale and Murphy. “It means a lot to us,” he says. “For me it does, to have my grandmother there. She helped raise me because my father left when I was 1. She always had her home open. She helped raise me and my brother.”

Marie Roberts is the Lummi community cook, preparing meals for funerals, weddings, all kinds of events. She knows just about everyone on the reservation, and is grandmother to many of the boys, whether by blood or in what she terms a “cultural” way. She is 62 years old and a tribal elder, providing advice and information on Lummi culture, history and other issues. She also nurtures those who need it. “I think that’s my biggest role,” she says. “I do a lot of nurturing.” That includes supporting Lummi’s youth. “Our community is in a mode of improving activities with their children,” she explains. “That’s changed even with the basketball, the volleyball team. It’s become not just the children, the parents, the grandparents, it’s the whole community.”

Roberts credits Sandusky for much of the change, and she says she thanks his wife, Tami, every opportunity she gets for sharing him. “I love to encourage ‘Sandman’ because he has brought so much to our community, such a pride to our community,” she says. “He’s such a dedicated man, I just love him.” Sandusky also has injected an element of spirituality into the program, gathering his players together in prayer on the field after each game. Roberts appreciates that, too. “He’s brought God, Jesus, the Creator, that part into our community,” she says. “He has made it acceptable for our young people to pray.” This season the Blackhawks’ opponents have been joining them in the prayer. “It’s like a pebble in the water,” Roberts says. “It has a ripple effect, not just in our community but in other communities.”

Crescent Loggers join Lummi Blackhawks in prayer following their Oct. 11 game.

Sandusky, a veteran of the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, says prayer always has been part of the teams he’s played for, and he says it seemed only natural to introduce it to the Blackhawks. They pray for safety, to play hard and to have fun, and for safe travels home; they end by reciting the Lord’s Prayer. “It’s pretty general,” he says, “but it makes you realize there’s more to the game.” Sandusky talked to the Highland Christian coach before the season opener this year and asked if his team would like to join the Blackhawks in prayer after the game. They did, and when Lummi played Tri-Cities Prep, a Catholic school, the following week some of the Blackhawks invited the Jaguars to join their prayer. “Those guys have done that on their own,” Sandusky says. “That’s one of my most proud things, that they took the initiative to do that.”

Prayers offered by the Blackhawks — such are the moments that are prayers answered for Marie Roberts and many other Lummis. “You know what,” Roberts says, “it’s the most wonderful thing in my lifetime that I’m able to see this.”

Lummi vs. Crescent

2008-10-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

2008-10-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

Have mercy!
Lummi's game at Crescent called in fourth quarter when Blackhawks take 72-25 lead.

Gale Jefferson, left, and Dustin Tom connected on three touchdown passes on Saturday at Crescent. Tom threw for nine TDs in all.

The trip from Lummi to the Olympic Peninsula town of Joyce, home of the Crescent Loggers, takes about five hours. Last year when the Blackhawks and Loggers met, Lummi put up a national record 118 points, and though Crescent is much improved this year, odds were that Lummi would not only win Saturday in Joyce, but handily. If at some point the Blackhawks amassed a 45-point lead the game would be over, following the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association's mercy rule. Lummi coach Jim Sandusky wasn't excited by that prospect. He wanted to run his full playbook and to give as many players as possible varsity action.

All was going well as the game entered the fourth quarter. The Blackhawks had a commanding lead — but not too commanding. Quarterback Dustin Tom, who completed 46 of 50 passes (two of the incompletions were drops by receivers), and the other starters were on the bench watching the second- and third-stringers. Sandusky had tried a bunch of different plays, including a tackle-eligible in which lineman Nelson Montenegro caught his first pass of the season, and assistant coach Rocki Sandusky had it all on film from the press box. "For me, that's the biggest teaching tool, watching film," Jim Sandusky said afterward. "That's the easiest way for a kid to learn, to see himself."

Nelson Montenegro, normally Lummi's starting center, streaks down the sideline after hauling in a pass on a tackle-eligible play.

With about 9 minutes left Crescent faced a fourth down and 5 yards to go near midfield. The Blackhawks were up by 41 points, 66-25, and Sandusky figured Crescent coach Tim Rooney would go for it. After all, what did he have to lose? But Rooney decided to punt, and the Blackhawks took over. And then with 8:34 left, sophomore Eddie Williams, playing in his first game for Lummi, took a hand-off and sprinted down the right sideline for a 47-yard touchdown. Game over. Sandusky was happy with the win, but he could have waited. "I don't want to 45 someone just to catch a ferry," he said.

Williams is a recent transfer to Lummi from Canada, where he played rugby. He is new to football and is still learning the game. "I just wanted to get him some plays, so he'd say, 'Hey I kind of like this,'" Sandusky said. Williams played both defense and offense, putting an exclamation point on his first action with his game-ending TD run. "He's got natural ability to run the ball," assistant coach Dean Pederson said.

Eddie Williams eyes Crescent running back Dylen Heaward.

Sandusky tells his players the season consists of four quarters, just like a game. The first quarter is summer practice; the second is the slate of nonleague games; the third is the Pacific Coast League games; and the fourth quarter is the playoffs. The Crescent game was the beginning of the third quarter, which continues at 2 p.m. Saturday when Highland Christian visits Lummi. The Blackhawks defeated the Knights 82-68 in their nonleague season opener. Highland Christian is a bit of a mystery. They've looked good at times, but played poorly in losses to Tri-Cities Prep and Neah Bay. "I see them as a pretty potent team," Sandusky said. "They definitely can move the ball and have athletes who can make plays." Lummi could be without four players who started in that earlier game against Highland. One is injured, one has been sick, and two have missed practices and games because of eligibility issues. Sandusky said this week is pivotal for those who've shown less than full commitment to the team. "Being half on, half off," he says, "hurts us."

The Blackhawks and their fans share the bleachers as Saturday's game at Crescent winds down.

Lummi vs. Lopez

2008-10-06T10:27:00.001-07:00

2008-10-06T08:56:00.000-07:00

Gale blows through Lopez
Blackhawks weather wind and rain for 36-18 win over Lobos.

Gale Jefferson eyes a Lopez defender as he streaks by the Blackhawk bench during Saturday's victory. Lummi is now 4-1.

Yes, that's a corny headline above this story, but anyone who witnessed Saturday's game at Lopez High School will understand its double meaning. First, a harsh wind blew throughout the afternoon, sending sheets of rain across the field. Second, senior wide receiver Gale Jefferson, filling in at quarterback for the injured Dustin Tom, carried the load for the Blackhawks. Gale rushed 19 times for 134 yards and a touchdown, caught two passes for 60 yards and a TD, and completed 11 of 15 passes for 165 yards.

Tom went down with a sprained ankle early in the game after a horse-collar tackle. He only was in for a dozen or so plays, but he managed to complete five passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran three times for 16 yards. "The brief time he was in there he did pretty well," coach Jim Sandusky said. Tom sprained his other ankle earlier in the season and has played with it heavily taped. Sandusky expects the senior to be back for this week's game against Crescent.

With Jefferson at the helm, the Blackhawks adopted a more conservative approach on offense, limiting the number of passes and ball exchanges because of the wind and sloppy conditions. Jefferson often simply took the snap and started running. Many of his pass completions came on short forward laterals.

Running back Tony Washington's return to the lineup Saturday proved fortuitous. The senior received a hardship waiver during the off-season allowing him to play a fifth year. He sat out the first half of the season on academic probation and saw his first action at Lopez. He exhibited his hard-nosed running style, carrying the ball 15 times for 64 yards and scoring twice. "I would have run harder but I didn't want to slip," he said afterward.

Tony Washington avoids the grasp of a Lopez tackler on Saturday.

The Blackhawks will be traveling by ferry again this weekend when they go to Crescent for their first Pacific Coast League game of the season. Lummi is now 4-1, but Sandusky said it wouldn't matter if the Blackhawks were 0-5 or 5-0; from now on the games count toward the playoffs. Lummi set a national scoring record last season when it put up 118 points against Crescent, but Sandusky said the Loggers are much improved. They are 3-1, their only loss coming to Neah Bay. Kickoff is at 2 p.m.

Scheduling note: Two of Lummi's games have been changed. The Blackhawks now will be at Neah Bay at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. Their final regular season game will be at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, at home against Lopez.

Coach Jim Sandusky tapes Gale Jefferson's ankles during the ferry ride to Lopez Island.

Lummi vs. Neah Bay

2008-10-06T08:54:00.001-07:00

2008-09-28T18:38:00.000-07:00

'Moon' shines for Lummi
David 'Moon' James among unheralded Blackhawks who excel in 60-36 win over Neah Bay.

Junior receiver David James hauls in an extra point from Dustin Tom in the second quarter of Saturday's game.

With three starters suspended for disciplinary reasons, and a fourth out with an injury, the Blackhawks came into Saturday's game against Neah Bay with half of their starters sidelined. Somebody needed to step up for Lummi. "Moon" James, all 5-6, 13o pounds of him, proved to be the man. He caught two touchdown passes and an extra point from quarterback Dustin Tom, and made a passel of big plays on defense.

Moon, who inherited his nickname from his father, is known for his exploits on the basketball court, but he's been fighting for playing time on the football field. With Gale Jefferson moving to running back for the Neah Bay game, Moon filled in at starting wide receiver. According to statistics compiled by The Bellingham Herald's Dave Rasbach for his game story, Moon caught six passes for a team high 167 yards. He also played well on defense, where he started at defensive back. "He can play," coach Jim Sandusky said. "He had a good defensive game, not just breaking up passes but coming up and making tackles, almost like a linebacker. He was doing things I wasn't even asking of him. He's just a player — natural talent, natural instincts."

Moon James heads for the end zone after grabbing a screen pass from Dustin Tom.

Moon wasn't the only Blackhawk to play a bigger role than usual on Saturday. Freshman Jeremy Roberts, a second-stringer, filled in at linebacker and fullback. "He played awesome," Sandusky said. "Asking a freshman to come in and do what he did, he played far beyond my expectations. I knew he could do the job, but I wasn't expecting the kind of performance he had offensively and defensively." Roberts is the "world's fastest Lummi," a title he earned by being the first Lummi to cross the finish line in this spring's Kwina Mile. You can see a photo of him running the race on SportsShooter.com.

Sandusky also had praise for Kody Dennis, who played last year but didn't turn out this season until a couple of weeks ago. Dennis filled in at receiver and defensive end, and he might see some action on the offensive line in future weeks. "He's kind of my utility guy right now," Sandusky said.

The Blackhawks will receive a boost this week with the return of running back/defensive end Tony Washington. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association granted the fifth-year senior a hardship waiver as a result of family issues that derailed his early high school years. He had to sit out the first five weeks of the season due to poor grades last semester, but his academic probation ended last weekend. His last action came in the 2007 state semifinal loss to Almira-Coulee-Hartline in the Tacoma Dome, where his touchdowns and hard running can still be seen on YouTube. Washington has been practicing all season, working on the scout team to prepare the first-stringers each week. "He's in decent shape and chomping at the bit," Sandusky said.

Tony Washington will return to the Lummi lineup when the Blackhawks travel to Lopez on Saturday. Kick off is at 2 p.m.

2008-09-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

Meet Lummi's coaches
Head coach Jim Sandusky is assisted by Dean Pederson, Dan Poasa, Rocki Sandusky and Craig Jackson

It's film night for the Lummi Blackhawks, and after practice head coach Jim Sandusky jogs off the field to the school kitchen while the players dress in the locker room. He unscrews the tops of a couple industrial-size cans of chili con carne, dumps the contents into a pot and sticks in a spoon. He unwraps three dozen or so hot dogs and loads them into the oven. “That’ll take 20 minutes or so,” he says to no one in particular. Who paid for the players' dinner? “The tooth fairy,” Sandusky answers, chuckling. “I wish I could count on her.”

Sandusky serves up chili dogs to, from left, Ronomus Revey, Ray Jefferson, Nelson Montenegro, Dustin Tom and Tony Washington.

He hurries out of the kitchen and heads for an upstairs classroom where his team is waiting to watch film of last week’s win over St. John-Endicott and of this week’s opponent, Neah Bay. “Hey coach,” a player yells down to him from a balcony. “Jacob quit.” Sandusky barely flinches. Earlier in the day he was told that three of his players have been accused of smoking pot, putting their eligibility in jeopardy. That news came on top of learning that Andre Revey, a key contributor to the Lummi offense, broke his collarbone against St. John-Endicott and is out until the state playoffs, at best. “The stress and the emotional factors are hour to hour,” Sandusky says. “It’s not even day to day. You’re constantly trying to adjust.”

Excuse coach Sandusky if he looks a bit blurry-eyed during the football season. He often doesn’t leave his office until or 1 or 2 in the morning, and he gets about four hours of sleep a night. “I usually get really sick after the season,” he says. “I mean the next day. I get wiped out. It’s happened the last three years.”

Sandusky’s work in building the Blackhawks into a football power is well documented; both The Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote about his early days with the program. Here’s the CliffsNotes version. Sandusky grew up in Othello and excelled as a receiver and kick returner at UNLV and San Diego State. He played 12 years in the Canadian Football League with the B.C. Lions and Edmonton Eskimos and two years with the Seattle Seahawks. He was the Lions’ receivers coach in 1997 when he moved his family to Ferndale because he wanted his children, Rocki and Natasha, to go to school in the States. (He and his wife, Tami, have been married for 24 years. Natasha is now a senior at Ferndale High School, and Rocki is a student at Western Washington University and an assistant coach with the Blackhawks.) Sandusky took over the Lummi football team in 2003, and in the past three years the team has reached the B-8 state championship game once and the semifinals twice.

Lummi’s strength is its offense, and so far this season the Blackhawks are averaging 58 points per game. Sandusky says he is “exploiting” the rules of 8-man football to make his offense as potent as possible. “It evolved from what I thought 8-man football should look like,” he explains. He’s also incorporating some of the things he learned in the CFL, where the field is bigger and the offenses more wide open than in the United States. Because 8-man football is played on a regulation-size field, those CFL strategies work well at this level — so well, in fact, that other 8-man coaches around the state have begun copying Sandusky's schemes. The Lummi offense appears sophisticated by high school standards, with shovel passes, players going in motion and running backs lining up as quarterback, but Sandusky says it’s not so complicated. It relies on word association — for example, runs are animals, as in dog is a dive play, snake is a sweep — and the players wear wristbands that serve as cheat sheets. Each band includes three cards, four plays on each card. Sandusky can tell a player he is the 2 back on play 6 and the player can look down and see exactly what he must do. “We get injuries, I could put any kid at quarterback, technically,” he says.

Sandusky says his primary goal is to build character in his players. He wants to win, of course, but he also understands the value of using football to teach life lessons. It sounds corny, but it’s reality at Lummi. For some of the boys, Sandusky and his assistants are among the most influential adults in their lives, especially when it comes to modeling the value of hard work, clean living and bouncing back from adversity. Sandusky makes sure his players know they can count on him; on the first day of practice he gives them his cell phone number, requires them to memorize it and tells them to call whenever they need help with anything. He counts it as success when they graduate and get a job. Going on to college is a bonus. “It’s very stressful because you can see the opportunities they have and the negative choices they make,” he says. “You know if they hold on long enough they can see the light.”

After watching film of the first half of the St. John-Endicott game, the Blackhawks head downstairs and line up in the hallway outside the kitchen. The tooth fairy, er, Sandusky heaps chili onto two hot dogs on each of the players' plates. Lummi principal Heather Leighton stops by, and as Sandusky serves the food the two of them quickly and quietly discuss the players accused of smoking pot. When the food is gone, Sandusky runs water into the chili pot, closes the window to the kitchen and leaves the mess behind. He'll clean it up later. He heads back upstairs to finish showing film to the team. It's 6:45, and there's still plenty of work ahead for Lummi's head coach.

Dean Pederson

This is Dean Pederson’s third season at Lummi, and he’s more than just an assistant coach; he also serves as Sandusky’s right-hand man. He helps coach the offensive and defensive lines, and on game days he makes sure everything is working and in place: the scoreboard, the chain gang, gear for the players. Many of the details Sandusky used to fret over are now Pederson’s responsibility. “Whatever I can do to make his life easier,” he says.

Pederson worked for Intalco for 26 years before being laid off. He took advantage of a retraining program to attend Western Washington University and earn his teaching degree, graduating in spring of 2006. That summer he went to work at Lummi; he teaches computing to kindergarten through eighth-grade students.

He previously had coached youth football in Blaine for eight years, six years as a head coach, and he spent two years as an assistant coach at Blaine Middle School. Among the boys he coached were his two sons, Tyler, now 20, and Travis, 16, a junior starting tackle at Blaine High School. He and his wife, Diane, have been married 22 years.

Pederson, 52, is a 1974 graduate of Ferndale High School, where he was a member of the football squad. “We weren’t very good,” he says with a laugh. “That was before Ferndale was a powerhouse.” Now, not far from his old hometown, Pederson finds himself in a second career and an intergral part of a football powerhouse.

Dan Poasa

Dan Poasa didn’t need more football when he met Jim Sandusky two years ago. Poasa was coaching and playing semipro football, and he had done some coaching at Squalicum and Bellingham high schools. He agreed to meet Sandusky at the urging of Craig Jackson, who told him the Lummi coach could use some help. One meeting was all it took to convince Poasa to join Sandusky’s staff. “He’s just a great guy with a huge heart,” Poasa says. “He’s father, he’s counselor, provider, everything.”

Poasa is in his second year coaching at Lummi. He works with the offensive linemen, polishing their technique and keeping them focused. He brings a wealth of football experience to the job. He starred at Central Kitsap High School before moving on to the University of Washington, where he was on the squad but didn’t letter. He’s had much more success as a semipro, and in 2005 was inducted into the Minor League Football Hall of Fame. He coaches the Bellingham Bulldogs semipro team during the spring and plays with the BC Spartans in the summer. The Province newspaper in Vancouver wrote a story about him last summer, calling him “the die-hard.” “I’ve got football going all year long,” he says.

Poasa, 38, lives in Bellingham and is receiving manager for Max Hydro Swirl. He is divorced and has four children: Tristan, 18, a senior at St. Louis High School in Honolulu, who recently was accepted to Stanford; twins Chance and Tanner, 11; and Jailahni, 9, all of Ferndale.

Balancing family, job, and all that football can be tricky, but Poasa says working with Sandusky and the players is worth it. “It’s a dream job for those who are just getting into coaching or who want something different,” he says. “If you want to find yourself and find passion for the game, that’s the place to be.”

Rocki Sandusky

Rocki Sandusky was Jake Locker’s favorite target when the Ferndale Golden Eagles rolled to the 3A state title in 2005, catching 17 touchdowns and earning second-team all-state honors. He accepted a scholarship to UNLV, where his father had played, spent a season on the practice squad and transferred to Western Washington University. He played for the Vikings last year, but prior to this season decided he’d had enough football. “It took a lot of my time,” he says. “I wanted to do different things, experience new things. I just felt it was time to let it go.”

After explaining his decision to his mother and father, he mentioned that he’d need a job now that he wasn’t spending so much time with football. His father said, "I know a job you can do. You can coach Lummi with me." Rocki responded, "OK, sign me up.”

The 20-year-old coaches the offensive backs and receivers and the defensive backs. He also helps with special teams and his father expects him to take over that responsibility by midseason. “He’s pretty excited that I get to spend more time with him, and so am I,” Rocki says. “It’s fun to be out there coaching instead of being coached.”

Craig Jackson

Craig Jackson is in his third season with the Blackhawks. He volunteers his time, helping wherever Sandusky needs him. A licensed practical nurse, he also keeps an eye on the players’ physical well-being.

Jackson, 46, played high school football at Long Beach (Calif.) Poly as an offensive guard, and to say he has stayed involved in football would be an understatement. He owned the Northwest Avalanche semipro team in Bellingham for a couple of years — Dan Poasa was his head coach — and played and coached with the semipro Bellingham Eagles. He has helped out the football teams at Bellingham and Squalicum high schools and at the Bellingham Boys and Girls Club. “I’ve been around the game for quite a long time,” he says. “I just love it. When I played the line I loved the combat in the middle of the field.” He yearns to be an offensive coordinator for a team like Lummi and has considered moving to achieve his goal, but for now he’s staying put and lending his experience to the Blackhawks.

Jackson served 13 years in the Navy. He has lived in Bellingham since 1993 and works for Northwest Gastroenterology. He is divorced and has three grown children: daughter Porcia, 25, and boy-girl twins Chasey and Craig, Jr., 22.

Courtesy photos from Othello

2008-09-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

Robert Barrett, an Othello High School teacher, provided these photos from the Lummi vs. St. John-Endicott game played last week in Othello. Coach Jim Sandusky was a student of Barrett's when he attended Othello High. Thanks, Robert.

2008-09-21T17:35:00.000-07:00

Passing grades for Lummi
Blackhawks earn second win of the season

The Blackhawks faced two extra challenges last week as they prepared for Friday's game against St. John-Endicott in Othello. First, they weren't sure they'd have the services of senior quarterback Dustin Tom, who sprained his ankle in the Sept. 13 loss to Tri-Cities Prep. Second, a new academic policy went into effect, requiring students to have a C in all their classes in order to participate in extracurricular activities. Lummi overcame both obstacles. Tom, still hobbled a bit — coach Jim Sandusky said he was about 80 or 85 percent — managed to throw for more than 500 yards in the 58-20 win. And all but four of the Blackhawks earned good enough grades to play in the game. Another three must attend after-school tutoring to make up missed or late assignments. They will miss the first half of practices.

Sandusky said the weather was hotter in Othello than it had been the week before when the Blackhawks repeatedly cramped up against the better-conditioned Jaguars. The coaches made sure the players drank plenty of water on the way over and during the game, and Sandusky substituted more than he had the previous week. "We didn't have any cramping," he said. "We made a step in the right direction that way."

As for Tom, he's looking more and more like the Lummi Jake Locker. Sandusky said someone who was keeping stats — he thinks it might have been someone from bsports.org — said Tom nearly set a state record for completions with 36 or 39 (the coach is checking on the exact number). In any case, he completed passes to seven different receivers in leading the Blackhawks' passing attack. Sandusky says he's had quarterbacks who've had stronger arms or who were more elusive, but "I don't think we've had anyone who's had the whole package (like Tom)."

Assistant coach Rocki Sandusky said Tom has some of the best touch of any high school quarterback he's seen — high praise considering Rocki was Locker's favorite receiver at Ferndale. Rocki said Tom reminds him of Kellen Moore, the former Prosser star who torched Oregon on Saturday.

Tom will have a chance to add to his statistics this week when Lummi plays host to Neah Bay at 2 p.m. Saturday. The game originally was scheduled for Friday night, but the new lights have yet to arrive. Neah Bay is 2-1 with wins over Crescent and Clallam Bay and a loss to Lake Quinalt.

Editor's note: Pride of a Nation was unable to attend the game against St. John-Endicott, thus the reason there are no photos. Check back later this week for a feature story and photos of the Lummi coaching staff.

Lummi vs. Tri-Cities Prep

2008-09-14T22:42:00.000-07:00

2008-09-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

Gut-check, grade-check time for Lummi

Gale Jefferson hauls in a touchdown pass from Dustin Tom during the second quarter of the Blackhawks' 58-34 loss to Tri-Cities Prep on Saturday, Sept. 13.

It's gut-check time because top-ranked Lummi lost to No. 3 Tri-Cities Prep on Saturday after running out of gas in the second half. Senior co-captain Ray Jefferson told the The Bellingham Herald the Jaguars were in better shape than the Blackhawks. "We haven't taken our conditioning seriously enough," Jefferson said. "Our captains need to take more of a leadership role."

It's grade-check time because a new Lummi Schools policy requires students to have a C average in every class in order to participate in extracurricular activities. The policy is stricter than that of most Whatcom County schools, but assistant coach Dean Pederson, who teaches at Lummi, said the school's athletic success has brought added responsibility and scrutiny. The first grade check of the season comes this week.

Coaches Dean Pederson, left, and Jim Sandusky help Dustin Tom off the field Saturday. The senior quarterback sprained his ankle and is questionable for this week's game.

The Blackhawks led Tri-Cities 34-28 at halftime but failed to score in the second half. A handful of the players missed plays because of cramps, and without them Lummi couldn't use the defensive scheme it had put in to stop the Jaguars. "That was frustrating because we had a great game plan," Sandusky said, "but we weren't able to use it to our advantage."

The Blackhawks appeared slow in the second half, when they were outscored 30-0. After watching film of the game, Sandusky said it looked as though the players were jogging off the ball instead of sprinting. "We can be in a lot better shape," he said. "Our guys don't have the extra work ethic. I try to tell them, 'Don't count on me to keep you in shape. You've got to do the extra stuff.' I can promise you those guys from Tri-Cities Prep were out running sprints during the summer. Our guys don't have that kind of dedication. The coaches try to instill it, but it comes down to the players."

Tri-Cities Prep's Geovani Solorzano fumbles over his shoulder after a hard hit by Ray Jefferson as David James looks on.

The Herald's Michelle Nolan wrote that the second half of Saturday's loss was "one of the grimmest scenes in the Blackhawks' storied history." This is the seventh year of Lummi's football program, and in the early years the team suffered some lopsided defeats, sometimes failing to score at all. Sandusky didn't seem too concerned about Saturday's defeat. "It's nonleague, so it means nothing," he said. "This game is meaningless as long as we can learn from it. Once we get down the road we're going to get a lot better."

The Blackhawks play in the North Division of the Pacific Coast League. The top three teams in the division qualify for the playoffs. Lummi's first league game will be against Crescent on Oct. 11.

The Blackhawks travel to Othello Friday to meet St. John-Endicott, a 62-16 loser to Colton/Pullman Christian last weekend. The game begins at 4 p.m. Senior quarterback Dustin Tom sprained his ankle Saturday, and Sandusky said Sunday it is uncertain whether he will be available this week. The backup quarterback, as of today, is senior receiver Gale Jefferson, though Sandusky said he will consider all his options. "I have to see who's healthy and who we can move around."

Then there's the issue of who will be eligible after the grade check. Lummi endured some hard times on the football field in the early years of the program before becoming a state power. Now, the school is trying to achieve similar success in the classroom, where some of the players have struggled in the past. How quickly the players step up remains to be seen, but the first test comes this week.

2008-09-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

Blackhawks ranked No. 1 in state
Lummi plays No. 3 Tri-Cities Prep at 2 p.m. Saturday at Lummi High School.

Check out out the game preview on the bsports.org Web site.

Lummi vs. Highland Christian slideshow

2008-09-07T17:49:00.000-07:00

Pride of a Nation

2008-09-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

Ray Jefferson shakes off a Highland Christian defender en route to the end zone in the Blackhawks Sept. 5 win in Arlington.

Lummi rolls 82-68 in season opener; Dustin Tom throws 10 TD passes, or was it 12?

If you read Saturday's Bellingham Herald story about the Blackhawks' game you learned that the score was 84-68 and that Dustin Tom threw 12 touchdown passes. Neither of those statements was accurate, but it wasn't the newspaper's fault.

A couple of factors caused the misinformation. First, the camera Lummi used to film the game ran out of batteries in the second half. Coach Jim Sandusky planned on using the game film to compile the Blackhawks' statistics, so without tape of the entire contest he wasn't sure exactly who did what. He's still working on it, though, including talking to Highland coach Don Kurtzenacker about getting a copy of the game film from him.

Second, Lummi scored so much it was difficult to keep track of who all visited the end zone, and how often. Even the players weren't sure. Sandusky asked them after the game who had done the scoring but they couldn't give him an exact accounting. "You'd think if a kid scored a touchdown he'd know it," Sandusky said. You'd think, but the Blackhawks can be forgiven, especially Tom. On further reflection, it appears the senior quarterback (pictured above) threw for only 10 scores. He ran for one, as did Andre Revey. Ray Jefferson was on the receiving end of a bunch of Tom's scoring tosses, and Gale Jefferson caught a few, too.

After the game when it came time for Sandusky to call in the score to the Herald he could only make an educated guess. Stay tuned; the complete and accurate statistics should be forthcoming.

In the meantime. the Blackhawks are preparing for Saturday's 2 p.m. game against Tri-Cities Prep at Lummi. Tri-Cities whipped Echo, Oregon, 64-30 last week (check out video of the game on the Tri-City Herald Web site). Sandusky said the Blackhawks came out of the Highland Christian game with some bumps and bruises but with no serious injuries. They watched film and worked out on Saturday and will resume practicing Monday.

Ronumus Revey, left, and Kyle Finkbonner take a break during the first half of Friday's game.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Andre Revey heads for the end zone during an Aug. 30 intrasquad scrimmage.

Lummi football is a remarkable story. The Blackhawks play 8-man football in Washington state. The program has been in existence only seven years, but Lummi has established itself as one of the premier B-8 teams in the state. Last year the Blackhawks beat Crescent 118-72, tying the national record for most points scored by an 8-man team. They made it to the state semifinals, where they lost 80-50 to Almira-Coulee-Hartline. But the wins and the points are just part of the story.
Senior quarterback Dustin Tom is one of the team leaders and a captain, along with Ray Jefferson and Lonnie James.

Lummi High School serves students from the Lummi Nation Indian tribe in the Northwest corner of Washington state. The football team is coached by Jim Sandusky (below), a former Canadian Football League star, who also is the school's athletic director. When he began coaching the team in 2003, it played on a makeshift field in the front yard of his home in Ferndale, Wash. The team now uses a field adjacent to the new high school building, and this year lights are to be installed, allowing the team to play on Friday nights.

It is hard to overstate the challenges Sandusky faces in keeping the Blackhawks competitive. The Lummi school system — K through 12 — has an enrollment of about 320 students, 120 in the high school; so there aren't many boys from which to build a state-champion-caliber football team. Plus, some of his players come from broken homes, struggle with addiction or have run afoul of the law. Absenteeism is a problem, as is keeping players academically eligible. In that respect, Lummi is no different than many other schools, especially those in communities beset by poverty and inequity, but when your roster includes only 15 or so upper-classmen it is crucial to keep everyone eligible. Sandusky is enthusiastic about this year's team, but he acknowledges that the status of a handful of his players could make or break the season. "There's the potential to have the right mix for a state champion," he said the other day after practice.

Lummi opens its season Friday night in Arlington against Highland Christian Prep. The Blackhawks play host to Tri-Cities Prep — a state playoff team last year — on Saturday, Sept. 13, before traveling to Odessa on Sept. 19 to face perennial power St. John. "Our first three games are the toughest first three we will have ever had," Sandusky said.

Each week "Pride of the Nation" will post photos from the Blackhawks' games, plus provide insight into the team and its place in the larger tribal community. Check back regularly; it's going to be an interesting season.

Assistant coach Dean Pederson looks over the Blackhawks during a recent practice.