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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.