POSTED: Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009

PREP FOOTBALL: Lummi QBs sharing duties

It doesn't take a mathematician to know that six does not equal one, but for the Lummi football team this year, it's taken six quarterbacks to fill the vacancy left by the departure of Dustin Tom.

Tom rewrote the Blackhawks' passing record book in 2008, along with eclipsing a few state marks by throwing for 5,268 yards, 64 touchdowns and 72.7-precent competition percentage.

But maybe things were a little too good.

"Coming into any other year, we always had a quarterback that was a seasoned guy," Lummi coach Jim Sandusky said in a phone interview. "But we didn't have that opportunity to get a guy some experience behind Dustin last year."

With no seasoned quarterbacks ready to step in after Tom's graduation from the program, Sandusky has had to mix and match the skill sets of the players he has on his roster to best fit the team's needs against different opponents.

Sandusky hopes he can once again find the right combination on Friday, Nov. 13, at Silverdale Stadium, when the Blackhawks take on Taholah in a Class 1B tri-district playoff game. The winner of the game moves on to face the winner of the Highland Christian-Wishkah game in the first round of the 1B State Playoffs.

Lummi already owns a 58-24 victory over the Taholah on Sept. 19. In that game, Ty Jameson and Joseph Fryberg split the passing duties, with Jameson passing for 223 yards and two touchdowns and Fryberg throwing for 100 yard and one score.

But Sandusky admits his QB rotation hasn't always been that smooth, as he's had to split reps in practice and figure which quarterback is best in each situation.

"It's been tough, sometimes, for us to find a rhythm offensively," Sandusky said. "Without having somebody who is seasoned back there with what I try to do on offense, it makes it more difficult. It would be nice to have a true No. 1 and a true No. 2, but we're not in that situation this year. We've relied on the running game a little more than we have in the past, but that's partially because we have some very talented runners."

The Blackhawks are still miles away from Ground Chuck, though.

In the nine games in which the statistics have been reported, Lummi has rushed for 1,586 yards and 16 TDs while passing for 2,448 yards and 33 touchdowns.

Jameson and Fryberg have taken most of the snaps, but David James, Kyle Finkbonner, Tony Rivera and Jared Tom have all seen their share of action calling signals. Each offers something unique to the Lummi offense.

Jameson, who is a junior, leads the team with 1,258 yards and 14 TD throws this year. He was the only one of the six to have recorded passing yardage last year.

"He's got a strong arm, but he's lacking in the mechanics a little, and that prohibits him from being as good as he can be," Sandusky said. "He's got to learn to step into throws and get his shoulders turned right and make sure he gets the proper depth. I think he can throw the ball further than Dustin did, but he needs to work on his accuracy and timing. It has gotten better, but he needs to keep working this summer to improve."

Fryberg, a senior, has passed for 906 yards and 14 TDs, and is a little bit more of a natural passer, according to Sandusky.

"Joe is calm and collected back there," Sandusky said. "He can read defenses real well, and he anticipates receivers' breaks and where he needs to throw the ball. It's nice having a guy back there who understands the position so well."

James, a senior, was Sandusky's preseason pick to get most of the snaps, but he has attempted only six passes and thrown for 88 yards and two TDs. He's been more of a threat catching the ball, with 39 receptions for 901 yards and 15 TDs.

"He offers experience and shiftiness," Sandusky said. "He understands the offense and can execute the play, and if it's not there he can make something happen. But he his a heck of a threat for us as a receiver."

Finkbonner knows the offense as well as any of the six and has 154 yards passing and three touchdowns.

"He has a strong arm and he can make things happen with the ball," Sandusky said. "He's kind of a utility player for us. We have used him on the line or at running back and quarterback. He's a good change-of-pace guy back there."

Rivera, a junior, is the biggest of the bunch at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, but he's only completed one pass for 42 yards so far this season.

"He looks like a true QB," Sandusky said. "He's a big guy with a strong arm ... He's a guy that we can give one or two reads to, and he'll find the open guy and get them the ball, but right now he's more a situational guy for us."

Jared Tom, a freshman, is a stepbrother of Dustin Tom's. He has not yet attempted a pass, but he has taken some snaps and may turn out to be Lummi's quarterback of the future.

"The optimistic thing about this, is we have six guys that are willing to go in there and play QB for us," Sandusky said. "It's a big thing to ask a young guy to step into that situation, where everybody is watching and sees when you make mistakes. But these guys are up to the challenge. It's every young boys' dream to play that position, and we have six guys that are doing it well for us."

Reach David Rasbach at david.rasbach@bellinghamherald.com or 715-2271.