Lummi football hopes this is the year it overcomes Neah Bay

Coach Jim Sandusky admitted he might have one of the lowest numbers of players out he’s had in the past 10 years. But that’s OK.

What he’s seen from his team during the offseason mitigates the small turnout.

“We had a great camp,” Sandusky said, “maybe the best camp since I’ve been here.”

And while Lummi might be young this season, that doesn’t mean the Blackhawks aren’t experienced.

“We have guys that have a lot of playing time, and that is a product of having some good teams over the last few years,” Sandusky said. “That’s been a blessing in that regard.”

Last year’s narrative turned out to a sequel to the year before, and the year before that, and the year before that.

Four consecutive seasons the Blackhawks have rallied their way deep into the postseason before suffering a season-ending loss to rival Neah Bay.

And who knows, the two could meet again this postseason as Lummi landed at No. 3 in the Associated Press Preseason Prep Football Poll and Neah Bay came in at No. 2.

The Blackhawks return only two true starters from both sides of the ball, so Lummi has work to do in order to put the pieces in place, but Sundusky has some talented players who should flourish in starting roles.

Senior Jonathan Casimir is slated to take over at quarterback. Sandusky said the signal-caller was battling an illness last year and lost some weight, but Casimier has worked hard in the offseason to put it back on.

“He took it upon himself to really dedicate himself and get better,” Sandusky said of Casimir.

Casimir will be handing the ball a lot to Hank Hoskins, and on the outside he’ll have Raven Borsey and Free Borsey at his disposal. Sandusky said the Borsey boys put in the most work during the offseason, and he’s excited to see the results.

Devin Lawrence returns at center, and newcomer James Williams and Keegan Jojola could find roles on each side of him.

Defensively, the Blackhawks should be strong all the way around.

Hoskins will shore up the middle linebacker spot, and Dashaun Lawrence and Williams have a good chance to start on each side of Hoskins.

The Borseys will start at each cornerback position.

“I think we just need to do what we did at camp,” Sandusky said. “We made a mistake, we don’t get on each other about it. We regroup and get onto the next play. That’s what we did at camp.”

This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 10:01 AM with the headline "Lummi football hopes this is the year it overcomes Neah Bay."