Blackhawks open 1B playoffs with solid win

The Lummi Blackhawks began their 2015 playoff campaign in soaring fashion, defeating the Oakville Acorns 56-8.

Lummi advances to the Class 1B State Playoffs as the Northwest District No. 1 seed. The Blackhawks will face fifth-ranked Evergreen Lutheran at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13.

Lummi was dominant throughout much of the game, despite several Blackhawk miscues. Senior running back Hank Hoskins, playing in his third game of the season, was key to the Blackhawk’s offense. He scored four touchdowns, three with his legs and also ran back an interception for a TD.

“He’s a force to be reckoned with,” Blackhawk head coach Jim Sandusky said. “Our guys really rallied around him, he picked the team up.”

Hoskins was a beast on the field, oftentimes shedding Acorn defenders like rag dolls as he picked up 211 rushing yards.

Lummi went away from their usual formations, opting to run first instead of pass. Lummi only threw the ball seven times, and all but one of its offensive touchdowns were scored on the ground.

“We took whatever the defense would give us,” Sandusky said. “We tried to give it a good mix between run and pass.”

Sandusky credited much of the team’s rushing success to the offensive line. Sandusky felt his linemen did a good job sustaining their blocks and playing to the whistle. Lummi clearly got the job done, rushing for an outstanding 24 yards per carry.

The score would have been even more lopsided but for three Blackhawk fumbles, two of which the Acorns managed to recover.

But even when Oakville managed to force turnovers defensively its offense never managed to sustain momentum.

Oakville only managed to complete five passes, and spent much of the night fruitlessly trying to run the ball. Acorns quarterbacks only completed a third of their passes.

After taking away the pass, the Blackhawk’s defense smothered the run. The Acorns rushed for 167 yards on 26 carries for just over 6 yards per carry. That number is certainly respectable, but Blackhawks played lockdown red zone defense only giving up one score, and that late in the contest.

Still Sandusky had a few areas of improvement in mind for his defensive unit. Specifically, he wanted his players to focus on tackling low, sweeping the ankles not holding on to waists. He also wanted to see more pressure on the opponent’s quarterback, despite Lummi registering several sacks on the night.

Lummi’s road to a state championship looks bright if they can maintain this level of play.

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 10:47 PM with the headline "Blackhawks open 1B playoffs with solid win."