Lummi blanks Quilcene, heads to 1B state semifinals

Blackhawks coach Jim Sandusky didn’t appreciate his team’s “lackadaisical” first-half play, so Lummi started the second half with the most aggressive play in football — twice.

Blackhawks’ Raven Borsey recovered an onside kick to start the third quarter, and after a Trazil Lane touchdown two plays later, Lane recovered another onside attempt off Dashawn Lawrence’s foot, which led to a second score.

“I told them at halftime, ‘We got to attack. Hey, we are going to lay it all out, and we have to attack and see what happens.’” Sandusky said. “It worked our way. We got two in a row, and that’s a huge momentum turn right there.”

Lummi put the game out of reach in the second half by scoring twice before Quilcene ever touched the ball, propelling the Blackhawks to a Class 1B State Playoff quarterfinal 40-0 win Saturday afternoon, Nov. 21, at Lummi Nation High School.

The win sets up another semifinal matchup with rival Neah Bay, which will take place either Friday, Nov. 27 or Saturday, Nov. 28, at the Tacoma Dome.

The Blackhawks now have won their two state games by a combined score of 90-0.

Lummi QB Jonathan Casimir completed 23 of 43 passes for 278 yards and threw two touchdowns and two interceptions. Free Borsey recorded a game-high 130 receiving yards on eight catches and caught TDs of 26 and 16 yards, and Lane logged 72 receiving yards, ran for a 42-yard TD and ran an interception back 91 yards for a score.

The pick-6 came at a critical moment.

Lummi led 6-0 but needed to make a play with Quilcene driving deep into Blackhawks territory. Lane jumped in front of a pass from Quilcene quarterback Eli Harrison on a third-and-5 at Lummi’s 21 and raced down the left sideline for a game-altering score.

“I was dropping back, saw him throw, and I just grabbed it and ran it all the way back,” Lane said.

Casimir connected with a wide open Free for a 26-yard touchdown pass with 0:54 left in the second quarter to give the Blackhawks a 20-0 halftime edge, but sluggish play and botched execution drew the ire of Sandusky.

“We had a good little session at halftime and came out fired up, and that is the team we are,” Sandusky said.

Lane took a direct snap around the left side for a 42-yard touchdown run following Lummi’s first onside kick, giving the Blackhawks a 28-0 lead.

Free caught his second touchdown pass, a 16-yarder from Casimir, five minutes later to extend Lummi’s advantage to 34-0 with 5:49 to play in the third.

A 3-yard TD run by Lawrence, who was filling in at running back for an injured Hank Hoskins, with 7:55 left in the fourth put the Blackhawks in front 40-0 and got the running clock rolling.

Lummi’s defense earned its second straight shutout, holding Quilcene to 173 total yards.

“Obviously, we got our work cut our for us next week playing Neah Bay,” Sandusky said. “That’s kind of something we get ready to do from day one in August.”

This story was originally published November 21, 2015 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Lummi blanks Quilcene, heads to 1B state semifinals."