By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
After their 56-8 crushing of the Muckleshoot Kings the week prior, the unbeaten Tulalip Hawks entered week four of the regular season with a shocking #10 next to their name. In a super cool development, Tulalip’s early season success and torrid touchdown pace reached influencers within the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA). In their weekly updated Top 10 rankings, the WIAA ranked Tulalip Heritage #10 in the entire state for 1B football.
“It feels amazing to be putting Tulalip on the map and letting the whole state know who we are,” declared starting cornerback and Heritage High senior Javohn Henry. “Our [football program] hasn’t been known in too long, but now we’re getting our name out there for all to see. Not just as footballers, but as proud Natives.”
The undefeated and #10 ranked Heritage Hawks hosted the Lummi Nation Blackhawks in another inter-tribal battle by the bay on Friday, September 27. It was expected to be a battle of contrasting styles, too, because unlike the razzle dazzle Hawks offense, Lummi’s primary strength is run-run-run with little to no passing in between.
In the first quarter, offense was a major struggle for both teams. Whether it was the frigid 50-degree temperature or just the nervousness from longtime rivals meeting for the first and only time this season on the Tulalip gridiron, or a combination of both, is difficult to know. What we do know is after one whole quarter of play the game was tied 0 to 0.
Early in the 2nd quarter, Tulalip’s defense came up big with a 4th down stop that gave the ball back to their offense. Inserted into the game for the first time was quarterback J.J. Gray. He immediately ignited the Hawks offense with a 45-yard completion to wide-receiver Ziggy Myles-Gilford. Four plays later, J.J. found his other wide-receiver Tokala Black Tomahawk in the back of the endzone for a 12-yard touchdown pass. Two-point conversion was good to give the home team an 8-0 lead.
Heritage’s offense was running on all high-powered cylinders again. Best encapsulated by an 80-yard catch and run from Ziggy later in the 2nd quarter that got Tulalip’s home crowd on their feet and cheering enthusiastically at a team that has the talent to score on any given possession. That highlight was soon followed by another as J.J. used his agility and evasiveness to carve up the Lummi defense for a 50-yard QB scramble to the endzone. Midway through the 3rd quarter, Tulalip led 24-6.
Taking a reprieve from play-calling duties, while Tulalip’s defense was on the field, offensive coordinator Willy Enick shared, “J.J. just really unlocks our offense. His ability to keep a play alive with his feet, his vision to keep his head up and look for his receivers, and his excellent ball placement gives our guys so much confidence to take their games to the next level. The first quarter being a bit of a struggle for us to move the ball and it being a 0-0 game was actually a gift for us coaches. It gave us an opportunity to remind the boys that being ranked doesn’t mean anything if you can’t continue to execute and perform like we know we can.”
The two sophomore sensations, J.J. and Ziggy, continued to execute their onfield connection as they wreaked havoc on would-be Lummi tacklers early in the 4th quarter. On the cusp of the red zone, J.J. evaded multiple defenseman, actually managing to split two Lummi lineman who tackled one another instead of the Tulalip quarterback, and then lofted a perfect spiral to a wide-open Ziggy for a touchdown. Up 30-8 now, the chants of “Tulalip power!” started to ring out from the fans who knew the W was all but secured.
The Hawks defense continued to swarm tackle the larger Lummi ballcarriers and managed to force several turnovers via 4th down stops.
“Our defense did good adjusting to the run-heavy play style,” reflected Heritage defensive coordinator, Deyamonta Diaz post-game. “We adjusted to a 4-man front and were still able to rally to the ball quickly. For us, that’s been a game changer because the 4th down stops give our offense the ability to find rhythm. We also had different starters this week, so guys were able to get reps and be ready for when we have to go into our depth chart.”
Ultimately, the Hawks relied on their depth and high-octane offense to win another season-boosting rivalry game. The 36-16 victory over Lummi will assuredly keep Tulalip in the ranks of the top 10.
Next up, the boys will travel to Tacoma on Saturday, October 6, to take on the Charles Wright Tarriers. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:00pm.
