1B QUAD-DISTRICT PLAYOFFS: Crescent beats Lummi for first 1B state berth since 1996

LUMMI — For the first time in 22 years, the Crescent Loggers are in the state 1B football playoffs.

The Loggers shocked Lummi, and perhaps themselves a bit, with a 46-36 road win in the 1B Quad-District playoffs Saturday to qualify for the state playoffs.

“I’ve been here four years and every year, we’ve been better and better,” said coach Brian Shimko.

Crescent not only made it to state for the first time in a generation, the Loggers also beat Lummi on the road for the first time in years. Shimko doesn’t know the last time the Loggers accomplished this.

“It was before I started here [four years ago] … 15-20 years,” he said.

And to top it off, the Loggers qualified for state with a bunch of freshman and eighth-graders (eighth-graders can play varsity eight-man football) on the roster. They’re not just on the roster, but actually contributing with significant minutes. Incredibly, 11 out of the 17 players on the roster are eighth-graders or freshmen. And two more are sophomores.

“Our freshmen and eighth-graders unbelievably stepped up” against Lummi, Shimko said. “For them to go into Lummi’s house and win, that in itself is a huge statement.

“It just shows that it’s not about how big you are, it’s about playing together as a team,” Shimko said.

The last time Crescent made it to state, the Loggers won the 1B state championship. This year, they are a No. 7 seed, and they will play last year’s defending state champion Almira-Coulee-Hartline. The game will be played either Friday or Saturday and a venue and time have not been set yet.

Crescent got 302 yards rushing and four touchdowns from Noah Leonard and 142 all-purpose yards from Eric Emery in upsetting the Blackhawks. They also got some huge defensive plays and bounced back when Lummi rallied from a big deficit.

The Loggers went into the halftime break up 22-12, holding the Blackhawks scoreless in the second quarter.

“That was a huge morale-builder,” Shimko said. “Our kids were completely shocked. They were on cloud nine. And they did not let up in the second half.”

Lummi marched the ball down the field and had the ball on the Loggers’ goal line, but Crescent held in a “huge defensive stop,” Shimko said.

Crescent later gave up a safety, but still held a 22-14 lead. The Loggers got huge plays from Emery and Noah Leonard to fend off the Blackhawks in the second half.

First, Emery scored a touchdown on a 66-yard kick return to spark the Loggers’ flurry. Leonard followed with 46-yard, 19-yard and 49-yard touchdown runs to blow open what had been a tight 22-20 game into a 46-20 lead in the fourth quarter.

The Blackhawks scored two touchdowns on long passes in the fourth quarter, but it was much too little, too late, to catch the Loggers.

Leonard finished with 36 rushes for 302 yards, four TDs, 15 total tackles, three quarterback sacks, five QB pressures and a caused fumble. Eric Emery ran 76 yards on eight carries to go with his 66-yard kick return. He also passed for 49 yards and a touchdown. Braden Emery, one of those important Loggers’ freshman, had a touchdown reception.

Malachi Treadway had seven tackles and five pass deflections, Braden Emery seven total tackles, three deflections and a caused fumble and Erick Emery 11 tackles and six pass deflections. Brenton Dalton had three pass deflections and five tackles, Wyatt Lee had eight tackles and a sack and Darren Lee three solo tackles, six QB pressures and a caused fumble.

Crescent 46, Lummi 36

Crescent 14 8 6 18 — 46

Lummi 12 0 8 16 — 36

First Quarter

C—B. Emery 10 pass from E. Emery pass (PAT failed)

C—E. Emery 57 run (Dalton pass from E. Emery)

L—Revey 10 pass from Jackson (PAT failed)

L—Jackson 64 run (PAT failed)

Second Quarter

C—Leonard 22 run (B. Emery pass from E. Emery)

Third Quarter

L—Safety

L—Kiely 8 pass from Jefferson (PAT failed)

C—E. Emery 66 kick return (PAT failed)

Fourth Quarter

C—Leonard 46 run (PAT failed)

C—Leonard 19 run (PAT failed)

C—Leonard 49 run (PAT failed)

L—Jackson 80 pass from Jefferson (Jackson pass from Jefferson)

L—Jackson 33 pass from Jefferson (Jackson pass from Jefferson)

Individual Stats

Rushing—C: Leonard 36-302, E. Emery 8-76, B. Emery 3-8, Treadway 1-1.

Passing—C: E. Emery 5-9-49, TD.

Receiving—C: B. Emery 4-32, Dalton 1-17.