St. John-Endicott plans its own party

People in St. John annually look forward to the town’s Winterfest. Snowy weather this week even cooperated. But members of the high school football team won’t be there.

The Eagles have a big festival of their own planned as part of the six-game state championship Gridiron Classic in Tacoma.

Players and coaches boarded a charter bus at 4 a.m. today for the trip. The St. John-Endicott band will charter to Tacoma Saturday for the game against Lummi, a Native American community near Bellingham, at 4 p.m. Saturday for the State 1B title.

The conflict with Winterfest hasn’t dampened spirits in the communities south of Spokane, whose townsfolk provided the money to finance the charter buses.

“The people are just thrilled,” said athletic director Bruce Porubek. “We’re going to broadcast the game over here. It’s pretty exciting times.”

SJE (12-1) will play the third of four games Saturday in the Tacoma Dome – prior to the State 4A nightcap that will be televised on Fox Sports Network – and fifth of six games overall. The State 2B and 3A championships (the latter also televised beginning at 7 p.m. on FSN) are tonight.

The Eagles won’t be on television, but the team is the toast of their towns.

“We’ve gotten support from just about everyone in the community,” said quarterback Andrew Wolfe. “Everywhere we go they offer congratulations and good luck.”

Wolfe is the Eagles’ option quarterback. He and tailback Phillip Luft teamed to account for 73 percent of the team’s 6,747 yards of total offense.

Wolfe had touchdown runs of 42 and 46 yards in last Saturday’s 32-28 semifinal win over Pateros.

“The option, along with power, has been pretty much our bread and butter,” said Wolfe, who rushed for 617 yards and passed for 1,240 more. “It looks like it’s all me, but most of the job is done by our linemen up front. When the line gets a good enough surge, I’m already gaining yards, and if they seal off the backside it’s just a sprint to the goal line.”

That Eagles line includes ends Brett Larson and Justin Taylor, guards Eric Johnson and Jeff Lust, and center Kevin Mills, the lone junior.

With fullback Derek Morasch blocking (and adding 485 yards rushing), Luft has rushed for 3,052 yards, averaging 10 yards per carry.

SJE beat last year’s finalist, Columbia (Hunters), in a season-opening non-league game that gave the Eagles postseason dreams, Luft said.

“The Colton game was the biggest spark,” said Luft of a night in which he rushed for 485-yards in the third game of the season. “After that, the line looked at each other and said, ‘We’re going for a record this year.’ “

The Eagles’ opponent, Lummi, was subject of a Seattle Times story last year about its rise from new football program in 2002 to state semifinalist last year under coach and former professional player Jim Sandusky.

“Everyone on the team is related either by blood or marriage,” Sandusky told the Bellingham Herald this week. “That’s what makes us unique.”

The Blackhawks like to throw and have a big line, said SJE coach Joe McCanna, including one starter who weighs 338 pounds and another at 6-foot-8, 295 pounds.

Lummi was led by senior Allen Revey in a 26-20 win over Touchet in the semifinals. SJE beat Touchet 36-22 in the Southeast 1B league game.

For both teams, this is a weekend dream come true.

“I’ve driven by there,” said Wolfe about the Tacoma Dome, “but never been there.”

“It’s a rush, honestly,” Luft said. “When the playoffs started, we looked at each other and said we weren’t ready to play basketball yet. This has been so much fun.”