TENINO — In the first two weekends of the 2026 football season, Northwest Christian looked well on its way to boasting one of the top offenses in Class 1B behind workhorse running back Jacob Kearns.
The junior was quite literally unstoppable, exploding for a combined 11 touchdowns and 483 yards on just 32 carries through two blowout wins. Northwest Christian scored 64 points Week 1 and 68 more in Week 2.
In 11-man football, it’s difficult to declare that the subtraction of one player can make such a palpable difference. But in eight-man football, especially with how Northwest Christian operates, Kearns’ absence was vigorously felt through the entire program during the Wolverines’ Friday night home game against Lummi Nation.
Kearns suffered a broken scaphoid in his right hand on the first play of the Wolverines’ game against Muckleshoot Tribal School last weekend, but he pushed through the pain and still dominated with six rushing touchdowns and 310 yards on 15 carries.
Unfortunately for Kearns, he will undergo surgery next week and will be sidelined for several weeks.
Turns out that life without him on both sides of the ball is rather grim.
Northwest Christian was shut out by Lummi Nation 48-0 at Tenino’s Beaver Stadium Friday night and rushed for just 14 total yards. The Wolverines lost yardage or gained zero yards on 18 of their 28 rushing plays, and they committed three turnovers.
If things weren’t already painful on the injury side, the Wolverines also played without starting center Ronnie Vahey. Starting quarterback Sully Snyder left the game in the second half and didn’t return, although he should return next week.
“In all honesty, being a young group with all the injuries, I think they were probably a little shaken,” Northwest Christian head coach Chris Pontius said. “We tried to build them up this week and let them know that we can still put together a good game and compete. But I think they were a little intimidated. I know we’ve had some injuries, but I don’t believe in excuses. They played a really good game.”
Lummi Nation immediately went to work on offense and didn’t let up for most of the night. Blackhawks running backs Gregory Hawk and Tre Lawrence churned up big chunk plays on the opening drive, and quarterback Landon LaFontaine punctuated the powerful possession with a rushing score from the 1-yard line.
The Wolverines could only move backward on offense in the first half, while LaFontaine continued to pummel their defense on the ground with three rushing touchdowns in the first 24 minutes. He also found Anthony Solomon for a 26-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, as the Blackhawks led 14-0 after one and 28-0 at halftime. Northwest Christian did not pick up a first down until the final minutes of the first half.
One highlight from the Wolverines’ defense in the first half was an interception by Andrew Graves, who came down with the ball at the same time as Luke Nickel but ripped it away.
Yet Northwest Christian’s offense remained lifeless in the third quarter, as Snyder threw an interception on the Wolverines’ opening drive. They took the ball right back on a lost fumble by Lummi Nation, but midway through the ensuing drive, Snyder was sidelined after taking multiple huge hits on quarterback draws.
JJ Nobles replaced him at quarterback, and after leading the Wolverines to the Lummi Nation 20-yard line, he threw an interception on fourth down.
The Blackhawks immediately took advantage with an 87-yard touchdown pass by LaFontaine to Mason Revey to make it 34-0.
All four of Northwest Christian’s four second-half drives made it inside Lummi Nation territory, but the Wolverines came up empty on all four while the Blackhawks scored two more explosive touchdowns.
Injuries on an already small roster have forced the coaching staff to make numerous offensive adjustments. Pontius said they’ll have to make even more next week.
“We may have to make some tweaks and try some different things offensively that fit the group we have for now,” he said. “The offense is definitely built on Jacob’s talents and his gifts. We’re definitely gonna have to figure some things out because we still have a lot of good players.”
Snyder finished 2 of 12 for 23 yards and one interception, while Nobles went 2 for 9 with 36 yards and an interception. Snyder was the Wolverines’ leading rusher with 32 yards.
On a tough night for the defense, Luke Nickel impressed with 11 tackles and a tackle for loss. He flew around the ball and made several loud hits against a potent Blackhawks offense.
“He plays so hard. If I had 10 Lukes, we may never lose a game,” Pontius said. “He plays with so much energy, and he’s so competitive. It doesn’t matter what the score is. That guy only knows 100 miles per hour.”
Northwest Christian (2-1) will look to bounce back at Oakville (0-3, 0-3 Sea-Tac League) Saturday, Sept. 26.
Friday night’s game was Northwest Christian’s homecoming game, which was presented by Mullinax Ford of Olympia, which provided six Ford Broncos for the homecoming parade at halftime.
