This feature was produced in collaboration between Vox Creative and Fruit of the Loom. Vox Media editorial staff was not involved in the creation or production of this content.

The Lummi Nation Blackhawks have been to the Washington state playoffs 12 times, and they've won one state championship. At last year's state finals, they lost by just one play, with a final score 46-42. But for the Blackhawks, it was more than a loss; it was devastating to their community, the 5,000-member Lummi Nation tribe.

Head coach Jim Sandusky is determined not to let his eight-man team down in thee new season. "There are no excuses from here on out," he says. The Lummi Nation Blackhawks aren't just playing to win, they're playing for an entire nation.