There’s something different about playoffs and you notice it most when the teams line up from home plate to first or third, the national anthem is played and the professional announcer says, “Play ball!”

But when Ferndale’s Jake Locker unleashed a 375-yard bomb for a home run in the first inning of Saturday’s district playoff contest, Falcon fans wondered if it was an omen or a fluke.

Turned out it was a premonition of things to come as South Whidbey fell 16-2 to the Eagle’s hot bats at Volunteer Park in Anacortes.

By the time the park’s terrific sound system played B.B. King’s classic “The Thrill is Gone” at the third inning break (with the score 3-0), the question remained: “Gone for whom?”

It didn’t take long to figure it out.

The Eagles trotted out a potent offensive display, and it’s name was “Locker.”

Three of Ferndale’s first four hitters shared the Locker name and they had six hits between them. Jake Locker is headed to the University of Washington as a quarterback and may be drafted by Major League Baseball in the fall.

“I have no doubt that kid will be on a major league team someday,” Falcon Coach Dave Guetlin said. “Ferndale has some real horsepower up there and we ran into a classic buzzsaw.”

Mixed metaphors aside, Guetlin admitted the Falcons managed to hit the ball but couldn’t muster the key hit with runners on base.

Danny Parra, Joey Smith and Nick Tenuta had only two hits apiece for South Whidbey while Jake Crosby and Logan Hanna each picked up singles and Brooks Guetlin picked up his first varsity single as a Falcon in the seventh inning.

With Hanna resting, Lakota Holder fought bravely to the fourth, then Jason Shoudy came in as relief.

But neither could stem the Eagle tide.

“I agreed with the decision,” Holder said later. “We do what’s best for the team. Always.”

He admitted the home run in the first didn’t feel so good. “He’s [Locker] done it to a lot of people, but still…”

Overall, Holder said the team was fairly relaxed on the bus going up.

But they all knew it was a special day.

“We understand it isn’t a normal game,” he said. “The trick is to not get too excited by it.”

In the end, the Falcons entered the losers’ bracket. If they lost Tuesday night against another baseball powerhouse Sedro-Woolley, the season will have ended.

Against the Eagles, South Whidbey’s Smith was two-for-three, Parra two-for-four and Tenuta two-for-two.

South Whidbey only loses two seniors to graduation next month.

“With Jason, Joey [Smith] and myself on the mound next year, we have a bright future,” Holder said.