Community Sports

Gig Harbor’s Wing T offense takes flight in Fish Bowl

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

New Gig Harbor football coach Jeff Scoma and his Wing T offense sure made a great one in the Fish Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 6.

The Tides introduced themselves to thousands of local fans with a 35-21 win over Peninsula at Mount Tahoma Stadium. The Tides rushed for a jaw-dropping 346 yards and five touchdowns to earn a convincing victory over their crosstown rivals.

Scoma was impressed with the atmosphere during his first Fish Bowl.

“That was great out there, when you see two schools that have that much energy,” he said. “I know there can only be one winner, but the energy on both sides made for a great rivalry game.”

Ian Shearer of Gig Harbor races toward the end zone during the Tides’ 35-21 Fish Bowl win over Peninsula. Photo by Christi Adams

Peninsula struck first

The Seahawks jumped out to a 7-0 lead and looked good early after recovering a Tides mishandled snap deep in Gig Harbor territory. Peninsula quarterback Talen McDonnell backpedaled to lure in the Tides’ oncoming linemen before lofting a pretty screen pass into the hands of Jacob Martin. Martin burst into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown.

The Tides’ Troy Arnold showed elusiveness in returning the ensuing kickoff to the 37-yard line. Then that Wing T offense ripped off a series of eight- and nine-yard runs to get the Tides into the red zone. But penalties pushed them back and their 40-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right.

New Peninsula coach Clay Mauro applauded his defense as they came off the field with the lead, the leather and the momentum. But a series of mistakes in the second quarter awaited.

The Gig Harbor defense, which was solid and swarming all night, forced a Martin fumble at the Seahawk 36 yard line just before the first quarter ended.

Dominant second quarter

Gig Harbor sophomore running back Wilson West ripped off an eight-yard run before junior Ian Shearer scored his first touchdown. Quarterback Sawyer Hayes faked an outside handoff and delivered an inside handoff to Shearer, who broke through the line, made one cut and rumbled for a 23-yard touchdown to tie the score at 7.

Shearer was a physical force all night. He simply refused to stop churning his legs and fighting for yards as it took several tacklers to stop his progress. He had a breakout game with 194 yards and three touchdowns in his first varsity start.

Peyton Howard (66), Kingston Chambers and Wilson West (19) of Gig Harbor celebrate a touchdown. Photo by Bryce Carithers

The Seahawks moved the ball on the next possession, but a shotgun snap sailed five feet over McDonnell’s head, forcing a Peninsula punt.

On the next possession, Gig Harbor faced a fourth and three on the Seahawks’ 22. Scoma could have called for a long field goal, but showed his aggression and went for it. The Tides converted by half a yard.

Later in the drive, with the Tides facing third and long, a Peninsula defender unnecessarily grabbed Hayes’ face mask with a referee standing only five feet away. The 15-yard gift resulted in a first and goal at the six yard line.

West did the rest as he followed a Mack truck named Peyton Howard in to the end zone for a 14-7 lead with just under two minutes to go in the first half.

Tides score at end of half

Peninsula had shown it could move the ball on offense and the defense was making plays as well. It felt like the Seahawks may be able to use McDonnell’s passing skills to tie the game up before halftime.

But Howard tipped an attempted Peninsula screen pass and Hayes picked it off from his defensive safety position. McDonnell made a touchdown-saving tackle at the Peninsula seven yard line, but Gig Harbor was back in scoring position.

Sawyer Hayes of Gig Harbor returns an interception near the end of the first half. Photo by Bryce Carithers

“Our defense, since spring ball, has been waiting for Peninsula,” Hayes said. “We knew what they wanted to run and we knew what we wanted to do against them and we worked really hard to get where we were tonight.”

The Seahawks defense held for first and second downs. Scoma called a third-down fade route pass to 6-foot-5 Kingston Chambers, which was incomplete — but the refs called a pass interference penalty.

The Tides had time for one more play after the ball was placed at the one yard line. Hayes dove in as the half ended to give his team a 21-7 lead.

Run and run some more

It was more of the same in the third quarter from the Wing T — eight yards here, 10 yards there, seven more yards there. The offensive line was blowing holes open for big gains.

Peninsula running back Jacob Martin picks up yards against Gig Harbor. Photo by Bryce Carithers

“The O-line was feeling it today. The Wing T works, you get tired but we kept pushing,” Howard said. “We knew we had a good chance to win when we were averaging seven yards a carry.”

The offense was so deceptive that longtime professional sports photographer Christi Adams said, “I don’t know how these pictures are going to turn out, I can’t figure out who has the ball.” Neither could the Seahawks, even though Mauro kept instructing his defense to “watch the ball, watch the ball!”

The Seahawks appeared to have a stop on a third-down pass, but a late hit on Hayes gave the Tides a first down inside the 50-yard line. Later in the drive, Shearer fought off defenders to score a four-yard touchdown at the midway point of the third quarter, putting the Tides ahead 28-7.

Peninsula responded with a drive featuring a couple of completions to Jake Johnson and a nice run from Martin that got the ball close to the goal line. McDonnell pushed in a touchdown from two yards out to make the score 28-14 with a little less than a minute to go in the third quarter.

The Tides’ Taylor Carey relieved some pressure with a 40-yard kickoff return. A few minutes later, Shearer pinballed his way through multiple defenders and scored from four yards out to make the score 35-14.

Three straight for Gig Harbor

Peninsula struck back with a 15-yard touchdown pass from McDonnell to Johnson to make the score 35-21 with a little over three minutes to go in the game.

But Gig Harbor’s Max Schwab recovered Peninsula’s onside kick to seal the victory.

Scoma was all smiles after the game as he raised the Fish Bowl trophy above his head for the first time. His cheering players and assistant coaches showed their support of their new coach with a loud ovation.

“Scoma, from the second he came in, has implemented a solid and great foundation,” Shearer said. “And there’s no one else we’d rather go into battle for.”

When asked after the game about how he felt about the Tides winning their third straight Fish Bowl, Scoma joked, “Oh, I didn’t know that.”

Gig Harbor coach Jeff Scoma speaks with his team after the Tides defeated Penisula, 35-21, in the Fish Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. Photo by Vince Dice

“Just kidding. … Well, I couldn’t be the guy that let the streak be stopped so that was pretty cool. I’m happy for the kids and of course you always want your seniors to win this game, so that was really great.”

Shearer will always remember this Fish Bowl win and his three-touchdown performance.

“It’s just an honor to participate in this great game in the first place,” he said. “To be able to come out here and win three straight and represent my city and my family feels great.”

Up next

The Tides play at Eastlake of Sammamish at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13.

The Seahawks will look to bounce back quickly as they face Curtis in University Place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11.

Gig Harbor backup quarterback Sal Nuuhiwa Alob gives his coach a Gatorade shower after the Tides win. Photo by Bryce Cariters