Community Sports

Sports Beat | Tides fall after allowing two punt return touchdowns to Mount Tahoma

Gig Harbor (4-3, 2-2 Puget Sound League) took a lead into halftime against Class 3A No. 1-ranked football power Mount Tahoma on Friday, Oct. 17, at Roy Anderson Field. But the Thunderbirds (7-0, 4-0) returned two punts for touchdowns in the second half to pull away for a 27-14 win.

Gig Harbor marched down the field on the opening drive, with sophomore tailback Wilson West contributing a 35-yard run to get the Tides into T- Bird territory. Then junior tailback Max Schwab exploded through the line and juked two defenders for a 29-yard run to the two-yard line.

Max Schwab of Gig Harbor carries the ball against Mount Tahoma. Photo by Christi Adams

Quarterback Sawyer Hayes followed his physical offensive line into the end zone for a 7-0 lead that showed the top-ranked team was not getting an easy win.

Mount Tahoma threatened on the next drive, but Gig Harbor senior defensive back Trystan Hill picked off T-Birds quarterback Mikkah Cordero in the end zone. However, Mount Tahoma tied the game with a short run on 4th-and-one with 5:05 remaining in the half.

Gig Harbor responded with a West-heavy drive that ended when Hayes found Schwab for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds remaining in the half. The Tides led 14-7 at halftime.

T-Birds dominate second half

But the second half was a different story. The Thunderbirds’ Elijah Durr capitalized on Gig Harbor’s lackadaisical punt coverage and ran for two long touchdown returns to take a 21-14 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Tides defense, led by senior defensive tackle Peyton Howard, was exceptional all night. The offense, however, struggled to convert first downs in the second half. Mount Tahoma tacked on a late passing touchdown to escape with a 27-14 victory.

Gig Harbor lineman Brandon Ridgeway against Mount Tahoma. Photo by Christi Adams

West led the Tides in rushing with 101 yards on 17 carries while Schwab had 60 yards rushing. The Tides held the Thunderbirds to 55 yards passing with two interceptions and allowed only 19 yards to leading tailback Naesirhc White.

Gig Harbor plays at Bellarmine on Oct. 24, with the third seed from the Puget Sound League Narrows Division on the line.

Puget Sound League Narrows Division football standings as of Oct. 18.

Peninsula ground game dominant in win

Peninsula (4-3, 3-1) claimed second place in the Nisqually Division football standings with a 45-20 dismantling of River Ridge on Oct. 17 in Lacey.

The Seahawks claimed an early lead after stuffing River Ridge’s run on fourth and five from the Hawks’ 45 yard line. Peninsula senior tailback Jacob Martin had back-to-back carries of 22 yards, the second for a score to put the Seahawks up 7-0.

River Ridge tied the score late in the first quarter on a 20-yard touchdown pass. So the Seahawks turned to running backs Thomas Marzano and Martin, who ran through huge holes to put their team in scoring position.

Martin finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown, bouncing off several would-be tacklers before diving into the end zone with five minutes to go before halftime.

Seahawk coach Clay Mauro surprised with a perfectly executed on-side kick, which senior Brayden Pierce recovered. Talen McDonnell drilled a 27-yard field goal shortly before halftime to extend the lead to 17-7.

Jacob Martin of Peninsula. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Three touchdowns for Martin

River Ridge closed to within 17-14 in the third quarter, but Peninsula again leaned on its rushing attack to put the game away.

Martin contributed a 23-yard gain in which he jump-cut twice and trucked a Hawk defender. That set up Marzano’s 19-yard touchdown run for a 24-14 lead with 4:57 to go in the third quarter. McDonnell’s quarterback sneak on a subsequent drive stretched the score to 31-14.

Martin is making a case for a first-team all conference running back spot. His third touchdown of the game made the score 38-14.

He may be just 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds, but he was the biggest guy on the field in this game.

“Kid’s a killer man, and in my opinion, one of the top backs in our league. He’s just a grinder,” Mauro said of Martin. “He’s shifty, makes great cuts, has great balance and is twitchy. If he was 5-foot-10 or 6-foot, we wouldn’t know who he was, because he would be at Eastside Catholic or O’Dea.”

McDonnell found junior tight end Ethan Dietrich for a six-yard pass for Peninsula’s final touchdown of the night.

The win set the stage for Peninsula’s next game against Timberline at 7 p.m. Oct. 24 at Roy Anderson Field. A win would give the Seahawks second place in the Nisqually Division.

Puget Sound League Nisqually Division football standings as of Oct. 18.

Gig Harbor diver makes a splash with top scores

The Gig Harbor swim and diving team has a freshman phenom on the diving board. Jane Jackman is turning heads with back flips and perfect entries.

Jackman, who has been diving at the club level for years, announced her contention for a possible Class 3A state title at the South Kitsap High pool two weeks ago. She scored 414.80 points during her 11 dives against participants from all state classifications.

Divers need 300 points to qualify for next month’s state meet, but Jackman beat that total with three dives to go. Her competitors must’ve whispered, “Who is this girl?”

Gig Harbor diver Jane Jackman. Photo by Mike Kelly

Jackman backed it up last week at Stadium High School with a 404.20-point performance.

“Jane’s focus and dedication are her greatest strengths,” Tides coach Mike Kelly said. “She tasted success early on in her career and that inspired her to focus on her training. She has traveled across the country to attend diving clinics and camps with some of the best coaches in the nation.”

Jackman also is a talented swimmer who added points to the Tides’ team total in a 107-75 win over Silas on Oct. 16.

The win pushed Gig Harbor’s record to 9-0 in PSL dual meets and 10-1 on the season.

Eight Tides participated in the Swimvitational event at Olympic High School near Bremerton on Oct. 18. Last year, Gig Harbor won the event that involves top swimmers from 12 teams on the Olympic Peninsula.