Community Sports

Sports Beat | Football teams push unbeaten foes in playoff losses

Gig Harbor (6-4) and Peninsula (6-4) both faced undefeated and top-five ranked opponents in the opening round of the Class 3A state football playoffs. Both played well enough to pull off upsets before losing in decisive fourth quarters.

The Tides were deep in their opponents’ territory and on the verge of tying their game against No. 3 Sedro-Woolly (10-0) with less than two minutes remaining on Nov. 8. But the Tides couldn’t secure a potential tying touchdown pass and the Cubs survived a scare, 14-7.

The Gig Harbor High School football team.

That result and a competitive loss to No. 1 Mount Tahoma on Oct. 17 show how much progress the Tides made this year under first-year coach Jeff Scoma.

“We have to remain consistent and we have to keep improving, because our goal is to keep closing the gap between us and top teams like Mount Tahoma,” Scoma said.

It was a similar story for the Seahawks, who moved the ball on offense but allowed two long touchdowns in a 28-17 loss at No. 6 White River (10-0) on Nov. 7. The Seahawks never looked overmatched, but a few missed tackles allowed White River players to get loose for big gains.

Both teams will miss departing seniors like linemen Peyton Howard of Gig Harbor and Royal Charles of Peninsula, who will play in college next season. But the future looks promising for both programs that have established new identities and have plenty of skilled players returning to their rosters next season.

The Peninsula High School football team.

Tides in district volleyball tournament

Gig Harbor (10-6) faces Decatur to open the District III volleyball tournament at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, at Mount Tahoma High School.

Gig Harbor finished second in the Narrows Division of the Puget Sound League and earned the sixth seed in the tournament. Decatur was seeded 11th. If the Tides defeat the Gators, Lakes (14-2) would likely be up next in the second round.

Seniors Payton Heim, Maggie Maharry, Hannah Artman, Ellie Hawkins, Maddie Baker and Emma Kusen led the Tides this season.

Gig Harbor coach Slade Klein said his team has played its best volleyball recently and he is optimistic about the postseason. “This team is really special and they always play smart and together,” Klein said.

The Gig Harbor volleyball team after a win this season. Photo courtesy Slade Klein

Soccer

Both local girls soccer teams open state tournament play on Friday, Nov. 14.

Peninsula (13-5-1), seeded 10th, plays No. 7 Roosevelt (12-3-1) at Union Stadium near Spokane at 7 p.m. No. 1 seed Gig Harbor (16-0-3) hosts No. 16 Oak Harbor (13-6-2) at Roy Anderson Field at 5 p.m. With wins, both teams would advance to second-round games Nov. 15 the same locations.

Cross country

The Gig Harbor girls cross country team placed fourth at the Class 3A state championships at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco on Nov. 8.

Senior Lejla Carlsson finished fourth in the individual standings with a blazing time of 18:26.0.

The Tides accumulated 154 points, just one point behind third-place Bishop Blanchett. Other Tides included Maya Crane (36th), Brynnlie Upchurch (40th), Ella Savage (47th) and Hadiah Hallam (51st).

The Gig Harbor boys finished sixth with 175 points. Runners included Joshua Minner (28th), Jack Dower (31st), Jack Greer (45th), Gavin McKeegan (54th), and Galen Peloquin (56th).

The top finishers for Peninsula on the boys side were Wyatt Harding (75th), Nolan Winderl (95th) and Palmer Schumacher (104th). The top Peninsula girls were Ascher Lascheck (108th), Anya Bierman (123rd) and Isabella Easley (133rd).

Water polo

The Gig Harbor boys water polo team (9-5) won its Division I state tournament opener over Kennedy Catholic, 10-9, on Nov. 13 at Curtis High School.

The win puts the Tides in a semifinal matchup against Roosevelt on Nov. 14 at Curtis High School. Bainbridge and Curtis play in the other semifinal.

The top scorers for the third-seeded Tides are Whitaker Filbey and Joel Carpmail.

“I’m super excited to see what these boys can do this weekend,” Gig Harbor coach Alana Ponce said. “We have a really great shot at going for the state title if we can win our first two games. These boys are trying super hard all season we’ve been prepping, not only our physical side of a game, but also our mental side with controlled breathing exercise exercises and visualization before heavy practice. They are definitely ready to take this weekend on.”

The Gig Harbor High School water polo team.