Community Sports

Sports Beat | Gig Harbor water polo finishes third in first year in top division

The Gig Harbor boys water polo team won three games, each by a single goal, to earn third place at the Class 3A Division One state water polo tournament at Curtis High School on Nov. 14 and 15.

The Tides, led by coach Alana Ponce and assistants Mike Marr and Dave Carson, climbed the ladder from Division Two last season to a title contender in Division One this season.

Ponce, in her fourth season as head coach, was once a state championship water polo player for Gig Harbor. She was recognized as the Class 3A Division One coach of the year for 2025.

The Gig Harbor water polo team after finishing third at the Division One state tournament. Photo courtesy of Gig Harbor water polo

The Tides put a few years on the young coach’s heart with their late heroics.

Gig Harbor got past Kennedy 10-9 in overtime in the first round before falling to Roosevelt, 11-8, in the semifinals.

Carpmail heroics

Gig Harbor came back fighting and defeated Bellevue 6-5 on junior Joel Carpmail’s pretty late-game goal. A physical defense and some incredible saves from goalkeeper Sam Petrie helped the Tides advance to the third-place game against Bainbridge High School.

Carpmail’s younger brother Vance came up big in the third-place game. The game was tied at 10 after regulation and two three-minute overtime periods. That set up a Golden Goal situation in the third overtime — the first team to score wins.

Vance Carpmail supplied the winner to secure third place for the Tides.

Gig Harbor goalie Sam Petrie swatted away 25 shots in the third place game against Bainbridge Island. Photo courtesy of Gig Harbor water polo

Petrie denied 25 shots in the game, including one from 5 meters away that Ponce called “unbelievable.”

Joel Carpmail earned first-team all-state recognition. Vance Carpmail and Petrie were second-team choices and Charlie Davis was an honorable mention selection.

“I am absolutely thrilled with our third-place finish, still buzzing, honestly!” Ponce said. “In the postseason we dedicated time in every practice for positive visualization. By the time we reached the state tournament, the athletes had already lived those moments 1,000 times in their minds. When it was finally time to perform, we were ready. I’m so proud of them.”

Gig Harbor water polo coach Alana Ponce and assistant David Carson celebrate after the game-winning goal in the third-place game. Photo courtesy of Gig Harbor water polo

Looking ahead

Gig Harbor loses only one senior, Holden Deaton, from this year’s team.

“We’re coming for the state title,” Ponce said. “Next year will be the year the Gig Harbor boys win state, and you can quote me on that.”

Gig Harbor volleyball makes state

The Gig Harbor (13-7) volleyball team won three of four matches at the West Central District III tournament on Nov. 14 and 15 to punch their ticket to the Class 3A state tournament at the Yakima SunDome on Nov. 21 and 22.

Once in Yakima, Gig Harbor decided to stick around for awhile. The 19th-seeded Tides defeated No. 14 Monroe in their tournament opener, 21-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-22. Lakes swept Gig Harbor (25-16, 25-20, 25-15) in the next game, dropping the Tides into a consolation bracket game against No. 11 Stanwood at 5:45 p.m. Friday.

The Gig Harbor High School volleyball team.

The Tides were seeded sixth at districts and opened by defeating Decatur in straight sets, 25-15, 25-12, 25-15.

Up next was No. 3 Lakes, which swept Gig Harbor 3-0 on Nov. 15. In the rematch, the Tides pushed the Lancers to four games before falling into the consolation bracket.

The four games were mostly tight — Lakes prevailed 25-16, 24-26, 28-26 and 25-21. The Tides lost the last two games by a combined six points.

Loser-out match

That left the Tides and seniors Hannah Artman, Maggie Maharry, Payton Heim, Ellie Hawkins, Maddie Baker and Emma Kusen with their backs against the wall. Things looked grimmer after Kentlake won the first game of the loser-out match, 25-22.

Gig Harbor rallied to win the second game 25-22, with outside hitter Ardman providing kills for the last two points, one off a pretty pass from sophomore setter Kaija Mackie.

Gig Harbor jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the third game on a kill by 5-foot-10 sophomore outside hitter Adaline Anderson.

Anderson, along with 6-foot junior Bethany Rajnus and 6-foot sophomore Kylie Goranson, are the Tides’ future.

Those three paired with Artman and jumping bean Maharry to stifle Kentlake in the third game, a 25-17 Gig Harbor win.

The Falcons led 23-21 in the fourth game when Gig Harbor coach Slade Klein called time out. The Tides outscored the Falcons 6-2 from there, keyed by a diving save from freshman Molly Noble, an ace by Maharry, and a huge kill by Anderson.

With a 26-25 lead, Klein put Kusen in the game to serve. She sent a rocket down the line that landed squarely in the back corner to win the match.

The clincher

The Tides had less trouble in a winner-to-state match against Puget Sound League rival Silas. The two teams split matches during regular-season play, but the Tides appeared a much better team in the postseason. Their 3-1 victory sent the buses to Yakima.

The Peninsula volleyball team (5-12) missed the district tournament. Graduating Peninsula seniors include Emma Young, Kate Cardinal and Indi Ballard.

Soccer teams lose heart-breakers

Both local girls soccer teams stayed at the heartbreak hotel last weekend. No. 1 seed Gig Harbor and No. 10 Peninsula lost one-goal games in the Class 3A state soccer tournament.

Gig Harbor (17-1-3) opened tournament play by drubbing Oak Harbor, 8-2, on Nov. 14 at Roy Anderson Field. They fell to Liberty of Renton, 4-3, in an overtime shootout the next day.

Senior forward Elizabeth Hayes scored on a long shot from the corner in regulation for the Tides. But Liberty tied the game and then won the shootout.

Elizabeth Hayes played on four state tournament-qualifying teams for Gig Harbor. Photo by Bryce Carithers

The Tides won the Puget Sound League championship and the District III title. They played top-drawer soccer on both sides of the pitch throughout the match against Liberty, but couldn’t keep their unbeaten streak alive.

Departing Tides seniors include Hayes, Karin Heikkila, Sage Sturrock, Ella Conrad, Addie Tullis, Ryan Rodacker, Molly Leverett, Lucy Levi, Anna Bartlett, Emma Lee Snell and Carsyn Tovey.

Peninsula (13-6-1) lost an intense state game to Roosevelt of Seattle, 1-0, on Nov. 14 in Spokane.

The Nisqually Division champion Seahawks controlled the ball for long stretches of the game against the Roughriders. But a Roosevelt forward snuck behind a defender to get one-on-one with Seahawks goalie Brooklyn Finch in the first half.

Finch charged the ball, but the Roughrider forward evaded her and scored on a wide-open goal.

The Seahawks earned several corner kicks in the second half and applied pressure, but the ball didn’t bounce their way.

Departing seniors for Peninsula include Finch, Ella Coates, Nora Sutherland, Macie McCabe, Maya Rogers and Ada Labowitz.

Two-time Nisqually Division MVP Nora Sutherland of Peninsula. Photo by Bryce Carithers