Sports

Sports Beat | Playoff showdowns ahead for football teams

Both local football teams finished second in their divisions of the Puget Sound League and will attempt to qualify for the Class 3A state tournament this weekend.

The 16th-seeded Peninsula Seahawks (5-3) earned a first-round home game against No. 17 Lincoln (6-2) and four-star quarterback Sione Kaho. The Seahawks and Abes tangle at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at Roy Anderson Field.

The Gig Harbor Tides (5-3) were seeded just 22nd despite their 31-28 win over No. 17 Lincoln on Oct. 2 in Tacoma. The Tides face No. 11 Ridgeline (8-1) in Liberty Lake at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6.

Both local teams lost recent showdowns for division championships. Peninsula gave No. 8 Lakes (7-1) all the Lancers could handle before Seahawks miscues in the final minute contributed to a 21-18 loss on Oct. 23.

Mount Tahoma, which played in the Class 3A state championship game in 2025, overwhelmed the Tides, 26-3, on Oct. 23 in Tacoma.

Peninsula vs. Lincoln

Lincoln has elite speed at the skill positions and a few triple-cheeseburger types on the defensive line. They feature electric running back JT Williams and Kaho at quarterback.

But the Tides proved the Abes, who average 36 points per game, are beatable. Gig Harbor’s ball-control offense kept Lincoln’s playmakers off the field, and the Abes’ defense wore down.

The Peninsula High School football team.

Seahawks offense

Peninsula also has plenty of offensive weapons and averages 31 points per game.

Senior quarterback Talen McDonnell, a 6-foot-4 duel threat, completed 62% of his passes and threw for 1,246 yards this season. McDonnell compiled 13 passing touchdowns against only four interceptions and averaged 5.9 yards per rush.

Peninsula’s leading running back is senior Thomas Marzano, who averaged 8.4 yards per carry en route to 418 yards and seven touchdowns.

Senior Xavier Jones provides toughness and breakaway speed. He has averaged 7.1 yards per run on only 29 carries, accumulating 206 yards and five touchdowns.

Junior running back Brycen McAnally also has shifty moves and breakaway speed, compiling 216 yards and two touchdowns with a 7.2 per-run average.

Seahawks defense

On defense, the Seahawks feature senior defensive end Asher Epstein, who has 64 tackles, 5.5 sacks and a team-leading 12 tackles for loss. Linemate Eaton HansonSmith has five tackles for loss and three sacks.

Defensive back “lock-down Logan” Johnson has three interceptions and covers the opponent’s fastest receiver.

Kainoa Coit, who averages 12.4 tackles a game, is Peninsula’s top linebacker. Coit, a senior, is sixth in the state in all classifications with 100 tackles.

McDonnell is the type of athletic quarterback who could cause problems for the Abes. And Peninsula’s stable of hard-nosed running backs, along with its physical offensive line, could keep the explosive Lincoln offense off the field.

Special teams

Lincoln has hurt several teams in kick-off and punt-return situations this season. But McDonnell, also his team’s kicker, routinely boots kickoffs into the end zone — an automatic touchback in high school football.

Peninsula will need to eliminate the late-game penalties and turnovers that cost them in the fourth quarter against Lakes. But their overall depth and a full home crowd at Roy Anderson Field should provide the difference in a tight game.

I predict that the Seahawks advance to the Class 3A state tournament with a 34-28 win.

Gig Harbor vs. Ridgeline

The Tides went to Lincoln a month ago and played their best game of the year when many (including myself) thought they would lose. But the Tides’ balanced offense and a suffocating defense secured a road victory.

Gig Harbor finds itself in a similar situation at Ridgeline. The Falcons are on an eight-game winning streak and average 38 points per game while playing in the difficult Class 3A Greater Spokane League.

The Gig Harbor High School football team.

But the Tides allowed an average of only 14.6 points per game in Narrows League play. Gig Harbor boasts a sticky secondary and a scheme with multiple blitz packages.

Gig Harbor offense

Gig Harbor’s Wing T offense may be the key to victory. It’s not easy to prepare for, especially when Ridgeline plays in a league where most teams utilize more conventional spread offenses.

Gig Harbors features bulldog senior Ian Schearer; returning first-team all-league selection Max Schwab; the hard-nosed Lucas Olivas; and Taylor Carey, possibly the team’s best athlete, who was averaging 12.5 yards a carry midway through the season.

Each of those running backs has rushed for more than 100 yards in a game during their careers.

This game comes down to whether Ridgeline can stop the run. If they can’t, Tides coach Jeff Scoma will serve up a steady diet of smash-mouth runs all night long, then gash them for a long pass if the safeties come down to the line.

Junior quarterback Sawyer Hayes made big plays in last year’s 14-7 playoff loss against heavily favored Sedro-Woolley. He nearly gave his team a chance to force overtime with a fourth-quarter strike into the end zone, though the pass was dropped. Hayes has the ability to lead his team in postseason play.

Gig Harbor definitely has a puncher’s chance and should enter the game loose and confident, playing a favored opponent just 10 miles from the Idaho border. But it’s a long road against a good team. I predict Ridgeline 21, Gig Harbor 17.

Tides advance to district semifinal

Gig Harbor earned another berth in the Class 3A state girls soccer tournament with a 4-0 victory over Enumclaw at Mount Tahoma High School on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The Hornets — who eliminated Peninsula with a 1–0 victory on Halloween — were no match for the Tides’ midfield-to-forward combination of junior Nadia Schwab and senior Ann Louden.

Ann Louden of Gig Harbor. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Schwab had two goals and Louden contributed three assists versus Enumclaw as the Tides earned their 12th consecutive win — including 10 by shutout.

Second-seeded Gig Harbor, winners of two straight district titles, faces No. 6 Auburn Mountainview at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at Federal Way Memorial Stadium. The winner of that game plays either No. 5 Silas or No. 1 White River for the championship at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at Mount Tahoma.

Piper Sturrock of Gig Harbor. Photo by Bryce Carithers