Community Sports

2024-2025 Super Seniors | Peninsula High School

With the 2024-2025 high school sports season complete, Gig Harbor Now presents its Super Seniors for the 2024-25 sports year.

Super Seniors recognizes seniors who had huge impacts on their teams during their careers at Peninsula and Gig Harbor high schools.

Although many senior athletes excelled at multiple sports, an athlete can only be selected once on our list.

We selected Super Seniors in the Puget Sound League Conference-sanctioned sports along with water polo and lacrosse.

The award is based on the athletes’ complete high school careers, rather than an individual season.

Following are the Peninsula High School Super Seniors for the 2024-25 sports year, starting with the fall sports participants.

Football: Mana Smythe

Smythe earned an all-conference selection as a quarterback and started for Peninsula for two straight years. He combined accuracy with toughness and was a multi-talented team leader who was voted an all-conference punter as well.

Smythe was a duel-threat QB who threw for 1,430 yards and seven touchdowns, completing 64% of his passes during his senior year. He was elusive in the pocket, often scrambling away from a pass rush before finding a receiver or running for a first down. He had 73 carries for 158 yards and a touchdown last season.

Mana Smythe. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Statistics tell a partial story but can’t measure the heart of a competitor. Smythe stood out for his toughness, taking several big hits during the last two seasons. Just when you thought he might leave the game, he’d get up, re-adjust his helmet, return to the action and fire a pass for a first down on the very next play.

New Seahawks head coach Clay Mauro described Smythe as a “heartbeat kind of kid that connected in some way with everyone. He would be the first kid to encourage teammates when they were down and congratulate them when they were up. He found time to know everyone, and that says a lot as a quarterback.”

Girls cross country: Elektra Higgins

Higgins put together a fantastic four-year career that culminated in a second-place finish in the Class 3A state cross country meet last fall and a national high school All-American selection following her senior season.

She owns several Peninsula school records, was the first Seahawk female to run a 5k under 18 minutes, and is generally thought of as the best long-distance runner who ever laced up a pair of Nikes for the Seahawks.

Blessed with a long, angular body and off-the-charts lung capacity, Higgins won several conference and district titles before finishing second, third, seventh and ninth at the state championships during her high school career.

She was rewarded with an NCAA Division I scholarship to Southern Methodist University for her efforts and will compete this fall. The driven Higgins wants even more, saying: “After college I would love to run professionally! I have a goal to hopefully run in the Olympic trials someday!”

Elektra Higgins. Photo courtesy Peninsula cross country

Volleyball: Ziah Sneva

Sneva was a tremendously athletic three time all-conference middle blocker and outside hitter who was literally head and shoulders above her competition.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and possessing an impressive vertical leap, Sneva routinely played above the net to stuff opponents. Her senior year, she had 40 blocks and 181 kills. She also led her team in hitting percentage (.276) and aces (29).

Ziah Sneva.

She compiled impressive career stats after transferring from North Thurston High School following her freshman season. Sneva led her team to the state tournament in two of her three years with the Seahawks. She will play for Washington State University this season.

Sneva was a respected team leader who will be missed by teammates and fans alike. Seahawk setters would look for her nearly every time they needed a big point as the Seahawks student section would bellow out a collective “Boom” every time Sneva smashed a spike to end a rally.

Boys tennis: Corey Wisner

Wisner was a two-year varsity player for the Seahawks and the only player to reach the district tournament this season after going 9-3 in the Puget Sound League. Already known for his powerful ground strokes and serve, Wisner concentrated more on precision and ball placement during his senior season to force weaker return shots before ending points with quick-strike winners.

Wisner competed in singles play his senior year after finding success at varsity doubles as a junior. Assistant coach Britt Mayer described Wisner as a “great thinker on the court who if left alone could coach himself through a match. He liked to play different strategies to see what worked and was willing to do what it took to win.”

Girls soccer: Hailey Shride

Shride was a hard-charging forward who helped Peninsula reach the state tournament three times in a row. She displayed a unique blend of shooting, passing and tricky ball skills that set her apart in both high school and club circles.

As a sophomore, Shride earned all-conference and second-team all-state honors for the Seahawks, who went 13-3. Shride backed that up with another all-conference selection the following season and a return trip to the state tournament.

Hailey Shride. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Shride was unable to play her senior season due to a knee injury in a club game. But the Super Seniors recognizes an athlete’s entire career, not just a senior season. Shride certainly is deserving of the honor as a three-year starter with immense talent.

Shride was especially impressive with how she handled the adversity. She was on the sidelines encouraging her teammates continually and even delivered some fiery speeches in the halftime huddle that were indicative of a total competitor. She has now recovered from injury and will play for Linfield (Oregon) next season.

Boys cross country: Tesfa Hoff

Hoff was the fastest runner for the Seahawk cross country team this season, finishing 12th at the Puget Sound League championships and 14th at districts. With upwards of 20 teams competing at districts, the 14th place effort was good enough to send Hoff to the 3A state cross country championships.

Hoff blended a nice mix of speed, endurance and an impressive kick, appearing to get stronger as the state race wore on. He passed 13 runners in the final mile at state to take 68th out of 194 runners.

Peninsula boys water polo: Henry Moore

Moore was a hard-charging four-year water polo player and senior captain. He was voted first-team all-conference as a senior and helped his team finish 8-3 in conference play. Known as an aggressive player Moore was often was the first to the ball to initiate the offense for the Seahawks.

Moore was a combination player for Peninsula who could do it all in the pool. He was physical enough to keep position, could defend against bigger players, was an accurate passer and could find the opposing net when necessary. Moore was instrumental in helping younger players in the pool and a big reason why the Seahawks reached the Division Two state tournament.

Girls swimming: Kate Henkel

Henkel was a team captain who Seahawks coach Athena Peterson said was a “swimmer that absolutely thrived in big, competitive meets.”

Henkel swam the 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle events as well as the 100-yard breaststroke and 100-yard butterfly. She was a member of the 200-yard and 400-yard freestyle relay teams that finished ninth and 12th, respectively, in the Class 3A tournament.

Henkel was awarded the rare Iron Seahawk Award, which is presented to a swimmer who qualifies for districts in all of her events. She showed her competitive fire when she came from behind against Gig Harbor in the 100 butterfly, lunging out of the water to out-touch a Tide and win by one-tenth of a second.

Girls basketball: Grace Richardson

Richardson, a 5-foot-10 do-it-all point guard, led Peninsula to a conference championship and consecutive state tournament appearances during her four years as a starter. The athletic guard with an infectious smile provided plenty of highlight plays with no-look passes, combo dribble moves, athletic finishes to the hoop and big-time blocked shots.

Richardson eclipsed the 1,000-point career scoring mark and owns several school records. She was a rarity for a prolific scorer, because of her work on the defensive end. Her statistics as a senior convey her overall game: She averaged 19.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, with 4.5 steals and 2.1 blocks per contest.

Grace Richardson. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Richardson had several triple doubles, including one in a victory against Gig Harbor when she compiled 11 points, 17 rebounds and a school-record 14 assists. She followed that up with 28 points, 10 rebounds and five assists against Bellarmine Prep.

Her senior season ended in this year’s Puget Sound League conference tournament. Richardson gave it all she had, scoring 30 points while being hounded defensively by two and three players at times. She will play college basketball at the University of Mary in North Dakota.

Boys swimming: Jonah Bergerson

Bergerson won numerous league and district titles before closing out an outstanding high school career with a second-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly at the Class 3A swimming and diving state championships.

He also finished third in the 100-yard backstroke and swam a blistering backstroke leg to help his teammates to finish eighth in the 200-yard medley relay at state.

Bergerson wasn’t an accomplished youth swimmer like so many on the podium at state. Instead, he was a late-blooming grinder who improved year after year as he began to understand the talent he possessed.

Peterson said Bergerson “worked tirelessly” on his stroke technique and his underwater push-offs. He became the Peninsula school record holder in the 100-yard butterfly, 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke. Bergerson will swim for the University of Pacific in Stockton, California, in the fall.

Jonah Bergerson

Girls wrestling: Mira Sonnen

How do you spell domination on the wrestling mat? S-O-N-N-E-N. Mira Sonnen will walk away from Peninsula with a resumé that may make her the most decorated and accomplished female athlete in the school’s history.

Sonnen won three state championships, two individually on the wrestling mat and one as a starting outfielder with the Seahawks’ softball state title team in 2023.

Wrestling at 145 pounds, Sonnen won the 2025 state title as a senior in the Tacoma Dome with three straight pins, then a major decision victory in the semifinals. She clinched the state title with an easy 7-0 victory. She won her first state title at 140 pounds as a junior in dominating fashion as well, completing a two year run with a record of 72-9. Sonnen also won state crowns in the offseason in the freestyle and Greco-Roman classifications.

Mira Sonnen celebrates with coach Gary Griffin. Photo courtesy Mira Sonnen

Strong, balanced, technical, smart, elusive, quick and intense are adjectives used to describe Sonnen. They were also used to describe her father, Cory, who won a Pac-10 wrestling conference championship at the University of Oregon.

Sonnen graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She accepted a wrestling scholarship to Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Boys basketball: Isaac Schultz-Tait

Schultz-Tait, a 6-foot-5 forward,  averaged 18.2 points per game as a senior and 15 points per game as a junior, earning all-conference honors both years.

Schultz-Tait became known as a tough cover because of his versatility that included a solid mid-range game mixed in with some tricky post-up moves and three-point range that extended out to 22 feet. He could also put it on the deck and drive if defenders extended too far to protect against the three, making Schultz-Tait a three-dimensional scorer.

Schultz-Tait showed his complete game for the hometown fans against the Tides this season, when he scored 20 points with eight rebounds and three block shots, including a highlight chase-down block of a layup attempt. Schultz-Tait had three deep threes in the game and his inspired play had the Tides down in the fourth quarter before Gig Harbor pulled out a close victory.

Isaac Schultz-Tait. Photo by Christi Adams

Girls bowling: Ashley Richards

Richards spent hours improving her game while she developed a sweeping right to left hook that mowed down pins and resulted in several strikes per frame. She also displayed pinpoint accuracy to pluck off difficult one-pin spares that led her team to a 14-1 conference record and the Nisqually League title.

Seahawks coach Kristi Whitcher was impressed with Richards’ concentration, especially in the big moments of the conference championships, when Richards came from behind after bowling a 145 and a 141 in the first two frames. Richards flipped the switch in the third frame and continually sprayed pins on her way to a fantastic 212, to shoot up the leader board and win the individual Puget Sound League bowling championship with a 498 total.

Richards also performed well in her second straight Class 3A state championship appearance, when she fired a six-frame total of 1,014, good enough for a 10th-place finish at state.

Ashley Richards

Girls fastpitch: Ava Miranda

Miranda was a three time all-conference player and a spark plug catcher/first baseman who put together impressive offensive numbers for three straight years. She was a big piece of Peninsula’s state championship team in 2023 that went 29-2, as she caught for pitcher Alli Kimball, who fired diving pitches that were often very difficult to catch. Miranda was productive at the plate that year as well, batting .353 with 30 hits and 30 RBIs.

Miranda used her compact but powerful swing to reach base, drive in runs and rarely strike out. She produced a fantastic senior year, batting .486 with 51 hits, 29 RBIs, eight doubles, five triples and three home runs, while scoring 33 times. One of her most impressive senior stat may be that she struck out only four times in 105 at bats.

Ava Miranda. Photo by Justin Duckworth

Her overall career numbers were just as impressive, as she batted .430 with 114 hits, 89 RBIs and 22 doubles in three years. She will leave Peninsula as a rare two-time state champion, as she was also a fine wrestler (fourth place in Class 3A in 2025) and member of the Peninsula girls wrestling team that won a state title in 2024.

Boys wrestling: Mathis Crepin

Crepin was a chiseled senior who overpowered his opponents with strength earned from hundreds of hours in the Peninsula weight room. He was also agile and quick, with impressive balance. He qualified for the state tournament after winning 19 matches his senior year competing in the 165-pound weight division.

Crepin was opportunistic on the mat and would capitalize quickly if an opponent made a mistake. That was evident in a close, physical match against a Tide wrestler in a 2025 meet. Crepin escaped for a clever reversal, then blew the match open for a decisive win. His strength and skill were apparent that night as his lopsided decision helped the Seahawks defeat the Tides.

Crepin won his first match at state before losing in the second round by decision but stood out to head coach Gary Griffin. “Mathis was a great teammate and a student of the sport,” Griffin said. “He was a pleasure to coach and is such a respectful and responsible young man.”

Girls tennis: Margaux Mayer

Mayer was a talented doubles player who combined consistent ground strokes with a snappy serve during her four years on the varsity team. Her hard work paid off as a senior, when she won a Puget Sound League doubles championship with partner Makenna Baurichter before competing in the Class 3A state championships this spring.

Mayer also made a state run in her junior year, when she paired with teammate Lindsey Kilcup as one of the top doubles teams in the South Sound Conference. Hustle and enthusiasm are two things for which Mayer will be remembered. She refused to let a ball drop without an all-out effort and was consistently praised for her communication skills and overall classy play on the court.

Margaux Mayer. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Mayer may have been best at the net, though, as she anticipated well and would often poach to end points with sharp volleys in big moments.

Boys baseball: Matthew Sleeter

This award was the hardest decision on the list because Peninsula had so many talented seniors who all contributed nearly evenly. But Sleeter, who played catcher and first base, got the nod for three quality years of varsity experience.

An outstanding game in the postseason didn’t hurt, either. He went 4-for-4, with two RBIs and two runs scored to help Peninsula advance to the state tournament and win a second straight district crown. Sleeter put together solid career numbers with 39 hits, 29 RBIs, and a .293 combined batting average with eight doubles and two triples.

Sleeter also had a live arm as a catcher and was able to shoot down runners who tried to steal a base while also physically protecting home plate. Known as a rugged leader, Sleeter was a respected team captain who did whatever it took to win.

Matthew Sleeter. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Girls lacrosse: Sidney Beck

Beck was a quick and physical defender for the Riptides Lacrosse team that won two Washington Girls Lacrosse league championships during her time with the team. The RipTides lacrosse team combines female athletes from Peninsula and Gig Harbor high schools.

Beck was a standout defender who excelled after an exceptional senior class departed after her junior season. Their departure left a hole in the leadership duties and Beck stepped in as an enthusiastic team captain who helped hold together an young team that steadily improved during the season.

Boys lacrosse: Nate Gendreau

Gendreau, a midfielder, was quick as a cat and wiry strong and often was the leading scorer for the Seahawks’ high-octane offense.

Gendreau was a two time all-conference selection and was honored as a first team Olympic-Puget Division ll midfielder during his senior year. He came up clutch when his team needed it by scoring three goals against White River to reach the state playoffs.

He averaged 3.3 goals per game as a senior to lead the state in scoring, according to the Max Preps website. His 30 goals combined with six assists accounted for 36 points while his 33 ground balls stood out as well. He also found the net as a junior, when he scored 25 goals during the season for a total of 55 career goals in 23 games played.

Boys track: Joshua Cashion

Cashion finished fourth in the Puget Sound League finals in the 800-meter race in a time of 1:59.99. He was also a standout in the 400 meters with a time of 51.44 that qualified him for the district championships in both events.

Cashion also ran the second leg in Peninsula’s 4×400 team that finished sixth in the conference finals before finishing sixth in the district 800m final in 1:58.98. His 50.0 leg in the 4×400 relay at state helped the Seahawks to a ninth-place finish and a new school record.

Girls track: Hailey Howard

Howard finished eighth in the 800-meter race at the Puget Sound League championships. She also was Peninsula’s top runner in the 1,600 meters, finishing 10th in a very competitive league. And she ran a leg of the 4×400 relay, which finished fourth at the league meet. Her teammates voted her the top Peninsula female track athlete.

Boys Soccer: Daniel Holt

Holt, a defender and midfielder, was the team’s heartbeat for most of a disappointing season. League coaches picked him as a first team all-conference selection.

Daniel Holt. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Holt, who is long and tall, used his quickness and lengthy strides to recover against players who slipped past the defense while also leaping high above the crowd to win aerial duels. Holt was in a word “aggressive” and wouldn’t hesitate to give a hard but legal slide tackle when needed.

Peninsula girls water polo: Reis Every

Every was a first-team all-conference water polo player for the Seahawks who helped her team reach the division two state tournament last season. Every was known for her endurance and competitiveness in the pool plus she was very quick to the ball and often would come up with 50-50 balls for Seahawk possessions.

Every possessed stand-out coordination and very rarely turned the ball over when she had possession. Plus she had a rifle for a right arm and could fire a shot on goal at a high rate of speed. She was a driven player but also had a lighthearted side with plenty of humor that often kept her team loose under pressure situations. Voted as a captain her senior year, Every’s leadership shined in a tough loss to Rogers at state when she could be seen in the middle of the huddle encouraging her teammates to stay focused and to continue playing hard.