Community Sports
New coaches lead both teams into 47th Fish Bowl
The ending of a perfect summer is never easy.
But the start of a new football season — especially the 47th annual Fish Bowl between Peninsula and Gig Harbor on Sept. 6 at Mount Tahoma High School — is just what the doctor ordered to get the blood pumping again.
The game kicks off at 5 p.m. Saturday at the stadium at 4634 S. 74th St. in Tacoma. (Buy tickets here. Tickets will be available at the gate, but cash will not be accepted. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated tickets would not be for sale at the gate.)
It’s the same all over the country, as the “Boys of Fall” put on pads, fasten up their helmets and dream of making that touchdown-saving tackle or diving end-zone catch to seal a victory.
Local players have the same dreams as they anticipate the Fish Bowl. Packed grandstands, red-hot intensity and dramatic twists have accompanied this rivalry game from its inception, but especially during the last four contests.
Recent history
In 2021, Gig Harbor led 28-0 at halftime before Seahawks cornerback Ethan Fias intercepted a pass and returned it 98 yards for a touchdown as Peninsula shocked the Tides in overtime, 35-28.
The following year was a hard-fought, 39-30 Peninsula victory. Brady Laybourn took a bad snap on a PAT and sprinted for the end zone on a injured ankle to score a two-point conversion that put the game out of reach.
The next two seasons featured improbable comebacks engineered by Tides back-up quarterbacks. Gig Harbor came back from a 14-0 halftime deficit in 2023 when quarterback Benji Park entered the game in the third quarter and passed for two touchdowns before diving over the goal line in the final minute of a 21-20 victory.
And last year, freshman quarterback Sawyer Hayes came off the bench and sparked the Tides, who trailed 10-0 in the third quarter, to a 14-10 win.
Gig Harbor quarterback Sawyer Hayes. Photo by Gig Harbor football
New coaches
The stage is set for another thrilling Fish Bowl in 2025, but the lead characters are different than in previous years. Coaches Darrin Reeves of Gig Harbor and Ross Filkins of Peninsula both resigned during the offseason.
Clay Mauro takes the reins at Peninsula, while Jeff Scoma is the new leader for the Tides.
Both coaches have run impressive, detail-oriented practices in preparation for the season. Both understand the importance of this game but have perspective regarding their overall seasons goals.
“We absolutely want to win Fish Bowl and it’s fun to have bragging rights for a week, but then you’re on to week 2,” Scoma said. “The goal is to compete for a conference championship and get into the playoffs. We want it, but it is one of many goals for the year.”
“Yes, it’s a rivalry and yes it’s against Gig Harbor and it’s important to a lot of us. But at the same time, we have to play nine more games after this,” Mauro said. “The entirety of our season’s goals, outside of the Fish Bowl championship, no matter which way it goes, is decided outside of that game. So if you win the Fish Bowl but don’t accomplish your other goals, you’ve won the battle but lost the war and we don’t want to do just that.”
Mutual respect
Each coach also communicated the desire to lead their teams into a future that includes respect and cohesiveness between the programs that are only five miles apart.
“I will say that the district is doing a good job of trying to mend some fences between the two programs,” Mauro said. “They did a student leadership conference where both sides had athletes from different teams attending. I was able to talk to the Gig players and our players were able to talk to coach Scoma and it was like, ‘Alright, this is cool, we are one community.’ ”
Scoma agrees and looks at the situation this way: “When the Ravens won the Super Bowl and Ray Lewis was giving his speech he talked about how much they love each other instead of how much they hated the other team. I would like to think of that as our theme, it’s all about us and you always have to have a healthy respect for your opponents and as coaches we set the tone for that.”
Mauro said he is asked often what he will do differently as head coach.
“In my opinion nothing here was really broken and there is great tradition but we just needed to update our systems and not sit,” he said. “Traditions are great but monotony isn’t, so when does your tradition become monotonous? We’re just trying to modernize, modernize, modernize.”
Peninsula returners
But all is not new for Peninsula. Mauro has eight returners on defense and seven on offense and he retained most of the coaching staff from previous years. That includes longtime coordinators Jim Fairfield on offense and Joel Epstein on defense.
Mauro hinted that he may open up Fairfield’s offensive playbook this season. He appears to have a quarterback who is capable of distributing the ball in junior Talen McDonnell. The 6-foot-3 dart thrower was on point all night during a recent practice.
Peninsula quarterback Talen McDonnell. Photo by Dennis Browne
McDonnell will look for returning second-team all-conference receiver Trever Bingham and 6-foot-3 H-back Lucas Wiseman, who has a large catch radius and the aggression to win 50-50 balls.
Mauro thinks he has a rising star in McDonnell.
“I love Talen, I think he’s a dark horse in our league and in the state,” Mauro said. “He has a live arm. He has some learning to do, which every young quarterback does, but he has the right attitude and he’s very athletic.”
The Seahawks may not have the complete stable of running backs like in years past, but they do return two hard-nosed senior running backs in Jacob Martin and Nehemiah Grandorff. Both know how to run north and south and can dish out punishment to would-be tacklers.
Tackling drills at a recent Peninsula High School practice. Photo by Dennis Browne
Bulky line
They will run behind an offensive line that averages 260 pounds. The line features Royal Charles, a 6-foot-2, 265-pound road grader who has started for three straight years while being a first-team all-conference player. “Royal is everything that’s advertised, he’s special,” Mauro said of the Western Oregon commit.
Royal Charles of Peninsula. Photo courtesy Peninsula football
Other key linemen include second-team all-conference pick Asher Epstein and TJ Strilcov, a 6-foot-4 right tackle and defensive lineman. Mauro said 6-foot-5 senior defensive end Aidan Muilenburg has been a team leader over the summer and is explosive off the line in pass-rush situations. Mauro also coaxed the wrestling team’s 275-pound heavyweight star, Yoshua Bigoti, to play left guard. Grant Williams, a 270-pound Pacific Lutheran signee, is locked in at right guard.
Gig Harbor is big, too
The Tides counter with their own set of lineman who have been in the weight room all summer and probably know exactly what a Carls Jr. triple cheeseburger tastes like.
Gig Harbor’s line averages about 265 pounds and is led by Peyton Howard, 6-foot-3, 280-pounder who has been named first-team all-conference twice. Second team all-conference defensive lineman Ethan Trader has moved back a few steps to linebacker.
Hunter Parris (255 pounds) will help on the line, as will nose tackles Jack Lowman (315 pounds) and Isaiah Braggs (330 pounds). Lineman River Truttman is brute strong and has looked explosive in practice for the Tides.
Gig Harbor lineman Peyton Howard (red helmet) has been a dominant force for the Tides on the offensive and defensive lines. Photo by Dennis Browne
Howard is much like Peninsula’s Charles: Athletic, strong, intelligent and nasty. Their matchup on both sides of the ball will be among the individual match-ups to watch.
Strong in the secondary
Gig Harbor returns six starters on offense and seven on defense.
Scoma believes his secondary is probably the strongest part of his defense. It features lockdown cornerback Micco Coyler, who was a second-team all-conference selection as a sophomore last year. Joining Coyler are quick and agile athletes like Troy Arnold and Hayes.
Scoma will call the offensive plays as he runs his version of the Wing T offense, which is heavy on power running after deceptive fake handoffs and misdirection. The main running backs will be Wilson West, a rugged but elusive sophomore, and Ian Shearer. Taylor Carey is also an athletic player who will help the Tides in multiple ways.
The Wing T requires a quarterback to be accurate with quick throws and be able to run. The Tides will count on Hayes to do both.
Gig Harbor practices its new Wing-T offense during a recent practice. Photo by Dennis Browne
He was thrown into the fire last year as a freshman, but showed his poise in several critical situations. Hayes throws an excellent deep ball.
Scoma said he and Sal Nuuhiwa Alob engaged in a healthy quarterback competition over the summer before Hayes won the starting job.
They will look to pass to bruising tight ends William Cody and Jake Cuda and 6-foot-4 Kingston Chambers, who adds a different element to the Tides air attack. Chambers showed his skill with a leaping, one-handed catch in practice. He could be an X-factor if he is matched up with smaller defenders on the outside.
Keys to the game
Peninsula will try to jump on top early and force Gig Harbor to play catch up. The Tides’ ball-control Wing T offense is methodical and predicated on deception. It takes time to set those things up. A magician doesn’t come out and show you his best tricks right away, he first trains your eyes to look a certain way and follow movements designed to ultimately deceive and trick you — much like the Wing T.
If Peninsula can get ahead by a couple of scores early, that might force the Tides to pass more. They can do that, but they may not be as comfortable with it at this point.
Conversely, if the Tides’ defense — led by new coordinator Kale Wong — can stop the pass and force the Seahawks to run, they should be in good shape. Gig Harbor might prefer a lower-scoring game while the Wing T offense has time to marinate and expose defensive mistakes.
Another key for both teams is who can make the fewest mental mistakes. The first game of the high school season typically comes with procedure penalties, turnovers and general confusion. The 2024 Fish Bowl had “a one step forward, two steps back” feel early. It will be imperative for both teams to avoid penalties and secure center snaps and handoffs to reduce costly fumbles that effect momentum.
And finally, there will be some razzle-dazzle and trick plays in this game as there always is. Expect a fake punt, double reverse, wide receiver pass or flea flicker to be implemented at some point. The team that plays with sound defense principles should have an advantage when those plays are called.