Community Sports

Sports Beat | Tides go on scoring binge in win over Seahawks

The Gig Harbor boys soccer team (1-0-1) displayed its considerable talents in an 5-0 victory over Peninsula ( 1-1-0) on March 19 at Roy Anderson Field.

Center midfielder Henry Blake, an Oregon State University commit, had two goals against the Seahawks on a cold and rainy Thursday night in Purdy.

“Blake was electric from the start with his two early goals against Peninsula,” Tides coach Joe Ross said.

Blake is a senior and a returning first-team all-conference performer. When he wasn’t scoring goals against Peninsula, he was forcing the action and attracting defensive attention before snapping a clever pass.

But the Tides are far from a one-man band. Senior forward Eli Hanson, sophomore midfielder Grayson Chan and freshman left back Julian Burby added goals against the Seahawks.

Henry Blake of Gig Harbor during a 2024 game against Central Kitsap. Blake, who will play college soccer at Oregon State next year, scored two goals in a win last week over Peninsula.

Gig Harbor season outlook

The Tides are poised to make another run at the Puget Sound League Narrows Division title. Gig Harbor returns seven starters and adds two talented freshman who are already starting: Burby and left back/midfielder Mason Dizon.

Gig Harbor returns a Fab Four of sorts who have scored a ton of goals in their careers, all of whom earned all-conference honors last year.

The explosive Jackson Powell had 18 goals and eight assists a year ago. He is capable of making a highlight reel play at any moment and last year had some of the sweetest, bending corner kicks for goals that I have seen at the high school level.

Blake exploded for 20 goals and five assists in 2025. He combines talented feet with exceptional in-traffic balance that allows him to get through double teams before ripping shots that make you say, “yes, that’s a Division I athlete.”

Blake also has toughness. That’s important in soccer, as leading scorers are targets and if they can’t handle physical defense the offense can stall. Blake, an all-conference linebacker for the Tides in the other football, seems to get better under physical pressure.

Hanson is a capable scorer with lightning reflexes and fine passing skills. He distributed 19 assists last year while scoring 14 times. Hanson was impressive against the Seahawks with a goal and an assist.

Senior forward Jack Learned has an exceptional motor that allows him to seemingly run all night without getting tired. He had 12 goals and four assists last season and is an emotional leader for the Tides.

Upcoming games

The Tides opened the season with a 2-2 draw against Class 4A Puyallup on March 17 before blanking the Seahawks.

Peninsula struggled in the loss to the Tides, but coach Jose Brambilla’s Seahawks showed they can score during an 8-0 victory over Class 2A Klahowya in their March 17 season opener.

The Seahawks’ top returners players include 2025 first-team all-conference selection Phillip Kim, second-team selection Ramse Vitale and honorable mention performer Jonas Koller.

The Seahawks play at Bellarmine at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 24. The Tides host Timberline at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Roy Anderson Field.

Fastpitch teams win league openers

Both local girls fastpitch teams have put together impressive starts.

Peninsula (2-2, 1-0 PSL) faced some stiff nonleague competition to begin the season. The Seahawks notched wins over Bonney Lake (4-1) and Class 4A Olympia (9-6). They lost to Auburn Riverside (4-3) and Yelm (10-1), a Class 4A power.

Gig Harbor (2-0, 1-0) got into a slugfest against league rival North Thurston on March 16.

The Tides found themselves down 10-0 after three innings, but fortunately fastpitch does not employ a 10-run rule. Gig Harbor exploded for eight runs in the fourth inning and six more in the sixth inning, leading to an improbable but thrilling 15-13 win.

The Tides followed that up by routing Steilacoom, 11-0, on March 20. They may get some more base running in against Lincoln on Monday, March 23, against Lincoln at home. Peninsula beat the Abes 17-0 on March 16.

The Tides and Seahawks are perennial favorites to compete for division championships. This year’s squads, while young, have the talent to do that again this year.

Gig Harbor returns one of the best catchers in the South Sound. Senior Payton Cantrell was second-team all-conference last year after hitting .371 with 17 RBIs. 

Also returning are junior Piper Harrison, who hit .472 in earning honorable mention honors last year; and Willow Bonicci, a junior who hit .439 last year and was voted second-team all-conference in 2024.

The Seahawks return the sweet-swinging Vivien Sweet, who reached base at a .557 clip last year and was a second-team all-conference selection. She is also one of the Seahawks’ top pitchers — she combined with Abby Hoyt and Newby Wagner to no-hit Lincoln on March 16.

Vivien Sweet, Abby Hoyt and Newby Wagner threw a no-hitter against Lincoln on March 16. Photo by PHS fastpitch

Senior Meghan Webster joins Sweet in the Seahawks’ pitching rotation. She compiled a 4.12 ERA in 2025 and leads her team with four runs driven in this season.

Sophomores Izzy Michaels and Paige Jones were both honorable mention players as well last year while being the Seahawks’ second- and third-best hitters.

Jones played a fine shortstop and hit an impressive .474 while Michaels manned first base and batted .462. Both are well-rounded multi-sport athletes who figure to be in the middle of many Seahawk scoring rallies this season.

The Seahawks play North Thurston at 3:30 p.m. March 25 at home.

The Seahawks and Tides face each other April 7 at Peninsula.