Community Sports

Athletes to watch in 2024 at Gig Harbor, Peninsula high schools

Fall practices for most Peninsula School District high school teams begin Aug. 6. A talented group of up-and-comers are looking to make a splash this year. Following is a list of athletes to watch who should have prominent roles on their teams this fall.

Football

We will start with football and a couple linebackers who were were voted first-team All-South Sound Conference  last season.

Wyatt Abrigo is a 6-foot, 205-pound heat seeker who combines speed and physicality for the Peninsula defense. He has the size to fill the holes and make jarring tackles and the agility to cover on pass plays. Abrigo is quick, aggressive and smart and should be a key player for a Seahawk defense that opens against Gig Harbor on Sept. 7.

In that game, Abrigo will face Tide running back Ryland Geldermann. The two undoubtedly will meet at some point, as Geldermann is a fine running back who looks for contact. He is a 5-foot-9 bulldog with power who can follow pulling guards for tough yards or get into open space on misdirection plays. On defense, Geldermann is an aggressive tackler who throws his body around with reckless abandon.

Gig Harbor running back Ryland Geldermann. Photo by Bryce Carithers

One of the running backs he will be trying to tackle in the Fish Bowl is (you guessed it) Abrigo. He likely will be one of Peninsula’s featured running backs after playing the position last year.

Another Peninsula standout is senior quarterback Mana Smythe, who has a little bit of Russell Wilson in his game, with his ability to throw deep or scramble for first downs. Though not large, Smythe is tough as nails, doesn’t get rattled and has shown the ability to throw darts into tight coverage windows.

Peninsula quarterback Mana Smythe. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Both teams have a couple of big battlers playing both ways along the line.

Gig Harbor junior Peyton Howard, a relentless offensive and defensive tackle, stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 270 pounds. Defensive tackle and offensive guard Royal Charles of Peninsula is a 6-foot-2, 270-pound menace. Quick, strong, explosive and brutal are adjectives that apply to both.

Howard is coming off an excellent sophomore season during which he earned first-team All-SSC recognition on offense and a second-team nod on defensive. Charles, a three-year starter, collected second-team selections on both sides. Both players should be integral parts of their teams’ success.

Peninsula lineman Royal Charles. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Gig Harbor has a speed burner in wide receiver DJ Darling, who has big-play potential every time he touches the ball. Darling is a promising junior who can run by defenders or jump over them to make athletic catches.

Darling will be trouble for defensive backs to cover one on one. He started to come on for the Tides last year in an offense that was deep at receiver but should be featured this season. Darling is also dangerous as a punt and kickoff returner and can cover receivers like a blanket from his defensive back position.

Gig Harbor receiver DJ Darling. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Tide senior kicker Boone Leverett bagged first-team All-South Sound Conference honors following his sophomore and junior seasons. Leverett is a huge part of the Tides’ offense and almost guarantees the Tides points once they reach the opponent’s 25-yard line. A converted youth soccer player, Leverett has the leg to convert 50-yard field goals and regularly pins opponents deep with booming kickoffs.

Other players to watch include:

• Peninsula defensive back Jake Akiskalian, a physical ball hawker. A big hitter at safety, he made second-team All-SSC last year.
• Liam Green, a hard-hitting playmaker at defensive back and a productive wide receiver for Gig Harbor, was second-team All-SSC last year.
• Junior Keegan Johnson of Gig Harbor is a strong offensive and defensive lineman who was voted second-team All-SSC last season and recorded nine tackles in the Fish Bowl.
• Peninsula’s multi-use, senior slot receiver and defensive back Hayden Bundy can run and catch and found the end zone against the Tides.

Volleyball

Both local volleyball teams return standouts from successful teams in 2023.

Ziah Sneva of Peninsula was voted first-team All-SSC as a middle blocker and outside hitter last year. She can absolutely get up in the air and pound a ball to the floor for a kill and has the hand-eye coordination of a future college athlete.  When Sneva is in the line up, the Seahawks are down right intimidating. Standing 6-foot-2, Sneva is point producer and a certified roof doctor, as opponents trying to spike routinely find out. Look for her to lead the Seahawks to their fifth straight state tournament appearance.

Ziah Sneva of Peninsula. Photo by David Turley

Joining Sneva in Peninsula’s twin tower lineup is all-around athlete Emma Young. The 6-footer moves well, has good timing and a feel for the game. Young uses her significant jumping skills (second in the high jump at state in 2023) as an outside hitter who rockets balls toward her opponents.

Emma Young of Peninsula. Photo by David Turley

Peninsula looks set at setter. Head coach Katrina Cardinal’s daughter Kate, a junior, has very good hands and will be counted on to feed Sneva and Young for kills. Cardinal got significant playing time last year as a sophomore on a talented team and showed she deserved it with athletic plays and an overall excellent feel for the game. She also will be counted on for her leadership and her ability to produce multiple points from the service line.

Gig Harbor’s Peyton Heim, a junior libero, was the South Sound Conference’s defensive MVP last year. The word is she’s has only gotten better over the summer on the competitive AAU circuit. What really stands out is her ability to dig out difficult shots that are mere inches from the floor. Heim is willing to sacrifice her body to keep points alive and was a huge part of the Tides’ state tournament run in 2023.

Gig Harbor outside hitter Hannah Artman. Photo by David Turley

Gig Harbor right side hitter Hannah Artman, a 6-foot junior, is a smasher with a springy vertical who was named second-team All-SSC last year. Maggie Maharry of Gig Harbor is undersized as a hitter but has an impressive vertical, excellent timing and swings very hard. Maharry came up big in important matches last year especially with her jump serve and momentum-changing kills.

Cross country

The local cross country trails will be loaded with elite running talent. The third-, sixth- and 13th-place finishers at the Class 3A state meet last fall run for Peninsula and Gig Harbor.

Elektra Higgins of Peninsula ran a 17:44.80 at state last year — the third-fastest girls time in any classification at state. Unfortunately, the only two who ran faster than Higgins were both Class 3A runners, the Rodriguez sisters from Mercer Island. State champion Sophia Rodriguez is only a sophomore and barring injury is a favorite to repeat.

Elektra Higgins of Peninsula. Photo courtesy of Peninsula High cross country

In many other time periods, Higgins might be a multiple time cross country state champion. She should still be recognized as one of the best runners ever produced in this area.

Two other local standouts are Gig Harbor runners Lejla Carlsson (sixth at state in 2023) and Taylor Sletner (13th in 2023). Carlsson, a junior, won a relay state championship in track. Sletner routinely finds herself in the top five of almost every race, although she has to continually deal with Higgins and Carlsson.

On the boys side, Gig Harbor’s top runner should be senior Joey Campbell, who helped the Tides to a ninth-place team finish at state last fall. Campbell finished 56th at the Class 3A meet in 16:58 and should shave off significant time after an off season training program. Tide sophomore Jack Greer leaped off the wrestling mat and helped the Tides as a freshman at state finishing, in 17:32.

Soccer

The Peninsula girls soccer team made the last three state tournaments thanks in part to some exceptional players who should have big years in 2025.

Ella Coates was the team’s leading goal scorer and a first-team All-SSC performer last year. Two words that describe her on the pitch are fast and faster. Coates had one of two hat trick  games for the Seahawks last year, along with rising senior Hailey Shride. Shride, an All-SSC performer last year, can score, assist and come up with 50/50 balls in traffic.

Ella Coates of Peninsula. Photo by Bryce Carithers

As good as the Seahawk offense was, their defense was even better. Peninsula allowed just eight goals to SSC opponents last year thanks in large part to goalie Brooklyn Finch. Finch, now a junior, and the Seahawks were an overtime loss away from a district title against the Stadium Tigers last season.

Other Seahawks to watch include:

• Peninsula junior Nora Sutherland, a talented scorer from the middle who has a high soccer IQ
• Alex Cichanski, an excellent defender and aggressive center back who played big minutes for Peninsula as a freshman.
• Junior Maya Rodgers has a noticeable burst to the ball and impressive ball skills that led to plenty of goals scored from her forward position.

Gig Harbor has reloaded and is ready to defend its South Sound Conference crown. The Tides return high-scoring junior forward Elizabeth Hayes, a tenacious player who can wreck a defensive game plan. She has breakaway speed but stands out with her ability to dribble through defenders. Once she has the ball in scoring position, good luck trying to take the ball away before she fires a laser at the goal. She averaged an impressive one goal per game, scoring 20 on the season with 13 assists to earn first-team All-SSC honors as a sophomore.

Senior striker Elise Miller scored 14 goals for Gig Harbor last year. Miller is smooth on the pitch and rarely out of position as she uses her ball skills to juke defenders. She can also take it away, with 53 steals for the Tides. Gig Harbor also features an excellent goalie in junior Ella Conrad, who only gave up 0.65 goals per game last year and was athletic in the box using her quick hand reflexes and a big leg that initiates offense down field after a stop.

Other Tides standouts include:

• Junior Sage Sturrock, who always seems to be at the right place at the right time. Sturrock uses her strong core and long legs to gain position and control possessions and can score, with eight goals and eight assists.
• Senior Kennedy Marler is a gamer who uses her long strides and top-end speed to do a little bit of everything for Gig Harbor. She averaged 0.5 assists per game and can score from difficult angles.
• Senior Cailey Ridgeway may be the best defender in town after her 106-steal season in 2023. She is tough and never shies away from contact.

Sage Sturrock of Gig Harbor. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Tennis

Both boys tennis teams return their No. 1 singles players from last year — seniors Hugh Vicente of Gig Harbor and Adam Massry of Peninsula.

Vicente is a smooth player with an effective serve and some snappy ground strokes. He has used his time as a doubles player at the last two Class 3A state tournaments to develop a net game that should help him in singles this fall. If Vicente can pair his consistent strokes with an emerging serve and volley game, he could add an SSC singles title to those he won in doubles in 2022 and 2023.

Massry has been the Seahawks’ top singles player for two straight years. His shots come at opponents with heavy spin and his forehand packs plenty of pace. He is able to figure out what an opponent is trying to do quickly and make strategic changes on the fly instead of waiting for set breaks to make changes.

Hugh Vicente of Gig Harbor. Photo by Brian Davis

Swimming

Gig Harbor senior Beau Ensminger made a state final in the 200-meter individual medley. That event requires swimmers to employ four different strokes, showcasing Ensminger’s versatility. The Tides also have Eva Dahlin, who stepped up big time as a freshman to earn the Tides points at state with a senior laden relay team. Junior Jenna Nelson will be one to watch after a fast performance at state in a freestyle relay race.

Peninsula will feature mid-distance standout Kate Henkel, who was in the top three in the conference in the 200 freestyle last season and made it to state in several freestyle events. Henkel is also an accomplished breast stroker and will challenge for the “Iron Seahawk,” award which recognizes a swimmer who qualifies for districts in every event.

Peninsula’s Lee Gjertson was really fast as a freshman last year, as she pushed conference standouts in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle events. Gjertson could surprise this year and possibly win the shorter freestyle races in the conference as she has seen significant improvements in her split times over the summer and is an electric leaper off the starting blocks.