Community Sports

Gig Harbor hangs on to defeat Bellarmine, finish second in Narrows Division

Gig Harbor Tides started fast and had to hold on at the end to defeat Bellarmine, 28-26, in an instant classic at Roy Anderson Field on Friday, Oct. 26.

The Tides jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the first quarter when do-it-all running back Ryland Geldermann ran around left end, swatting away the arms of would-be tacklers before pushing the turbo button down the sidelines for a 64-yard touchdown.

After the teams traded punts, Gig Harbor defensive back Corey Irish picked off Bellarmine quarterback Dirk Johnson. Irish’s return put the Tides in business deep in Lion territory.

Geldermann scored again on a three-yard run in the second quarter. He set up that score with a 14-yard run around left end in which he trucked a defender, who was left dazed and confused.

Gig Harbor running back Ryland Geldermann finished with 204 yards and two touchdowns despite playing on a sprained ankle. Photo by Christi Adams

Defense dominant early

The Gig Harbor defense was on point early. Outside linebacker Ethan Trader grabbed Johnston’s jersey and threw him to the ground for a loss before defensive back Justin Morris laid a physical hit on a Lion receiver to jar the ball away and cause a Bellarmine punt.

It looked like Gig Harbor may run away with this game. But Geldermann sprained an ankle during a 14-yard run, an injury that effected him for the remainder of the game. The score remained 14-3 at halftime.

After the break, Bellarmine committed its fourth turnover of the night on a botched snap exchange. The Tides’ sparkplug linebacker, Cole Krillich, dove on it for the recovery.

With Geldermann back in the game, the Lions crowded the line of scrimmage. A defensive back came up too close to Gig Harbor receiver DJ Darling and tried to play bump-and-run coverage. Big mistake. For those that don’t know, Darling’s father, Devard, was an NFL wide receiver. His mother, Cicely, was an All-American track star at Washington State University. The combination equals speed.

Darling juked the defender’s bump and did all the running. He accelerated past the defender and caught a high-lofted 21-yard pass that came down so soft that even Tides principal Michele Suiter could have brought it in for a touchdown.

Momentum turns

Suddenly the Tides were up 21-3 with eight minutes to go in the third quarter against a Bellarmine team that was ranked No. 1 in the WIAA’s Class 3A RPI ranking just a few weeks ago.

But the rest of the game resembled a roller coaster ride.

Momentum changed when the Tides’ punter slipped in his end zone and caught a snap with his knee on the ground. That resulted in a safety for the Lions to make the score 21-5.

The bad thing about a safety is that the scoring team retains possession after a kickoff. Bellarmine used that possession to score a quick touchdown on a 45-yard pass from Johnston to Gabe Gomez. A two-point conversion brought Bellarmine back within one possession at 21-13 near the end of the third quarter.

The weather changed along with the momentum. Literal storm clouds rolled in off Carr Inlet.

The Tides, operating with a hobbled Geldermann, saw a penalty nullify a first down on the next possession. They punted again.

Bellarmine’s Johnston lofted a perfect strike to Gomez again for a 45-yard touchdown that made the score 21-19 with a little over seven minutes to go. But Gig Harbor defensive lineman Keegan Johnson deflected a pass on the Lions’ two-point conversion attempt to keep the Tides ahead.

Decisive score

With seven minutes to go Geldermann got a nine yard gain to midfield, running behind an excellent trap block by Tide offensive guard Angelo Odom, who is steadily working his way towards a college opportunity on the football field.

With the Tides facing third and six and needing a first down desperately, Hayes went for the throat. He lofted another high arching pass. Darling caught up to it and made a finger-tip catch for an explosive 56-yard touchdown. That made the score 28-19, after the dependable Boone Leverett split the uprights with his extra point kick.

But Bellarmine wasn’t done. Another deep pass got the Lions to the Tides’ six-yard line. A few plays later, Johnston dove over the pile for a touchdown from a yard out. With 2:04 to go in regulation, that made the score 28-26.

As the rain started to become heavy, the Lions attempted an on-side kick and almost got it before a Tide fell to the ground and snagged the football a millisecond before the Lions arrived.

Three running plays later, the Tides were forced to punt. Reeves chose his senior field goal kicker to handle the duties in a pressure-packed situation. Leverett answered the call with a 43-yarder. After a 15-yard run back to the Lion’ 35-yard line, Bellarmine had a chance to steal the game.

The rain and wind caused a few drops by Bellarmine receivers on the game’s final possession. They managed to get a first down at midfield, however, before Tides safety Tristan Hill finally secured the win by intercepting Johnston at the Gig Harbor eight-yard line.

Gig Harbor receiver DJ Darling made a series of key plays in the second half. Photo by Christi Adams

‘A man’s sport’

Geldermann finished with 204 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. He refused to stay on the sidelines after his ankle injury.

“Yeah, my ankle hurt a bit but you just gotta tough through it and be a football player,” Geldermann said. “Football is a man’s sport you know, you gotta be there for your team whether that’s at 80% or 90%, because that’s better than nothing.”

Defensive lineman Johnson was spent but all smiles after the game.

“It came down to a nailbiter, the team just really came together right there and we just played together,” he said. “We’ve been working on that all year and tonight we played like brothers.”

What’s next

The Tides (4-4, 3-2 Puget Sound League) finished tied for second place in the Narrows Division. They will play Capital, the second-place team from the Nisqually Division, at Mount Tahoma High School at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1.

Peninsula (4-4, 3-2) plays the same night at the same place, immediately following the Tides game. They will face Narrows Division first-place Lincoln (6-2, 5-0) at 8 p.m. at Mount Tahoma High School.

Gig Harbor freshman quarterback Sawyer Hayes seems to improve every game. Photo by Christi Adams