Community Sports
Sports Beat: Gig Harbor girls dominate top cross country event
The Gig Harbor girls won one of the biggest cross country events on the West Coast in dominating fashion.
The 2022 Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational is the Northwest’s premier cross country event, with more than 40 of the top teams in Washington competing. Seven schools from other states and a couple from Canada also ran at the event.
The Tides won the event emphatically. They charged through the 5K course at Lakewood High School and won by an astounding 98 points. Gig Harbor had five runners place in the top 50 as well as the overall winner.
The Gig Harbor cross country team on the podium at the Nike Hole in the Wall meet recently.
Reese Morkert completed the biggest win of her career by leading hundreds of competitors to the finish line in 18:33. She ran with a consistent pace and finished with an emphatic kick to beat Sabrina Colbert of Franklin by 4 seconds.
The Tides won the event on the strength of their team performance. Taylor Sletner finished 9th at 19:07, Kaley Ferguson 11th at 19:22, Lejla Carlsson 28th at 19:53, and Alex Ferrier 47th at 20:16.
The Peninsula Seahawks girls team finished 17th.
The Gig Harbor boys team finished just outside of the top 20, but got a top-12 finish from Micah Galeana in 15:26. Peninsula’s top male runner, Logan Parrish, finished 58th at 16:20.
Volleyball: Peninsula has chance at league title
The Peninsula Seahawks are back in the drivers seat for the South Sound Conference volleyball title, thanks to the Capital Cougars’ 3-2 win over first-place North Thurston on Tuesday night. The loss tied the Seahawks and Rams for the conference lead at 8-1 after the Seahawks defeated Central Kitsap, 3-0, on Tuesday.
After Capital’s big win over the Rams, they came into Peninsula’s gym with a renewed swag and expecting a win.
Peninsulas senior outside hitter Alex Sims stretches to blast a serve during the Seahawks’ 3-0 victory over Capital. Bryce Carithers
Those expectations quickly evaporated. The 10th-ranked Seahawks (9-2) won three straight games, the last by a convincing 25-14 score. Peninsulas is firing on all cylinders and looking forward to a rematch with the Rams.
They enter that upcoming contest with confidence after beating the Rams 2-0 at the Capital City Invite a few weeks back. Peninsula will visit the Rams on Thursday, Oct. 27.
Gig Harbor’s 19th-ranked volleyball team is 7-2 following a 3-1 win over Yelm on Tuesday and a 3-0 win over River Ridge on Thursday. The Tides are third place in the SSC and are capable of doing damage in the playoffs.
Gig Harbor-Peninsula rematch looms next week
The Gig Harbor and Peninsula girls soccer teams are both ranked in the top 5 of the WIAA’s RPI rankings. Gig Harbor (12-0-1) is No. 2 and Peninsula (12-1-1) is No. 5.
The Tides got a big 4-0 win over Class 4A Union on Monday night, with sophomore sensation Elise Miller scoring a hat trick. Striker Miller leads the team with 16 goals on the season after scoring 15 as a freshman. The other goal was from Hailey Paul on an assist from Carsyn Hall.
The Gig Harbors girls soccer team is undefeated at 12-0-1 and ranked second in the state. They will play Peninsulas 5th ranked team, Tuesday for the SSC title. Courtesy Gig Harbor soccer
Coach Katie Bennett also reported that Tides junior Sophie Blake has verbally committed to the University of Washington’s soccer program.
The Seahawks beat River Ridge 2-0 on Tuesday. Uber-talented Makena Getts got the Seahawks out to a 1-0 lead on an assist from Hailey Shride. Nora Sutherland scored the second goal on a nice pass from Brylee Edmondson.
Both teams continue to march toward a showdown on Tuesday, Oct. 25, for the SSC title. The first contest, on Sept. 30, was a fierce battle that ended in a tie.
The Peninsula girls soccer team is the 5th ranked team in the state with a 12-1-1 record and could win the SSC championship with a victory over the Tides on Tuesday.
Water polo: Local area a hotbed
Both local water polo teams are at the top of their division.
Gig Harbor water polo goalies Eli Hopkins (left) and Joey Hughes discuss strategy. Both have been dominant in the cage, for the 12-1 Tides. Courtesy Gig Harbor High School
Gig Harbor (12-1, 11-0) has been dominant and completed a sweep over crosstown rival Peninsula last week. They beat the Seahawks 13-8 in the first contest and 17-5 in the rematch. The Tides are led in scoring by center Adam Hurley, who “is aggressive in front of the cage and an incredibly strong shooter,” according to head coach Alana Ponce.
Peninsula is coming off of a 9-5 win over Silas and has a 9-2 record. That mark is the best start in head coach Carter Gilmore’s six-year tenure at Peninsula. He has a team built for the future, with no seniors on his roster. The Seahawks are led in scoring by Marcus Reum and Henry Moore.
Football: Peninsula, Yelm meet for league title
The long-awaited battle between South Sound Conference football powers Peninsula and Yelm kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday (Oct. 21) at Roy Anderson Field.
The Seahawks (6-1, 5-0) hope to soar above the Tornados (7-0, 5-0).
Yelm is ranked No. 3 in Class 3A in WIAA’s RPI rankings and No. 1 in the Associated Press poll of state high school sportswriters. Scorebook Live and others rank Yelm No. 1 in Washington regardless of classification.
Dane Meddaugh leads Peninsula in receptions. Bryce Carithers
Peninsula, ranked No. 10 in Class 3A in WIAA’s RPI, has run over SSC opponents with a stable of talented running backs and a physical offensive line. The Seahawks also have a stingy defense and one of the conference’s best quarterbacks in Payton Knowles.
Gig Harbor (5-2, 3-2) take its aerial attack and No. 16 RPI ranking to Silverdale against Central Kitsap at 7 p.m. Friday (Oct. 21). Fans should note that Central Kitsap doesn’t accept cash at the gate — getting a ticket to see the Tides take on the winless Cougars requires buying tickets online.
Check out next week’s busy Sports Beat for information on the huge soccer clash between local schools, the South Sound Conference tennis tournament and the results of the battle between Peninsula and North Thurston for SSC volleyball supremacy.