Community Sports

Sports Beat | Gig Harbor wins another South Sound Conference All-Sports Championship

Posted on June 20th, 2024 By: Dennis Browne

Gig Harbor High School won the South Sound Conference‘s 2023-24 All-Sports Championship for overall team success.

The All-Sports Championship recognizes the school that earned the most points — accumulated according to their final position in league standings — in 21 boys and girls sports sanctioned by the league. South Sound Conference teams included Timberline, Capital, River Ridge, Peninsula, Central Kitsap, Gig Harbor, Yelm and North Thurston.

South Sound Conference sports include football, boys and girls cross country, girls volleyball, boys tennis, girls soccer and girls swimming in the fall; boys and girls basketball, boys and girls wrestling, boys swimming, and girls bowling in the winter; and baseball, fastpitch softball, girls tennis, boys soccer, boys and girls golf, and boys and girls track and field in the spring.

Gig Harbor won the award every year since the conference’s inception in 2016. Only the COVID year of 2020-21 slowed the tide, because the award wasn’t given that year.

With the SSC realigning and adding several Tacoma teams next season, this championship concludes a dominant run in the original SSC for the Tides.

Credit to coaching

Gig Harbor athletic director Blair Suek, has overseen the Tide athletic department for the last two seasons and successfully carried the baton to victory after replacing longtime AD Bob Werner, who guided the Tides during the SSC’s inception.

“I think it’s very cool that Gig Harbor has won the award for so many years,” Suek said. “It’s nice to see all of our athletes’ accomplishments being recognized towards earning the award as a school.”

The consistency of winning the award over many years in a row also points to the fine coaches who have led their programs over the years.

“All of our coaches, at GHHS, feeder middle schools, community programs, and anyone who has worked with students here at GHHS have helped the school earn this award each year,” Suek said. “We are lucky to have such dedicated adults in the community, who want to pour effort and time into students to help them experience their chosen sports and activities.”

The All-Sports Championship doesn’t even include three of Gig Harbor’s recent state titles. The Tides’ H2Whoa dance team won two state titles in the past three years, while the Gig Harbor cheerleading squad won Class 3A state championships in 2023.

All-conference awards

Local athletes recognized on All-South Sound Conference teams during the spring sports season include:

Fastpitch

First Team All-SSC

Malia Coit, Peninsula, senior

Dani Biehl, Gig Harbor, junior

Emma Vandervort, Gig Harbor, senior

Malia Coit of Peninsula earned first team All-South Sound Conference recognition. Bryce Carithers

Second Team All-SSC

Willow Bonnici, Gig Harbor, freshman

Abby Miller, Gig Harbor, junior

Ava Miranda, Peninsula, junior

Honorable Mention All-SSC

Mira Sonnen, Peninsula, junior

Sophia Hooper, Peninsula, senior

Gracie Carey, Gig Harbor, junior

Payton Cantrell, Gig Harbor, sophomore