Community Sports

Sports Beat: Peninsula’s Griffin is league volleyball MVP

In this week’s Sports Beat, we say goodbye to the fall sports season with All-South Sound Conference volleyball selections and welcome in the winter season with early results from the basketball court.

The latter includes successful debuts for two new Peninsula High coaches and two Gig Harbor programs that are among the state’s elite.

All-conference volleyball

The SSC All-Conference volleyball teams are as follows:

MVP: Langley Griffin, Peninsula, senior

Co-Coach of the Year: Katrina Cardinal, Peninsula

Peninsula High senior Langley Griffin was named South Sound Conference most valuable player.  Photo by Bryce Carithers Bryce Carithers

First Team All-South Sound Conference

Natalie Piasecki, Gig Harbor, junior
Lydia Ward, Gig Harbor, junior
Laney Sneva, Peninsula, senior
Alex Sims, Peninsula, senior

Second Team All-South Sound Conference

Evalyn Sutherland, Peninsula, junior
Ziah Sneva, Peninsula, sophomore
Sam Heim, Gig Harbor, senior

Honorable Mention

Camryn Kelly, Gig Harbor, senior

Players invited to the All-State game Monday, Dec. 5, at Burlington Edison: Langley Griffin, Alex Sims and Laney Sneva, all of Peninsula

New Peninsula coaches earn first wins

The Peninsula boys and girls basketball teams ushered in new eras this week by winning their first games under new coaches.

The Seahawks boys won at Bainbridge Island, 75-53, on Nov. 29. The victory was the first for coach Sean Muillenburg, who was hired to replace Matt Robles, who resigned last spring.

The 22-point victory was a positive beginning for the Seahawks, who appear improved after a fifth-place league finish last year. The Seahawks’ next game is an SSC opener against Central Kitsap at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, at Peninsula.

Peninsula’s Katana King holds on to the rebound as she goes to the floor during the Seahawks’ 28-point victory over Spanaway Lake. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Hannah Lekson is the new coach of the Peninsula girls. She took over for coach Mike Schick, who built the Seahawks into an SSC power with a recent state tournament appearance and a league title in 2019.

Schick resigned last spring, but not before developing another talented team that could contend for a SSC championship with Lekson at the wheel.

Lekson got her first victory Tuesday, Nov. 29, against Spanaway Lake, 68-40. The Seahawks are a balanced team with excellent shooters and will be dangerous. They play at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at home against Bainbridge Island.

Peninsula guard Grace Richardson splits two defenders for a score in the Seahawks’ win over Spanaway Lake. Bryce Carithers

Gig Harbor boys open with a win

The sixth-ranked Gig Harbor boys team opened the season with a 58-45 victory over Blanchet of the Seattle Metro league. The victory continues Gig Harbor’s home unbeaten streak — they were undefeated at home during their 23-5 2021-22 campaign that brought an SSC championship and a state quarterfinal appearance.

The Tides’ Thursday game against Issaquah was snowed out, but they will be back in action in Seattle against Ingraham at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3.

The Gig Harbor girls also had a game snowed-out. Their match-up with White River was postponed until later in the season.

The Lady Tides were only one victory away from state last year, when they were eliminated at regionals. They are defending conference champions and return a veteran club that should be in league title contention after losing only two seniors from last year’s team.

Next week we will have previews of all four teams that include season outlooks, players to watch and schedules.

Illustration of the sixth-ranked Gig Harbor Tides boys basketball team. Courtesy Christi Adams

Seahawk wrestlers in action Saturday

The Peninsula wrestling team’s conference regular season opener against Central Kitsap on Friday, Dec. 2, was canceled. The Seahawks will be in action Saturday, Dec. 3, in a tournament at White River High School.

The Seahawks will face some tough competition at the 15-team meet. Class 4A schools Graham Kapowsin, Puyallup, Fife, Mount Si, and Woodinville will compete with smaller schools White River, Centralia, Capital and Bremerton. Look for full previews on the top local wrestlers in the coming weeks.

Winter sports season also brings boys swimming and diving and girls bowling. Look for coverage of those sports in the near future, too.

Registration open for lacrosse clubs

The Peninsula Lacrosse Association and Gig Harbor Lacrosse are in the midst of their registration period for the upcoming spring season. Both teams were  successful last year, finishing first and second in their league. They battled to close finishes in head-to-head matchups, with Peninsula winning both, including the Baggattaway Bowl by just one goal.

Both organizations are looking for new participants and would like to increase the sport’s awareness locally. Registration is open for teams in the youth leagues as well as high school levels, covering the second through 12th grades. No experience is necessary.

Peninsula Lacrosse Association’s seventh and eighth grade club. Photo courtesy of Kendalyn Harris

Interested boys from the second through 12th grades who live within the Peninsula High School boundary can register at www.peninsulalacrosse.com. Scholarships are available. The PLA season begins with practices in February and end in late May.

Gigharborlacrosse.com is the site to register boys in second through 12th grades living in the Gig Harbor High School area.

To register girls in grades three through 12 in both Peninsula and Gig Harbor areas, email [email protected].