Sports

‘Unbelievable’ comeback leads Seahawks to sixth straight Fish Bowl victory

The 2021 Fish Bowl was a tale of two halves, and it did not disappoint.

Peninsula overcame a 28-0 first-half deficit and stormed all the way back to win 35-28 in overtime.

Peninsula’s Ethan Hogan is escorted around the right side by Seahawk blockers. Photo courtesy of Ed Johnson

The Tides, who entered the game with a 2-0 record and had combined for 88 points in their first two games, started out the same way as Hudson Cedarland scored on a 16-yard run and a 78-yard catch. The Tides tallied 28 unanswered points in the first half, while the Seahawks couldn’t get anything going on offense.

Quarterback Will Landram started out on fire to lead the Tides to a 28-0 halftime lead. Photo courtesy of Ed Johnson

Then came the hard rain to start the second half, and was only fitting for a Fish Bowl, and the Seahawks unleashed their inner Lieutenant Dan.

“We cued up Forrest Gump before the game and watched the scene when Lieutenant Dan is up there riding out the hurricane, calling for more,” Peninsula head coach Ross Filkins said. “And this is what we wanted. Sure enough, it started raining more and more and our kids just fed off it.”

Gig Harbor’s Colin Montgomery hauls in a pass from Will Landram. Photo courtesy of Ed Johnson

In the first half, the Seahawks were 0-6 on first-down conversions. The second half was a different story. On their first drive of the second half, quarterback Jake Bice connected with big tight end Caleb Novak on a third-and-16, and they never slowed down.

A few plays later, Payton Knowles made an impressive, juggling catch on the 2-yard line on a fourth-and-seven.

“That was a great circus catch by (Knowles)” said Filkins. “That really gave us a spark and kept the drive alive and helped create the fire we needed.”

Two plays later, senior running back Josh Hinkel rushed up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown.

Peninsula quarterback Jake Bice launches a pass. Photo courtesy of Ed Johnson

The Seahawks defense’ came out of the locker room with the same intensity as the offense. After amassing 207 passing yards in the first half, Gig Harbor couldn’t get into a rhythm in the second. Several dropped passes did not help.

The Seahawks continued to roll on offense, scoring on their next drive, led by an Austin Hansen 22-yard reception and capped by another Hinkel 2-yard touchdown run, his second of three on the night.

“We came out of the locker room fiery, and ready to hit someone,” Hinkle said. “We fixed our mistakes in the second half. We did not do our jobs in the first half.”

The Tides got a break late in the third quarter when they recovered a fumble on their own 26-yard line, but the Seahawks defense stayed poised.

A rare erratic throw by Gig Harbor quarterback Will Landrum deep in Peninsula territory was intercepted by junior defensive back Ethan Fias, who took it 86 yards down the sideline to bring the Seahawks within one score.

Ethan Fias nears the end zone, accompanied by exultant Seahawks, on an 86-yard interception return. Photo courtesy of Ed Johnson

The Lieutenant Dan call for the storm became even more of a reality when the wind and rain knocked out the field lights, causing a 15-minute delay with six minutes left.

The Seahawks stayed loose on the sideline and kept the momentum as Ethan Hogan capped off another impressive drive to even the score.

In overtime, the Seahawks had possession first and starting from the 25-yard yard line. Hogan pounded the ball up the middle on multiple carries, eventually winding up in the end zone.

The defense shut down Gig Harbor as Novak capped off a Seahawks victory with a sack of Landrum on a 4th-and-7.

The pouring rain didn’t seem to bother any of the student body as they rushed the field to congratulate the Seahawks, who stormed back from 28 points down to win their sixth straight Fish Bowl.

“It was unbelievable. I am super proud of the whole team,” Filkins said. “There has never been a Fish Bowl like this. This was just amazing.”