Sports Beat: Strong Group Returns for Gig Harbor Golf – Gig Harbor Now

community sport

Looking to improve on their eighth place finish last spring, the Gig Harbor boys’ golf team is bringing back several talented golfers and adding a promising newcomer.

Shane Henderson is in his 11th year as the Tides coach – eight years coaching the girls team and three years the boys team. As a local teacher, Henderson has coached many of his players since they were kids in the PGA junior leagues at Meadow Park and Chambers Bay.

Henderson and the Tides started training at their tricky home pitch, Madrona Links, last week.

A veteran group returns to lead Gig Harbor’s quest for a South Sound Conference championship.

“I’m extremely excited about this team,” said Henderson. “I don’t know if I could be more excited. These guys put a lot of work into the off-season and it shows. In the tryouts we had 12 players with nine hole averages of 45 or less and our top four players averaged 39 or better.”

The Tides bring back four players with state experience, including junior and team MVP Chet West. They also added newcomer Theo Snyder who will make an immediate impression. He finished tied for second in the tryouts, just a few strokes off first place.

West “is an intelligent player who can hit long from the tee and has great feel off the green. He rarely has a blast hole,” Henderson said. “Theo Snyder bombed it off the tee and has great control with soft pitch shots. Both captain Zavier Feasey-Allen and Colin Morkert are very versatile players with strong mental games. Rylan Coovert has really improved his iron game and court strategy.”

Capital presents Gig Harbor’s main contest for the South Sound Conference crown. The Cougars won the 2022 championship and finished second in the districts, just ahead of the Tides. But Gig Harbor was strong and finished ahead of the Cougars in the state tournament.

Baseball teams shut out in inaugural games

Both local baseball teams faced tough non-league opponents this week. Peninsula lost 10-0 to Class 3A Power Mercer Island on Monday, March 13 at Sehmel Park. Gig Harbor lost to Class 4A Moloch Richland on Saturday, March 11, 7-0.

Several key Seahawks graduated from last year’s league championship team. But coach Michael Johnson is optimistic about his team and believes they will eventually come together and fight for the league title.

“Our senior squad, Payton Knowles, Troy Buchanan, Aidan Klumker, David Takehara and Reece Brown are ready to lead this team with several new faces,” Johnson said. “Sophomores Matthew Saunders, Matthew Sleeter, Jonathan Vegara-Dykes and Isaac Schultz-Tate all earned roles on the field earlier in the year. His fellow sophomore, Jackson Thomas, is also proving to be a mainstay of our pitching team.”

The sober Johnson is a player-coach who can be seen all over town in Seahawk green during the offseason, assisting his players in other sports. He’s a tireless worker who has steadily guided the Seahawks to the top of the SSC.

“We are defending a championship title for the first time in a decade. Some have asked if we feel any extra pressure because of that, and the truth is we don’t,” he said. “Instead, we continue to control the things we can, bring our best attitude and effort to the field every day, and go to work together.”

Fastpitch: Peninsula, GH fall

The Peninsula Seahawks fastpitch team opened the season with an 11-1 win over Auburn Mountainview. The Seahawks play Curtis on Friday, March 17 at 4:00 p.m.

Gig Harbor’s fastpitch team had their bats in action against Decatur on March 15, but the Tides’ pitchers didn’t have their best stuff. The Tides lost to the Gators of Federal Way, 17-8. The Tides look to rebound at home against South Kitsap on Saturday, March 18 at 6pm.

football opener

The defending league champions, the Peninsula Seahawks, won the boys’ road game against Mount Tahoma 2-0. Central Kitsap, usually one of the best teams in the South Sound Conference, ruined the Seahawks’ home game on March 16 with a 4-0 win.

The Gig Harbor boys’ soccer team opened Tuesday, March 14 with a 3-1 win over South Kitsap. The Tides also won their league opener on March 16, beating Yelm 12-0.

Peninsula LAX opens with a win

The Peninsula Lacrosse team opened the season with an 11-9 loss to Bonney Lake on March 15th. Junior Robby Akulshin led the team with four goals while senior goalie Ryder Clarke had 21 saves.

The Seahawks play Bainbridge Island on Monday, March 20 and then return for their first home game against Stadium High on Friday, March 24 at 7 p.m.

Peninsula’s Robby Akulschin scored four goals against Bonney Lake. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Also

• The Gig Harbor girls’ water polo team dominated a jamboree competition on March 19, beating three opponents 30-5.
• The track jamboree, which opens the season each year, begins on Friday, March 17 at 3:30 p.m. on the Peninsula. The girls’ and boys’ track and field teams from both local schools will compete against each other.

The Gig Harbor water polo team recently beat three opponents 30-5 in a jamboree.