Peninsula High School wrapped up the fall season with state-level performances across multiple sports, highlighted by playoff pushes in soccer and football, standout swims at the King County Aquatics Center, a water polo district championship, and a surging cross-country program built around one of the youngest varsity cores in the state. Here’s a look at how the Seahawks capped off the fall season.
Seahawks Soccer Makes Playoff for Third Straight Year
The 10-seed Seahawks fell 1-0 to Seattle’s No. 7 Roosevelt High School Nov. 14 in the first round of the 3A state playoffs, ending a strong postseason push and a 13-6-1 campaign.
Peninsula went undefeated in conference play and reached the league championship for the second straight year, falling 3-2 to Gig Harbor. The Tides blanked the Seahawks again two weeks later in districts, 3-0. The Seahawks have now dropped five straight matchups to Gig Harbor, last beating them on Halloween night in 2023. The Seahawks have been eliminated in the first round of the state playoffs for three consecutive seasons.
This fall also marked the end of one of the program’s most accomplished senior classes: Ada Labowitz, Macie McCabe, Ella Coates, Maya Rogers, Nora Sutherland, and goalkeeper Brooklyn Finch. Sutherland was named the Puget Sound League (Nisqually Division) MVP for the second straight year and was joined on the PSL all-conference first team by Coates, Labowitz, Rogers, and Finch. Junior midfielder Alex Chichanski and defender Sierra Bierman earned second-team recognition. After leading the team to back-to-back conference championship appearances, coach José Brambila was selected coach of the year by the league coachs.
Football: First Winning Season Since 2022
Peninsula football returned to winning form under first-year head coach Clay Mauro, finishing 6-4 overall and 5-1 in the Nisqually Division, including an undefeated home slate at Roy Anderson Field.
The Seahawks fell to the Lakes High School Lancers 48-7 Oct. 10 in the league game that ultimately separated the two programs in the Nisqually Division standings. Still, the 6-3 regular-season record marked Peninsula’s first winning campaign since 2022.
The year ended with a 28-17 loss to undefeated White River in the “Week 10 Agreement,” a 16-game playoff crossover that is not technically part of the official state bracket.
“We saw development all season and proved Peninsula is a winning program,” Mauro said. “What great programs do is build off this type of success and take the next actionable steps.”
Peninsula was well represented in the postseason honors. Senior quarterback Lucas Wiseman, running back Jacob Martin, and junior offensive lineman TJ Stulicov were named to the Nisqually Division first-team offense. On defense, senior lineman Royal Charles, junior linebacker Thomas Marzano, and defensive back Logan Johnson earned first-team recognition. Seniors Trevor Bingham (wide receiver), Grant Williams (offensive lineman), Nehemiah Grandorff (safety), and junior Asher Epstein (defensive line) made the second team. Junior Talen McDonnell, who began the year at quarterback and shared playing time with Wiseman, was recognized on the first team as a punter and on the second team as a kicker.
Wiseman threw for 894 yards and seven touchdowns, while Martin led the team in rushing, averaging 86.6 yards per game with seven scores. Junior Jake Johnson was the top receiver, hauling in 32 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns. Marzano led the team with 53 tackles, while junior linebacker Kainoa Coit finished second with 49 — 34 of them solo. Epstein had 10 tackles for loss, including four sacks, and Logan Johnson recorded four interceptions to lead the defense.
Girls Swimming Finishes in Top 10 at State
The Seahawks placed ninth at the 3A state championships at the King County Aquatics Center Nov. 14-15, showcasing a mix of established talent and promising freshmen.
Junior sprinter Lee Gjertson earned ninth in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 54.13, slightly slower than her state race last season, where she took 10th. Freshman Boe Ballard finished 12th in the event. Gjertson added 10th-place in the 50-yard freestyle, improving both her time and placement from last year’s state meet.
Gjertson, Ballard, freshman Sophie Evers, and sophomore Reese Miller teamed up in both freestyle relays. The Seahawks took seventh in the 400 (3:45.35) and ninth in the 200 (1:42.15).
Individually, Miller qualified for state in the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle races, and Evers advanced to state in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly.
Gjertson had a standout postseason by also winning the West Central District 3 titles in the 50 and 100 freestyle and helping the relay squad capture the district championship in the 200 free relay. Peninsula finished third overall at districts, continuing its climb in the conference from last year.
Water Polo Claims Division 2 Championship
Peninsula boys water polo delivered one of the strongest seasons in school history, finishing 11-1 and claiming the Division 2 (West Conference) championship.
Brandon Plitkins, Cullen Stitt, and Theo Middleton earned first-team all-conference honors, while Oliver Salter and Travis Buell made second team, and Tyler Hoeschen got honorable mention.
Head Coach Ben Douglas was named Division 2 Coach of the Year.
Cross Country Qualifies Thirteen for State Race
Peninsula cross-country surged through the postseason, qualifying 13 runners for the state championships and posting its strongest boys district score in 14 years.
Boys
Running through extreme mud and wind, the boys placed third at districts with a score of 95, Peninsula’s best since 2010. Freshman Nolan Winderl and sophomores Wyatt Harding, Palmer Schumacher, and Wilson Shipp finished in the Top 25 at districts. Juniors Ethan Ericson and Zachary Saxon, and senior Ben Johnson, also punched their tickets to Pasco. For Harding, Schumacher, and Johnson, it was their second trip to the state meet.
The boys finished 16th overall at state. Harding led all Seahawks with 75th place, improving 119 spots from last year. Winderl placed 95th, ranking among the top five freshmen in Washington and becoming the fastest ninth grader to compete at state in Seahawks history.
Girls
The girls qualified four individuals for state and missed a full-team berth by just 12 points. All four girls finished the meet within 25 spots of one another, led by sophomore Ascher Lascheck in 108th place.
Seahawks Volleyball Takes Fourth in Nisqually Division
Peninsula volleyball finished 5-12 in a deep Nisqually Division, placing fourth and completing its second straight losing season after a 2023 state playoff appearance.
The program will graduate offensive standouts Emma Young and Indi Ballard, defensive specialist Meghan Webster, and libero (defense specialist) Kate Cardinal, leaving several key roles to fill next fall.
Cardinal and Young earned Second Team All-Puget Sound League honors in the Nisqually Division, and junior Leah Schmidt received honorable mention as a middle blocker. Nisqually Division coaches also recognized Peninsula with the Sportsmanship Award, highlighting the team’s culture and competitiveness in a tough league.
Boys Tennis Suffers Through Tough Season
The boys tennis team finished 1-9 and placed 10th in the Puget Sound League. Despite the record, several underclassmen gained valuable varsity experience that should translate to deeper lineups in the coming years.
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