Seahawks First-half Dominance Fades as Tides Win Fish Bowl 46

The Gig Harbor Tides needed just 64 seconds in the fourth quarter to overcome a 10-0 deficit and beat the Peninsula Seahawks, 14-10, in the 46th annual Fish Bowl Sept. 7. It was the season opener and inaugural Puget Sound League game for both teams. 

It may have been a new look from last year (Mount Tahoma Athletic Stadium in Tacoma instead of Roy Anderson Field) and it may have been at a different time on a different day (Saturday afternoon rather than the traditional Friday night), but the game was a lot of the same from what fans saw at the last year rendition of the Fish Bowl.

Just like last year, the Seahawks (0-1, 0-1 Puget Sound League) forced three first-half turnovers and shut out the Tides going into halftime. Just like last year, the Seahawks had a two-score lead going into the third quarter. And just like last year, the Tides (1-0, 1-0 PSL) had a second-string quarterback come into the second half to propel their team to victory. It’s the second straight year the Tides won the cross-town (now played in another town) rivalry game and the first time they have won back-to-back games since the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

With the Gig Harbor win this year, the series is tied at 23 apiece. The last four games — two wins for each school — have been decided by a total of 21 points.

The game was scoreless until Seahawks running back Wyatt Abrigo found the end zone on a 10-yard jaunt with 1:01 left in the second quarter, set up two plays earlier by a 36-yard pass from Mana Smythe to Carson Zimmerman. Talen McDonnell kicked a 28-yard field goal with 3:13 left in the third to put Peninsula up 10-0.

It was Gig Harbor junior quarterback Koi Calhoun’s first appearance at the position since the last Fish Bowl game when he was seriously injured after throwing an interception with 1:05 left in the first half. Calhoun was replaced by freshman Sawyer Hayes with 37 seconds left in the third quarter and started to make his appearance felt in the fourth. His first pass was a lateral to Ryland Geldermann that went 10 yards. Three plays later Hayes ran 33 yards on a QB keeper that got the Tides down to the Seahawks 31-yard line.

Gig Harbor was in scoring territory when an errant snap went past Hayes and sent the team back 19 yards to the Seahawks 22-yard line. Hayes may have secured the starting quarterback role moving forward when on the next play he lofted a near-perfect pass to Liam Green for Gig Harbor’s first score, making it 10-7 with 8:09 to go in the game. After Peninsula’s quick three-and-out, Geldermann took the first play of the series for 52 yards, putting the Tides up for good, 14-10, with 7:05 left in the game.

Both teams suffered from what appeared to be heat-related injuries, primarily muscle cramps, and unnecessary penalties, turning what normally is a two-hour game into a nearly three-hour game. Twice the game was paused for five minutes for what Peninsula School District Athletic Director Wendy Malich labeled a “DEI call.” That’s when the game officials called together the head coaches, school administrators, and team captains in the middle of the field to address inappropriate comments or racial slurs.

“It’s a good way to bring everyone together to discuss what was heard, and that it needs to be stopped, or the game will be stopped.” She said that process has been in place for three years across the state, but said officials were a little more “in-tune with the sidelines” for this particular game. Other than a few unsportsmanlike penalties for both teams, there were no incidents on the field.

The Seahawk defense shined in the first half, making talented Tides receiver Corey Irish cough up two fumbles Peninsula picked up. Jake Akiskalian also picked off a Calhoun pass that Abrigo converted into the team’s only touchdown.  Peninsula’s Charles brothers — Prince and Royal —  were all over the place on defense, but they also had to sit out multiple plays due to minor injuries.