Seahawks Rout Tides 37-8, Even Fish Bowl Rivalry

Asher Epstein had lost the Fish Bowl every year since he was a freshman.

The Peninsula senior grew up around Seahawks football, where his father, Joel Epstein, is the defensive coordinator. He remembers watching Peninsula beat Gig Harbor when he was younger, but things changed in high school.

“We kept on losing for three years straight,” Epstein said.

Not this time. Peninsula (1-2) snapped a three-game Fish Bowl losing streak Sept. 19 with a 37-8 win over Gig Harbor (1-2) at Mount Tahoma Stadium, giving Epstein and the Seahawks’ other seniors their first victory over the Tides since 2022.

The win evened the all-time series 24-24 after 48 meetings dating to 1979. The 29-point margin was the largest in a Fish Bowl since Peninsula beat Gig Harbor 42-3 in 2019.

“This means the world to me, to win my senior year,” Epstein said.

It didn’t look like a rout early. The teams played a scoreless first quarter, and Peninsula’s first promising drive ended inches from the end zone. Kainoa Coit fumbled as he crossed the goal line on a 1-yard run and recovered the ball in the end zone, but officials ruled him inches short. Thomas Marzano was stopped on fourth down.

Peninsula’s defense quickly gave the offense another chance, intercepting Gig Harbor quarterback Sawyer Hayes in the end zone on the ensuing possession. It was the first of four interceptions Peninsula would collect from the Tides’ two quarterbacks, Hayes and Salvador Isaiah Nuuhiwa Alob.

Marzano broke the scoreless tie with a 3-yard touchdown run with 7:04 remaining in the second quarter, but the Seahawks missed the extra point attempt.

Later in the quarter, quarterback Talen McDonnell found Brycen McAnally on a screen pass that turned into a 76-yard gain, taking Peninsula from its own 10-yard line to the Gig Harbor 14. Marzano finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, and McDonnell ran in the 2-point conversion to put the Seahawks up 14-0.

“We knew they were going to rush 10,” said Peninsula Coach Clay Mauro, who picked up his first Fish Bowl win. “So we’re going to throw some screens.”

McDonnell added a 30-yard field goal before halftime to give Peninsula a 17-0 lead.

The senior quarterback, who also handles Peninsula’s kicking and punting duties, said the Seahawks spent more time watching film leading up to the rivalry game and focused on getting the ball out quickly.

“We tried to keep it a little short game: outside, inside, a lot of screen passes,” McDonnell said.

With 6:19 to go in the third quarter, McDonnell connected with McAnally for a 21-yard touchdown to extend Peninsula’s lead to 24-0.

Gig Harbor answered with its only touchdown of the night, an 18-yard run by Taylor Carey, followed by a two-point conversion, with 4:06 left in the third.

But Peninsula’s defense never allowed the Tides to build momentum.

Epstein, the Seahawks two-time all-conference defensive lineman, repeatedly pressured the Gig Harbor backfield.

“That’s how I play, with tenacity and violence,” Epstein said. “I feel like our defense was just vicious. (Gig Harbor) played other teams and held up with them. So that’s just the Peninsula defense that just breaks offenses down.”

McDonnell threw his second touchdown pass of the night to Logan Johnson from 7 yards out in the fourth quarter. Xavier Jones added a 5-yard touchdown run with less than three minutes remaining to close out the scoring.

McDonnell said playing the rivalry game in the third week of the season, rather than opening the season with it, gave Peninsula more time to prepare.

“The seniors realized it’s our last Fish Bowl,” McDonnell said. “And the younger guys stepped it up this week at practice, helped us out with that, and we couldn’t do it without the whole team.”

Mauro was glad to pick up the first win of the season, but was quick to give praise to his team’s readiness.

“It’s pretty dang cool, I’m not going to lie,” Mauro said. “For these guys, the biggest thing for me was they cared about themselves. They basically said, ‘Put a sheet over the scoreboard,’ and they deeply cared about what product we are putting on the field, and our process.”

Peninsula returns to Roy Anderson Field, hosting Capital Oct. 2. 

See related coverage: "Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over 2023 Fish Bowl Injury.," September 2026.