Peninsula lineman Hyde returns to Seahawks in time for Fish Bowl rout

Last season, Mason Hyde made his season debut late in the season, during the annual Fish Bowl game.

It was an elbow injury that set the Peninsula lineman back, forcing him to miss the first seven games of last season.

Coach Ross Filkins played his star junior for roughly 50% of the snaps that night, and it surely helped — because the Seahawks went on to defeat their crosstown rival Gig Harbor 21-10.

The week after, Filkins played Hyde for 75% of the game’s snaps. Peninsula defeated Capital 45-7.

And the week after that?

“100% from then on,” said Filkins, who coached Peninsula to a 9-3 overall record last fall, including another dominant 47-16 win that night over Seattle Prep.

But re-aggravating the ulnar nerve wasn’t in Hyde’s plans prior to this season which, until now, has kept him on the sidelines.

Yet in back-to-back years, Hyde made it back onto the field for the Fish Bowl game.

Just in time.

In Peninsula’s 42-3 victory over the Tides Friday, the Seahawks locked up the 3A SSC league title, extending their Fish Bowl win streak to four games.

Prior to the victory, Hyde seemed more than ready to be back.

“I’m super excited,” Hyde said. “I’ve never been more ready for a football game.”

If there’s any game to make it back in time for, it’s the Fish Bowl game, Hyde noted, and with a 39 point margin of victory, it only feels that much sweeter.

“There’s nothing better for high school sports. It’s one of the best things ever,” Hyde said. “With how many people are there, you feel like you’re either a college star or NFL player running on the field. Just the energy from everyone. It’s a whole different experience.”

Wherever Hyde played Friday, he made a difference. He caught 2 balls for 34 yards as part of the 42-point firework show put on by the Seahawk offense. When lined up at defensive end, Hyde tackled three and forced a fumble for a Peninsula defense that denied Gig Harbor a single trip to the end zone.

At the defensive end position, which Filkins considers Hyde’s ‘natural’ fit, the senior hopes to garner college attention during his final games as a Seahawk.

In fact, he’s already done just that, regardless of whether he’s on the field.

“I’ve been contacted by three colleges in the last two weeks about him,” Coach Filkins said in August, just days before Hyde underwent surgery. “The potential for the next level is certainly there.”

And while Hyde says he wants to pursue playing in college, he will need to consider his throwing talents in track and field, where he placed second at the state championships last year in discus.

Filkins praised Hyde and his diverse skill sets over the off-season.

“His athletic ability at his size,” Filkins said. “He’s smart and uses good technique. Just the combination of all of those assets makes him a really effective defensive lineman for us.”

So with just one game left on the regular season schedule, how can Hyde help the team win with the postseason right around the corner?

“I feel like I can make an impact with this team,” Hyde said. “I just want to help play eleven-as-one football and help the team be great.”

Despite his defensive dominance, Hyde knows he’s not the only one making a difference for the Seahawks this season.

“The team has a whole has been very dominant,” Hyde said. “We’re doing a great job. Individually, Peyton Bice is doing a stellar job out there for his first year as starting quarterback.”

And to complement Filkins’ ‘win one game a week’ mantra, Hyde referenced another: play together.

“We just have to play as a team for these [final] games. Like coach always says, play eleven-as-one football and play as a team.”

This story was originally published October 30, 2019 at 6:00 AM.