Condon continues breakout season as Tides rout Eastlake Wolves

Coming into the season, there were players Gig Harbor High coach Aaron Chantler expected to have huge years.

Like 2014 Narrows 4A offensive MVP senior wide receiver Noah Samsen. Or Peninsula transfer Kyle Olson-Urbon, a speedy senior with good hands.

But few expected senior Cory Condon to be the team’s most dynamic receiver to this point. Condon, a 6-foot-1 receiver, caught a pass near the visitors’ sideline from quarterback Davis Alexander in the third quarter of Thursday’s game against the seventh-ranked Eastlake Wolves. He had one-on-one coverage, and he made the cornerback pay.

One move to shake the corner and Condon was gone, 45 yards to the end zone for his second touchdown of the day, putting him over 100 yards receiving for the game. The Tides knocked off the seventh-ranked Wolves in a 40-6 blowout.

For Condon, the key to his success has simply been doing his job. When he’s been put into advantageous positions this season, he has seized the opportunity.

“I’m just focusing on the ball,” he said. “My teammates are just believing in me. I’m just not trying to do too much.”

Of course, it helps having guys like Samsen and Olson-Urbon. Teams are so worried about stopping them, it frees up Condon to make plays with single-coverage on him some of the time.

“Everyone is so concerned about those two wideouts, they’re leaving Cory alone with one-on-one coverage,” Chantler said. “(Condon) has played really well. He’s made the most of his opportunities. That’s what we talk a lot about: ‘When you get your chance, what are you going to do with it?’ He’s blown up these first three weeks. We’re really happy with what he’s done.”

The play of the game came right before halftime. Already up 26-0 with less than a minute to go in the first half, The Tides were looking for one more score before the break. So Alexander threw a dart to Samsen. It bounced off his hands, floated into the air and then, a 13-yard touchdown — right into teammate Condon’s hands.

“Just how we drew it up,” Chantler said, with a laugh.

It was that kind of night for Gig Harbor (3-0), which imposed its will on the overmatched Wolves (2-1). It was a statement win for the highly-touted Tides, although Chantler didn’t have any interest in putting that sort of label on the win.

“We came out and executed well,” Chantler said. “We’re not concerned about ‘statement win,’ or not. We’re just concerned about doing our job and executing it to the best of our ability and making sure we’re taking care of our responsibilities. We did that tonight and came out with a big win.”

Condon led the Tides with 102 yards receiving and a pair of touchdowns, including the fluky score before the half.

“Coming in, we thought it’d be a big test, and it was,” Condon said. “We’re happy with our performance, but we definitely have a lot of work to do. We’re trying to make a run.”

Last year, Eastlake beat Gig Harbor on a late touchdown. It was the Tides’ turn to return the favor.

“Losing last year, all offseason, we wanted to go back and fly around against them,” Condon said. “They hit us in the mouth last year.”

The defense was once against dominant for the Tides, nearly pitching a shutout against a top-ten ranked team.

“The defense is really, really fast,” Chantler said. “We’re big up front, which is nice, and the linebacking corps and the secondary, they fly around back there. That QB is a really good runner and he didn’t have a lot of room to run because we did a really good job of staying on his back hip, making sure we kept him in the pocket as much as possible.”

The offense gets a lot of publicity because of the points it puts up, but Chantler said his defense has been just as important.

“The defense has been lights out,” he said. “Find me a better defense in the first three weeks of the season.”

Alexander finished 14 for 30 for 225 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 106 yards and a touchdown rushing. The Tides, favorites to win the Narrows 4A, open league play Friday at Stadium.

This story was originally published September 23, 2015 at 10:15 AM with the headline "Condon continues breakout season as Tides rout Eastlake Wolves."