Peninsula stuns Gig Harbor with comeback in Fish Bowl, extending rivalry win streak to six

Make that six in a row.

The Peninsula High School football team capped off a remarkable comeback against crosstown rival Gig Harbor in a game where the rain came down in sheets and the field lights turned off right in the middle of play. Peninsula won in overtime, 35-28, to extend its winning streak to six in the rivalry series.

The Tides’ opened the game with an impressive drive in which senior quarterback Will Landram connected several times with senior receiver Parker Born, before tossing an 11-yard touchdown to junior receiver Colin Montgomery.

After stopping the Seahawks’ first drive, the Tides recovered a muffed punt deep into Peninsula territory where junior running back Blaze Herbert punched it in from a yard out. Senior receiver Hudson Cedarland scored a pair of touchdowns in later drives to give the Tides a 28-0 lead heading into halftime.

“At halftime, our guys were shook. We knew that wasn’t our football, we knew we were better than this and we knew we were better than them,” said Seahawks’ senior quarterback Jake Bice. “We came out physical and hyped up. I knew it wasn’t my best game, but I stepped up to take a leader role this game.”

Bice was part of the crucial point that turned the game around for the Seahawks. On their first drive of the second half, Peninsula was facing down a fourth-and-seven from the Gig Harbor 26-yard line.

Flushed to his right and evading a would-be sack, Bice threw the ball down the sideline to junior receiver Payton Knowles. Knowles, who was heavily covered, reached out to deflect the ball and had the presence to turn around and make a circus catch.

That set up the Seahawks’ first touchdown, a two-yard run by senior running back Josh Hinkel.

“We knew we could do it; we knew what team what we could be,” said head coach Ross Filkins. “At halftime, we said ‘forget about the score, we dug ourselves a hole out there.’ If we could win just one play, just one play, that would be the thing.”

After stopping the Tides’ first possession of the second half, Peninsula scored again on a senior Ethan Hogan two-yard touchdown run, his first of three rushing touchdowns.

After trading turnovers, the Tides were deep in Seahawk territory until an errant throw by Landram landed right into the hands of junior defensive back Ethan Fias. Fias took the ball back 86 yards for the score and two offensive possessions later, Hogan tied it at 28.

Once in overtime, Hogan would pound the ball to finish his 95-yard night and put Peninsula up for good 35-28. But what really sealed the deal for the Seahawks was the last play of the game.

With the Tides’ facing a fourth-and-seven at the Seahawk 22-yard line, senior lineman Caleb Novak broke through the offensive line and sacked Landram to seal the game.

“We take halftime as 0-0 every time. Our senior captains really stepped up and really took ownership [of the game],” Novak said. “We refused to lose this game. The seniors wanted to end on top and on a good note. It was crazy, I was hyped up the whole game and tried to step up and keep everyone’s heads up the whole game.”

Bice finished 10-of-22 with 111 yards in the air, and the leading receiver for the Seahawks was Knowles with three receptions and 42 yards.

The next game for the Tides will be an away trip against Central Kitsap at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24 at Central Kitsap High School. The Seahawks will host Timberline at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24 at Roy Anderson Field.