Three weeks into the season, hometown supporters finally saw what Gig Harbor football is about.

The Peninsula boys tennis has big shoes to fill after losing Lance Wilhelm, last year’s Class 3A state singles champion, to graduation.

Turnovers usually come back to bite you.

After I watched the Peninsula High School football team two weeks ago, I was excited to watch Gig Harbor play on their home turf against rival South Kitsap at Roy Anderson Field.

Both teams were hungry for their first win of the season. And there isn’t a better match in which to get that victory than the crosstown rivalry between the Gig Harbor and Peninsula high school girls soccer teams.

Narrows League standings through Friday

The Peninsula High School girls soccer team is excited for its second season in the Class 3A South Puget Sound League.

The Gig Harbor Tides girls soccer team was never out of a match last year, including at the district tournament, when one goal kept the Tides from advancing to the Class 4A state bracket.

If there were a tide rolling in, the Gig Harbor High School volleyball team would be the sharks.

If there’s one Peninsula Seahawks team that felt the effects of the Class 3A South Puget Sound League last year, it was the volleyball squad.

The concern for Peninsula High School football team’s size has been put to sleep — at least for now.

Speed and conditioning many times trumps strength and size in high school football. Such was the case when the Peninsula Seahawks faced the Sumner Spartans last Friday in Peninsula’s season opener at Roy Anderson Field.

Gig Harbor Tides cross country head coach Patty Ley is all about preparing her athletes in one form or another.

Peninsula High School cross country head coach Joel Wingard said the Seahawks’ boys and girls will be much improved this fall.

The Peninsula Athletic Association Fall Youth Volleyball Clinic will be held for eight weeks from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays at the Gig Harbor High School gym starting Sept. 16.

For Luke Erickson, golfing isn’t just a sport. It’s a way of life. The 16-year-old Peninsula High School sophomore is excited to play for the Seahawks this year, mainly because it will be his first opportunity to play for a high school team. Until this year, he’s been home schooled.

The Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Racing Team had its best performance in its history last month at the USA Canoe/Kayak National Championships on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Ga.

This is my favorite time of year for sports. I just finished my fantasy football draft, where I’ve won back-to-back championships. My adrenaline really starts to flow with the start of football and a fresh season of high school sports.

The Baseball Pitchers School has expanded and moved to the new West Hills Performance Baseball Center, located at 4940 Auto Center Blvd. in Bremerton.

The Peninsula High School football team has been chanting “Sumner” during its huddles already this fall.

VIDEO: Seahawks gear up for 2009 season.

Gig Harbor Tides head coach Darren McKay and the rest his coaching staff have their hands full.

Kate Stuart may have felt ready for her freshman year at Westmont College. But there’s no way she could have been prepared for what was to come.

Audra Boltin of Olalla is a strong woman. At 28, she can out-bench most grown men with a maximum press of 245 pounds.

Middle school sports just got more competitive. The Peninsula School District Board of Directors passed the 2009-10 budget last week, and the 5-0 decision included a 50 percent cut from the middle school athletics program, from $250,000 to $125,000.

I’m having a difficult time swallowing the idea of more kids being turned away at the middle school level who want to play sports.

A Seattle Sounders FC player made a guest appearance last week at Goodman Middle School during one of the Major League Soccer team’s youth camps.

Bruce Blake, a national level gymnastics coach, has joined the award-winning coaching staff at the North American Sports Academy in Gig Harbor.

The second annual Family Fun Fest will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 29 at Sehmel Homestead Park in north Rosedale.

Narrows Baseball Club Head Coach Jon Fuller’s motto is simple: Get players noticed on college scouting radar. This year, Pacific Northwest college scouts turned their heads a little more toward the 18-and-under select baseball team based in Gig Harbor.

The Narrows Baseball Club achieves what most programs aren’t able to do. It brings area talent, who may otherwise dislike each other, onto one team.

At last year’s Class 3A Mat Classic state wrestling tournament at the Tacoma Dome, four Peninsula High School wrestlers were pinned in the first round.

A small group of youths received a European lesson on how to play soccer on the Key Peninsula.

The Gig Harbor Baseball and Sports Academy is accepting registrations for fall ball.

For many of the area’s youth, it’s time to throw on the shoulder pads and helmet, because football in Gig Harbor is right around the corner.

The Key Peninsula Park District recently acquired its biggest piece of property. About 360 acres of land was transferred to Key Pen Parks from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources on July 1. Along with it was a 58-acre parcel on the east end of the Key Peninsula, also former property of DNR.

I called the Gagliardi house last week to speak to the catcher of the Gig Harbor American Little League 9-10-year-old team. When his mother Kathy picked up, she said he was out riding his bike around the neighborhood.

The Nemesis girls 16-and-under fastpitch team placed second in the United States Specialty Sports Association state championships last month in Kent and Federal Way.

The Peninsula Baseball Club will hold open tryouts for the 2010 season from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 11 at Gig Harbor High School and from 9 to 11 a.m. Aug. 15 at Peninsula High School.

Max Larkin felt confused when he discovered his father was diagnosed with Young Onset Alzheimers at age 56. He and his girlfriend, Emily Boardway — both 2002 Gig Harbor High School graduates — had just finished college at the University of Washington.

The Gig Harbor American 9-10-year-olds are pioneers in Little League baseball.

Scott Valley is an interested parent of the Peninsula High School wrestling program. His son, Ryan, is going to be a freshman this fall.

Max Larkin and Emily Boardway’s story is extraordinary. They plan to bike more than 5,000 miles across multiple states.

The Gig Harbor American 9-10-year-old Little League all-star team is on a roll.

Summer is heating up, and so is participation at the lone sand volleyball court in Gig Harbor.

There are many ways to get your adrenaline pumping. One of the most intense experiences I got to enjoy this past weekend was paintballing on the Key Peninsula.