Huddle up: Support is alive for high school football

Marques Hunter

of the Gateway

I sure wish we got the same fan support when I played high school football.

It was a fun experience to watch the Gig Harbor Tides football team for the first time. I was impressed by the turnout at Roy Anderson Field on Friday.

As a former high school football player, I can say I never saw the bleachers packed like that. They were more like unpacked.

It didn’t help that we had a losing season. On the other hand, the Tides have built a reputation for being one of the best football teams in the region.

I was an offensive lineman for the Mount Tahoma Thunderbirds. We struggled my senior year, but the program has improved since the new school was built.

The history behind the Tides’ offense has been to run the ball in a modified Wing-T. This year, they are creating a passing game with senior quarterback Chet Thompson leading the way.

I could tell he wasn’t comfortable throwing the ball as many times as he did. It will take some time for him and his team to adjust to this new offense.

But I think with time, they will come together and find a positive rhythm.

Switching from a run-heavy offense to a spread formation definitely has its advantages. The Tides held strong for the first half last Friday against the Olympia Bears, but they couldn’t put enough first downs together to get in the red zone.

The Bears are projected to win the Narrows League. I think it was a good thing the Tides played them now. That way, they’ve seen the best team in the league, and now they know what it will take to be a quality football team.

Regardless of this year’s outcome, I thought it was a cool to see such a huge fan base as the game kicked off.

If the Tides can synchronize their offense, their defense should feed off their success.

Hopefully their offense will improve this week as they host the Bellarmine Lions at 7 p.m.

Reach Sports Editor Marques Hunter at 253-853-9224 or send an e-mail to marques.hunter@gateline.com.