Tides beat Lions, earn second Narrows League victory

Schmidtke throws 3 TDs; Seferian-Jenkins hauls in 100-plus receiving

Marques Hunter

of the Gateway

When the Gig Harbor Tides don’t turn the ball over, they are tough to beat.

The Tides (2-2 Narrows League and overall) had one too many weapons and one too many sacks against the Bellarmine Prep Lions (1-2 league, 2-2 overall) last Friday night and squeaked out a 24-17 victory in Tacoma.

The difference was the Lions’ first and perhaps only mistake of the game. Gig Harbor senior Coleby Jenkins intercepted Bellarmine senior quarterback Rick Miller with 3:08 remaining in the first quarter.

And the Tides capitalized.

Gig Harbor senior quarterback Barrett Schmidtke threw a 49-yard touchdown to junior wide receiver Troy Castle, who caught the ball in stride and outran the Bellarmine Prep secondary for the game’s first score.

On the ensuing possession, Miller regrouped and led the Lions on an eight-play drive, capped by his 1-yard TD plunge to even the game 7-7.

Later in the game, Gig Harbor sophomore kicker Korey Durkee missed a 38-yard field goal, but the Lions were penalized for roughing the kicker.

Penalties played a role in the final outcome.

Two plays later, Schmidtke — who completed 15 passes for 195 yards and three touchdowns — simply threw the ball up for junior wide receiver/tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, whose 6-foot-7 frame was no match for the Lions’ secondary.

Seferian-Jenkins jumped to catch the 10-yard pass in the end zone and gave his team a 14-7 lead.

Schmidtke said not turning the ball over has been a big reason to the Tides’ success in the past two weeks.

“I’ve settled in a lot better,” he said. “I feel like I’ve adjusted (to Class 4A) now.”

But the Lions didn’t surrender. Although Miller was constantly pressured by the Tides’ defense — Gig Harbor sacked him six times — he scored his second rushing touchdown of the game and tied it 17-17 with 11:29 remaining in the game.

Miller completed 18 passes for 201 yards but was relegated to short passes due to the pass rush. The Tides didn’t give up a big play, which had hurt them in previous outings.

Gig Harbor junior defensive lineman Josiah Failauga said they practiced hard all week and came out to play.

“We just came out and grabbed that quarterback,” Failauga said.

Seferian-Jenkins made his presence known again when he scored on a 25-yard touchdown reception with 5:18 left in the game, giving the Tides a 24-17 lead.

Schmidtke said he’s a big target who is easy to throw to.

“Our receivers played great,” Schmidtke said. “Troy (Castle) had some really nice catches.”

Gig Harbor head coach Darren McKay said Friday was the second straight game with no turnovers.

“The defense has not been allowing many yards on the ground,” McKay said. “But they completed a high percentage of passes on us. That’s something we’re going to have to look at.”

Gig Harbor endured a top-heavy schedule against four solid opponents (Olympia, South Kitsap, Central Kitsap and Bellarmine Prep).

The Tides will play crosstown rival Peninsula in the 31st annual Fish Bowl at 7 p.m. Friday at Roy Anderson Field. Both teams are coming into the matchup with two-game winning streaks.

Peninsula crushes Clover Park, 56-7

The Peninsula Seahawks football team improved its Class 3A South Puget Sound League record to 3-1 after they clobbered Clover Park 56-7 at Roy Anderson Field last Friday night. Peninsula scored seven touchdowns in the first half. Seahawks senior quarterback JR Grosshans rushed for four scores and senior running back Darrian Creamer scored three times, including a 55-yard punt return.