Sports

Youth Football Celebrates Fourth Consecutive Championship Win

The Gagliardi Tides finished their five-year-run with a 39-4 record.

It was an end of an era for one football dynasty in Gig Harbor. The Gagliardi Tides of the Peninsula Youth Football earned their fourth consecutive championship title against Lakewood on Saturday, Nov. 5.

The eighth graders, led by head coach Bret Gagliardi, shut out the Lancers, 22-0, at the Northwest Youth Sports Alliance championship game at the Roy Anderson Field.

"It was a tough, hard-fought game out there," said Tides offensive coordinator Craig Wickstrom. "They hung in there and stuck with their game plan and everything we've worked on for all these months."

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With the athletes' final victory before moving up to football next fall, the Tides sealed their five-year-run with an impressive 39-4 record.

"There was a lot of pressure on them to have been that successful for that many years and to not go out losing your final game," he said. "They stepped up in a big, big way, and took care of business."

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At the end of the game, it was a bittersweet moment for Wickstrom, whose son also played on the team.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to share this moment in your lives," he said as he delivered his emotional speech. "It's been so much fun."

Wickstrom said he'll be walking away from his football coaching duties to focus on the Harbor Fire Girls Lacrosse program.

"I have a huge passion for coaching. My coaching hat for football comes off, and the lacrosse hat goes on. We're looking to take that thing to new heights," he said. "We hope to eventually get to this championship-style play for girls lacrosse."

For Wickstrom and his young athletes, it appears that they both have very bright futures ahead of them


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