MARCH IS HERE! And you know what that means... March Madness has officially begun! 🏀

But we are not just talking about college basketball brackets (though let's be honest, those are already busted for most of us). We are talking about the madness of spring sports season kicking off, the chaos of trying to be in three places at once, and the excitement of fresh starts, new goals, and athletes ready to prove what they are made of!

Before we dive headfirst into spring, though, we have got some serious celebrating to do. Our winter athletes went out with a BANG—state champions, state placers, playoff runs, and historic performances that will be talked about for years. We are honoring those accomplishments today because they deserve it.

We are also spotlighting Girls Lacrosse as they launch their 2026 season with new coaching, returning all-stars, and college commits leading the charge. And we are talking about something that matters just as much as winning: integrity. What does it mean to compete the right way? What do you do when you see someone cutting corners? And how do we build a culture where doing the right thing is the standard, not the exception?

Buckle up, Playbook Fam. March is going to be wild. Let's get into it!

"The Riptides are off to a strong start to the 2026 season! With a new coaching staff, district program structure, and support, the Riptides are looking to build on their previous season's successes. We have 10 returning varsity starters, each bringing with them off-season successes, a depth of national experience, and fresh motivation to share with the team." -Head Coach Mackenzie Harding

The 2026 captains are headlined by senior all-star goalie Lizzy Kolokathis (GHHS), who has committed to play lacrosse at Benedictine College next year.

Returning team MVP, junior Anya Helgerson (PHS), joins Lizzy as a captain and brings smooth stick skills, poise, and leadership to the middle of the field. After graduation, she is committed to play lacrosse at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Junior Maddie Harding (GHHS) completes the trio of captains as a 3-year varsity starter. She brings enthusiasm, leadership, and standout defensive skills to the team.

The state wrestling tournament at the Tacoma Dome brought intensity, grit, and some serious hardware for our Peninsula School District wrestlers!

Our girls were unstoppable, finishing 3rd in the state as a team with seven state placers. Leading the charge were two champions building legendary careers:

The rest of the Seahawks squad showed incredible toughness:

Our boys wrestlers also made waves:

Every athlete who stepped onto the mat at the Tacoma Dome showed heart, hustle, and determination. They represented their schools, their teammates, and their communities with pride.

State wrestling is not easy. You are competing against the best athletes in Washington, and every match matters. Our wrestlers showed up, competed, and brought home hardware. Huge congratulations to all wrestlers and coaches for an incredible state tournament!

The Gig Harbor High School girls basketball team had an incredible 2025-2026 season, and they made it all the way to state. Their journey ended in a heartbreaking second-round game (43-44) but let's be clear: making it to state is an accomplishment. This team fought hard all season, represented GHHS with pride, and proved they belong on the biggest stage.

Every great team has great leaders, and this year's Tides were led by seniors and captains Jill Mock and Kaliyah Miller.

Jill and Kaliyah brought heart, grit, and support to this team every single day. They set the tone in practice, they led by example in games, and they made everyone around them better. You have set the standard for future Tides basketball players, and you will be so missed next year. Thank you for everything you gave to this program. 🌊💙

Let's also give a huge shoutout to Coach Michele Hackett, who had a phenomenal first season at the helm. First-year coaches don't usually take teams to state. But Coach Michelle did. She guided this squad with skill, passion, and a clear vision for what this program could be, and it showed in how far they went.

Winning Coach of the Year in your first season? Leading your team to state? That's not luck. That's leadership! Congrats, Coach Michelle. We can't wait to see what you build in the years to come.

Hats off to the entire team. We are excited to see what next season brings!

And here is the exciting part: we are hoping to grow this movement even further!

Gig Harbor High School is exploring starting a Spring Unified team, and if anyone at GHHS is interested in being part of this amazing experience, registration is now open on FinalForms!

The more schools joining in, the bigger the impact—and the more students get to experience the power of inclusion firsthand.

Let's do this, Tides! 💙

Questions? Reach out to Blair Suek, GHHS Athletic Director.

Let's talk about something that doesn't always get enough attention in sports: integrity.

Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one's watching. It is telling the truth, even when lying would be easier. It is following the rules, even when breaking them might give you an advantage. It's standing up for what is right, even when it is uncomfortable.

In athletics, integrity is everything. It's the foundation of fair competition, sportsmanship, and trust. Without integrity, sports lose their meaning.

But here is the hard truth: integrity is tested every single day—for athletes, for coaches, for administrators, and for everyone involved in athletics.

So let's talk about it!

Integrity shows up in small moments and big decisions:

✅ An athlete admits they stepped out of bounds, even though the ref didn't see it

✅ A coach reports a violation, even though it means their team gets penalized

✅ An official makes the right call, even when the home crowd is booing

✅ A player tells the truth about an injury, even though they want to keep playing

✅ A teammate speaks up when someone is breaking the rules, even though it's awkward

Integrity isn't flashy. It doesn't always get recognized. But it's what separates athletes and programs that are respected from those that are not.

Here is something worth remembering: You cannot control what other people do. You can only control how you respond.

It is easy to get consumed by things outside your control; bad officiating, unethical behavior from opponents, decisions made by people in positions of authority that don't align with your values. But when you spend all your energy focused on what you can't change, it affects the things you can actually influence.

You can't control whether someone else acts with integrity. But you can control your own actions.

You can't control whether a coach, administrator, or teammate makes the right decision. But you can control whether you do.

The question is not whether the world around you operates with integrity. The question is: Will YOU?

This is where integrity gets tested.

What do you do when you see a teammate cheating?

What do you do when a coach asks you to cut corners?

What do you do when someone in charge is lying or covering something up?

It is easy to stay silent. It is easy to look the way. It is easy to tell yourself, "It's not my problem."

But integrity requires more than that.

It is not always easy. But doing the right thing rarely is.

There is a difference between quitting when things get hard and refusing to participate in something wrong.

Quitting because you are tired, frustrated, or losing? That is not acceptable. Athletics teaches resilience, and resilience means finishing what you started even when it's difficult! But refusing to go along with something unethical, unsafe, or dishonest? That's not quitting. That's integrity.

There are proper channels for addressing problems—filing complaints, advocating for change, working within systems to make things better. The key is learning the difference. And that takes maturity, wisdom, and courage!

Here's the bottom line: integrity is a choice.

And it is a choice we are all making every single day; not just athletes, but coaches, administrators, parents, and everyone involved in PSD athletics.

We can't control whether other people act with integrity. But we can control our own actions.

We can choose to tell the truth.

We can choose to follow the rules.

We can choose to speak up when something' is wrong.

We can choose to do the right thing, even when no one's watching.

And when we make that choice, over and over again, we build trust. We build credibility. We build a culture where people know they can count on us to do what's right.

But here is what really matters: The integrity we model and teach in athletics doesn't stay on the field or court. It follows our students into their futures.

Someday, these student-athletes will have bosses who ask them to cut corners. They may be in workplaces where others are lying or covering things up. They may be in situations where doing the wrong thing seems easier, safer, or more profitable than doing the right thing.

And in those moments, the choice they make will be shaped by what they learned from us—from the coaches who modeled integrity, from the administrators who held people accountable, from the parents who taught them to stand their ground, and from the community that celebrated doing the right thing.

Don't cave on your ethics just because someone else does. Don't sacrifice your integrity just because others around you have. The lessons we are teaching right now—about honesty, accountability, and doing the right thing—will shape the rest of these students' lives.

And those lessons don't just come from what we say. They come from what we do.

To Athletes: Pay attention to the adults around you. Watch how they handle tough situations. Learn from the ones who act with integrity, and remember what it looks like when someone does not You have more power than you think to shape the culture around you, so use it!

To Coaches: Your athletes are watching everything you do. How you handle adversity. How you respond to officials. Whether you prioritize winning over doing what is right. You are not just teaching sports, you are teaching life lessons. Make sure you are leading them somewhere worth going.

To Parents: Your children are watching how you respond when calls don't go your way, when coaches make decisions you disagree with, and when things don't go the way you hoped. Model the integrity you want them to carry into adulthood!

To Everyone in PSD Athletics: You set the tone for the entire program. When you hold people accountable, when you tell the truth even when it is uncomfortable, and when you refuse to cut corners, you are teaching everyone in your program what integrity looks like in action. Small issues left unaddressed always become bigger problems later. Handle them now.

Let's build a culture where integrity isn't optional, it is the standard!

⚾ PHS Baseball Varsity

🥍 Girls Lacrosse - FIRST HOME GAME OF THE SEASON!

Spring sports are in full swing! Get out to the fields, courts, and tracks and support our athletes!

Schedules are subject to change due to weather, facility availability, or other unforeseen circumstances. Check with your coaches, athletic director, or school for updates!

We want to hear from you! If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback about the Playbook or PSD athletics, please reach out to us at athletics@psd401.net

Your input helps us make our programs and communications even better!