Reported by Juwuan Buchanan, The Seattle Medium
The O’Dea Fighting Irish continued their strong push through Metro League play Friday night with a commanding 37–0 win over the Garfield Bulldogs at West Seattle Stadium. O’Dea entered the matchup 4–1 overall and undefeated in league play, while Garfield, a young and rebuilding squad, came in still searching for its first win of the season. From the opening kickoff to the final whistle, the Irish imposed their will with a balanced and efficient offensive attack, backed by a swarming defense that never gave the Bulldogs room to breathe.
O’Dea wasted little time establishing its dominance. After a Garfield three-and-out, quarterback Hutton Leverett connected with Siosaia Malietufa for a short gain, and Max Speller added a first-down run. Then, on a second-and-short play, Uriah Stringfield broke free from 39 yards out for the game’s opening touchdown, putting the Irish on the board early, as O’Dea took a 7-0 lead.
Garfield’s next possession showed promise, with quarterback Michael Wayman completing passes to Nas Souleyman and a third-down strike to Gabe Burns to keep the drive alive. But momentum shifted abruptly when Burns fumbled deep in Bulldog territory and Giulio Banchero recovered the ball for O’Dea. A few plays later, J’Shaun Wilson took a handoff and powered in for a 9-yard touchdown run, giving O’Dea a 13–0 lead before the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Irish continued to mix in fresh legs and new looks on offense with no drop in production. Allias Moimoi delivered a pair of strong runs, capped by a 7-yard score, extending the lead to 20–0. Then came one of the night’s highlight moments: Leverett dropped back and hit Banchero in stride on a 24-yard touchdown pass. The extra point pushed the lead to 27–0.
Even with limited offensive snaps, O’Dea maintained its explosive edge. On their next drive, Owen Brustkern got loose for a 78-yard touchdown dash—O’Dea’s fourth rushing touchdown of the half—and gave the Irish a commanding 34–0 lead heading into the break.
Garfield, to its credit, continued to battle in the second half. The Bulldogs found some rhythm behind Wayman, who hit Souleyman for a 24-yard gain, and Sederick Owens added a pair of tough runs. But every time Garfield threatened, the Irish defense tightened its grip. Whether it was gang-tackling in the backfield or breaking up passes downfield, O’Dea’s defenders made sure no drive lasted long enough to change the tone of the game.
As the fourth quarter opened, O’Dea slowed the tempo but didn’t ease up entirely. Running backs Jayden Magee, Elijah Joshua Gines, and Joseph Benavides-Gutierrez helped churn out long, clock-consuming drives. Benavides-Gutierrez broke off a 35-yard run to move the Irish inside the red zone, and though the Bulldogs held strong to prevent another touchdown, O’Dea added a field goal to make it 37–0.
The game was a display of depth, discipline, and execution for O’Dea. Ten different players recorded rushing attempts, and five players had at least one reception. Two quarterbacks combined to complete all four of their pass attempts, a testament to the efficiency and control the Irish had throughout the contest.
For Garfield, there were some flashes of potential—Souleyman made several key catches and Burns showed resilience on both sides of the ball—but the young Bulldogs struggled to move the chains consistently and couldn’t overcome turnovers and negative plays in critical moments.
Still, despite being outmanned, the Bulldogs continued to compete on every snap. Their special teams handled kickoff returns cleanly, and the offense protected the football better in the second half. While the scoreboard was lopsided, Garfield showed effort and composure in the face of a powerful opponent.
O’Dea improves to 5–1 overall and remains unbeaten in Metro League play at 5–0. With a deep backfield, steady quarterback play, and a fast, physical defense, the Irish look every bit like a top contender as they head into the final stretch of the regular season. Garfield drops to 0–5 and 0–4 in league play but will continue its search for growth and development as the season progresses.
Player Statistics
Garfield (Offense):
- Michael Wayman: 4/4 passing, 62 yards
- Gabe Burns: 7 carries, 5 yards; 1 reception, 18 yards
- Nas Souleyman: 3 receptions, 44 yards
O’Dea (Offense):
- Nino Moksivong: 1 carry, 17 yards
- Giulio Banchero: 2 receptions, 32 yards, 1 TD; 1 fumble recovery
- Allias Moimoi: 2 carries, 19 yards, 1 TD
- J’Shaun Wilson: 2 carries, 39 yards, 1 TD
- Uriah Stringfield: 1 carry, 39 yards, 1 TD
- Owen Brustkern: 1 carry, 78 yards, 1 TD
- Jayden Magee: 3 carries, 20 yards
- Siosaia Malietufa: 2 receptions, 13 yards
- Hutton Leverett: 3/3 passing, 36 yards, 1 TD
- William Bain: 1/1 passing, 9 yards
- Elijah Joshua Gines: 4 carries, 12 yards
- Joe Vinson: 3 carries, 20 yards, 1 TD
- Joseph Benavides-Gutierrez: 2 carries, 37 yards
- Max Speller: 1 carry, 7 yards
O’Dea (Defense):
- Fumble Recovery: Giulio Banchero
