By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
On Friday, the Fighting Irish of O’Dea looked to remain undefeated and extend their winning streak to three games as they faced the Corey Sampson-led Rainier Beach Vikings. O’Dea, which has hit the ground running, came into the game averaging 45 points per game, and their defense made it very difficult for opposing teams to score.
Rainier Beach, with a very young team this season, had a slow start, entering this matchup with back-to-back losses to Highline High School and Seattle Prep. The Vikings had an opportunity to turn their season around and hand O’Dea their first loss of the season.
O’Dea’s offense, led by arguably the best running back in Washington, Jason Brown Jr., flourished against the Vikings’ defense, especially in their rushing attack. Alongside Brown, senior running back Christian Winn helped carry the load, averaging nearly four to five yards on each carry.
Winn’s ability to move the chains benefited the Fighting Irish’s momentum downfield. Things looked promising for O’Dea as they scored on their opening drive until an unforced fumble occurred, which was recovered by Rainier Beach’s Willie Manning III.
Following the fumble recovery, the Vikings started their offensive series from the 50-yard line, but their drive was cut short as O’Dea’s defense, which almost came away with an interception, forced two penalties and eventually a punt.
Within the first nine minutes of action, the score was tied at zero until Brown broke the ice with a nine-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Fighting Irish a 7-0 lead heading into the second quarter.
Before the first quarter ended, O’Dea’s defense forced another punt, setting their offense up for a three-play drive. Quarterback Antone Araujo found Kyan McDonald for a 50-yard pass completion. Brown would cap the drive off with back-to-back runs totaling 10 yards before running into the endzone for a one-yard touchdown.
After taking a 14-0 lead, the Fighting Irish defense established disciplined dominance against Rainier Beach. O’Dea did not allow the Vikings to gain any momentum, consistently reaching the quarterback, making tackles in the backfield for losses or no gains, forcing a fumble, and causing nothing but punts for Rainier Beach throughout the first half.
O’Dea’s defense quickly and often gave the ball back to their offense, allowing Brown to display his talents.
Brown exploded against the Vikings’ defense, rushing for 20-yard, 30-yard, and 45-yard touchdown runs, finishing the first half with five touchdowns.
Once he received the handoff, Brown couldn’t be tackled, whether he ran right past defenders, broke tackles, or used a juke move; he was practically unstoppable. His elusiveness and speed gave O’Dea a commanding 35-0 lead going into the halftime break.
Leading by 30 or more points at halftime for the second time in three games, the Fighting Irish not only had the lead but complete control of the matchup. This allowed them to rest their starters for the entire second half.
Although their lead was commanding and the starters’ evening was done, O’Dea continued to remain dominant, especially defensively. Forcing punts, not allowing any positive yardage by getting into the backfield for tackles throughout the second half, kept Rainier Beach out of the endzone.
The Fighting Irish’s consistency and discipline on both sides of the ball paid off as they won 42-0 against Rainier Beach, shutting out two of their opponents this season within three games and improving their overall record to 3-0.
Now 0-3, Rainier Beach will have to climb from behind in the standings, facing Ballard on the road next week. As for the Fighting Irish, they remain undefeated as they head into a three-game home stretch, with Seattle Prep as their opponent next week.
Pictorial Highlights of O’Dea vs Rainier Beach
