By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Last night, O’Dea High School’s Head Coach Monte Kohler became the winningest coach in state history, as the Fighting Irish defeated the Rainier Beach Vikings 31-16 in a highly anticipated early season Metro League showdown.
Rainier Beach received the opening kickoff, and quarterback Esquire Williams quickly got to work pushing the ball downfield before penalties force the Vikings to punt. O’Dea would quickly gain momentum as running back Uriah Stringfield ran for 17 yards, to set up a 10-yard touchdown run by Allias Moimoi, as the Fighting Irish took an early 7-0 lead after a successful point after attempt.
On their next series, O’Dea sophomore J’Shaun Wilson ran for a total of 44 yards during the first two plays of the drive, giving the Fighting Irish a first down at the Rainier Beah 29-yard line. Owen Brustkern would finish the drive with a touchdown run, as O’Dea stretched their lead to 14-0 midway through the first quarter.
Rainier Beach tried to answer on the ensuing kickoff, as SirJewel Glover sprinted the length of the field on the return, only to see the play erased by a penalty. But the play provided a much-needed spark for the Vikings. Ze Watkins responded with a 37-yard run for the Vikings, and Williams connected with Glover for a 27-yard touchdown pass on 4th down, before adding a 10-yard run for a two-point conversion, as the Vikings cut the deficit to 14-8.
After the touchdown, the Vikings’ defense started to hold their own as the opening quarter was nearing the end. Rainier Beach’s Khi Fields delivered a big hit on Wilson as he slammed him out of bounds, forcing O’Dea to punt the ball on 4th down. The quarter slowly ended with O’Dea leading 14-8.
The Vikings started with the ball for the second quarter, but after two plays, O’Dea took over and then returned the favor by punting the ball back to Rainier Beach on 4th down after they saw no movement during their quick possession. The possessions were switching back and forth as Rainier Beach returned the favor and punted the ball back to O’Dea after they were unable to connect on plays, and nearly faced an interception from O’Dea’s Prince Witcher.
The second quarter turned into a defensive battle, with both teams trading punts. O’Dea nearly broke it open when Nino Moksivong returned a punt 85 yards for a score, but a holding call wiped it away. Wilson responded with several strong runs, and Ray Clark III broke free for 41 yards to set the Irish up deep in Viking territory, and forced Rainier Beach Head Coach Corey Sampson to call a timeout.
After the timeout, O’Dea’s Micah Lazo, Michael Gregov, and Wilson continued to move the ball down the field, running through the Viking defenders, forcing the Beach Boyz to call another timeout to try to stop O’Dea’s momentum. With 1 minute remaining in the first half, Wilson tried to run through the middle, but was pushed back by Rainier Beach’s Kayvon Jackson for a two-yard loss setting up a 3rd and 12 play from the 9-yard line. Moimoi would pick up four yards before being stopped by Rainier Beach’s Daniel Haynes. O’Dea would complete the drive with a 22-yard field goal as they took a 17-8 lead into halftime.
O’Dea opened the second half with possession of the ball, and methodically worked their way down field. Lazo opened the drive with a 7-yard run before being stopped by Haynes. Moimoi followed with a 3-yard gain, and Lazo added another 3 yards, setting up 2nd-and-7 at the 40-yard line. Wilson would continue to pound away at the Vikings’ defense, and eventually punched in another touchdown for the Irish. Giulio Banchero’s two-point conversion would extend O’Dea’s the lead to 25-8.
Despite a 20-yard kickoff return from Rainier Beach’s Tariq Shabazz, the Vikings quickly turned the ball back over to O’Dea after being forced to punt. O’Dea’s Max Speller would setup an Irish field goal attempt, as he picked up some tough yards running the ball. Unfortunately, O’Dea would miss the field goal attempt and turn the ball back over to the Vikings.
The defensive stand seemed to provide a spark for the Vikings offense. With three minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Rainier Beach offense went to work. Williams had a 14-yard run, followed by a 15-yard run from Tek Mwamba. A penalty against O’Dea gave the Vikings an additional 15 yards, and a pass from Williams to Mwamba gave Rainier Beach the ball at the O’Dea 22-yard line as the quarter ended.
The Vikings would cap off the drive early in the fourth quarter, as Watkins scored on a 7-yard touchdown run, as Rainier Beach cut the lead to 25-16 after a successful two-point conversion by Fields.
However, O’Dea would quickly respond. A 22-yard kick return and a face mask penalty would give the Irish great field position. Wilson would complete the drive, scoring his second touchdown of the night on a 5-yard run, as O’Dea took a 31-6 lead.
Rainier Beach showed late fight, recovering a Wilson fumble and driving to the 26-yard line. But the Irish defense held strong, forcing a turnover on downs before kneeling out the clock and securing Kohler’s record breaking 395th career victory.
After the game, Kohler praised Wilson for his performance in the win, describing it as “unbelievable”, noting that his team proved they can rise to the challenge—even when dealing with adversity such as injuries that sidelined a number of players.
“Good job, great football,” said Kohler of his team after his historic win. “J’Shaun gave a heck of an effort; he stepped in and did a great job. Unbelievable.”
“We had young kids stepping in when our players went down, and that is what competing is all about,” added Kohler. “We played hard, but we didn’t play well at times, so we have to understand that we have to be better. But the guys did a great job. We just have to keep building and following what we do.”
Banchero credited his sideline teammates for maintaining high energy, saying their enthusiasm helped keep him and the rest of the team focused and engaged throughout the game.
“I want to give a shoutout to the O-line, and the guys that stepped in,” said Banchero. “But I really want to give my shout-out to the sideline. First half we were a little down, but by the second half they all picked it up and were amazing and helped keep the offense in the game, and for sure kept the defense in the game.”
