By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Last night, the O’Dea Fighting Irish took on the Ferndale Golden Eagles in the round of 16 in the 3A State Playoffs to determine who will make it through to next week.
Ferndale opened the game with the ball on their own 27-yard line. Elliot Lenssen pushed ahead for 8 yards, and Brock Heuck added a short gain, but the drive ended near midfield. The Eagles then punted on 4th down, handing O’Dea their first possession of the night.
After taking possession of the ball, O’Dea wasted no time pushing the ball downfield. Quarterback Hutton Leverett threw a deep pass connecting with Giulio Banchero for a 58-yard gain. One play later, J Shaun Wilson took it into the endzone from 12 yards out, giving the Fighting Irish their first points of the night. The extra point made it 7-0 O’Dea with 7:18 in the opening quarter.
After starting off on the wrong foot, Ferndale tried to respond. Nolan Boleak connected with Cooper Vincent for a 9-yard gain, but penalties and incompletions forced another punt. O’Dea again wasted no time capitalizing, as Leverett found Ray Clark III on an 8-yard pass, then Max Speller chipped in 10 yards. With 3:54 remaining in the opening quarter, Leverett connected again with Clark for a 57-yard touchdown, pushing O’Dea’s lead to 14-0.
From there on out, O’Dea took complete control of the game. After a few short gains, Lenssen fumbled, and Clark III recovered the fumble for the Fighting Irish. On the very next series, O’Dea’s Peyton Egan blasted through the defense for a 57-yard touchdown, stretching O’Dea’s lead to 21-0 with just over a minute to go.
Ferndale’s final possession of the quarter yet again ended quickly, and O’Dea ended the first quarter leading 21-0.
The second quarter was just as frustrating for Ferndale as the first quarter. Another punt gave O’Dea the ball, which led to a 25-yard touchdown run by Wilson, extending O’Dea’s lead to 28-0 with 11:07 left in the second quarter.
Luckily, Ferndale showed some signs of life on the field during their next possession when Boleak found Cole Larson for 17 yards, but on the next play, Boleak’s pass was picked off by Timo Sousou, who made his way down the field for a 56-yard touchdown. O’Dea now held a comfortable 35-0 lead with 9:39 still remaining.
Ferndale punted yet again during their next series as they were unable to get past midfield, and O’Dea kept dominating on the field. A small gain by Egan set up Allias Moimoi’s 21-yard pass to David Schwerzel, which moved the chains for the Fighting Irish. Then Wilson struck again. First with a 23-yard run, securing a first down, and then finishing with a 31-yard touchdown run, making the score 42-0.
With 3:25 remaining in the first half, J Andre Castillo added a 52-yard touchdown, extending the score to 49-0.
Ferndale tried to gain any type of momentum, putting together their best drive of the half as Lenssen had a 22-yard run and 12-yard run, and Boleak connected with Ryder Abbott for 18 yards, blasting through O’Dea’s defense momentarily. But penalties and two incompletions quickly stopped their momentum, and Boleak’s final attempt was intercepted by O’Dea’s Ethan Caoagdan, and the Fighting Irish went into halftime leading 49-0.
Ferndale kicked to start the second half. O’Dea’s offense, now bringing in their reserve players, was still able to move the ball. Joseph Benavides-Gutierrez gained 10 yards before O’Dea’s first series of the second half ended with their first punt on 4th down of the night.
The running clock was in effect, which added even more pressure on Ferndale to try and get points on the board. However, O’Dea maintained their 49-0 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Ferndale opened the final quarter by punting again, and O’Dea did what they do best, continuing to dominate on the field, utilizing the majority of their roster. The Fighting Irish responded with a big play by Sam Binder, who ran downfield for 46 yards. After a delay of game penalty, Elijah Joshua Gines chipped in eight yards, but the drive ended, giving Ferndale the ball back.
With the clock quickly running out, in the final minutes, Ferndale continued to run for short gains and then punted, which quickly turned the ball back over to O’Dea. With the first victory of the Round of 16 in sight, O’Dea ran out the clock and sealed the 49-0 victory over Ferndale and will advance to the Round of 8 next week in the 3A State Playoffs.
After the game, O’Dea head coach, Monte Kohler praised his team for the win and hard work on the field, but he still believes that his defending state champion team hasn’t played at their fullest potential yet.
“Nice job, great team effort. The defense did a great job,” said Kohler. “We still haven’t played our best. We did better this week, and we will play better next weekend. We can’t get complacent. Next week it is 1-0.”
Player Stats
O’Dea Fighting Irish – Offense:
• J Shaun Wilson – 4 rushes, 91 yards, 3 TDs
• Peyton Egan – 3 rushes, 60 yards, 1 TD
• Timo Sousou – 1 rush, 56 yards, 1 TD
• J Andre Castillo – 1 rush, 52 yards, 1 TD
• Sam Binder – 1 rush, 46 yards
• Jayden Magee – 1 rush, 6 yards
• Elijah Joshua Gines – 1 rush, 8 yards
• Michael Gregov – 1 rush, 1 yard
• Max Speller – 1 rush, 10 yards
• Joseph Benavides-Gutierrez – 1 rush, 10 yards
• Robert Hendrix – 1 rush, 2 yards
• Giulio Banchero – 1 reception, 58 yards
• Ray Clark III – 2 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD
• David Schwerzel – 1 reception, 21 yards
• Hutton Leverett – 3/4 passing, 123 yards, 1 TD
• Allias Moimoi – 1/2 passing, 21 yards
O’Dea Fighting Irish – Defense:
• Timo Sousou – 1 INT
• Ethan Caoagdan – 1 INT
• Ray Clark III – 1 fumble recovery
Ferndale Golden Eagles – Offense:
• Elliot Lenssen – 14 rushes, 71 yards; 1 reception, 12 yards
• Nolan Boleak – 7/16 passing, 62 yards
• Ryder Abbott – 1 reception, 18 yards
• Cooper Vincent – 2 rushes, 15 yards; 2 receptions, 15 yards
• Brock Heuck – 4 rushes, 9 yards
• Dylan Tackett – 1 rush, 2 yards
• Mishael Perez – 1 rush, 3 yards
• Cole Larson – 1 reception, 17 yards
Ferndale Golden Eagles – Defense:
• Nolan Boleak – 2 pass breakups
