By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
Coming off a 10-2 season, the O’Dea Fighting Irish, led by senior running back Jason Brown, are looking to make a return to the state playoffs and with the ultimate goal of making another appearance in the championship game. Last year, O’Dea’s season ended with a 35-28 double-overtime loss to Eastside Catholic in the state 3A semifinals.
Union High School from Vancouver, Washington, finished third in their district division last season and looked to get a fresh start by winning their season-opener against a disciplined Fighting Irish team.
The Fighting Irish, known for their ability to run the football extremely well, didn’t waste any time introducing Union to their effective rushing attack.
Scoring the game’s first touchdown eight minutes into the first quarter gave O’Dea all the momentum. On their next possession, O’Dea quarterback Antone Araujo ran two ‘quarterback sneaks’ for a combined 35 yards and a touchdown, as the Fighting Irish extended their lead to 12-0 before the end of the first quarter.
Leading 12-0, O’Dea’s defense joined the party as they started the second quarter with an interception return for a touchdown by Denzel Schwerzel. The touchdown was the third consecutive O’Dea score since the two-minute mark of the first quarter.
Defensively, O’Dea won the battle at the line of scrimmage, which helped them get into the backfield and get tackles for losses. In addition, the Fighting Irish secondary was very disruptive as they appeared to make Union’s wide receivers flustered, deflecting passes and forcing dropped passes.
From defense to offense, the momentum was pointed in O’Dea’s favor. Following an 80-yard punt return by Kyan McDonald that was called back on a penalty, the Fighting Irish opened up the playbook during their two-minute drill before halftime.
Jason Brown — a five-star recruit who’s narrowed down his college choices to the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, and Michigan State University — would start the drive off with a 20-yard rush. Araujo found Andrew Tran in the flat for nine yards, and Brown capped things off with a 15-yard touchdown to extend the O’Dea lead to 33-0 before heading into halftime.
O’Dea’s offensive line dominated during the first half, opening up running holes for running backs and helping Araujo remain comfortable in the pocket to maintain the flow of their offense.
With Union looking to make a comeback despite being down by five touchdowns, O’Dea made sure to avoid any miracle comebacks from Union within two plays and 30 seconds of the second half, as Brown put the game out of reach with a 90-yard touchdown run to give O’Dea a commanding 40-0 lead early in the third quarter.
Throughout the duration of the second half, O’Dea’s defensive dominance continued. They continued to make the right reads to not give up big plays, and their ability to hit the quarterback to force inaccurate throws made that possible.
Brown finished the game with 173 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Fighting Irish.
With the win, O’Dea displayed why they’re arguably one of the best teams in the state, as they posted a 40-0 shutout win to start the season. The Fighting Irish will be on the road next week as they’ll face Bishop Blanchet and look to improve to a 2-0 record.
Pictorial Highlights Of O’Dea vs Union
