By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Last night, the Rainier Beach Vikings and O’Dea Fighting Irish faced off in one of the most highly anticipated Metro League games of the week, with the sidelines swarmed by media for a matchup that drew plenty of attention.
O’Dea’s J’Shaun Wilson literally carried the load for the Fighting Irish, rushing 15 times for 183 yards and four touchdowns to help lead O’Dea to a 50-18 victory over Rainier Beach.
But the final score didn’t tell the entire story. Rainier Beach showed an ability to move the football and repeatedly challenged the Fighting Irish defense, but O’Dea’s combination of a dominant rushing attack, explosive plays and timely defensive stops proved too much for the Vikings to overcome.
Rainier Beach’s opening possession stalled after a loss on first down and back-to-back incomplete passes by quarterback Esquire Williams. The Vikings were forced to punt, and Nino Moksivong provided the game’s first big play, returning the punt 35 yards for a touchdown to give O’Dea a 7-0 lead with 10:57 remaining in the first quarter. Pasted markdown
Despite the early setback, Beach responded with a strong drive of its own.
Williams converted a fourth down with a 12-yard completion to Quis Tovia and later found Tovia again for a 29-yard gain as the Vikings moved deep into O’Dea territory. After the Fighting Irish defense made several stops near the goal line, Micah Ili-Meneese finally broke through with a 9-yard touchdown run, cutting O’Dea’s lead to 7-6. Pasted markdown
But O’Dea didn’t allow Beach to hold onto that momentum for long, answering with a scoring drive of its own.
Wilson and Max Speller went to work on the ground, with Speller breaking loose for 22 yards before Wilson finished the drive with a 19-yard touchdown run to give the Fighting Irish a 14-6 lead with 2:09 remaining in the opening quarter.
With O’Dea back in front by eight, its defense quickly gave the offense another opportunity when the Vikings fumbled on their ensuing possession. Wilson immediately took advantage, breaking loose for a 31-yard run before Speller added eight more yards, putting the Fighting Irish deep in Beach territory as the first quarter expired. Pasted markdown
Wilson finished the drive early in the second quarter, powering through from four yards out for his second touchdown of the night and extending O’Dea’s lead to 21-6 with 11:11 remaining in the half.
Rainier Beach kept putting pressure on the Fighting Irish defense.
Damari Ae Barrington picked up a series of tough runs before Wes Armstrong broke loose for a 20-yard gain, moving the Vikings to the O’Dea 26-yard line. But once again, the Fighting Irish defense stiffened with Beach threatening to score. Williams threw four consecutive incomplete passes, and the Vikings turned the ball over on downs. Pasted markdown
O’Dea eventually found the end zone again when Wilson scored on a 5-yard touchdown run, his third rushing touchdown of the first half, to increase the Fighting Irish lead to 28-6 with 3:43 remaining.
Beach, however, refused to let O’Dea completely take control before halftime.
The Vikings put together one of their best drives of the quarter, with Williams connecting with Pootie Stewart for 11 yards while Beach mixed in runs from Ili-Meneese, Tovia and Barrington. Barrington finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed, but Beach had cut the deficit to 28-12 with 43 seconds remaining. Pasted markdown
O’Dea carried the 28-12 advantage into halftime.
The Fighting Irish came out of the locker room looking to build on their lead, and their offense wasted little time doing so.
Wilson opened the second half with a 13-yard run, and Allias Moimoi added a 22-yard run as O’Dea quickly moved into Beach territory. Wilson later added another 15-yard gain before Moimoi connected with Tevita Nonu for a 7-yard touchdown pass. Wilson converted the two-point attempt, pushing the Fighting Irish lead to 36-12 with 8:40 remaining in the third quarter. Pasted markdown
Beach tried to answer, with Williams finding Ili-Meneese for five yards and Tovia for 13, but the possession stalled and the Vikings were forced to punt.
O’Dea went right back to its ground game. Speller ripped off a 17-yard run, and with the Fighting Irish later facing third-and-19, Wilson powered his way for another 17 yards. The drive carried into the fourth quarter with O’Dea still holding a 36-12 advantage. Pasted markdown
The Fighting Irish didn’t wait long to add to it.
Moimoi connected with Kaydon Tatum for a 13-yard gain before taking off for a 16-yard touchdown run, extending O’Dea’s lead to 43-12 with 11:08 remaining.
Rainier Beach responded with one of its biggest plays of the night when Williams connected with Armstrong for a 40-yard completion, setting the Vikings up inside the O’Dea 20-yard line. Two plays later, Williams found Ili-Meneese for a 19-yard touchdown pass. Beach’s two-point attempt failed, but the Vikings had cut the lead to 43-18. Pasted markdown
Once again, O’Dea answered almost immediately.
Wilson broke loose for a 56-yard touchdown run, his fourth touchdown of the night, and the extra point pushed the Fighting Irish lead to 50-18 with 9:04 remaining.
Rainier Beach continued to battle, but O’Dea’s defense kept the Vikings out of the end zone the rest of the way as the Fighting Irish ran down the clock and secured the 50-18 victory. Pasted markdown
After the game, O’Dea head coach Monte Kohler said the final score didn’t fully reflect how competitive the matchup was and viewed the game as an opportunity for his team to continue improving.
“The game was closer than the score. It was a great game to grow and learn from. We have to clean up and we have to trust them to do that work,” said Kohler. “We need to work hard and we have to get smarter. We will see Rainier Beach again. It was a great win and we will take it. It was fun and we had great effort across the board.”
Game Stats
O’Dea
Passing: Allias Moimoi, 2 completions, 20 yards, 1 TD.
Rushing: J’Shaun Wilson, 15 carries, 183 yards, 4 TDs; Max Speller, 5 carries, 53 yards; Allias Moimoi, 3 carries, 38 yards, 1 TD; Jaxon Turner, 2 carries, 11 yards; Joseph Benavides-Gutierrez, 1 carry, 5 yards.
Receiving: Kaydon Tatum, 1 reception, 13 yards; Tevita Nonu, 1 reception, 7 yards, 1 TD.
Special Teams: Nino Moksivong, 35-yard punt return, 1 TD; J’Shaun Wilson, 1 two-point conversion.
Rainier Beach
Passing: Esquire Williams, 11 completions, 145 yards, 1 TD.
Rushing: Damari Ae Barrington, 8 carries, 44 yards, 1 TD; Quis Tovia, 3 carries, 29 yards; Esquire Williams, 6 carries, 27 yards; Wes Armstrong, 2 carries, 24 yards; Micah Ili-Meneese, 2 carries, 12 yards, 1 TD; Pootie Stewart, 1 carry, 7 yards.
Receiving: Quis Tovia, 5 receptions, 60 yards; Wes Armstrong, 2 receptions, 40 yards; Micah Ili-Meneese, 3 receptions, 34 yards, 1 TD; Pootie Stewart, 1 reception, 11 yards.
Pictorial Highlights of Rainier Beach vs O’Dea
Photos/Tyler Artis
