By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Two undefeated Metro League powerhouses entered Friday night’s highly anticipated showdown with explosive offenses and defenses that had dominated their opponents all season. But when the final whistle sounded, it was O’Dea running back J’Shaun Wilson who had delivered a performance for the ages.
Wilson rushed for 371 yards on 26 carries and scored seven touchdowns as the Fighting Irish defeated Eastside Catholic 59-33 on the Crusaders’ Senior Night, handing Eastside Catholic its first loss of the season.
Both teams entered the game with identical 6-0 records. O’Dea was averaging 45.8 points per game while allowing just 10.3, while Eastside Catholic was scoring 44.3 points per contest and surrendering only 6.3. The matchup promised a battle between two of the Metro League’s most formidable teams, and the game delivered plenty of offensive fireworks as both offenses surpassed what their opponents had typically allowed throughout the season.
Eastside Catholic struck first when Zavier Traxler returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown. The extra-point attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the Crusaders ahead 6-0. O’Dea answered immediately as Wilson broke loose for an 80-yard touchdown run, giving the Fighting Irish a 7-6 lead after the successful extra point.
Eastside Catholic responded with a lengthy drive led by Daniel Jones, Jordan Meas and Tevin Carter. However, the possession was interrupted when Tytan McNeal was injured on a pass play. An ambulance responded, and the game was delayed approximately 25 minutes before play resumed.
The Crusaders continued moving the ball after the delay, with Jones picking up important yardage on the ground and Meas contributing both rushing and passing gains. Carter eventually finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Eastside Catholic’s two-point conversion attempt failed, but the Crusaders regained the lead, 12-7, with 6:10 remaining in the first quarter.
O’Dea quickly regained control behind Wilson and its powerful rushing attack. After Wilson gained 15 yards, Julez Duckett broke free for a 48-yard run that moved the Fighting Irish deep into Eastside Catholic territory. Wilson followed with an 18-yard touchdown run, and the extra point gave O’Dea a 14-12 lead with 4:46 remaining.
The Fighting Irish defense then came through with another momentum-changing play when Ray Clark III intercepted a pass from Meas, giving O’Dea the ball at the Crusaders’ 31-yard line.
Wilson immediately gained 16 yards, and Allias Moimoi added a 7-yard run before Wilson powered his way into the end zone from six yards out. The successful extra point extended O’Dea’s lead to 21-12 with 2:40 remaining in the quarter.
Eastside Catholic struggled on its next possession, and a safety added two more points for the Fighting Irish. O’Dea then moved downfield behind a 35-yard completion from Moimoi to Kaydon Tatum before the quarter ended with the Fighting Irish leading 23-12.
O’Dea continued its offensive momentum early in the second quarter. Moimoi picked up 11 yards on the ground before Wilson scored his fourth touchdown of the night on a 5-yard run. The extra point extended the Fighting Irish lead to 30-12 with 10:37 remaining in the half.
Eastside Catholic responded almost immediately with another explosive special-teams play from Traxler, who returned a punt 90 yards for his second touchdown of the game. Meas connected with Caden Weber for the two-point conversion, cutting O’Dea’s lead to 30-20.
Traxler’s two punt-return touchdowns, covering a combined 185 yards, provided two of Eastside Catholic’s biggest plays of the night and helped keep the Crusaders within striking distance during the first half.
The Fighting Irish answered with another strong rushing drive. Facing fourth-and-5, Nino Moksivong gained five yards to keep the possession alive. Wilson then broke free for a 23-yard run before scoring on an 8-yard touchdown run. Wilson added the two-point conversion, extending O’Dea’s advantage to 38-20 with 6:13 remaining.
But Eastside Catholic continued to battle.
After Meas and Jones helped move the Crusaders downfield, Traxler broke loose for a 30-yard run. Meas then delivered one of Eastside Catholic’s biggest offensive plays of the night, breaking free for a 44-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving O’Dea ahead 38-26 with 4:23 remaining in the half.
The Fighting Irish were unable to capitalize on their next possession and turned the ball over on downs, giving Eastside Catholic another opportunity before halftime.
Starting near its own goal line, Eastside Catholic put together a promising drive behind Meas and Weber. Meas gained nine yards before Weber added another nine, and Meas followed with a 17-yard run to move the Crusaders to their own 42-yard line.
However, Eastside Catholic was unable to reach the end zone before time expired, sending the teams into halftime with O’Dea leading 38-26.
The Fighting Irish opened the second half with another strong rushing drive, overcoming an early holding penalty before Moimoi broke free for a 25-yard gain and Wilson added 24 yards on the ground.
After moving deeper into Eastside Catholic territory, O’Dea faced fourth-and-2 at the Crusaders’ 15-yard line. Max Speller took the handoff and broke through for a 15-yard touchdown run. The successful extra point extended O’Dea’s lead to 45-26 with 7:12 remaining in the third quarter.
Eastside Catholic answered just 13 seconds later when Weber broke free for a 50-yard touchdown run. The extra point was good, cutting O’Dea’s lead to 45-33 and keeping the Crusaders within striking distance.
Despite trailing by as many as 19 points in the second half, Eastside Catholic continued to challenge O’Dea, cutting the deficit to 12 points and putting pressure on the Fighting Irish.
O’Dea continued moving the ball on its next possession, but penalties prevented the Fighting Irish from extending their lead. Wilson had another touchdown run called back, and additional penalties eventually left O’Dea facing third-and-30. Moimoi gained six yards before the Fighting Irish were forced to punt.
Eastside Catholic attempted to build on its momentum, with Meas connecting with Nepo Fareti-Tuato’o for seven yards and Weber for another short gain. However, the Crusaders were unable to sustain the drive, and O’Dea’s Tevita Nonu recorded a sack to help bring the possession to an end.
Neither team scored again in the third quarter, leaving O’Dea ahead 45-33 entering the fourth.
Eastside Catholic was unable to sustain its opening possession of the final quarter, and O’Dea followed with a short drive of its own before punting the ball back to the Crusaders.
With an opportunity to cut further into the deficit, Eastside Catholic put together another promising drive behind Meas and Weber.
Meas connected with Weber for gains of 13, 12 and 16 yards, helping the Crusaders move deep into O’Dea territory. However, penalties pushed Eastside Catholic backward, and the drive ended with a turnover on downs.
The Fighting Irish took advantage of the opportunity.
Facing third-and-11, Wilson broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run, his sixth of the night. The successful extra point extended O’Dea’s lead to 52-33 with 3:50 remaining.
Eastside Catholic fumbled on its next possession, and O’Dea’s Frederick Parks recovered, giving the Fighting Irish another opportunity to score.
Wilson gained eight yards before Moimoi added a 7-yard run to move O’Dea closer to the end zone. Wilson then capped his remarkable performance with a 15-yard touchdown run, his seventh of the night. The extra point extended the Fighting Irish lead to 59-33 with 2:35 remaining.
Despite the deficit, Eastside Catholic continued fighting until the final whistle.
Jones picked up several rushing gains, including a fourth-down conversion, while Meas connected with Weber for a 14-yard completion. Meas added an 11-yard run before Jones advanced the Crusaders to O’Dea’s 16-yard line.
However, an incomplete pass and the expiration of the clock ended Eastside Catholic’s final possession, sealing O’Dea’s 59-33 victory.
After the game, O’Dea head coach Monte Kohler praised Wilson and the rest of his team for their performance in the highly anticipated matchup.
“Number 4 man (J’Shaun Wilson), what a game. Everyone really did a good job; it was a great battle. They kept their composure. This was the kind of game that we needed. I am just so proud; that was awesome. They did a heck of a job,” said Kohler. “We worked hard and played hard. But we need to clean up. We have to tackle better, and we do have a lot of work to do. We will see Eastside Catholic again. If we learn from this game, we will be really good down the stretch; if not, we will be in trouble.”
Game Stats
O’Dea Fighting Irish
Passing: Allias Moimoi, 2 of 5, 35 yards.
Rushing: J’Shaun Wilson, 26 carries, 371 yards, 7 TDs; Allias Moimoi, 6 carries, 58 yards; Julez Duckett, 1 carry, 48 yards; Max Speller, 5 carries, 25 yards, 1 TD; Kaylen Moore, 3 carries, 19 yards; Nino Moksivong, 1 carry, 5 yards.
Receiving: Kaydon Tatum, 1 reception, 35 yards; Ray Clark III, 1 reception, 0 yards.
Defense: Ray Clark III, 1 interception; Tevita Nonu, 2 sacks; Frederick Parks, 1 fumble recovery; team safety.
Eastside Catholic Crusaders
Passing: Jordan Meas, 9 of 24, 73 yards.
Rushing: Jordan Meas, 8 carries, 118 yards, 1 TD; Caden Weber, 4 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD; Daniel Jones, 12 carries, 78 yards; Zavier Traxler, 1 carry, 30 yards; Tevin Carter, 4 carries, 27 yards, 1 TD.
Receiving: Caden Weber, 6 receptions, 58 yards; Zavier Traxler, 1 reception, 8 yards; Nepo Fareti-Tuato’o, 1 reception, 7 yards.
Defense: Jordan Meas, 1 interception.Special Teams: Zavier Traxler, 2 punt-return touchdowns (95 and 90 yards).
Pictorial Highlights of O’Dea vs Eastside Catholic
Photos/Tyler Artis
