Irish Football Season Preview

By James Mitchell, John Pokorny, Nathan Booth, Kyle Granlund 

2024 Recap 

SEATTLE - The O’Dea Fighting Irish had about as successful of a season as they could’ve had last year. The team went undefeated and went on to win the 3A State Championship. The team had many big games, including a big season opening win over Graham-Kapowsin, and shutting out Eastside Catholic at their own field. 

They went on to playoffs, continuing their win streak, by beating teams such as Mercer Island, and Eastside Catholic again (thanks to a walk off touchdown by Lio Banchero). The team went on to Husky Stadium to play the defending state champions Bellevue High School. They beat the Wolverines 38-15, capturing their 5th state championship. The game also gave Coach Kohler 394 wins, a share of the most winning coach in Washington; tied with Tumwater great Sid Otton for the record. After taking home some hardware and a banner, their team is excited to get back on the field and start the season off strong, with another season opener against Graham-Kapowsin. 

Senior Griffen Matzen

Changes 

O’Dea said goodbye to a strong senior class, creating opportunities for young players to move up the depth chart. 

“... We're younger, in important positions,” said Griffin Matzen, starting left guard. “We have a lot of first-time guys starting in the secondary. Our quick tackle, Kyler [Harden], he’s just unproven. He’s going to be good, he has all the tools to be great.” 

The defensive unit underwent major reconstruction. New safeties, cornerbacks, and linebackers are stepping in. Junior Eli Cabrera and senior Even Prokop are replacing King Allah and Joe Fuavai at linebacker. At safety junior, Freddy Parks is making his debut alongside senior Owen Brustkern, replacing graduates Rasaan Thomas and Davian Sherlock. Matzen compared the current uncertainty to another position change: “David [Schwerzel] playing tight end for the first time. We don’t really know what he’s going to do. I mean, he’s going to do great, but… it’s just a lot of gray area.” With so many new faces, this season could be defined by how quickly the younger players adapt. 

Leadership 

Expectations also come with a need for leadership. Though the Irish have lots of it. Matzen says, “We have great leaders this year. Kingston Fotualii was a captain last year and will continue that role, we have Hutton Leverett the quarterback who is a natural leader on offense, and we’ve got so many more.” The team is ripe with leadership and a lot of that comes from the former leaders above the now juniors and seniors. Matzen says “that formers players like Dylan Cohen class of 2023 and Kai Holec class of ‘24 helped mentor him when he was a freshman and sophomore.” Because Cohen took him under his wing in his freshman year and Holec continued that mentoring in his sophomore year he is now able to put that experience into effect and help the younger guys on the team and mold them into great leaders. This will lift the team to higher standards and help create great things for the team this year. 

Challenges 

However, there are some downsides or challenges to the team may fast going into the 25-26 season. Besides the defensive line, O'Dea's defense is full on new spots. Senior wide receiver Banchero is playing as cornerback, along with some younger faces as well in the cornerback position. The team also will have the setback of dealing with the pressure of being defending state champs. Matzen addressed the outside competition saying that “they've been talking the whole offseason… (we) gonna shut them up.” O’Dea now has an even bigger target on their back. Another new/possible downside is the number of players now playing both ways. Jeremiah Nonu and Schwerzel along with others are playing both ways starting this year. Schwerzel at defensive end and tight end, a new position for him. The team will have the challenge of a younger defense and the pressure to win again.  

Schedule

The 2025 O’Dea Fighting Irish football season kicks off on September 5 with a tough road game against Graham-Kapowsin, led by sophomore quarterback A.J. Tuivaiave, already making headlines for his arm strength and poise. After that, O’Dea travels to face Rainier Beach and then Seattle Prep before clashing with Eastside Catholic on September 26. The Crusaders boast senior linebacker Wassie Lugolobi, a Stanford University commit and one of the state’s top defenders, making this one of the most physical games of the year. October brings more challenges, starting with Garfield at home on the 10th, followed by trips to Bishop Blanchet and Ballard. The Fighting Irish close the regular season at home against Roosevelt on October 24, a matchup that could decide playoff positioning. With a schedule packed full of rivalry energy and top-tier opponents, O’Dea will need to stay sharp from Week 1 through the finale.