O’Dea Dominates Undefeated West Seattle on Senior Night

SEATTLE – What was supposed to be a regular week of football turned into something special when the O’Dea Fighting Irish and the West Seattle Wildcats faced off in a last-minute matchup Thursday night. Both teams had their original games canceled, so they agreed to play for Senior Night — creating an exciting and emotional evening for players, families, and fans. 

The Wildcats started the game with big passes from junior quarterback Desmond Parkinson. They moved the ball efficiently with completions to Grady Scheff, Aidan Croppi, and LJ Moody, but after two incomplete throws, the drive ended with a missed 20-yard field goal that kept the score 0–0. 

The Irish answered with a strong running game led by Uriah Stringfield, Peyton Egan, and Max Speller. However, a fumble stopped their early momentum and gave the ball back to the Wildcats. 

After a scoreless first quarter, the Irish found their rhythm. J. Shaun Wilson opened the scoring with a 13-yard touchdown run to give O’Dea a 7–0 lead. Soon after, Stringfield scored another touchdown to make it 14–0. One of the biggest plays of the night came when Ray Clark III picked up a blocked field goal and ran 71 yards for a touchdown, shifting all the energy to the Irish. Moments later, Speller scored on a short 2-yard run to push the lead to 21–0.  

The Wildcats fought back when Parkinson threw two touchdown passes to Justice Nguyen, cutting the lead to 28–14 by halftime. 

After the break, the Irish took full control. Stringfield, Wilson, and Timo Sousou each scored rushing touchdowns, and William Bian added one later in the game to make the final score 56–14.  

Irish senior Chris Laylo said Senior Night was a moment he will never forget. 

“Senior Night was an amazing experience with all of our players hyping each other up. The game was a little rocky at first, but the boys started working hard and got us fired up for the second half,” Laylo said. 

Both teams finished the regular season with 8–1 records, but the Irish remained undefeated in Metro League play, earning them the Metro League title. They will enter the playoffs with confidence and momentum.