O’Dea Fighting Irish Football Season Preview

By Jaxon Foy, Ali Mohamed, Colin Peters

SEATTLE – O’Dea is coming off of a dominant 13-1 season and won the state title, but a new season looms in the future.

The Fighting Irish have gone 26-1 in the last two seasons, with their only loss coming against Graham Kapowsin 40-38 in the first game of last year.

Key Players

Junior RB J’Shaun Wilson, senior DE Keelan Thomas, and senior DT Tevita Nonu highlight the returning players for the Irish.

Losses

On the other hand, O’Dea lost 3-star WR Guilio Banchero, 3-star DL David Schwerzel, 3-star OL Kingston Fotulii, starting QB Hutton Leverett.

Key Additions

These losses will be replaced by new faces, such as sophomore WR Kaydon Tatum and sophomore QB Allias Moimoi, who have already made connections in the endzone.

Strengths

A huge strength for the Irish would be the running game, with Wilson and junior Jaxon Turner. Their defense stays dominant, with Thomas and Nonu as the anchors.

Weakness

One weakness could be the DB play, because in the first game against Roosevelt they gave up 14 points in the first quarter and eventually 28 at the end of the game. Junior CB Satoray Roberson said, "There's room to grow," addressing the subpar DB play.

Key Matchups

Even though they are ranked 2nd in 3A and 5th in Washington state, they could very easily drop down with games at home versus Rainier Beach on September 25, who are ranked 6th in 3A, and against Eastside Catholic on October 16th, who are 3rd in 3A.

Statistics

The Fighting Irish are trying to replicate their success after averaging 38 points per game last season. The Irish are once again a state title contender, and compared to last year, they have a very accommodating schedule.

Record Prediction

With that being said, the Fighting Irish are going 13-0 next season and coming home with their 3rd straight state title.