Trenches Win Championships: The Hidden Dominance of O’Dea’s Offensive & Defensive Lines

By Save Lotawa and Ivan Quispe

SEATTLE-When people talk about high school football, they love to focus on touchdowns, interceptions, and highlight-reel plays. At O’Dea, though, the true foundation of the team lies in the trenches. Here, offensive and defensive lines decide the outcome long before the ball reaches a skill player. For the Irish, winning demands discipline, communication, and physicality—traits embodied by linemen who rarely get the spotlight but impact every snap. 

Transitioning from the team-first identity to the individual roles, center Griffin Matzen exemplifies how O’Dea’s run-heavy offense is set in motion before each snap.

“As the center, I have to make sure everyone is on the same page,” Matzen said.

Identifying the defensive front, calling double-team assignments, and communicating assignments ensure the run game has a chance to succeed. When that pre-snap work isn’t clean, the entire play breaks down. But when it is—O’Dea’s offense becomes nearly unstoppable. 

Matzen sees intelligence and physicality as equally critical on the offensive line. While controlling the line takes toughness, avoiding mental mistakes sets great units apart. Against speed rushers, he focuses on footwork; against power linemen, leverage takes over.

"Great footwork is always important," Matzen said, "but leverage wins against the bigger guys." 

He recalled a defining moment this season: the final drive against Eastside Catholic. With only two starters left, the line still executed and sealed the game.

“It always comes down to the trenches,” he said.

Film study underpins those moments, shaping technique and adjustments before and during games. For Matzen, being an O-lineman means setting the tone while doing the “dirty work” that rarely gets recognition. When the line is clicking, the scoreboard always reflects it. 

Just as the offense relies on unheralded contributions, the defense’s success starts with players like senior defensive end Fa Siale, who takes pride in the unseen impact of his job. His work often begins and ends with disrupting blocking schemes, eating double-teams, and holding gaps so linebackers can make the highlight plays.

“I do a lot of dirty work that doesn’t show up,” Siale said. “It lets my teammates make big plays.” 

Siale's hand swipe—knocking an O-lineman’s hands away—became his signature move this season. Film study allows him to anticipate plays, giving him an edge in key moments, such as forcing a turnover that shifted the game's momentum. 

Gap discipline is the backbone of O’Dea’s defense, especially when facing physical, run-heavy teams. Each player must trust their role, stay disciplined, and avoid over-pursuing. To communicate, players rely on quick calls, taps, and hand signals. This coordination keeps the unit synced and ready for shifts and blocking changes mid-play. 

Returning to the offensive side, Senior center Cyrus Batingan, another anchor of the front, knows that the smallest fundamentals often carry the biggest weight.

“Hand placement is one responsibility fans never realize,” Batigan said.

A few inches off can draw a costly holding call, making precision essential. In O’Dea’s offense, creating running lanes requires low pad level and constant foot drive. Daily chute work keeps the line low, and competitive drills like dogfights sharpen both toughness and technique. 

He highlighted the Graham-Kapowsin game as being at its best when the line operated, even in defeat.

"We were all on the same page," Batingan said.

Chemistry results from months of reps, while playoff defenses pose the stiffest challenge by focusing intently on O’Dea’s run game. 

Film study ties everything together. He focuses on defensive fronts, blitz packages, and each matchup's tendencies. Takeaway: film study enables the line to anticipate and adjust, keeping O’Dea’s offense efficient. 

All these elements combine to define O’Dea football: in a program built on toughness, discipline, and unity. The trenches are where championships are truly won. The linemen may not show up on stat sheets—but they show up on every single snap, shaping the game from the inside out.