At 7 o'clock on a crisp fall day, an undefeated O'Dea will clash with a resilient Mount Tahoma team that has nothing to lose. On the other hand, O'Dea has everything to lose, as they are chasing a state championship and anything less will feel like a disappointment.
Mt. Tahoma is coming off an upset over an undefeated 7-seed Decatur team. They are the lowest remaining seed left in the 3a playoffs. They are used to having no expectations as last year it was the first time in 39 years that they had qualified for playoffs.
It would be an easy game for the Irish to overlook knowing they have won the last 8 games by 20+ points while in the back of their mind they know they are inches away from a chance to play their biggest rival it an anticipated rematch.
"It is important that we do not overlook this game against Mt. Tahoma because we have to take it 1 game at a time. If we get too focused on the semifinals we may not get an opportunity for the semi-final game," said junior quarterback Hutton Leverett.
(Photo by Patrick Mahar)
The Irish have everything to lose as they are chasing a state title and will be satisfied with nothing less. The Irish had a dominant win in the first round of the playoffs, knocking off 15 seeded Mercer Island 50-7.
Mt. Tahoma has a couple of stars the Irish will have to take account of as Junior WR/CB Elijah Durr currently has 3 interceptions and 9 receiving touchdowns. He hopes to put a lot of pressure on the Irish receivers and the Irish secondary. While on the ground junior RB Felix Diaz leads the team with 75.2 yards per game.
It is important the Irish will know each of their responsibilities ahead of this game. It is important they are on top of watching film and getting into their playbooks. They are not taking this opponent for granted.
"We prepare for this game like any other. We watch film on our matchups and I make sure I fully prepare for the task at hand. They are nothing short of a good team- talented, physical, and they fear nothing," said Jr WR Giulio Banchero.
(Photo by Patrick Mahar)
O'Dea will face Mt. Tahoma on 11/22 at 7pm at Memorial Stadium. The winner will move on to the 3a state semifinals.
Talan Scott
Irish Sports Network
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