There are only two left. Both have fought tooth and nail to get to this position. Now they will both compete. Who will come out victorious the O’Dea Fighting Irish or the Bellevue Wolverines? The Wolverines have a reputation to keep, a title to hold as the defending state champions. The Irish look for bloody revenge as this was the team that sent them home early last year in the semifinals. The question now is who will break.
(Photo from Paddy Mahar)
Friday night at 7pm under the lights of Husky Stadium where dreams come true and others burn, two WA football giants will clash for one thing; The 3A state championship. What will they have to do to win?
‘’We got to dominate on the line and finish all of our plays to the end of the whistle. The biggest thing is playing as a team, with the brotherhood we created.’’ junior center Cyrus Batingan said,
Throughout the years the Fighting Irish have been known for one type of play style, running the football. Dominating the line is what the Irish live for, having incredible athletes on both sides of the ball. One key element on the offensive side is the exceptional offensive line that is led by captains junior right guard Kingston Fotualii and senior left tackle Julian ‘’Gobi’’ Goodson. They are responsible for opening gaps for star junior running back Uriah Stringfield.
But in this age of football many teams are versatile and can both throw and run. It is safe to say that the Irish have adapted. In moments of need junior quarterback Hutton Leverett can put his trust in 3-star junior wide receiver Giulio Banchero. But will their defense get the job done?
The only answer is yes. The Irish defense attacks offenses with violence showing time and time again that they will not be stopped. This notorious defense has multiple amazing players but what stands out is the defensive line where they have two junior four-star defensive ends, David Schwerzel and Fa Siale. They have ripped offenses apart and now will have the great challenge of going against arguably one of the best offenses in the state, the Bellevue Wolverines.
(Photo from google)
Ranked number one in 3A Washington state football the Wolverines have performed amazingly this year going against great teams like Lake Stevens Vikings and coming out victorious. They will have their final test on Friday night, and some would say their biggest challenge this year. The Irish defense will have a test as they go against the Wolverine’s line that is led by Oregon commit senior Demetri Manning and USC commit senior Willie Wascher who are known for their raw power and intensity.
But that’s not the only thing that makes Bellevue special, it’s also their skilled positions. The senior trio of Max Jones (1791 yards and 22 TDs), Ryken Moon (1254 yards and 12 TDs) and Byrce Smith (865 yards 10 TDs) has been the X factor of the Wolverines. Jones and Moon both run the ball and make huge plays and Smith, who is also ranked the number one safety in WA, is a playmaker on the offensive side of the ball.
Under the Husky lights one team will be crowned and one will fall. It will be an absolute brawl to the very end and whoever wins this game will go down in history as a great.
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