11/22/25
#1 O’Dea Fighting Irish 56, #8 Sedro-Woolley Cubs 21
(Renton, WA) This coaching matchup was one Washington High School football hasn’t seen, and may never see again. Coming into their State Quarterfinal matchup, Coach Kohler for O’Dea and Coach Ward for Sedro-Woolley combined for 661 all-time wins. There has never been a high school football game in the state where two head coaches have combined for more wins than in this game. Both coaches know what it takes to be a State Champ. The Cubs were looking to continue their undefeated season, while the Irish sought to return to the State Semifinals and their quest to repeat as State Champions.
O’Dea began the game with the ball and moved it inside the Sedro-Woolley 20-yard line, but faced third down. O’Dea fired a pass to the end zone that was picked off by Sedro-Woolley’s Jaxon Silver. On the runback, J Shaun Wilson ripped the ball out of Silver’s hands while Wilson’s helmet came off, giving O’Dea an extraordinarily unique first down at the eight-yard line. The Irish scored two plays later, as Peyton Egan bounced into the end zone from four yards out to give O’Dea a 7-0 lead three minutes into the game. After a Sedro-Woolley punt, Wilson rattled off a 63-yard run, flipping the field immediately. O’Dea’s Max Speller plunged forward for a five-yard touchdown run, three plays later, to make it a 14-0 Irish lead. Sedro-Woolley responded as O’Dea was flagged for two defensive pass interferences that helped the Cubs drive to the 15-yard line. There, Cliff Tadema set up a perfect screen for Tyler Holt, who followed his blockers for the touchdown, and Sedro-Woolley trailed 14-7.
The O’Dea offense went back to work and did so quickly with Allias Moimoi leading the Irish down the field at quarterback. Moimoi called his own number for a seven-yard touchdown run to make it a 14-point lead at 21-7 with two minutes left in the first quarter. On the ensuing drive, disaster struck for the Cubs, as O’Dea’s Tevita Nonu sacked Tadema and jarred the ball loose. The ball rolled around for a few seconds before Keelan Thomas scooped it up for the Irish and returned it 18 yards to the end zone for the fourth O’Dea touchdown of the first quarter. After three punts in a row, O’Dea’s offense marched down the field in four plays and capped it off with a Nino Moksivong eight-yard touchdown run to give O’Dea a 35-7 lead halfway through the second quarter.
Sedro-Woolley was going to punt on their next drive, but a high snap on the punt forced the Cubs to try and run for a first down. They came up short, and O’Dea took over at the 30-yard line. Moksivong found the end zone again on the next play for his second touchdown in as many carries, and the Irish led 42-7. Sedro-Woolley rallied, as the Cubs went down the field again, also aided by some O’Dea penalties. On fourth and 23, Tadema launched a long ball down the field, and Briley Eastwood made a magnificent grab to get 24 yards and set up first and goal for the Cubs. Two plays later, Tadema and Eastwood connected again for a 3-yard touchdown as O’Dea led 42-13. O’Dea had the ball at the 49-yard line with only 21 seconds left in the half, and after an incomplete pass, the Irish went back to the air. Hutton Leverett zipped a pass over to Elijah Cabrera on a screen, and Cabrera scampered down the sideline for a 49-yard touchdown with four seconds remaining in the half to make it a 49-13 halftime lead for O’Dea.
In the second half, Sedro-Woolley got the ball first but had to punt it away. Nino Moksivong ran in his third touchdown of the game, cutting back to his right on a handoff, and picked up a block from Leverett down the field to spring him free for the final few yards and making it a 56-13 lead for O’Dea. After a pair of punts, Sedro-Woolley would get the ball in the fourth quarter and drove down the field with under a minute left. Tadema found Kolyn Rochester for a 34-yard touchdown pass right before time expired to be just the second team to put up over 20 points on O’Dea this season. Sedro-Woolley converted on their two-point conversion as Tadema hit Ethan DeJong, but O’Dea got the victory 56-21.
Our Sumner Holiday Inn Express Game MVP went to O’Dea’s Nino Moksivong. Moksivong had three touchdowns and was making plays defensively as well to help send the Irish back to the State Semifinals.
O’Dea’s offensive and defensive lines were phenomenal all game long, and even chipped in for a touchdown in the first quarter. J Shaun Wilson ran for over 100 yards in the first quarter alone as he had a great first half for the Irish. Peyton Egan had another good day on both sides of the ball to help lead the Irish.
Sedro-Woolley’s Cliff Tadema faced pressure all day, but never wavered and stood tall in the pocket. He made the most of what he had and didn’t throw any interceptions despite being under duress a lot. Jae Thompson II showcased his athleticism on both sides of the ball, tackling well and making some nice catches for the Cubs. Tyler Holt was also in on the action a lot, catching a touchdown and defensively also tacking effectively.
O’Dea improves to 10-1 on the season and is heading to their fourth straight State Semifinal. The Irish will play #4 Bellevue next Saturday, time TBD.
Sedro-Woolley’s season comes to an end with an 11-1 record.
Click here to watch the full game replay (Subscription Required).
Game Highlights
O’Dea’s Keelan Thomas Scoop And Score
Game MVP O’Dea’s Nino Moksivong With One Of Three TD’s On The Day
Sedro-Woolley’s Tyler Holt Takes The Screen Pass In For Six
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