The Irish Look to Capitalize on the Goals Set in A Players Only Meeting

Days after last year's unexpected playoff loss, the Irish vowed to change the culture that had handicapped them for multiple years. Thus, leading to a change that was more than needed within the program.

“It is a moment I will never forget. Seeing the seniors we worked so hard with lose their final game and seeing the emotion flood opened my eyes a lot,” says star senior tight end and Colorado football commit Tucker Ashcraft.

The Irish held a player only meeting in which they set the goals and mentality they had leading into the next season after one that ended in disappointing fashion.

Senior fullback Beckett Swanson stated, “The players only meeting was just what we needed. We felt as if we had lost a big part of culture the past couple of years ever since Covid and we wanted to be the team and senior class to be remembered for bringing it back.”

The Irish seem to be doing just that. With the only loss being a close one to rival Eastside Catholic, the Irish did not fold. The Irish maintained a mentality of getting their ultimate goal of winning a state championship. After the loss, the Irish dominated the final three opponents on the schedule with a combined score of 83-20.

“We knew one loss in the regular season was not going to make or break our season. We felt last year’s team did not handle adversity well after our loss to Eastside and we came together and made it clear that were going to put our head down and grind more than ever,” stated star junior corner Kyan McDonald.

With a top five seed in the bag for the Irish they look to continue on their hot streak into the playoffs as motivated as ever to fulfill their promise and vow to each other to bring back a great culture.

Starting junior linebacker Xavier Agasid stated, “It is a brotherhood with this team. I will do whatever I can to not let them down and I know they would do the same for me. We have each other’s backs. Especially after last year’s loss we know the pain of losing a big-time playoff game and it is something I know this team does not ever want to feel again."

With the playoffs starting next week, featuring teams such as Yelm, Eastside Catholic, Bellevue and Lincoln Tacoma, the Irish look to bring the state championship trophy back to O’Dea for the first time since 2017.