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In perhaps their best defensive effort of the season, they held the No. 3-ranked Irish – the same team that beat the Cougars by 14 points in September – without an offensive touchdown in a 3A state quarterfinal game at Memorial Stadium.
Capital also blocked a potential game-winning field goal as time in regulation ticked down.
Although the Cougars went toe to toe with O’Dea, they couldn’t convert in the third overtime, leading to the Irish’s 19-16 triple-overtime victory.
The win sends the Irish (12-0) to the 3A state semifinals against Camas next weekend at the Tacoma Dome. Capital’s season ends at 8-4 – one win short of advancing to the state semifinals for the second year in a row and for the third time in four years.
“We played hard on every play,” said junior Sam Hollingsworth, whose batted-down lateral pass led to Jakob Racimo’s game-tying touchdown. “We played as a group today. When we (bent), we didn’t break.”
Despite the heartbreaking loss, Capital coach J.D. Johnson told his kids that they really won in his mind, given what his youthful team went through this season after an 0-3 start. He called his team resilient.
“I felt like we won today,” Johnson said. “I felt like they won all year as they grew as a team.”
Tied at 10-all at the end of regulation, each team traded field goals, including two 26-yarders by the Cougars’ Joey Geraci, in the first two overtimes with each team starting at the 25-yard line. In the third OT, and with the ball moved to the 10-yard line, O’Dea kicker Bart Hardwick connected on his fourth field goal of the game, a 21-yarder to give the Metro League champions a 19-16 lead.
It looked as though Capital would win the game on its ensuing possession when Kai Van Sickle’s ran in for an apparent 10-yard score, but it was called back because of a holding penalty. Then a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on Capital, pushed the team back from first-and-goal at the 10 to the 35. Capital made up 15 yards on two downs, but on third down, Van Sickle fumbled after a 6-yard gain and O’Dea recovered to end the game.
Van Sickle had a career-high 45 carries – including 13 in the extra frames – for 171 yards.
“Once we headed into overtime, I felt the vibe,” Van Sickle said, “and I felt like we could win it.”
In a game that was expected to feature the two offenses, it was defense and special teams that stood out. Neither team would allow the others offense to score touchdowns; O’Dea’s touchdown came on a Tatum Taylor 97-yard punt return. Capital’s touchdown came courtesy of the defense, when Hollingsworth batted down a lateral pass by Irish QB Pierre LeDorze, and Racimo scooped up the ball and ran it back for a 44-yard score to tie the game at 10-all with 11 minutes, 15 seconds remaining.
O’Dea had a chance for a go-head 37-yard field goal by Hardwick with 2:06 to play in regulation, but Steven Malepeai and Tevyn Stevenson blocked the kick attempt, and it was recovered by Darius Antalan near midfield.
Capital trailed for much of the game by scores of 7-0, 7-3, and 10-3 before Racimo’s touchdown, but the players were confident going into the overtime, especially with what they had accomplished defensively, holding the Irish to fewer than 100 yards of offense in regulation.
“We were getting after it and playing our game,” Racimo said. “We stopped them all game.”
With just nine seniors, the team will return nearly 85 percent of its players next season.
“We’re excited for what we have,” Hollingsworth said.
Meg Wochnick: 360-754-5473
mwochnick@theolympian.com
