Football Recap: Connor Moloney and Eli Stoffer Pace Mercer Island Defense + How To Watch

Mercer Island fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against Redmond on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell 35-28 to the Mustangs. The Islanders were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Mustangs apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in October of 2024.

Despite the defeat, Mercer Island saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Connor Moloney picked up 4.5 sacks and made 11 total tackles (5.0 for loss) in addition to snagging an interception. Another player making a difference was Jonah Gonder, who gained 131 total yards.

Mercer Island didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Moloney and Eli Stoffer.

Luka Kukoleca looked great while leading his team to the win, rushing for 76 yards and three scores, while also throwing for 142 yards and one touchdown. Those three rushing touchdowns gave him a new career-high.

This is the second loss in a row for Mercer Island and nudges their season record down to 3-5. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 29.5 points over those games. As for Redmond, their victory bumped their record up to 3-5.

Mercer Island has already played their next game, a 48-0 defeat against Liberty on the 30th. As for Redmond, they also wasted no time getting back out on the field and have already played their next contest, a 69-0 loss against Mount Si on the 31st.