High school football: Wadsworth's Brayden Probst isn't afraid to mix it up with the big boys

At 5-foot-8, 170 pounds, Brayden Probst isn't fooling anyone. He's undersized, but whatever. The Wadsworth senior gets it. What others take for granted, Probst uses to his advantage. Opponents assume he can't hit, then he smacks them in the mouth. They then assume he can't make a play on the ball and shake their heads in disappointment after Probst bats down a pass, picks it off or lights up a receiver with a big hit. In some respects, Probst epitomizes the seventh-seeded Grizzlies football team (7-4) heading into a Division I, Region 1 quarterfinal at second-seeded Medina (10-1). Wadsworth doesn't have superstars like Joey Baughman, Mason McMillen, Jack Grice, Dom Lomparo, Mitchell Evans or Barret Labus, but collectively the Grizzlies feel they can compete with anyone of any size. "Obviously I'm not the biggest on the field, I'm not the fastest and I'm not the strongest," Probst said Thursday after practice. "Obviously I work hard to get into the best shape and get as big as possible, but (father Matt, Wadsworth's secondary coach) taught me that football comes from the heart. You've gotta love the game so much that you're willing to do anything for your teammates, yourself, your family. "You leave it all on the field, and it starts from the heart. If you love the game, you'll be successful if you grind out as much as you can. That's pretty much it." Probst, linebacker Ian Kaufman, end Coen Grimm and linebacker Maverick Blackburn all started at least one game as sophomores, got increasingly better as juniors and now make up the backbone of a unique, undersized defense that really doesn't have a base front other than three down linemen and linebackers Kaufman and Blackburn in the box. The versatility of Probst, as well as freshman Gavin Madigan, was a big reason why Wadsworth switched from a 3-3 stack that had been its bread-and-butter in the 2016-19 glory days. Probst can legitimately line up as a stand-up outside linebacker one play and a deep safety the next. The value of such a player when trying to combat so many spread offense is immeasurable. "He's one of the most unique players we've ever coached because he doesn't impose you with his size, certainly," coach Justin Todd said. "He's so versatile. The number of things he can do is because he's intelligent and works really hard. He's a great tackler and all those other things. "If you ask Brayden how big Brayden is, he's 6-4, 250. He plays that way. He doesn't fear anybody. He's going to attack somebody like (Elyria running back Lance) Glover, who's 230 pounds, the same as he would someone who's 160 pounds. His motor is what drives him, and he actually does that in practice. We always have to have a quick whistle with Brayden, because there is no gray area with him. It's black and white. It's all gas, no brakes all the time." No. 45 is fourth on the team with 69 tackles (including 6½ for loss), and five of his seven pass breakups have come in the last three weeks. More importantly, Wadsworth's defense has improved light years from two years ago, when it allowed 39.8 points and a Medina County-record 469.5 yards per night. Those numbers have plummeted to 16.7 and 269.7, more than respectable in the high-scoring modern era. "We've all played together since we were little, so we know each other so well," Probst said. "We've put in the work together and it's been about growing together. Our mentality this year has been iron sharpens iron, and we've done that ever since we've started football." Probst isn't likely to see much action in the box tonight, as the Bees' five-wide offense continues to assault the county record books and keep opposing defensive coordinators awake at night. Over the last two seasons, Wadsworth has elected to use a conservative approach with only two linemen rushing and Blackburn spying or blitzing the quarterback. Probst wasn't going to give up any secrets as to how the Grizzlies plan to slow down Danny Stoddard, Brennen Schramm, Austin Knowles, Jack Wojciak and Co., but he pointed out that Wadsworth greatly respects Medina's speed — "They're fast. That's no secret," he said — and the ridiculous passing numbers the Bees have put up. That isn't to say the Grizzlies are going to bow to Medina's offensive greatness. They are ready to battle. "We have plans in place to respect their speed," Probst said, "but we need to get after them." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.