High school football 2024: Wadsworth's Gavin Madigan adds running back duties to already impressive resume

Gavin Madigan seemed like an 18-year-old when he was 14. Now that he's a 16-year-old junior about to begin his third year as a starter for the Wadsworth football team, he seems 22. By the time the 5-foot-11, 215-pound running back/free safety graduates in 2026, it will probably seem like he played for the Grizzlies for a decade. "As far as freshmen, he's the best I've ever coached," said Justin Todd, who is beginning his ninth season in charge of the Grizzlies. "As far as freshmen and sophomores, we've never had anyone like him in my tenure." An All-Gazette pick as a sophomore team captain for the Grizzlies (9-3 overall, 6-0 in the Suburban League National Conference), Madigan caught 25 passes for 344 yards and six touchdowns as a slot receiver while also rushing 23 times for 159 yards and a score. A free safety with a lot of linebacker-like run responsibilities in Wadsworth's defense, he added 87 tackles (45 solos), 4½ tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions. This year, Madigan will be a full-time running back while continuing to start at free safety, which is considered the most important position in Wadsworth's defense. "His 20-yard burst is as fast as anyone, so he's extremely explosive," said Todd, noting Madigan was named the top underclassmen running back at the Army Football Camp this summer. "What really separates Gavin is his vision. If there is a hole, he can set up a whole defense. He's as good as I've ever coached." The owner of a 4.2 grade-point average and eyeing a degree in engineering — in 2030! — Madigan grew up competing against older brother Caden, who is now in his second year at Baldwin Wallace University, where he plays basketball. Competing against his brother and Caden's friends throughout childhood toughened Madigan and also helped him start on the Wadsworth varsity basketball team as a sophomore. Madigan's father Brian, a multi-sport athlete at Wadsworth and now an assistant superintendent at Wooster High, coached and instructed him from a young age, as did a number of others now on Todd's staff with the Grizzlies. Madigan is quick to credit them, his mom Angela and the seniors on Wadsworth's football team when he was a freshman for his rapid development. "A lot of my success comes from the people around me," he said. ""With an older brother, you tend to become friends with his friends, so I often found myself playing up with them, and I grew from that. "My dad's been a really important person in my life. He's kept me level in success and failure. From a young age, he pushed me on whatever field I was playing on. Most importantly, he's pushed me in the classroom to be the best kid I can be. People remember your character more than anything you do in any athletic competition." Madigan, who played what Wadsworth calls "weak safety" as a freshman, knew he had a chance to see varsity action as a ninth-grader, but it really hit home when he lined up to receive the opening kickoff in Week 1 vs. Barberton. "I'm standing back there like, 'Wow, this gets real, real fast,'" he recalled. The kick ended up being a touchback, but Madigan never looked back. "It was a goal of mine," he said of playing as a freshman, "but not many people had done it so there wasn't much of a blueprint to follow. I took the mindset of being myself and practicing as hard as I could, and wherever I fell, I fell. It turned out I did all right." The owner of a 295-pound bench press, 545-pound squat and 645-pound deadlift, a college football scholarship is likely in Madigan's future, but right now he's focused on helping the Grizzlies win as he takes over at running back for Kyle Figuray, who rushed for 1,199 yards and 13 TDs as a senior. "I can make some guys miss, but I pride myself on being an aggressive runner that's tough to tackle, especially as the game goes on in the fourth quarter," said Madigan, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds. "I take pride in practicing as hard as I can so my stamina isn't an issue in games. We all do that here at Wadsworth." It's that attitude that makes Todd thankful he's already coached Madigan for two years and still has him for two more. "The great thing about Gavin is when the situation gets more difficult, he's so mentally strong he gets better," Todd said. "He can plow through that. Gavin is as intelligent of a football player as I've ever coached. That's what really separates him." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on X.