High school football: Wadsworth blows out Medina

MEDINA — Not having to face first-team All-Ohio quarterbacks Drew Allar or Danny Stoddard anymore is absolutely a major part of the equation, but the Wadsworth football team has finally solved the mystery of how to defend Medina's record-breaking five-wide offense. The third consecutive example came Friday in a 47-0 non-league rivalry blowout that could have been worse, as the Grizzlies ended each half with the ball inside the Bees 10-yard line. Wadsworth (3-0) forced five turnovers in the first half, including a pick-six by linebacker Jacob Earnest, and held the Bees (1-2) to 121 yards total offense overall. The turnover total doesn't include a fourth-and-1 stuff near midfield. After enduring its first six-game losing streak in the series from 2019-23 — two playoff games are included — Wadsworth has now beaten the Bees by a combined 98-7 score over the last two seasons. Medina has been limited to 309 yards total offense in those games. "We feel amazing," Grizzlies cornerback Tommy Hohn, who had two interceptions, said as his teammates sang in the locker room. "It's rivalry week, and we look forward to this game every year. To see your preparation work out like that is amazing. "We haven't won here since 2017, so this feels like a really good win. All week we talked about being the most physical team on the field and bringing it to them." Each of the Grizzlies' first five touchdowns came after turnovers or a fourth-and-1 stop. Gavin Madigan and Cooper Gray each scored twice on the ground, while Air Force recruit Calix Lemp turned what was designed to be a short RPO pass over the middle into a 43-yard touchdown from Brysen Hall. Hohn's two interceptions led the way, Earnest recovered a fumble while also tipping a pass high into the air that was picked off by safety Jude Haller at the Wadsworth 1-yard line and Ryan Stoops and Brad Watson teamed up on the fourth-down stop. The Grizzlies led 26-0 after one quarter and 40-0 at recess, then put the finishing touches on their biggest win over Medina since 1921 (63-0) when Hall bombed a 40-yarder to fellow sophomore Jay'len King on the opening drive of the third quarter. Wadsworth did a great job of using zone coverage to force Bees quarterback River Blomquist to hit check-down receivers. Blomquist completed 17-of-24 passes but only could muster 104 yards, with Sydney Lloyd (7 catches, 47) the only target with more than 25 yards. "We would move the ball a couple of plays and then we'd have some bone-headed error," Medina coach Larry Laird said. "Now, I don't want to take anything away from Wadsworth. They are really good. To beat a really good football team like that, you can't turn over the ball. We had a couple chances to score and didn't get it done. We've got to finish, but it really comes down to fumbles and interceptions." Offensively, the Grizzlies went into the game determined to dominate the line of scrimmage but still stayed true to their RPO roots and maintained a steady balance throughout the deciding first half. Gray (12 carries, 103 yards) and Madigan (10, 87) combined for 190 yards on 22 carries — they rotated carries on the opening drive of the third quarter — while Hall completed 13-of-19 passes for 192 yards. Lemp finished with seven grabs for 103 yards — his third consecutive game with at least 85 yards — as Wadsworth finished with 454 yards total offense. The only hiccup was an incredible, point-blank leaping interception by Bees safety Korde Carey in the first half. "Honestly, it's the bond we have as a team," Wadsworth All-Gazette left guard Gabe Ludtke said. "A lot of us are seniors, so we've all played together since we were really young." Wadsworth began play ranked 10th in Division II by fantastic50.net and certainly has looked the part by outscoring Barberton, New Albany and Medina 137-14 in non-league action. The motivation won't fade to begin Suburban National Conference play, as North Royalton is next. The Bears denied the Grizzlies a 10-0 regular season last fall with a stunning 44-37 upset that gave them a share of the league crown. "We're just glad to put up scores like that, and we just grind, you know?" Ludtke said. "It's a good win for us, but now it's time for the real work. Winning the Suburban League is all that matters — and winning state, obviously." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com. Wadsworth 47, Medina 0 WADSWORTH 26 14 7 0 — 47 MEDINA &emsp;&emsp;0 0 0 0 — 0 First W — Gavin Madigan 36 run (kick blocked), 7:37. W — Cooper Gray 5 run (run failed), 5:44. W — Jacob Earnest 45 interception return (Jack McNeill kick), 4:24. W — Calix Lemp 43 pass from Brysen Hall (McNeill kick), 0:53. Second W — Madigan 11 run (McNeill kick), 10:26. W — Gray 31 run (McNeill kick), 2:20. Third W — Jay'len King 40 pass from Hall (McNeill kick), 7:05. &emsp;&emsp;W &emsp;&emsp;M First downs &emsp;&emsp;22 &emsp;&emsp;10 Rushing &emsp;&emsp;39/254 &emsp;&emsp;22/6 Rushing average &emsp;&emsp;6.5 0.3 Passing &emsp;&emsp;14/23&emsp;&emsp;18/27 Passing yards &emsp;&emsp;200 &emsp;&emsp;115 Total offense &emsp;&emsp;62/454 49/133 Punting &emsp;&emsp;0/0.0 4/36.3 Penalties &emsp;&emsp;10/79 &emsp;&emsp;4/20 Fumbles &emsp;&emsp;&emsp;&emsp;1/0 &emsp;&emsp;3/1 RUSHING: Wadsworth — Gray 12-103, Madigan 10-87, Noah Ries 9-40, Braden Sterpka 2-11, Bryson Bupp 2-11, P.J. Megyes 4-2. Medina — River Blomquist 15-16, Sydney Lloyd 5-3, Brayden Pidgeon 1-(-4), Team 1-(-9). PASSING: Wadsworth — Hall 13-19-192-1, Sterpka 1-4-8-0. Medina — Blomquist 17-24-104-3, Lloyd 1-2-11-1, Judah Carrell 0-1-0-0. RECEIVING: Wadsworth — Lemp 7-103, King 1-40, Kyle Schmeltzer 3-32, McNeill 2-17, Kolbey Ostervich 1-8. Medina — Lloyd 7-47, Ashton Knowles 4-24, Kellen Hathaway 2-18, Blomquist 1-11, Beckett Vogrin 3-10, Caleb Sherman 1-5.