by The Medina-Wadsworth rivalry goes way back, as it was one the first ever rivalries in Medina County. The tradition continued on, as this game turned into an instant classic. Medina took this one by the score of 22-19, as they went into Wadsworth and won this second-round playoff matchup.
Medina got the ball to start. After a first down conversion, they were facing a 4th down from their own 32-yard line. They decided to take the risk and go for it, which cost them as they were unable to convert. The Grizzlies were setup with excellent field position thanks to the defensive stop, and a few plays later they were able to capitalize. From the Medina 2-yard line, quarterback Will Stack took the snap, went right, and carried a defender across the goal line for a Wadsworth score. After a missed PAT, they led 6-0 with 8:54 remaining in the first quarter.
Medina immediately responded on the ensuing kickoff. Senior Jack Wojciak housed a 95-yard kickoff return to give the Bees the lead. They score was now 7-6 Medina after the huge play from Wojciak. Wadsworth kept things going on their next drive. Stack hit Drew Jones for 50 yards to get the ball down to the Medina 2-yard line. On the next play, Medina junior Chad Gatchell Jr. came up with a huge fumble recovery to halt the Grizzlies from scoring.
On the ensuing possession, Wadsworth got another 4th down stop in Medina territory, this time getting the ball on the Bees’ 22-yard line. Two plays later, Stack hit Gavin Madigan on a bubble screen from 19-yards out to give the Grizzlies back the lead. They now led 12-7 after a missed 2-point try.
Both teams continued to fight as the clock ticked. Medina grabbed some momentum late in the half when Tallen Hulvey snagged an interception in the endzone, setting the Bees up at their own 20-yard line. Medina was ultimately forced to punt; however, Wadsworth muffed the punt and Medina recovered it at the Wadsworth 8-yard line. Two plays later, Cooper Josefczyk took a toss right, and trampled into the endzone for an 8-yard touchdown. Quarterback Dan Stoddard ran in the 2-point to give the Bees a 15-12 lead with 2:57 remaining in the half.
The score held until the break as neither team could put together a scoring drive to end the half. This game had already had all the makings of a thriller, as both teams battled neck-and-neck in the first half. Medina held the lead with Wadsworth to get the ball first in the second half.
The second half started slow, as both defenses had made some adjustments. Wadsworth gained some life when Madigan picked of a Bee pass, and setup the Grizzlies at their own 39-yard line. Using the momentum, Wadsworth drove down to the redzone. Then, from the Medina 19-yard line, Stack found Caden Shriver on a fade route, in which Shriver made an incredible one-handed catch. The Grizzlies now led 19-15 with 2:28 remaining in the third quarter.
This capped the scoring for the third quarter. This game was clearly going to have a nail-biting ending, as every fan was on the edge of their seat for the entire second half.
Medina was able to put together a clutch drive halfway through the 4th quarter. They converted a huge 4th down thanks to a pass interference call on a deep ball thrown to Wojciak. They eventually got down to the Wadsworth 12-yard line, where Wojciak came up big again. Stoddard threw up a 50/50 ball that Wojciak hauled in for a Bees touchdown. Medina now led 22-19 with 6:23 remaining.
Wadsworth was able to march down the field on the ensuing drive and get into Medina territory. However, they were stopped when Medina’s Darnell Davis picked off a Grizzly pass, as he made a nice play on a fade ball. This gave the Bees the ball at their own 16-yard line with 2:54 remaining in the game. Wadsworth ultimately got the ball back, as they had one final drive to either tie the game via field goal or win with a touchdown.
Thanks to some nice runs from Stack, they got down into Bee territory fairly quicky. Medina’s defense held strong and forced Wadsworth into a 4th and 6 situation. It was a tough call for Wadsworth, who ultimately decided on a 43-yard field goal. The kick went up and landed short, however, Medina had called a timeout right before the snap, which allowed Wadsworth to rethink their decision.
They trotted the offense back out onto the field. Stack found Shriver again for a 10-yard gain, giving them the Ball at the Bees 16-yard line with under a minute to play. Medina’s defense was able to force another 4th down. However, this time they pulled through, as Aedyn Ruiz picked off a Grizzly pass in the endzone, sealing this game.
The Medina Bees held onto win 22-19, in a game that did more than live up to the hype. Medina will go onto face Cleveland Heights in the third round, and move to 9-3. The two teams met in the regular season in one of the best high school games you will ever see, as Heights won that one by a score of 62-52. Medina will get another crack at the Tigers next week. Wadsworth’s impressive season comes to a close, as they finish the year 9-3.
