Wadsworth football score vs. Highland High School live updates, highlights

The Highland Hornets host the Wadsworth Grizzlies in a Week 9 game in the 2026 high school football season.

Wadsworth (8-0, 5-0) and Highland (7-1, 5-0) are tied for first place in the Suburban League National Conference.

The Grizzlies and the Hornets have both clinched spots in the Division II, Region 5 playoffs. Each team has also clinched a top-eight seed and a home game in the playoffs.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Follow along for live updates from the Wadsworthvs. Highland matchup:

What to know about the Wadsworth football team

Undefeated Wadsworth topped Hudson 24-22 last week. Wadsworth was led by Brysen Hall (26-of-38 passing, 228 yards, two TDs), Kolbey Ostervich (seven catches, 90 yards, two TDs) and Jude Haller (22 carries, 80 yards, TD). Braxton Wagner made a 25-yard field goal and all three of his PATs. Karim Alnajar and Brandon Dishauzi each recovered a fumble and Brayden Todd recorded an interception.

The win extended Wadsworth's regular-season winning streak to 18 games.

"Offensively, we have been really efficient in the throw game," Wadsworth coach Justin Todd said. "[Junior quarterback] Brysen Hall is completing nearly 70% of his passes. We have a number of guys who catch the ball. Obviously, everything starts with Jay'len King, but the amount of guys who have caught the football in meaningful games this year is more than any I have had in my career. I was just looking at the stats today and I didn't even realize that we have double-digit guys that have caught the football, which is wild. … We have very versatile players."

Jay'len King, Kolbey Ostervich, Kyle Schmeltzer, Alex Porter, Jude Haller, Braydan Todd, Noah Nixon, Donny Bettis and Reid Close are key receivers. Haller and Todd are also the primary running backs. Aiden Meisterics, Carter Raymond and Anderson Tetzel lead Wadsworth's offensive line. Braydan Todd is Justin Todd's son.

"Defensively, this is probably the most tenacious group that we have had," Justin Todd said. "We are undersized. We are not overly big. Nathan Shipley is our biggest defensive lineman, and he is 270 pounds at nose guard. We have smaller defensive ends that are really tough. We put Carter and Anderson in the game for more of a big package. We are all underclassmen in the secondary. We have got a sophomore [Bryson Bupp] and a senior [Luke Kinser] starting at linebacker. Luke Kinser has really come on strong. He moved into our district over the summer [from Orrville]. He is playing really high-level football. … We are very scrappy."

Wadsworth's leading tacklers are Braydan Todd at safety, Haller at safety-linebacker and Kinser at linebacker. Braden Sterpka is the Grizzlies leader in sacks.

"I have been so impressed with how sound they are," Justin Todd said of Highland. "You can tell that they are clearly well coached. They do a great job program-wide with their system. They are really sound in what they do. It is fun to watch. If you are a football purist, you like watching them because they don't make mistakes."

What to know about the Highland football team

Highland beat Solon 51-7 last week for its seventh win in a row. Anthony DePompei ran for two TDs and Colton Winston, Evan Foust and Joey Oriti added scores on the ground. Jake Weber had a punt return for a touchdown, Ben Radigan added a pick six and Jonah Kowza booted a 32-yard field goal.

"We continue to get better every single week," Highland coach Mike Gibbons said. "That is always positive to see. Obviously, we have a huge test with Wadsworth this week. They are a very well-coached team and they play hard. I think this is going to be a great game. I am happy with the progress we have made.

"… Offensively, we have been able to spread the ball around to a lot of different guys. Unfortunately, our senior quarterback [Johnny Prucha] got hurt in the Strongsville game in Week 2. Then we had sophomore Colton Wadle come in. He is 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds. He has got a 77% completion percentage and he has thrown for over 1,000 yards in about six games that he has really played. That jumps out at you right away."

Highland's offense also features linemen Spencer Marquis and Wyatt Sitz, running backs Evan Foust, Colton Winston and Levi Clark and receivers Jake Weber, Anthony DePompei and Ben Radigan.

"Evan Foust led the team in tackles as a sophomore and junior, and then again as a senior right now," Gibbons said. "The kid is all over the place. He is a tremendous linebacker. He is the heartbeat of our team this year. Jake Weber at corner is doing an excellent job for us. Lukas Grillis at defensive end, he has got 15 sacks this season. He is playing at a very, very high level. Nathan Capotosto at will linebacker and Nate Painter at rover/safety are also playing really well. Jonah Kowza is awesome. Jonah is rated as one of the top kickers in the state of Ohio and in the country. I have never had a kicker like this. He is good from all over the place."

Wadsworth football’s returning lettermen (24) 

• Donny Bettis, WR-DB, 6-2, 180, Sr.
• Reid Close, WR-DB, 6-1, 180, Jr.
• Nicholas Dean, OL-DL, 6-0, 260, Sr.
• Brandon Dishauzi, WR-DB, 5-11, 180, Jr.
• Crew Eddy, TE-LB, 6-2, 215, Jr.
• Joshua Garcia, OL, 6-2, 295, So.
• Carson Glass, OL-DL, 6-0, 215, Jr.
• Brysen Hall, QB, 6-1, 205, Jr.
• Jude Haller, RB-LB, 6-0, 215, Jr.
• Jay'len King, WR-DB, 6-2, 190, Jr.
• PJ Megyes, RB-LB, 5-10, 180, Jr.
• Aiden Meisterics, OL-DL, 6-0, 225, Sr.
• Adam Neville, DB, 6-0, 175, Jr.
• Landyn Provance, LB, 6-3, 215, Jr.
• Carter Raymond, OL-DL, 6-1, 225, Sr.
• Noah Ries, RB-LB, 5-10, 185, Jr.
• Kyle Schmeltzer, WR-DB, 5-10, 165, Sr.
• Nathan Shipley, OL-DL, 6-0, 275, Sr.
• Braden Sterpka, TE-LB, 6-2, 180, Jr.
• Anderson Tetzel, OL-DL, 6-3, 275, Sr.
• DJ Thompson , DB, 5-11, 170, Jr.
• Augustus Titus, OL-DL, 6-2, 215, Sr.
• Braydan Todd, WR-DB, 6-0, 185, Jr.
• Cole Wilson, TE-DL, 6-2, 215, Jr.

Highland football’s returning lettermen (14) 

• Nathan Capotosto, DE-TE, 6-2, 215, Jr.
• Anthony Depompei, WR-DB, 5-9, 165, Sr.
• Evan Foust, LB-TE-RB, 6-0, 215, Sr.
• Lukas Grillis, DE-TE, 6-2, 225, Jr.
• Ryan Haney, LB, 5-10, 185, Sr.
• Frankie Iannaggi, WR-DB, 5-9, 165, Sr.
• Jonah Kowza, K, 6-1, 185, Sr.
• Spencer Marquis, OL-DL, 6-1, 245, Sr.
• Ethan McCarthy, OT-DE, 6-1, 230, Sr.
• Johnny Prucha, QB, 6-1, 185, Sr.
• Ben Radigan, WR-DB, 6-0, 185, Sr.
• Wyatt Sitz, OL-DL, 5-11, 265, Sr.
• Jake Weber, WR-DB, 5-10, 165, Sr.
• Colton Winston, RB-LB, 5-10, 185, Sr.

Wadsworth impact players 

Power Four recruit Brysen Hall returns for his junior season as a three-year starter at quarterback. Last season, he was first-team Division II All-Ohio adter he completed 139 of 215 passes for 2,490 yards and 29 touchdowns with just four interceptions. The standout has offers from Pittsburgh, Kent State, Toledo, Miami (Ohio), UConn, USF, Buffalo and Syracuse. … Calix Lemp (46 receptions, 999 yards, 15 TDs) is catching passes at Air Force but the Grizzlies have a burner in Jay'len King. Add Kyle Schmeltzer, Donny Bettis and Kolbey Ostervich to the mix and the passing attack is amazing. "I think we've got big bodies that are possession based," Todd said. "We've got shifty dudes on the inside that are a matchup nightmare. In the pass game, we present more problems than we have since 2017." … That 2017 team was led by Mr. Football Joey Baughman, who rushed 154 times for 1,533 yards and 20 touchdowns and was 219-for-326 passing (.672) for 3,060 yards, 36 touchdowns and three interceptions through the air in 12 games.

Highland impact players 

It's a three-headed monster between tight end/H-back/linebacker Evan Foust, lineman Spencer Marquis and kicker Johnah Kowza. … Foust returns was the Suburban League American Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Division II second-team all-state in 2025. He led the team in tackles (73), tackles for loss (14) and forced fumbles (five). At H-back, he caught 14 passes for 255 yards and four touchdowns. … Marquis powered an offense that averaged 238.8 yards on the ground. … Kowza is the secret weapon at kicker. … Of his four field goals, the SL Specialist of the Year had two of more than 40 yards and logged 43 touchbacks on 63 kickoffs. Kowza is a five-star recruit who is ranked fifth in the nation and No. 1 in Ohio.

Akron Beacon Journal sports writer Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ. Akron Beacon Journal sports writerBrad Bournival contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Wadsworth football score vs. Highland High School live updates, highlights