Hudson vs. Wadsworth Football: TD pass in OT puts Grizzlies over Explorers

WADSWORTH, Ohio – Early Friday night at Art Wright Stadium, it looked like Mother Nature was playing the main role.

But as the night wore on, it was Wadsworth’s Brysen Hall who wrote the final chapter, as the freshman quarterback threw a touchdown pass in overtime that lifted the Grizzlies to a 21-14 victory over Hudson in a battle of undefeated teams in the Suburban led league national conference.

With the teams tied 14-14 after regulation time, Hudson won the coin toss and elected to play defense first in overtime. Hall and the Grizzlies made them pay for that decision.

After a penalty gave Wadsworth the lead on the first play, two plays later it was Hall who found Calix Lemp on the left side of the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown.

“I saw the coverage I expected all week and I got the play call,” Hall said. “I knew that’s where I wanted to go if I got that look, so I was excited about the piece.”

The Wadsworth defense then took the field and stopped the Hudson offense without a first down ending the game.

“It was a shortened field, so that makes it a little more difficult,” Wadsworth head coach Justin Todd said. “So we played more man-to-man and our guys started applying more pressure.”

Wadsworth (6-0, 3-0) entered the evening ranked No. 6 in cleveland.com’s Top 25, while Hudson (3-3, 2-1) was ranked No. 15. They were two of the three teams that entered the Suburban League National undefeated along with Nordonia on Friday evening.

Wadsworth scored first on a 5-yard touchdown run by Hall with 11:17 left in the second quarter. Wadsworth’s touchdown was set up by a 38-yard pass from Hall to Jacob Earnest on a third-and-5 that gave the Grizzlies the ball at the Hudson 19. The point after failed and Wadsworth took a 6-0 lead with 11:17 left in the second quarter.

The weather played a role in the final minute of the first half as Hudson attempted to reach its own 20 and a bad snap resulted in a turnover where Wadsworth got the ball at the Hudson 10. Wadsworth had a field goal attempt on the final play of the quarter, but Hudson blocked it to keep the score at 6-0.

Wadsworth didn’t let that affect the first drive of the second half, as the Grizzlies went 80 yards in 10 plays and Cooper Gray scored on a 27-yard run. Gavin Madigan converted the two-pointer to give Wadsworth a 14-0 lead with 7:35 left in the third quarter.

Madigan led the Grizzlies with 73 yards rushing on 22 carries, while Gray had 54 yards on 11 carries.

Hall and Earnest connected again on the drive for a big play, this time with a 36-yard pass to move the ball into Hudson territory.

“We’re going over the plays we expect to run in practice throughout the week,” Hall said. “If we get the opportunity to take the shots we want, we’ll be ready for it.”

Hall finished the game 10 of 15 for 106 yards and a touchdown and rushing score.

“That’s why we trusted him with this football team,” Todd said. “His physical talents are one thing, but it’s what’s between the ears that sets him apart from other rookies we’ve trained before.”

Hudson answered Wadsworth’s second score of the game with a touchdown drive of its own, as a 6-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Judy to Anthony Paolucci capped a nine-play, 80-yard drive and cut the Wadsworth lead to 14-7 There are 3:23 minutes left in the third round.

In the fourth quarter, Hudson completed an 11-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Judy to Reno Ferri to tie the game with 5:02 remaining.

Nathan completed 15 of 28 passes for 188 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Hudson had a chance to take the lead late in regulation, but a 38-yard field goal attempt missed the mark with 1:11 left. Early in the drive, it looked like Hudson would be at the Wadsworth 2-yard line after a run by Ferri, but the officials made up their minds and said he was down at the 28-yard line.

Wadsworth will play the Suburban League National Conference’s other undefeated team next week when the Grizzlies welcome Nordonia (6-0, 3-0) to Art Wright Stadium. Hudson will be back on the road at Brecksville-Broadview Heights (1-5, 1-2).

“That’s what the Suburban League is all about,” Todd said. “Week after week it’s always a championship game.”

Ryan Isley is a freelance writer for Cleveland.com