Mogadore High School ends independent status with revised 2026 football slate
The 2026 schedule marks a significant shift for Mogadore High School, concluding a two-year period as an independent team and introducing new opponents including Brush and Marlington.
Mogadore High School has finalised its 2026 football schedule, a move that formally ends a two-year period during which the Wildcats competed as an independent entity. The release of the fixture list signals a return to structured competition, with the first four games remaining identical to the previous year. However, the latter half of the season introduces significant changes, with only Pymatuning Valley returning from the prior roster.
The schedule features a mix of new rivalries and historical matchups. In Week 5, Mogadore replaces Akron-based Ellet with North, a change that follows two consecutive victories over the previous opponent. The following week sees the Wildcats reunite with Linsly, a private school in Wheeling, West Virginia. The two programs played three consecutive seasons from 2016 to 2018, with Mogadore winning two of those encounters.
Further changes occur in the final weeks of the season, with new opponents Marlington and Brush joining the slate. Mogadore last faced Marlington in 2021, securing a 23-9 victory, while the matchup against Brush marks the first meeting in at least 50 years. Both new opponents represent larger classifications, with Brush competing in Division II and Marlington in Division IV.
The Wildcats will also face traditional small-school powers Canton Central Catholic and Dalton. Mogadore has played Canton Central Catholic in four of the last five seasons, including a recent postseason encounter, and is scheduled to open the 2026 campaign against them on 28 August at 7 p.m. Conversely, Mogadore has lost to Dalton in each of the last three years.
Mogadore, which has not recorded a losing season since 1997, faces three teams that qualified for the postseason last year: Dalton, Malvern, and Pymatuning Valley. The remaining opponents won three games or fewer in the previous year, although Canton Central Catholic and Marlington navigated particularly grueling schedules. The full fixture list is available via Ohio High School Sports.
