The Hilliard Bradley Jaguars kick off their 2026 football season Aug. 21, with a road test against one of central Ohio's hottest programs. Big Walnut, which went 25-4 over the past two seasons, hosts Bradley at 7:05 p.m. at Big Walnut High School Stadium in Sunbury. The game airs on The CW.
Cleveland.com named the matchup one of the six best Week 1 games in central Ohio, and it's easy to see why. The Golden Eagles return quarterback Eli Stumpf and running back Nolan Buirley, who piled up 2,231 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns last season. Big Walnut reached the Division II state semifinal in both 2024 and 2025, falling to Cincinnati Anderson each time. Head coach Curtis Crager expressed optimism about 2026 in the Columbus Dispatch's December 2025 season recap.
Bradley, a Division I program coached by Mike LoParo, enters the year with momentum of its own. The Jaguars bounced back from a 3-9 campaign in 2024 to finish 6-5 in 2025 and win a first-round playoff game over Dublin Jerome, 20-14. That turnaround came despite a rash of injuries that cost the team starting quarterback Declan O'Neil and other key players for stretches of the season.
"We've had four different quarterbacks win games for us. We're smoke and mirrors man — we are smoke and mirrors," LoParo said after the Nov. 1 playoff win over Jerome, reflecting on how his team navigated the injury crisis.
The Dispatch noted that Bradley "improved in Region 2 and is a team that people will be watching."
Running back Rashaud Truss, who rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown in that playoff win, figures to be a focal point of the offense. LoParo called Truss "the key to winning football games going forward" after the Nov. 1 game.
This is a big opener. The cross-division clash pits Bradley's OCC Central squad against a Big Walnut team that lost key receivers from 2025 but still carries state-title aspirations.
Kickoff is 7:05 p.m. Friday at Big Walnut High School Stadium, 713 N. Miller Rd. in Sunbury. Bradley's full 2026 schedule beyond the opener has not been released.
