By Doug Haidet
HUNTING VALLEY – If Ben Malbasa considered himself an architect, the concrete foundation of his football program right now would be senior Ty Robinson and junior Nico Morelli.
A 1996 University School graduate and 12th-year head coach of his alma mater, Malbasa has his Preppers (6-2) knocking on the door of one of the biggest regular-season finishes in their history.
If they can break it open – with games at St. Charles (7-1) and Howland (6-2) in Weeks 9 and 10 – it likely will be Robinson and Morelli wielding the tactical tools.
“It’s rare in my career that I’ve had two guys who want to win as much as they want to win,” said Malbasa, now in his 20th year overall as a head coach.
According to the high school football projection site fantastic50.net, University School needs to win one of its final two games to be guaranteed a spot in this year’s Division III, Region 9 playoffs.
Victories over both the Cardinals and Tigers would lock in just the fifth postseason home game in program history; a first-round bye would even be a possibility (projected 46 percent chance entering Week 9).
The opportunity within the next two Fridays is one Malbasa knows can be scarce – especially after the Preppers missed the playoffs by a single spot last fall.
“I don’t ever remember having a stretch at the end of the year that was sort of as meaningful and as fun as this, so it’s pretty exciting,” Malbasa said.
A place in this year’s postseason would give US four earned trips to Week 11 in the last five seasons, which would be the best such stretch in program history.
Robinson (wide receiver/safety) and Morelli (quarterback) – two team captains who both plan to play college football – are deadset on making it a reality.
“It’s been a solid season; one of the best seasons US has had in a long time,” Robinson said. “Right now, we’re trying to win out to prepare so we can be in that top four (in the region) and potentially get a bye week and a good seed.”
“I’m really excited,” Morelli said. “… It’s always a great opportunity when you play good teams and see how you match up. You’ve gotta win big games if you want to win in the playoffs, so this is really gonna show us what we can do.
“I want to show that we can beat anybody and hang with anyone.”
Robinson treading rare waters
In their first full season together as a quarterback-receiver tandem, the Morelli-Robinson connection has been the catalyst for the University School offense.
The junior quarterback is 88-of-143 through the air for 1,331 yards, 13 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions.
Nearly half of Morelli’s passing yards this fall have gone through Robinson (34 catches, 649 yards, 8 receiving TDs).
Malbasa said the two-way gamer – a 6-foot, 200-pound senior with NCAA Division I college offers to Bowling Green, Georgetown and Toledo – is one of the most talented players with one of the highest football IQs to ever come through the program.
“Ty is a very physical player (and) his strength sets him apart from a lot of guys,” the coach said. “He does have great hands and he certainly has good speed, but what I think separates him is the ability to impose his will in some moments.
“At the end of (a 25-18 win against fierce rival Gilmour Academy in Week 6), there was no one else that was gonna touch the ball besides him and Nico, and everybody knew it. And they kind of reveled in it a little bit, which was really cool.”
The Preppers currently sit one spot behind Gilmour in the Region 9 rankings at No. 10, and their comeback win over the Lancers had Robinson’s fingerprints all over it.
Defensively, the senior safety totaled 10 tackles and an interception. On offense, Robinson finished with 6 carries for 34 yards and a touchdown, and overwhelmed the Gilmour defense with 6 catches for 132 yards that included a 40-yard, game-winning score with just 80 seconds to play.
The Lancers led 18-10 entering the fourth quarter, and it was Robinson hitting Morelli with a 2-point pass to tie it at 18-all (after Morelli had run in a 1-yard touchdown).
“He is a true multi-threat player,” Malbasa said of Robinson, who cleared 1,000 career receiving yards in a Week 7 win at John Hay. “You can hand him the ball, you can snap it to him, he can throw it, he can catch it. That’s what makes him so valuable.”
Robinson said the larger NCAA Division I schools he’s spoken with have told him they like his talent at safety or cornerback. But if he chooses a smaller Division I program, the chance to play both sides could be there.
“I’m starting to find a new love on the offensive side as a playmaker, putting the ball in my hands,” he said.
It makes sense that college teams are frothing at the mouth to have Robinson line up on defense.
As a junior, he essentially played eight games after a basketball injury stalled the start of his season.
Somehow, he still ran away with the team lead in tackles (101) and collected 2 interceptions.
This year he’s got another 63 tackles and 3 picks. For his career, the numbers balloon to 230 tackles and 7 interceptions.
Malbasa knew Robinson was a college-level talent when he walked through the door as a freshman. A few years later, the coach feels he could be the first Prepper to earn first-team All-Ohio honors since star quarterback Jayden Cunningham in 2017.
Morelli said having the senior on his sideline has been a gift.
“You’ve gotta have dudes on your team that are gonna make plays when you need them,” the quarterback said. “… I feel like me and Ty have worked really hard and we have that chemistry as well.”
A star in progress
Morelli has made the jump to becoming a true quarterback.
He took the reins of the University School offense halfway through the 2025 season as a sophomore, helping lead the Preppers to a 29-22 comeback victory over Gilmour, then winning his first start the next week (36-7 over John Hay).
At that point, Morelli admitted he was more of a run-first talent. He had nearly as many rushing touchdowns (3) as passing touchdowns (4) a year ago, totaling 330 yards on the ground and 646 through the air.
But the playbook has opened up in 2026 after months of preparation and development.
“In the past when I’ve had someone that had significant opportunities as a sophomore quarterback, I have found that the junior year has been tough,” Malbasa said. “They expect it to be a straight-line improvement and then when it’s not, they struggle a little bit mentally.
“With Nico, even when he hit some of those plateaus that you invariably hit when you’re growing, he’s able to work through them. He’s very driven, works his butt off, watches a ton of film, stays after practice to get extra routes.”
Morelli hasn’t tucked away all of his running capabilities this season, either, boasting 398 yards and 9 touchdowns on 96 carries.
He sent a warning shot to University School’s opponents in a season-opening, 64-42 shootout win over Brookside, running it for 148 yards and 4 scores on just 13 carries.
But the junior said he’s been focused on an overall maturation.
“You can’t coach experience, so it was great coming into the season with a couple games under my belt,” the 6-foot, 165-pound Morelli said. “… This year, I’ve definitely grown a lot, but I’ve also gotten a lot faster, so it really opens up two ways to play.”
To this point, Morelli is 9-3 as the US starting quarterback. He’s leading a unit that has averaged 39.5 points per game in its six wins this fall and averages nearly the same amount of passing yards (180.3) and rushing yards (183.6) each game.
Junior running back Asher Wilmink has been critical to that balance as well (787 yards, 7 TDs rushing; 229 yards, 2 TDs receiving).
Malbasa said Morelli’s ability to keep plays alive and “deal with chaos” on the field is a separator. His confidence, arm strength and speed all have climbed the ladder with him as well.
Robinson is not surprised by any of it. He said neither of them can hide their competitiveness on the football field.
“There are lots of days where we’re staying 45 minutes or an hour after practice getting in routes, building our chemistry, and then we hang out after that,” Robinson said. “He’s my brother, and when we’re in the games, that just shows; it’s a natural thing, it’s very organic. That’s what I love about him.”
Morelli has spoken with a few colleges thus far and will focus on joining a program that emphasizes academics.
But there is still plenty of time before any of those decisions need to be made, and the Preppers are trying to live in a moment of burgeoning eagerness as Weeks 9 and 10 close in.
Focus on the finish
University School narrowly beat St. Charles a year ago, 21-20, and US had a 35-14 win over Howland last fall as well.
But both of those opponents have flipped losing records last fall into big seasons in 2026.
“How do you go from good to great?” Malbasa asked. “That’s the challenge for us and what a great way to do that against quality opponents in Weeks 9 and 10.”
University School is the oldest high school football program in Ohio, playing in its 137th season. According to the OHSAA record books, the Preppers had the 21st-most wins in state history entering this year (684-419-30).
Malbasa, who is 118-85 for his career and coached his 200th game in Week 5, knows the numbers well and has had US in the playoffs six times since taking over in 2015.
With an extremely rare small senior class on a roster of 65 players (Robinson and classmates Josh Barron and Bobby Farrell are the lone seniors), the coach also said a big finish that includes some postseason success could line up an even bigger future for the program.
“From the beginning of the season, Ty has said, ‘Yes, we want to be good, but we also know we have an opportunity to set the table to be good for a long time to come,’” Malbasa said.
If US can get even seven wins this season, it will be just the second time since 2017 they have reached that total. If the Preppers can make the playoffs and win a game, it will be their first postseason victory in a decade.
“(The seniors and captains) are just trying to be very good leaders with the way we handle ourselves throughout games and practices,” Robinson said. “And the way we step up in big moments, I think, is just great for our young guys to see.
“I want to lead right now because I know this group of guys is a special group.”