It was only a year go that Columbian and Sandusky went head-to-head in a battle for Northern Ohio League supremacy, then met again in the postseason.
Last season was the Streaks' first in the NOL, and it may have seemed, to an outside observer, that 2011 was the beginning in a series of clashes between playoff contenders.
But the reality has been different.
Sandusky has had a rough season, though it has rebounded a bit with the start of the NOL schedule. The Streaks dropped their first four games, but have rallied to win three of their next four. The Streaks are young, and it has showed.
"I think they knew it was coming," Columbian coach Brian Colatruglio said. "They only had a couple kids who were underclassmen who even saw the field last year.
"They're young, they're kind of starting from scratch a little bit."
But that doesn't mean the Tornadoes, who are undefeated and ranked third in Division II, are looking past the Streaks in tonight's home game.
"They're always dangerous," Colatruglio said. "They're scary because they are so athletic; they have speed. Their quarterback (Andrew Barnum) has struggled, but they have receivers that can run and running backs that can run fast. So if you miss a tackle in space, they're gonna get some big plays."
Columbian has been coming up with a number of big plays this season, and while Jack Jacoby has been their leader on offense, others, like receiver Donovan Walker and quarterback Mike Rohrbach, have also come up big.
"We have a lot of very talented offensive football players." Colatruglio said. "Obviously, Jack's our leader, but Ryan Lynch is a very good running back, great blocker. Donovan and Jordan [Dye], they're top leading receivers and they're dangerous when they get the ball in their hands. The more guys we have that teams have to worry about, it's gonna be better for us."
Columbian will also honor former football coach Steve Gilbert at halftime tonight. Gilbert, who coached the Tornadoes for 17 years (his last year was in 2009), led the program to 10 NOL titles, eight playoff appearances and a 137-44 record.
"The consistency of his program over a long period of time, it's hard to match," Colatruglio said. "It's something where, we've been here three years, and we've had success ... To think we have to do it for another 12-15 years to match that consistency, ... it's very impressive what (Gilbert) accomplished here. A well-deserved honor. I appreciate the support he's given our program since I've been here. We're looking forward to it."
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
