Some rivalries are built over a period of years, even decades.
Then there are those that can develop in a period of nine weeks.
In the case of Columbian and Sandusky, I think the argument can be made for the latter.
When Sandusky joined the Northern Ohio League before the start of this football season, there had to be some question of how it would fare, especially when it played Columbian, one of the league's powerhouses.
There also had to be some question of if a rivalry would blossom between the two, since the teams aren't exactly close distance-wise. It's a little less than an hour drive between the two schools, more than double what it takes to get from Tiffin to Fostoria or Upper Sandusky, two schools that left the NOL last year.
But here's the thing about rivalries: Distance is trumped by competition.
In the 1970s, the Cincinnati Reds' biggest rival was the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the 1980s in the NBA, the Celtics and Lakers had battles for championships that live on in lore.
We got our first look at what could be Oct. 22, when TC traveled to Sandusky for a week 9 game. With Columbian's league championship hopes on the line, Sandusky edged the Tornadoes, 35-34.
The teams played two weeks later, this time in a postseason game. TC exacted revenge, winning 25-20.
The question was, would the intensity carry over to other sports.
It sure looked like it this week.
After Columbian's girls basketball team lost a tight game to the Streaks Tuesday, Friday featured a game between the schools' boys teams, with each roster featuring a number of players from the gridiron struggles waged in the fall.
In the third quarter, with Columbian holding a lead, a chant emerged from the visiting Columbian student section:
"Just like football!"
And as it turned out, it was just like football, with the game coming down to the final seconds. A stickback at the buzzer of the fourth quarter by Sandusky's Xavier Turner rescued the Streaks and sent the game to overtime, where Sandusky pulled away, winning 83-73.
And, thanks to the NOL's home-and-home schedule, it will be just like football in another way: there will be a rematch, this time in Tiffin.
Turner was asked about the intensity between the schools.
"I think it's a rivalry because of football," he said."It started with football, and that was a really good game (Friday), so I think it's really gonna be something starting now."
Columbian boys basketball coach Bill Beaston said it's beneficial to the new-look NOL.
"It was a great atmosphere (Friday); the crowd was into it, it was well-played," Beaston said. "It was exciting. I think it's good for our league, I think it's good for the two schools to have natural rivalries like that, whether it's football, basketball, golf, baseball, doesn't matter. It's good for them, and good for us, especially them being new in the league."
And good for the fans, too.
