Columbian left tackle Isiah Moore said he wants one word to be in his teammates' heads as they play against Avon in the Division II regional semifinals in Fremont:
"Payback."
Moore hasn't forgotten the result of last year's Division II regional final, which also occurred in Fremont, a game in which Columbian rallied from a 21-7 deficit to tie the Eagles, only to lose, 35-21.
On Friday, Avon and the Tornadoes meet again, only this time TC enters the game 11-0.
Some of the players have changed on both sides, but it hasn't lessened the Tornadoes' desire for revenge.
Austin Thallman, a sophomore TC lineman who didn't play in last year's game, said it's something all the TC players feel.
"We all look at it as payback," he said. "It doesn't really matter if you played [last season] or if you didn't. We lost, and that's the bottom line, and it's revenge."
Revenge won't come easy against the Eagles, a squad that lost its season opener to rival Avon Lake, and has since reeled off 10 consecutive victories.
Led by running back Ross Douglas, a University of Michigan signee, the Eagles look every bit as formidable as they did a season ago.
"Ross Douglas, he's the best running back we've seen all year," Columbian coach Brian Colatruglio said. "He's a heck of a football player. (Avon is) a little more run-oriented than they were last year. They probably threw a little more than what they've done this year, because their talent was at receiver. This year, they've got a really talented back."
Avon coach Mike Elder said there are a number of things that make Douglas dangerous.
"Ross is committed to play at University if Michigan and you don't get those offers without speed," Elder said. "He does break tackles, and is having a great year."
But Colatruglio said Avon isn't simply a Douglas-run team.
"They're a great football team; they're solid," he said. "They have no weakness; they do everything well. They remind me of us; they're diverse in what they do, and what they do, they do really well. They're just a solid, fundamental good football team."
For his part, Elder said he is impressed with Columbian.
"I think I see two similar teams," he said. "Tiffin is really well coached; they run the ball exceptionally well. Defensively, they're very strong against the run."
Elder said stopping the run is something his defense focuses on.
"We give multiple looks and we have a good defensive line," he said.
Colatruglio said the Eagles will be tough on that side of the ball. Still, it's unlikely TC will make too many changes on what's gotten the Tornadoes this far. Expect plenty of Jack Jacoby and Ryan Lynch running the ball, something Colatruglio said the Eagles will be ready for.
"They don't blitz a lot; they don't mess around, they're just gonna line up and be solid," he said. "You're not gonna trick 'em, you're not gonna scheme 'em, you have to beat them. I think that's a great compliment to their coaching staff and to their program. They're not gonna give you anything."
Regardless, it's a rematch the Tornadoes have been waiting for, and have been for a while.
"When the offseason started [last year], we just thought 'Wow, we lost to Avon; we're gonna get them next year if we get the opportunity," Columbian lineman Chandler Hoover said. "When this week started at practice, everything was payback, and we went out there and so far we've had a great week of practice."
"I look at it as, I want to play my hardest, because I know what this means to our seniors," Thallman said. "I was on the sidelines and I was with them in the locker room after the game [last year], and I could see how emotional it was for them not to be able to beat Avon, and that being so close."
Colatruglio said he hopes that desire can push TC over the top.
"When you get to this stage, it doesn't matter who you play, you're gonna be focused on doing that, but playing a team that knocked us out last year, maybe [will] give us that little bit of edge," he said.
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
