It appeared that Wooster High School came into Friday night's game against the Douglas Tigers with the sole intention of stopping running back Spike Agosta.
The Colts came out trying to stop the outside run, which might have worked had Tiger fullback Keenan Copp not been there to exploit the middle.
Copp took the ball 58 yards up the middle for a touchdown on Douglas' first offensive play of the game en route to firmly establishing a presence in the middle that opened up the outside for Agosta.
And Agosta capitalized.
Agosta had 262 yards on 17 carries and scored four touchdowns in addition to an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown as Douglas steamrolled Wooster 55-6 at Keith Roman Field in Northern 4A football action.
"Keenan hit them just right," Douglas coach Mike Rippee said. "They started plugging up the middle and then Spike was able to take advantage of that.
"Both guys got some great blocking from the line, and when you have great horses in the stable like these guys, this is the kind of outcome you get."
Both Copp, who finished with two touchdowns and 80 yards rushing, and Agosta got excellent blocking from Tyson Estes, Henry O'Hair, Datin Whatcott, Nate Newton, Trevor Freitas and Bryan Brady all night. At one point, the line opened up holes big enough for Agosta to scamper completely untouched for a 90-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Including kickoff returns, Agosta reached nearly 400 yards of total offense on the night.
Quarterback Roman Davis again efficiently led the offense down field, tossing a touchdown pass to Kyle Luken and rushing for 13 yards.
D.J. Brady had a two catches for 34 yards for the Douglas offense as well.
The Tiger defense came up big, holding the Colts to just 21 yards rushing. Wooster quarterback Steve McNulty passed for 220 yards and a touchdown
"We thought if we could take away their fullback (Dexter Guerra), we'd have a good chance at shutting them down," Rippee said. "Cory Hartzell did a great job of taking him away tonight."
Hartzell was all over the field for the Tigers, stopping up the run and even picking off a pass, the Tigers' six interception in two weeks.
Copp forced and recovered a fumble on the Tiger 1-yard line in the fourth, setting two big runs by Agosta (a nine-yarder followed by the 90-yard score).
Estes had a tackle for a 15-yard loss and a pass breakup in leading the defensive line while James Barnard recorded three sacks late in the game.
Ryan Guzman had a hand in each of Barnard's hits and forced a fumble.
"I was especially proud of our second-stringers late in the game there," Rippee said. "They work so hard and when they get an opportunity like tonight, they go out there and show us something like that. It's great to see."
Tim Senger, Cory Fry, Tyree Holeridge, Mike Buffo, Ryan Pruitt, Bryan Brady, Kyle Luken, Zack Johnson and D.J. Brady all had great games for the defense as well.
"We tell them every week to come out and play with pride on every play," Rippee said. "Playing on this field on a Friday night, it just doesn't get much better than that and it only lasts for a little while, so we tell them to take advantage of it while they can."
Wooster's only points came on a broken play just before halftime, as McNulty scrambled to buy himself some time before completing a 57-yard desperation pass to Cole Watson for a touchdown.
Brent Koontz blocked the extra point and Agosta returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards straight up the middle for a touchdown, effectively taking away any momentum the Colts might have gained heading into the locker room.
Watson finished the night with five catches for 160 yards to lead the Colts.
Douglas (6-2 overall, 4-1) next hosts Carson Thursday at 7 p.m. at Keith Roman Field.
