The bands were playing loudly, the grills were fired up and fans were breathless with anticipation.

 It was the opening night of high school football in Columbus, and what better way to start than with a matchup of the two City League kingpins? Marion-Franklin and Brookhaven have ruled the roost for much of the last 10 seasons or so, and this game is always filled with big plays and athletes and passion.

 But on this night, the build-up was better than the game as the Red Devils stormed into the North side and came away with a 27-2 victory, dominating in almost every way imaginable.

 The defense was stout, not allowing a Brookhaven first down until midway through the third quarter, and the offense was opportunistic, breaking off three touchdowns of over 30 yards.

 That the Red Devils came into the contest as underdogs, despite six straight South Division crowns and playoff appearances, chafed the psyches, and made the offseason one of purpose and passion.

 "We feel no one gives us respect and that we have to take that respect," Red Devils senior Devante Taylor said.

 Marion-Franklin did that and more, limiting Brookhaven to just over 100 yards of offense. Big plays were the order of the night for the Red Devils, getting a 32-yard touchdown scamper by Paul Harris, a 53-yard burst up the middle by Correy Benson and a 15-yard touchdown pass from Benson to Jeremy McCoy on a perfectly executed fade route in the left corner of the end zone.

 While the Red Devils were dominant, they were far from perfect. Coach Brian Haffele will remind the team of its 11 penalties and three turnovers as a starting point for improvement.

 "The game should have been over at halftime," Haffele said. "We have to get better. Our seniors on defense dominated this game."

 The capper on the evening came when Taylor forced a fumble from Brookhaven quarterback Tajaun Green, which was picked up by Amir Robinson and returned 54 yards for the final points of the night with just under nine minutes left in the third quarter.

 "We wanted to compete every down," Taylor said. "We knew defense was our strength. Defense is our offense. But we are not close to being where we want to be."

 The loss of quarterback Verlon Reid to graduation may give fans the mistaken impression that Marion-Franklin can't repeat last year's success. As great as Reid was, this year's team is no slouch. With fast, athletic defenders and an offense that can capitalize on an opponent's weaknesses, Marion-Franklin once again looks like the class of the South Division -- and maybe even the entire City League.

 Just up the road at Northland, the Vikings knocked off favored Eastmoor Academy 25-19 on a 20-yard scoring run by Jerrell Jones on the first play of overtime. Eastmoor's Ron Tanner, who has committed to Ohio State, threw two touchdown passes in the final five minutes to send the contest into overtime.