Since the district split into two high schools in 1991, the majority of winning football has been played at Kilbourne. Last year, Kilbourne emphasized its grip on Worthington football by beating Thomas Worthington 43-3 in the inaugural showdown game.

"We heard it all offseason," Thomas linebacker Sam Adams said.

The Cardinals can expect another long offseason. Kilbourne scored 21 points off Thomas' four turnovers to win 28-13 last Friday.

But there was more than bragging rights on the line. The winner would finish above .500 and Thomas, not Kilbourne, had a chance at a third-place finish in the competitive OCC-Central Division.

In the third quarter, Thomas trailed by 14 points, but it looked as if the Cardinals would pull to within a touchdown as Sam Bohon completed a pass to Nate Easley. But Easley fumbled on the 1-yard line and Kilbourne recovered in the end zone.

The Wolves' ensuing possession was a 14-play, 80-yard game-clincher that ended with a 10-yard run by Spencer Tillman.

"(Kilbourne) played hard and give them credit," Thomas coach Scott Gordon said. "We had our plays, too. It was a good, hard-fought battle. We shot ourselves in the foot and didn't give ourselves a chance. It easily could have been 21-7 us. You got to make plays in big games."

Thomas finished at 5-5 overall and 2-3 in the OCC-Central, and Kilbourne improved to 5-4 and 2-3.

The second chapter of the Wo-Town Showdown was much closer. The Cardinals' defense forced the Wolves to punt six times, turn the ball over on downs once and one fumble.

"I heard the name Sam Adams on almost every tackle," Kilbourne junior running back Dan Eurich said. "He's incredible."

The 40-point victories by Kilbourne may be a thing of the past. Thomas had a statement season.

The Cardinals entered 2009 with its last winning season 10 years ago and only two since the district split. From 2000-08, Thomas was a combined 18-72 and entering this season, the Cardinals had four consecutive 2-8 seasons.

Not only did Thomas finish .500 this season, they earned a signature win over Upper Arlington 17-9 on Sept. 18

"We were fortunate things went our way a little more," Kilbourne senior defensive end Jason Cunningham said. "Last year there were so many personal foul penalties and it was a rougher game. This year there was only one. The rivalry is much better and it'll continue to get bigger as both teams get better."

If Gordon's previous stop is any indication, Cunningham is right. Gordon compiled a 22-19 record at Grandview. In 2005, the Bobcats finished 9-2, captured their first league title since 1979 by winning the MSL-Cardinal Division and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1987, losing 21-14 to Lucasville Valley in the first round.

Kilbourne's Nathan Sparks, a defensive back last season and the Wolves staring quarterback this season, feels fortunate to graduate undefeated against the Cardinals.

"I feel like Thomas is a program that's getting better and moving in the right direction," Sparks said. "They'll be even more competitive in the future. The Wo-Town Showdown will become better in the future and will have much closer games."

"It's going to be quite the battle next year," Eurich said.

With most rivalries, if one team is dominating it isn't much of a rivalry. Thomas let a golden opportunity get away to prove more than one high school football team plays football in Worthington. Even in the loss, though, the Cardinals made a statement.

"It hurts pretty bad," Gordon said. "We kept giving ourselves chances, and we just got to get over the hump and nail it down when it counts. Maybe we're not quite there, but we're moving in the right direction."

Kilbourne's Pete Worley (left), Jared Wright, Jason Cunningham and coach Vince Trombetti lead the Wovles in thanking their fans last Friday after defeating Thomas 28-13.