The drive from Columbus, Ohio to Minneapolis is a long one, and Metropolis made the whole day even longer as they thumped the road warriors from Columbus 81-3 to win the last Midwest DI club quarterfinal.

Center Louis Joubert scored three tries and had a strong game, as did flanker Vili Toluta'u and lock forward Nick Barrett in a total performance by the Metropolis club.

"Columbus is a good team," said Metropolis Head Coach Nate Osborn. "It wasn't about them playing poorly; we just played really well. And to do that when you're DII team is on the road in another playoff game says a lot about this club. Everyone played well, and when we rolled the subs, they just took it up a notch."

The crowd got a big thrill when evergreen club stalwart Jamey Kohlbeck rumbled in for a try. But there was more to cheer as Metropolis led 45-3 at halftime and didn't let up.

This sets up the four teams left in the Midwest competition, and the first group of four teams in the national Round of 32 - Metropolis, Palmer, Chicago Griffins, and Chicago Lions.