MILAN, Ohio — The Edison High School football team was a part of history as a No. 16 seed in the first expanded OHSAA football playoffs, but for the Chargers' community, the win was more than just a revenge victory for a regular season loss. It was a step toward healing after losing one of its own.

Edison defeated No. 1 Bellevue, 23-22, in Round 1 of the playoffs becoming the first 16-seeded team to do so in the expanded tournament. But the mentality and misson to honor a fallen former Edison athlete is what many Chargers believe pushed them to success.

Tom Gfell is no stranger to Edison High School sports.

​​"I coached football. Junior high football, junior high basketball and high school junior varsity baseball," said Gfell.

During that time, he even coached Edison High School's current football coach, Jim Hall, when he was a student, and Gfell is proud to see what Hall is doing now.

"To see the kids involved with the sports programs like they are and having the kind of success that they have it's a very good feeling," said Gfell.

Even though he retired more than 20 years ago, Gfell still keeps up with the teams. He listened to last week's win against Bellevue on the radio.

"It was such an exciting game that you weren't sure what was going to happen from one play to the next, however, you sat there and you were very hopeful that things were going to go in the right direction for the Edison Chargers, which it did," said Gfell. "I jumped out of my chair."

Courtesy: Edison High School Athletic Department

For Hall, it was a full circle moment for the team.

"It was fun to do, and the circumstance of the situation that we played a game there earlier in the year and lost it in a close game and then we, you know, they kind of went one direction from there they continued to have a lot of success and we kind of struggled a bit until we finally got ourselves squared away and you know go back there, I wouldn't say to avenge a loss but to just go out there and play our best game it was special," said Hall.

The win came during a time when the community is still healing. In August, former Edison High School athlete and Navy Corpsman Maxton Soviak, was killed in a bomb attack in Kabul.

"He was fearless as a player," said Hall. "I mean, he wasn't a big guy by any stretch. I mean, 160 pounds, 170 pounds, but, you know, he was not afraid of anyone in terms of physical nature of the game he'd take anybody on. He was a tough kid on the field. Tough kid off the field, but he was a great kid."

Hall said the team learned of Soviak's death the same day they first played Bellevue and lost. He said he told the team to play like Max and believes he was at the winning game with them.

"To go back there and to win that playoff game on that field was just really crazy really emotional," said Hall. "It kind of felt like he was there with you, and I just thought that was kind of a crazy coincidence."

Now the focus is on the next big game Friday night.

"We just played our best game last Friday and now the objective is to play a better game than we did last week, so you know it's a lot of the little things football: take care of the ball — no unnecessary penalties," said Hall.

Gfell is hoping to make it to Friday's game and hopes the team pulls out another win.

"Most likely I'll be at the game [Friday]," said Gfell.​

Edison plays No. 9 Sandusky Perkins on Friday at 7 p.m.