For the first time since the 2017 season, there will be a week 12 for the Windham Bombers’ football team. The Bombers pulled ahead for good in the fourth quarter to defeat Southern 50-35 in the first round of the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division VII Region 25 playoffs last Friday evening at Ed Liddle Field.
“It was an incredible night and an incredible atmosphere, and we found a way in the second half to fight through some adverse times and pull out a victory,” said Coach Jake Eye. “For us to prove that we are worthy, and we are a legit 10-win team, it was important to our kids and important to our staff to have a good week of practice and show the people out there that we are a very solid team.”
The Bombers will hit the road and travel to Jeromesville to face Hillsdale at the Hillsdale Falcons Community Stadium in Ashland County in the OHSAA D-VII Region 25 quarterfinal this Friday at 7 p.m.
“We have been underdogs all season and we relish in that,” noted the fifth-year coach. “Everyone picked against us that is fine. They don’t know what we do in practice and don’t know how resilient our kids are and what kind of heart our kids have. As long as they go in there and they leave it on the field that is all you can ask for.”
In addition to recording its first playoff victory since 2017, it was also the first playoff victory for the fifth-year coach since he took over Windham’s (10-1, 6-1) program. This year’s Bombers’ squad now becomes the only football team in school history to achieve 10 wins in a season.
On Friday, Windham was clinging to a 34-29 lead entering the fourth quarter. After holding a 20-15 lead at the end of the first half, the Bombers and Southern traded touchdowns in the third quarter but Windham stayed ahead.
Eye acknowledged that the Bombers squandered some scoring opportunities especially in the second quarter, allowing Southern to storm back and take a 23-20 lead in the third quarter
senior tailback/linebacker Jack Eye scored on a two-yard touchdown run and after converting the two-point conversion, Windham held a 42-29 advantage. Southern responded with a touchdown drive as senior quarterback/defensive back Tim Potts connected with junior tailback/linebacker Landen Heffner on an 11-yard touchdown pass, trimming the lead to 42-35 after missing the extra kick.
The Indians then recovered an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, but Windham’s defense stiffened, forcing a turnover on downs.
“Our Achilles heel at times this year has been our secondary and I thought that on Friday night, our secondary really stepped up,” said Coach Eye. “We were not going to shut them down completely, but I thought last night our secondary really stepped up and came up with some big plays for us when we needed them.”
According to Coach Eye, after a successful regular season that earned Windham its first home playoff game since the 2018 season, the Bombers were not going to let their season end on their home field.
The Bombers cemented their lead as the 6-foot-1 Jack Eye broke free for a 55-yard touchdown run on the ensuing possession, stretching Windham’s lead to 50-35 after another successful two-point conversion.
In a game where the teams traded touchdowns early and often, the Bombers’ offense had a little more punch as Jack Eye tallied 205 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries while senior running back/strong safety Carlos Bruton recorded 146 rushing yards and one touchdown on 14 carries.
“Jack and Carlos are the epitome of a two-headed monster,” Coach Eye added. “They complement each other so well and are so powerful and are so fast and are both athletic and both have hearts as big as the planet and they were going to put us on their backs and guide us through the rest of the game.”
With the Bombers advancing to the second round of the playoffs, they will bid goodbye to their home field, having compiled a 6-0 record this season at Ed Liddle Field.
“It is an advantage to play at home and that is why you have home games and it is nice for the community,” Coach Eye said. “Let’s face it, the more you win the more people come out and it is good to play for them and again, Windham is a prideful community and a prideful school so there is a lot of excitement here.”
