The momentum swung back-and-forth like a pendulum in the Windham Bombers’ debut in the Northern 8 Conference, an eight-on-eight football league, last Friday evening. Ultimately, the tide shifted against Windham late as it fell to Plymouth 29-20 at Ed Liddle Field.
“We had the momentum and gave it right back to them,” noted Coach Jake Eye. “The kids played hard, they played hard the whole game. We moved the ball right down the field and made some nice adjustments at halftime but then a few mistakes cost us. It is a collective effort, and I thought our boys fought to the bitter end.”
On Friday, Windham (0-1, 0-1) held a 20-12 advantage near the end of the third quarter after engineering a 10-play, 48-yard drive, capped off by a six-yard touchdown run by senior tailback/defensive back DeJuan Ramsey.
The 5-foot-6 Ramsey’s second touchdown of the third quarter marked 14 unanswered points for the Bombers, who had scored only six points in the first half.
“It was a competitive game and that is what we are looking for,” said the sixth-year coach. “We are looking for competitive games. We felt like we had a chance to win and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”
The Bomber executed two long and methodical drives in the third quarter and appeared to be on the verge of seizing control when Plymouth countered with a 6-play, 50-yard touchdown drive highlighted by a 20-yard touchdown reception by senior running back/defensive back Keegan Beverly to tie the score at 20-20 with 8:15 remaining in the fourth quarter after the Big Red successfully executed a two-point conversion.
Up until that drive, Plymouth had only attempted one passing play throughout the game, but sophomore quarterback Weston Kamann delivered several clutch throws on the game-tying drive.
His biggest throw came on a fourth-and-three at Windham’s 27 when he connected with senior tailback/linebacker Isaiah Miller on an 11-yard pass.
According to junior quarterback/linebacker Bryan Smithberger, the Big Red surprised Windham by unlocking its passing attack late in the game
“Nobody could seem to get their hands on Miller,” added the 5-foot-10 junior said. “He is the reason that this outcome came out this way in my opinion. Our whole focus was on Miller, and we just did not execute.”
Plymouth’s rally continued by backing the Bombers up to their own 2 on the ensuing kick-off and recorded a safety by wrapping up Ramsey for a three-yard loss in the end zone to go ahead 22-20.
The Big Red needed only four plays to increase their lead to 29-22, highlighted by the 6-foot-1 Miller scoring on a three-yard touchdown run.
Eye acknowledged that the Bombers squandered their late lead by allowing a series of little mistakes to compound into something larger.
“It snowballed from there, but we didn’t pack it in,” he said. “We got them down to fourth-and-five with three minutes to go. We felt like we could get a stop and have a chance to come back and score, but we just ran out of steam there at the end.”
He credited Windham for staying resilient throughout the first half, as it only engineered one successful drive, but the defense was stout, limiting the Big Red to only 12 points to stay within striking distance.
“We were doing alright in the second quarter, we made a switch to a five-man front and we seemed to run that well,” said Smithberger. “Our team is very coachable; we can make changes in the middle of the game and be alright.”
The Bombers knotted the score at 12-12 with a 10-play, 48-yard drive at the beginning of the second half, sealed by a six-yard touchdown run by Ramsey, who tallied 64 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries in the game.
Although it was ultimately a loss in what had been a competitive game for the Bombers, Smithberger said that he was confident the team’s first contest as a member of the Northern 8 Conference will bode well for Windham’s long-term future in the league.
“I think we will have a successful season,” he added “It was our first game. We were excited but I think we will be alright this season. We have the skill players, we have the blockers up front, it is just people must know their job.”
Windham will stay home and welcome Northern 8 Conference foe Chalker to Ed Liddle Field on Friday at 7 p.m.
