Correspondent file photo / David Dermer Windham’s Jack Eye runs in the open field on his way to scoring a touchdown during the first half of the Bombers’ game against Jackson-Milton on Sept. 6.

WINDHAM – Tuesday night, while the country’s eyes were focused on election results, the members of the Windham football team were fixated on something else.

The lights were on, the sun was down and the players took the field to prepare for another game.

It’s a noticeable contrast compared to previous seasons. By this point in past years, high school football would be in the books at Windham, and the players would start focusing on other passions.

But not this year’s Bombers.

The Bombers’ last playoff victory came in 2017 when they beat Lisbon, but that changed Friday as Windham beat Southern in a shootout 50-35 to register the team’s first playoff win in years.

“A lot of nerves,” senior receiver and defensive end Nick Hopper said. “Big game for us. We’ve never (had a 10-win season) in history. We prepared all week for that. It was just a physical game, close game.”

Windham isn’t the biggest school – the Bombers are in Division VII after all – so head coach Jake Eye is always concerned about injuries. The injury bug derailed some prior promising seasons, but the stars aligned for the 2024 campaign.

Not only have the Bombers avoided the costly injury, they had the talent to make a run in the Northeastern Athletic Conference. Windham survived a road scare in a 32-26 overtime win over St. John, and the only game that didn’t go the Bombers’ way was a 40-8 loss to NAC power Pymatuning Valley.

Jack Eye has been one of the team’s leaders of the last couple years. He splits the backfield with Carlos Bruton. By the end of the regular season, Jack Eye led the team with 1,651 yards rushing on 140 carries with 34 total touchdowns. Bruton was just as effective with the ball in his hands, running for 1,038 yards on 97 attempts and 20 total scores.

Dylan McCune provided some balance for the offense, completing 23-of-43 passes (53.4%) for 553 yards and six touchdowns. He targeted Bruton and Hopper throughout the year. Bruton had 10 catches for 272 yards, and Hopper pulled in eight grabs for 176.

Defensively, Jack Eye led the team in tackles (155), sacks (four), tackles for loss (29), interceptions (three) and forced fumbles (two). Bruton was tied for the team lead with three interceptions, and Brandon Petrich had 96 tackles entering the postseason. Hopper and Zack Porter were tied for second on the team with two sacks each.

That all led to some confidence and the No. 7 seed heading into the playoffs.

With their win in Week 11, the 2024 Bombers etched their names into the record books. They became the first team in program history to record a 10-win season.

“The kids, they’re excited to be here,” Jake Eye said. “They’re here every day, they work hard and our line has continuously gotten better every week. And we have, in my opinion, probably one of the best backfields in northeast Ohio. When you put all those together, avoiding the injury bug, good things happen.”

Now the Bombers look to make even more history. They have never won multiple playoff games in a season, but they have a shot tonight.

They will travel to Jeromesville to take on the Falcons (10-1) in a Division VII, Region 25 quarterfinal. Hilldale is the No. 2 seed in the region, sitting behind Western Reserve.

Jake Eye knows his squad will have a challenge ahead of them, but the boys want to keep the seasons going.

They want to take in another week of practice under the lights behind Windham High School.

“Enjoy it,” Jack Eye said. “It comes to an end eventually. You don’t want it to end this week, so you come out here and work as hard as you can.”