EATON — Playmakers have to make plays – and they did just at the right time for Eaton as the Eagles celebrated Senior Night in dramatic and somewhat controversial fashion.

The Eagles held a 16-0 first half lead, then had to rally to knock off visiting Waynesville, 32-29 in a double-overtime affair on Friday, Oct. 13.

The win also clinched a playoff spot for the Eagles, who improved to 7-2 overall and 3-2 in the Southwestern Buckeye League Buckeye Division. Waynesville falls to 7-2 and 4-1 in the SWBL.

Waynesville, which trailed 19-8 in the third quarter, rallied to tie the game with under two minutes remaining in regulation then took its first lead in the second overtime on a 27-yard field goal.

That set up Eaton’s winning drive.

On the Eagles first play of the second OT, quarterback Chris Atkins launched a pass to the right corner of the end zone where senior Brayden Deem was closely covered by the Spartans’ Trenton Davis.

Deem caught the ball just over Davis’s right shoulder and got a foot down inbounds for the apparent touchdown. But as the players went to the ground Davis pulled the ball away from Deem.

After the officials met to discuss the play – with players from both teams listening close by — the officials finally determined Deem had possession and a touchdown before Davis was able to get control of the ball.

“It’s what we were waiting for all game. Just our play makers making plays when we needed to make them,” Eaton coach Brad Davis said.

The ruling set off a wild celebration for the Eagles near midfield and sent Waynesville home in disbelief.

“Happy about the outcome, but we missed a lot of opportunities to really kind of put this game away pretty early, and let them just kind of hang around,” Davis said. “That’s what good teams do. That’s a good football team and we let them hang around. We didn’t put them away and that’s how we ended up with a double overtime game.”

Cordis Berard got Eaton on the board first with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Atkins in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.

Leslie Orr extended the Eagles lead to 13-0 with a 78-yard interception return for a score.

After a Jon Hewitt 30-yard field goal, Eaton led 16-0.

Waynesville got within 16-8 on Garrett Lundy 1-yard TD run in the second quarter.

Hewitt then connected on a school-record 50-yard field as time expired in the first half to push Eaton’s lead to 19-8.

Waynesville’s Conner Berrey trimmed the Eaton lead to 19-11 with a 27-yard field goal in the third quarter.

Late in the fourth, Davis caught a 44-yard TD pass from Alex Amburgy to get the Spartans with two at 19-17. A successful two-point conversion tied the game.

In the first OT, Atkins connected with Preston Orr in the back of the endzone for a 5-yard TD to put Eaton back in front 26-19.

Waynesville responded with a 9-yard TD halfback pass from Lundy to Matt Wilkerson.

The Spartans got the ball first in the second OT and were held to a field goal for a 29-26 lead, setting up the final play.

“Didn’t go our way at times,” Davis said. “Lot of adversity we had to fight back through but when we needed it most, we made a play and that’s what we’re going to enjoy tonight.”

Eaton will go on the road to Carlisle for its final regular season game of the season.

The Eagles also have a chance to host a first-round playoff game with a win and other factors.

Official playoff pairings will be announced Sunday afternoon by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

The top 16 teams in each region qualify for the postseason with the top eight teams hosting first round games.

Unofficially, Eaton currently sits in the eighth and final hosting spot in Division IV, Region 16, according to joeeitel.com.

Reach Eddie Mowen Jr. at 937-683-4061 and follow on X @emowenjr.