Down 20-7 with less than eight minutes remaining in its Division II, Region 8 semifinal, things were beginning to look bleak for defending champ Trotwood.

The Rams had generated just 100 yards in offense while missing out on eight Winton Woods turnovers at Edgewood High School.

However, Rams coach Maurice Douglass knew one thing about his squad.

“We got a champion’s heart,” Douglass said after the Rams came back to claim a 27-20 overtime win to move into the regional final against Turpin. “The players have a champion’s heart. There are some things you can’t explain; adversity is going to come to you, but if you do your assignment he (God) will be there to assist you.”

Trotwood cut the lead to 20-13 on a 5-yard scoring strike from Messia Deweaver to Demarcus Wilson with 7;30 left in the game. Two plays later, Warriors quarterback Shemar Hooks fumbled at his own 5-yard line with Austin Howell falling on the ball in the end zone to tie the game at 20-20.

Trotwood took its first lead of the game since leading 7-0 in the first quarter when Weaver and Wilson connected on a second-and-goal play in the first overtime before turning it over to the defense.

The Warriors moved the ball to the Ram 8-yard line, but Howell came up with another big play, tripping up the Winton Woods’ ballcarrier at the 15. On the next play, Verontae Wilkinson stepped in front of a Hooks pass for the game-ending celebration.

“Guys made plays when they had to,” Douglass said after the Rams improved to 9-3. “When their numbers came up, they made the play and right now, you just have to be one above. That’s all that matters.”

Trotwood opened the game in style as Isreal Green busted loose for a 73-yard scoring run, but the Rams would finish the half with just 102 yards in total offense and down 13-7 after a pair of second-quarter scores for the Warriors.

Winton Woods finished the game with 10 sacks, but Green ran for 143 yards on 18 carries. The Trotwood defense forced nine Winton Woods fumbles, recovering four of them — three of them inside the Warrior 30 in the first half, but could not come away with any points.

“If we were able to convert, it could have been a different game,” Douglass said. “We made some adjustments and our guys just went out there and continued to battle.”