The tagline promo for the great 1978 horror film by the legendary George C. Romero — “Dawn of the Dead” (the original, not the cheesy remake — went, “When there’s no more room in (heck), the dead will walk the earth.”

Well, strictly in a softball sense, with emphasis strictly on the word “strictly,” the Jefferson Falcons were dead in terms of the Northeastern Conference title chase after Monday’s deflating 6-0 loss at six-time defending champion Edgewood.

That loss put the Falcons two games behind the Warriors in the loss column, and the fate sound of “Taps” could be heard in the background.

But Tuesday’s 5-0 victory against Edgewood in the rematch at the JAGS Complex by the Falcons, combined with Geneva’s stunning 1-0 victory against the visiting Warriors on Thursday, resurrected Jefferson’s title hopes, which had been all but buried after Monday’s loss.

If coach Paul Bodnar’s Falcons (15-5, 7-2) can prevail today at Conneaut and then Thursday at Geneva, that would leave them one win from at least a share of Jefferson’s first softball championship in a decade. Jefferson was supposed to host Conneaut on Tuesday, but that game will have to played down the road because coach Mary Holdson’s Spartans will be playing a Division II sectional semifinal that day at Geneva against coach Roberta Cozad’s red-hot Eagles.

The amazing change in the NEC title chase wasn’t lost on Bodnar.

“I told the girls (Saturday), we are like Lazarus,” he said. “After Monday’s loss, we were dead and buried. By the time the games were finished on Thursday, we were back to life.”

Six-time defending champion Edgewood (16-3, 8-2) is all but assured of making it seven straight years of winning championships. Coach Shelley Monas’ Warriors play at Harvey today and host coach Mike Scullin’s Red Raiders (4-14, 0-9) on Monday.

But nothing is certain about Jefferson’s fate with two games against Conneaut and Thursday’s clash at Geneva on the docket, aside from one thing:

“Our fate is back in our own hands,” Bodnar said. “That’s all you can ask for. After Monday’s loss, it wasn’t. After Tuesday’s win and Geneva helping us out on Thursday, it is.”

While Jefferson has not won a softball championship since coach Rod Holmes’ Falcons rode the blazing fastball of ace pitcher Kristin Ettinger to the second of back-to-back outright NEC titles in 1998, the draught has been much longer for Bodnar... as in forever.

“Hey, it’s true,” Bodnar, now in his 29th season as a coach in the NEC at three different schools (Harbor, Lakeside and now Jefferson), said with a laugh. “The closest I’ve come was in my daughter, Theresa’s, senior season of 1996 when we finished a game and a half behind Riverside.

“I’ve never had a team that was in control of its own fate this late in a season than this.

“It’s a tribute to the girls and how hard they’ve worked to get to this point.”

On top of being thrust back in the race for an NEC championship, Bodnar’s bunch — seeded second — will go for a second straight Division II sectional championship on Wednesday at the JAGS Complex against the winner of Tuesday’s game between fourth-seeded Lakeview and third-seeded Howland at Howland. The Tigers defeated the Falcons, 7-5, in a game played on April 9 at the JAGS Complex. In that game, five Jefferson errors made six of Howland’s seven run unearned.