PITTSBORO - Athens Drive had its breakthrough moment at last week’s NCHSAA 4-A eastern girls golf regional. This week, the Jaguars will also have to deal with the expectation that comes along with being a state championship contender.

That’s what happens when you win a regional championship by 10 strokes, as Athens Drive did Oct. 21 at the Golf Club at Chapel Ridge. The Jaguars, who finished at 252, topped both heavily favored Wake Forest-Rolesville (which actually finished third) and runner-up Wakefield (whose lineup features defending state champion and individual regional champ Courtney McKim) to take home the title.

The top four teams at the regional were eligible for the state team title this week. A total of 31 individuals advanced from the regional as well. Ten area players posted top-20 finishes at the regional competition. They’re part of the local group of 19 who will compete in the state championships this week at Pinehurst No. 1.

Individual runner-up Katherine Perry and 12th-place finisher Sydney Shackelford led Athens Drive’s championship run. Perry posted a score of 2-over, 75, while Shackelford shot 86.

Grace Stallings and Mande Monchick added a 91 to tie for 16th as well.

Still, the Jaguars left a number of shots out on the hilly Chapel Ridge layout. That will serve as extra motivation for that extra state championship push this week.

“I watched us play today and the things we said we didn’t want to do, we did today,” said Athens coach Richard Alcon. “Like going after four-foot putts and ending up with three-foot putts coming back. I counted up and we lost 10 strokes there. Things like trying to force the bogey in and getting a double or triple because of it.”

But the Jaguars did stick to their goal of filling their scorecards with pars and a few bogeys.

“If you score mainly bogeys, the pars will take care of themselves and we’ll score as a team,” Alcon said. “Actually, some of what [Perry] did was that. She struggled for three holes and then settled down and played the game. [Shackelford] did a bit of that as well. But again, it’s a team effort.”

Perry was five-over par through seven holes but birdied the eighth and ninth holes to get it back to three-over heading to the more difficult back nine.

Perry rolled in a downhill putt for the birdie on nine and went onto shoot 1-under 35 on the back side. “It changed my mental focus and everything from that point on,” she said of making the tricky downhiller.

Stallings’ day was probably one she’d rather forget.

“[Stallings] had a very off day,” Alcon said. “She’s been throwing in some 30s on nine-holes, really playing awesome. And she’d be the first to tell you that she didn’t play like she wanted to.”

Still, the Jaguars were pumped about their standing heading into the state championships.

“We won but we didn’t play the best we can play,” Alcon said. “When we click and all play well, we’re going to devastate people.” Added Perry: “It definitely boosts our confidence entering the state tournament. We know we can win it.”

Green Hope junior Andrea Estes, Apex’s Michele Pilo and Middle Creek’s Courtney Rousse finished in a three-way tie for fourth place with matching 81s.

The Falcons were two strokes out of a team bid to the state finals. New Bern took fourth at 266; Green Hope finished at 268. Apex was sixth at 273, while Middle Creek (307) and Panther Creek (308) were 11th and 12th, respectively.

Brittany Brewington of Holly Springs shot 87, while Emily May of Panther Creek added an 89. Green Hope’s Kate Mohorn shot 93 to tie for 19th.