FUQUAY-VARINA - Logan Mills clasped his hands over his head and whispered "four years for this" as he closed his eyes, titled his head back and smiled. It was the happiest a Cary boys golf player -- or team -- had been after an event in more than a decade.

At Crooked Creek Golf Course last Wednesday, Mills won medalist honors by shooting a one-under 35 at the Tri-Nine Conference golf meet. The senior led the way for Cary's first win in a conference meet since the turn of the millennium.

As the final team and individual scores were posted on the clubhouse leader board, a sense of excitement permeated through the Cary team as they saw each score. The Imps, who entered and exited the match as the Tri-Nine's fourth-place team, were giddy with their historic and shocking upset.

First-year coach Carl Chaney said the Imps hadn't won a conference match since Green Hope's inception in the 2000 season. The Imps score of 147 was a stroke lower than that of second-place Athens Drive.

"When I saw the Green Hope score, I knew that we had beat them and that's the barometer," Chaney said. "So really it was just whenever they posted that Holly Springs score, we knew we had it."

The surprises start with the man of the match -- Mills, who was the only player to shoot under par.

He birdied his first hole and putted for par on each of his last eight holes. It was a whopping 12-stroke turnaround from his score in the previous conference match.

"After the first hole, I just birdied and just tried to keep it going," Mills said. "I knew we were going to do pretty well but just to see [that] it was first is a great thing."

"We've been pretty bad the last four years, but this just tops it all off."

Chaney, who has had Mills in some of his classes before, was grinning ear-to-ear when talking about his player's crowning achievement.

"When he focuses too much, he puts too much pressure on himself. We got him just being himself," Chaney said. "He deserves it the most just because of what he's been through. To go through the downward years that we've had. I'm just really excited for him."

Close behind Mills were teammates Boomer Boyd and Nick Ciampa with one-over 37s. Brian Turner's 38 was the fourth and final score counted toward the team total.

"Golf is all confidence. These guys have the potential," Chaney said. "I knew it was in them. I just tried to get them to believe in that. I think they finally, after the first couple of matches, [realized] it was there and we could do it."

Chaney cited Boyd, who transferred from Wilmington Laney for his senior season, as a main reason why his team has kept its poise.

Boyd is a state-placer in wrestling -- this week he competes in the senior national tournament -- and he brings over his tough mentality to the course. Well, aside from the mentality where, as he put it, "you're trying to kill [your opponent]."

"Wrestling makes you so tough, so if you hit a bad shot on the golf course you just go ahead and hit the next shot," Boyd said.

Leading the way for Athens was Alex Ehlert and Seth Meade's 36s. Green Hope, which finished third with a 150, was led by Will Thomas' 36.

Grant Houser's 37 paced fourth-place Holly Springs (153), while Chad Johnson's 36 was tops for fifth-place Middle Creek (155), which hosted the match.