With 1:15 left in the third sudden-death overtime, Hughey scooped up a ground ball off a Holly Springs turnover, ran behind the goal and waited for teammate Jake Hargrove to break in front of the goal. Hargrove faked high before slinging the game-winning shot into the lower part of the net for a 10-9 victory over the hosting Golden Hawks.

"It was an unsettled play and a good look from Hughey," Hargrove, a sophomore said. "I'm at a loss for words. I'm quite excited right now. I felt like I was in a spaceship of some sorts. It was going so fast and I just didn't know what was going on."

The win means Athens will finish no lower than third place in Conference 2, ensuring a playoff spot.

"And not only do we [make the playoffs] but we get a good seed," Hughey said. "This will just push us into the playoffs with a lot of adrenaline."

The Hawks came out charged up for senior night and got on the board just nine seconds into the contest on a breakaway by junior Sterling Tarr.

The teams traded runs for the rest of the first half. Athens scored the next four goals, then surrendered the following three to keep the score deadlocked at four apiece.

The Jags scored twice more in the first half, then Holly Springs did the same to end the first half tied 6-6.

The Hawks took their largest lead of the night in the third quarter when Spencer Coffin and Alex Dantzler each found the back of the net just 16 seconds apart for a 8-6 lead.

A 3-0 run by the Jaguars, which consisted of a goal by Daniel Haupt with two Hughey goals serving as bookends, put Athens up 9-8.

Dantzler tallied his final goal of the night with 6:02 still to play. The Hawks peppered the Athens net with shots the rest of the way, but couldn't connect as sophomore Dane Peddicord was up to the task.

"They did a better job of forcing outside shots. And any goalie is going to be excited about that opportunity and I don't think we changed up our shot selection," Holly Springs coach Doug Greenberg said.

Petticord finished with 13 saves.

"He recognized the team needed to be a wall and that's what he did," Athens coach Paul Brown said. "The help from his defense was a big help as well."

The first two five-minute overtime periods each ended without a goal, causing for a four-minute third overtime period, which Hargrove closed out.

"The men responded. That's 54 minutes of heart and soul lacrosse. They left every bit on the field," Brown said.

The Golden Hawks, now locked into the fourth spot in Conference 2, will have to hope for a wild-card spot in this year's NCHSAA playoffs.

"The playoffs are at stake very late into the season and both teams played like it was very important to them," Greenberg said. "I can't possibly imagine how this season will end with so many games left to be played. We have to play out, win out and hope for the best."