As the away team in a non-conference game, he had the choice of whether he would send the game into overtime if the two teams were tied after regulation.

And as the fourth quarter expired, Apex and Northern Durham were tied 20-20 at Durham County Stadium.

“I made the decision prior to the game that we wouldn’t go to overtime,” Wolfe said. “I told the kids that they could blame me. I just don’t like the rule and I don’t think it’s fair."

With the score tied 14-14, both teams had opportunities late in the game to take a decisive lead, but extra points turned out to be the biggest obstacle.

After the longest possession of the night for Apex, which spanned nearly half of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Cougars converted on three third downs and a fourth-and-goal with 9:47 remaining in the game to take a 20-14 lead.

However, Apex (1-5-1) missed the extra point. Even though the Cougars did get the ball back late in the fourth, Northern (4-3-1) used its timeouts, forced a punt and received the ball with 2:39 remaining in the game.

From there, Northern quarterback Charah Wheeler led a two-play drive -- capped with a 20-yard run to tie the game. With an opportunity to put the game away, Ryan Arondale had his extra point blocked.

After the game, Northern coach Gary Merrill was disappointed his team couldn’t come up with its fifth consecutive win.

“We have to find a way to improve our kicking game -- especially the extra points,” Merrill said.

Apex left Durham County Stadium thrilled, coming away with a tie against a team that had won four consecutive games.

“No one expected us to come over here and play with them,” Wolfe said. “I’m really happy with how our guys performed and I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.”

At the end of the first half, Northern lost its starting running back, Kylyn Fleming, as he went down with a knee injury. The Knights’ offense had focused almost entirely on Fleming in the first half, who finished the half with 15 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown.

After Fleming was sidelined, Merrill said he was “very happy” with the play from Justin Shaw, who had 10 carries for 88 yards in the second half.

According to Merrill, even with some strong individual performances, he would have preferred that the two teams continue to play into overtime.

“We’ve always wanted to finish the game,” Merrill said. “We want to see what happens in overtime.”