MORRISVILLE - Green Hope senior Adam Parent scored the winning touchdown on a blocked punt with 2:39 left to propel Green Hope to a 20-17 come-from-behind win over Tri-Nine rival Cary on Friday.

The Falcons, who were celebrating their senior night, trailed the entire game until the blocked punt. Cary led 17-0 and enjoyed a 17-6 advantage entering the final quarter.

“I’m just really proud of all these kids, and so happy for our seniors, “ said Green Hope head coach Kwame Dixon. “All I heard from people when I got here was get Green Hope down and they’ll quit. Well, I haven’t seen any of that. All I see is a bunch of kids fighting to the end, and tonight was a perfect example.”

Cary (4-5, 3-4) will need to win next week against Athens Drive to have a shot at the playoffs. The Imps scored all of their points in the first half to take a three-score lead.

Jordan Dawson connected with Elijah Bryant on a 24-yard touchdown pass to score the game’s first points.

In the second quarter, Cary capped a 97-yard drive on a Marquise Sherrod-Ponds 1-yard run, and then added a Phillip Thomas 32-yard field goal.

Green Hope scored just before halftime when Demetrice Massenburg took a short pass from Chris Tutwiler and raced 60 yards, cutting the Imp advantage to 17-6.

“That quick screen was a big play for us, and then in the second half we played some bend but don’t break defense,” Dixon said. “Offense, defense, special teams, this entire group came through tonight.”

After a scoreless third quarter, Tutwiler led the Falcons on a 62-yard march, making some big completions to Mitch Chaulker and Eddie Auslander. Tutwiler scored on a 4-yard run and then converted the 2-pointer on a pass to Chaulker to trim the Imp lead to 17-14 with 9:30 left, setting the stage for Parent’s heroics.

“We’ve been making plays all year,” Parent said. “The coaches just put me in the right position, and I was able to come up with that block.”