After the game, the Jags’ players stood in a circle and chanted, “Athens don’t quit,” – a mantra that would be tough for one to dispute after two straight come-from-behind wins. A week ago Athens overcame a 19-7 halftime deficit to beat Lee County and this week it trailed the Imps 14-0.

“One thing that’s true about this team is that it does not panic,” Jags coach Smouse said.

Cary took a 7-0 lead on Deandre Henry’s 5-yard scamper around the right end with 58 seconds left in the first quarter. The Imps pushed their lead to 14 with 2:47 left in the first half on Henry’s second score of the game. The senior tailback again found the right edge and took it 63 yards for the touchdown.

Athens (5-2, 3-1) threatened in the waning seconds of the half, but fumbled inside the 10-yard line, which allowed Cary (4-4, 2-3) to kneel down and take a two-touchdown lead into the break.

“(Cary) played well on defense,” Smouse said. “And they were very physical with us in the first half. We saw some things we could do; we just weren’t able to do them. We put some new plays in at halftime, but basically it boiled down to execution.”

Whatever the changes were, they worked. The Jags’ offense came alive in the third quarter with three scores to pull within two at 21-19 heading into the fourth.

After a Cary fumble, Ben Snotherly found Louis Wilder in the corner of the end zone to finally put Athens on the scoreboard with 6:42 left in the third quarter. Snotherly’s 9-yard keeper just three minutes later answered Henry’s second touchdown run of more than 60 yards to make the score 21-13.

Henry finished with a game-high 178 yards rushing on 16 carries.

KyRee Green closed the Jags’ third quarter offensive outburst with a 32-yard touchdown run with 1:21 left in the period.

Cary answered early in the fourth quarter with an 8-play, 73-yard drive capped by a 1-yard R.J. Banks touchdown run to push its lead to nine, but Athens continued to have its way on offense.

Snotherly’s second touchdown run, with 5:09 left pulled the Jags back to within two. Cary’s second fumble of the half gave Athens great field position at the Imps’ 21-yard line, and the Jags took advantage.

Green scored from two yards out and Snotherly converted the two-point try to give Athens its first lead of the game with 3:17 remaining.

Snotherly had a big night on the ground and through the air, accounting for 314 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. Green finished with 96 yards rushing and two scores.

Cary showed life on its final possession, but quarterback Nicholas Lansing was hit as he released the ball and senior defensive back Dominic Deshaies plucked it out of the air to seal the victory for the Jags.

“Early on it seemed like they got all the breaks,” Smouse said. “We fumbled right before the half and that kept us from scoring. They didn’t score off of it, but it stopped us. In the second half (the turnovers) went our way. But you’ve got to make your own breaks. And we did that late in the game.”