Late in the fourth quarter of the Northern Region, Division 5 championship game, it appeared that South Lakes' remarkable football season was all but over.

Trailing W.T. Woodson, 2-0, with less than five minutes remaining, the Seahawks were forced to punt on fourth down and had to wonder if they would ever see the ball again. But moments later South Lakes got a much-needed break.

David Lansdowne's line drive punt skipped off a Woodson return man and the Seahawks recovered the ball at the Cavalier 26. Three plays later, running back Charles Mayah weaved his way 15 yards into the end zone for what proved to be the game-winning score as No. 8 South Lakes won the Northern Region, Division 5 championship, 7-2, on Friday afternoon at Woodson.

It is just the second region title in program history for South Lakes (9-3), the first since 1991, and continues the turnaround from a 1-8 season a year ago. The Seahawks, now winners of two consecutive playoff road games after last week's win at Edison, advance to the Group AAA, Division 5 state semifinals where they face Phoebus, the defending Division 5 state champion, at Darling Stadium in Hampton. The game is set for 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Seventh-ranked Woodson (9-3), which saw an eight-game winning streak end, closes a history-making season of its own, having won its first district title since 1981 and its first playoff victory ever.

``After that punt I thought it was all over for us," Mayah said. ``But then after we got that big break [with the fumble] I knew we would win. There was a reason we got that break. There had to be a reason and I just want to thank God for that break."

The victory avenges a mid-season loss to Woodson, which beat South Lakes, 40-34, in four overtimes in October at a neutral site.

Offensive chances were limited on a cold, blustery afternoon where neither quarterback was particularly sharp until Seahawks signal-caller Dan Cidone heated up in the second half, finishing with 98 yards passing on five completions. South Lakes finished with just five first downs, Woodson with six. Cavalier running back Joe Martin led all rushers with 110 yards.

With both defenses playing well the issue was decided by special teams. Woodson had a field goal attempt blocked and another sent wide, both in the first quarter. Lansdowne had his first punt attempt blocked. The senior, who leads the Seahawks in sacks at defensive end with 15, punted the ball nine times total.

``I had a feeling it would come down to special teams, someone had to [make a mistake]," Lansdowne said. ``We were punting the ball back and forth the whole time so something had to happen."

On his third attempt he bobbled a low snap by long snapper Jon Volpe and chose to step out of the back of the end zone for the intentional safety. Volpe was filling in for starting long snapper Brent Cochran, who missed the game with pneumonia.

``I couldn't feel my hands on that one snap. I felt so bad," Volpe said. ``I knew I just had to get the ball up."

``Jon stepping in for Brent ... he had a short snap, but he played great [at defensive tackle]," said Seahawks head coach Joe Trabucco. ``I'm just real proud of him [because] he hadn't [played snapper] all year."

Martin, a sophomore who didn't become the starter at running back until midseason, ran for tough yards all day. But Volpe and the South Lakes defense made the stops when they had to, forcing the Cavaliers to settle for long field goals in windy conditions. After the first quarter, Woodson never made it inside the South Lakes 40-yard line again.

``I'm so proud of our defense, that's the one thing that really stands out to me," said Seahawks linebacker Dan Smith, who led the team in tackles with 13. ``I think our defense didn't get enough credit this year. We held them to two points. They had a safety, but we practically shut them out. A safety doesn't count."

Woodson's defense, as it has all season, played well. Led by defensive lineman Michael Deering (three sacks) the Cavaliers kept the South Lakes offense in check for most of the day.

But the Seahawks took advantage of the short field after the fumbled punt, taking the lead on Mayah's touchdown run. Woodson turned the ball over on downs on its subsequent possession before South Lakes ran three plays and then had a field goal attempt blocked. The Cavaliers' final drive began at the 19, but ended with sacks by Volpe and Lansdowne. A last desperation heave sailed out of bounds.

It was a difficult end to one of the best seasons in Woodson history. The defense became one of the region's best, led by a core group of talented seniors. The offense, which struggled early in the season, improved as the year went on.

``It was an unbelievable season with what these guys have accomplished," Woodson head coach Mark Cox said. ``Hopefully, they've had a taste of it now and will want to get back and keep going. They've accomplished 10 times more than anybody expected out of them so you have to give our players a lot of credit."