And if that's accurate, past games in the series must have caused quite a few heart attacks.

It's surprising that Friday night's meeting didn't, as the Trojans won a 30-27 overtime thriller on Senior Night over their rivals in the Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference.

Connor Torruella nailed three field goals, including an ugly but effective 26-yard game-winner in overtime. And that came after Garner's biggest defensive play of the night, Justin Chavis' interception of Chris Pernell's last pass to end the Warriors' overtime possession.

Smith's squad held on despite watching a 21-point lead disappear in the game's final 3 1/2 minutes as the Warriors recovered two straight onside kicks.

The win improved Garner to 6-4, 4-2 Greater Neuse River 4-A play, while East Wake fell to 4-6 and 3-3. The victory was Garner's fifth straight win in the series and eighth of the last nine in the series including four straight.

Torruella had to kick the winner with an unfamiliar holder in Dwight Darity, as quarterback Cody Woodall suffered a concussion in the closing seconds of regulation and was finished for the night.

Besides Torruella, who hit three field goals on the night, Garner's star was defensive back Isiah Moore, who returned two interceptions for 119 yards and scored one touchdown while setting up another. Cody Woodall, who was 10-for-18 for 63 yards without an interception before being injured on the Trojans' final possession of regulation, threw for Garner's other two touchdowns.

Pernell completed 22 of 35 passes for 291 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions for East Wake, with 16 of the completions for 226 yards and one touchdown to Kasunn Williams.

The Warriors took a 6-0 lead on their second possession, as Pernell found Williams around midfield and won the foot race for a 74-yard touchdown with 7:27 left in the quarter. Cameron Holder's conversion run failed.

Garner got a break midway through the first quarter as Warrior punt returner Travion Banks fumbled and Dwayne Moore recovered at the East Wake 22. Four plays later Torruella nailed a 25-yard field goal and it was 6-3 with 4:02 left in the period.

The Trojans took advantage of another East Wake mistake late in the quarter, as a bad snap on a punt attempt gave Garner possession at the Warrior 40. Eight plays later Cody Woodall connected with Juwan Moye from 19 yards out, and Torruella's boot made it 10-6 at the 11:09 mark.

And yet another turnover set up Garner's third score, as Shaquille Nuriddin intercepted a Pernell pass and returned it 48 yards to the Warriors' 9. Four plays later, Torruella hit a 20-yard field goal to make it 13-6 at 8:21.

Torruella had a chance to add to the lead later in the half, but a 47-yard field-goal attempt was short with just over two minutes remaining.

But the Trojans continued to take advantage of errors, as Isiah Moore intercepted a Pernell pass at the East Wake 33 and returned it untouched down the right sideline. Torruella's kick put Garner up 20-6 with 10:24 left in the quarter.

East Wake penetrated to the Garner 4 in the third period and the 7 early in the fourth, but came up dry.

Garner added its final touchdown with 6:14 left, when Woodall connected with Bryan Watkins from two yards out and Torruella added the kick. That score that made it 27-6 was set up by yet another big Trojan defensive play, as Moore returned an interception of a Pernell pass 86 yards to the East Wake 3.

"I thought our quarterback played well despite the three interceptions," Warrior coach Jimmy Williams said. "Kasunn had a good night and caught a lot of big balls, and really we made a lot of big plays to get back in it.

"My hat's off to Garner. We made mistakes when we didn't need to, and they capitalized."

East Wake sliced the margin to 27-13 with 3:15 left, when Pernell found Tyler Horton from eight yards out to complete a six-play, 72-yard drive.

And the Warriors recovered two straight Christian Cosme onside kicks, taking it in each time as Pernell hit Banks from eight yards out with 1:45 left and then Horton from 15 at 1:08.

Garner finishes regular-season play on Friday night at Harnett Central, while East Wake will host its own Senior Night game against Knightdale.