HAMPTON — For three quarters and a good chunk of the fourth, Chapel Hill kept Lovejoy in a fog — literally and figuratively.

In a football game the Panthers had to win in order to keep their Region 4-AAAAA playoff hopes alive, they went into mist-enshrouded Twelve Oaks Stadium with a purpose and came out survivors.

Chapel Hill held on for a 20-13 victory, after Lovejoy came alive in the final five minutes only to have its hopes dashed at the end.

The Panthers scored first, with James Harris kicking a 28-yard field goal with 1:07 left in the first quarter. Derrick Parker recorded the first half’s only touchdown, scoring on a 1-yard run with 8:09 to play in the second quarter.

After a scoreless third quarter, Mario Cannon appeared to put the game away when he scored on a 12-yard run with 9:32 to play. That gave the Panthers a 17-0 lead, which would be stretched to 20-0 when Harris added a 25-yard field goal with 6:17 left.

But the Wildcats (3-6, 3-5) came alive, finally breaking through against the Chapel Hill defense when quarterback Vic Hardison scored on an 8-yard keeper with 4:58 left. Lovejoy didn’t convert on the extra point, extending a night of kicking futility that began with a missed field-goal try at the end of the first half.

When the Wildcats got the ball back. Hardison found Jevon Watson for the big play the Panthers had denied them all night. Watson ran 63 yards to the end zone, and suddenly, with 2:24 left to play, Lovejoy was a little closer than the Panthers wanted.

The Chapel Hill hands team did its job, securing the onside kick that everybody in the stadium knew was coming. The Panthers ran out the clock, securing their sixth win in nine games.

More importantly, it was their fifth in eight region games — keeping them one game ahead of Creekside. Pebblebrook fell a game behind the Panthers by losing 26-23 at Westlake, which secured second place in the region with its victory.

The Panthers will end the regular season next week against Westlake (7-2, 7-1). The Panthers could secure a playoff berth outright by pulling off an upset.

But, in all likelihood, however, it probably will be difficult for the Panthers to catch the Lions napping. Chapel Hill defeated Westlake 24-19 last season, so the only thing the Lions have to play for is revenge.