Brian Leach of Youngsville said he feels 20 years younger after a $5 scratch-off ticket contained a $200,000 lottery prize.

“I feel like I’m 45 today,” Leach laughed. “I feel pretty good today.”

Leach, 64, bought his lucky Gold Standard ticket from the Lowes Foods on Gateway Commons Circle in Wake Forest.

He said he started scratching the ticket with his wife after he got home from the store. At first, he saw a two followed by two zeroes and he thought he won $200. When he saw the extra zeroes, he said he just handed his wife the ticket without saying a word.

“She started to get real excited,” Leach said. “We couldn’t believe it happened to us.”

Leach claimed his prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh and, after required federal and state withholdings, took home $142,021.

“We’re thrilled to death,” Leach said. “It’s been a fun ride.”

Leach said he wants to use the prize money to pay off some bills and possibly put a new pool in his backyard.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million per year for education. For details on how $3.3 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Franklin County in 2021, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.