Clive, Iowa — Officials with the Iowa Lottery, today (Wednesday) announced a Mills County man left a late-night message on his parents’ answering machine telling them he’d won a $100,000 lottery prize.

That’s 33-year-old Jacob “Jake” Harper, from Glenwood, who won the 16th top prize in the game. He said his parents won $10,000 on a different scratch game, a couple of months ago. Jake bought his winning ticket at a Casey’s store in Glenwood, and scratched it at home late at night after a get-together with friends.

Jacob Harper (IA Lottery photo)

Harper said it felt like time stopped as soon as he realized he’d completed six words on his ticket to win one of the game’s top prizes.

“I counted again and again and I think I got up to like 10 times of going through and seeing six before it finally sunk in that I just won $100,000,” he said. Harper said his big win comes at a great time.

He plans to quit his current job to go full time at the computer business based out of Omaha, that he and his friends started.

The $100,000 Mega Crossword game he played and won, is a $10 scratch game that features overall odds of 1 in 3.30 and 38 top prizes of $100,000.