Football game: player in white jersey leaping to catch a pass while defenders and teammates watch on the sideline behind him. — Gruver receiver Mason Lankford hauls in a catch that resulted in a 99-yard touchdown against Panhandle during a non-district game Friday night at Panthers Stadium.

PANHANDLE — Panhandle landed the first punch Friday night.

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The No. 2-ranked Gruver Greyhounds made sure it was the last.

After Cooper Brinkley returned the opening kickoff 50 yards for a touchdown just eight seconds into the game, Gruver responded with three consecutive scores and never relinquished control, defeating Panhandle 45-21 at Panther Stadium to wrap up the non-district portion of the schedule.

The win kept the Greyhounds unbeaten at 6-0, while the Panthers fell to 2-4.

“It started a little rough,” Gruver coach Kurt Haberthur said. “They returned the opening kickoff and we sputtered a little bit, but we got it going there pretty quick.”

Panhandle’s Cooper Brinkley provided the early jolt, taking the opening kickoff 50 yards to the end zone just eight seconds into the game.

Quarterback in white jersey number 10 throws a pass on a bright football field at night, with blurred spectators in the background. — Gruver quarterback Jett Pittman attempts a pass against Panhandle on Friday night.

But the Greyhounds responded with a 99-yard touchdown connection from quarterback Jet Pittman to Mason Lankford with nine minutes remaining in the opening quarter after a Panther punt downed Gruver at the one-yard line.

Panhandle briefly stopped what looked like Greyhound momentum when Braylon Lambert intercepted a Pittman pass at the 6:50 mark, but the Greyhound offense quickly found its rhythm again.

Pittman capped a drive with a 6-yard touchdown run with 27 seconds left in the first quarter to give Gruver its first lead at 14-7.

Just 10 seconds later, Weston Wiggins recovered a Panther fumble, allowing the Greyhounds to immediately take advantage of a Panhandle mistake. Wiggins was key defensively for the Greyhounds as well with 14 tackles and a fumble recovery.

The quick turnaround became a theme for Gruver.

“We kind of missed the kick,” Haberthur said. “It was supposed to be a little bit deeper than that, and he caught it on the run, and we all pretty much ran right by him, and he had clean air all the way to the end zone. Great play on his part. But then to answer back with four straight scores, anytime you do that is pretty big deal.”

Football game action: white-team ball carrier runs with the ball while defenders in purple close in on him on a green field. — Gruver running back Quinn Conyers looks for running room against Panhandle on Friday.

Gruver carried that momentum into the second quarter.

Pittman connected with Grady Satterfield for a touchdown with 11:30 remaining in the half, then found Lankford again on a 5-yard scoring pass with 5:24 left making it 28-7 as Gruver had it rolling.

Panhandle answered with a touchdown of its own when Lukas Purcell scored on an 18-yard run with 4:23 remaining, cutting the deficit to 28-14.

Gruver, however, added a 29-yard field goal from Cort Mayhew before halftime to take a 31-14 advantage into the break.

The Greyhounds had already piled up a large chunk of their eventual offensive production by halftime, and their passing attack continued to create problems for Panhandle throughout the night.

Pittman finished 11-of-20 passing for 285 yards with four touchdowns to an interception. He also rushed for 69 yards with a score. Lankford was his primary big-play target, catching five passes for 159 yards with a pair of TDs. On top of his offense, Lankford recorded 16 tackles on defense with three of those for a loss.

“Jet (Pittman) has stepped into some big shoes there, and I think he’s erasing that,” Haberthur said. “He’s done a great job commanding our offense and getting the ball to guys where it needs to go.”

Lankford’s biggest contribution came on the 99-yard touchdown in the first quarter, but he continued to find open space as the game went on.

“Mason just, you know, when the balls in the air, he believes it’s his, and he goes up and gets it,” Haberthur said.

Panhandle came out of halftime with another response.

Parker Lumpkin broke loose for a 40-yard touchdown run with 3:14 left in the third quarter, trimming Gruver’s lead to 31-21 and giving the Panthers a chance to make things interesting.

The Greyhounds didn’t flinch, answering once more.

Just over two minutes later, Quinn Conyers broke through for a 50-yard touchdown run, restoring Gruver’s two-score cushion at 38-21.

Conyers finished with 22 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown, giving Gruver another dimension alongside Pittman’s passing attack.

The Greyhounds then put the game away in the fourth quarter when Pittman found Bo Cowan for a 15-yard touchdown with 8:07 remaining.

Pittman finished with five total touchdowns, including four through the air and one on the ground, while Gruver’s offense finished the night with 551 total yards.

The Greyhounds totaled 318 yards through the air and 224 on the ground, picked up 22 first downs.

Panhandle managed 226 total yards, including 156 rushing and 70 passing, while picking up 10 first downs.

Football player in purple uniform sprinting with the ball on a bright turf field at night fall game. — Panhandle’s Lukas Purcell runs upfield against Gruver on Friday night.

The Panthers were led on the ground by Lumpkin, who finished with six carries for 63 yards and a touchdown. Purcell added 19 carries for 33 yards and a touchdown, while Brinkley finished with four carries for 57 yards in addition to his 100 return yards and opening kickoff touchdown.

Despite the final margin, the Panthers repeatedly showed the ability to create momentum against a Gruver team that entered the night unbeaten and ranked No. 2 in the state.

That made Haberthur particularly pleased with how his team responded to adversity.

“Panhandle is a really good team, very physical team, very good offensive line, very, very dynamic backs and receivers and great on defense,” Haberthur said. “And I was really proud of our kids, accept that challenge and work throughout the night.”

Gruver’s defense also played a major role in turning the game after Panhandle’s opening score, forcing the fumble recovered by Wiggins and limiting the Panthers to 226 yards of total offense.

“I thought our defense was stellar tonight,” Haberthur said. “Offensive line again did a good job, and then our backs and receivers just did a great job, and our kickers are phenomenal.”

The victory keeps Gruver perfect through six games as the Greyhounds now turn their attention toward district play for a showdown with Stratford looming this coming Friday.

For Haberthur, though, the unbeaten record is only part of what has made this group stand out.

“This is a great group of guys and a great group of guys to be around,” he said. “High character. You know, sometimes you have good teams and they’re not as fun to be around, but these guys are all fun to be around.”