FLOYDADA — To return to the UIL Class 2A Division II State Semifinals, the Gruver football team knew that they had plenty of work to do. Following a 67-7 victory over Lockney in the opening round of the playoffs, the Greyhounds understood the assignment — the road was only going to get tougher from there.
Fortunately, the ‘Hounds were up to the task.
Facing off against a formidable Wink team in the Class 2A Division II area round, held on Friday at Charles Tyer Stadium, the Greyhounds controlled the game’s tempo before putting together a 47-14 statement victory.
While Gruver started the game off with a bang, it was within the second and third quarters where the Greyhounds advanced to the Class 2A Division II regional semifinals. During those two stanzas, Gruver produced 40 points.
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Furthermore, Gruver won the turnover battle. The Hounds were able to collect three takeaways, compared to the Wildcats’ one.
To push onward to Thanksgiving weekend football, Gruver head coach Kurt Haberthur had to lean on his defenders. The Greyhounds responded accordingly.
“I’m just really, really proud of our defense,” Haberthur said, following the win. “That was a really good football team that we had to control. At any time, (the Wildcats) could break it, but we did a very good job with them.”
According to sophomore Mason Lankford, it came down to following through on the gameplan. Lankford caught four passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns, and racked up 11 tackles and one interception.
“It just came down to execution,” Lankford said. “We preached that all week. If we execute, then we’re going to win this game.”
Senior quarterback Briggs Satterfield continued to put on a showcase of a season, going 9-of-14 for 146 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 159 yards and four more scores on 25 carries. On defense, Satterfield helped shut down the Wink passing game with two pass breakups and one interception.
Lankford heaped praise upon his teammate.
“I can’t say enough about him,” said Lankford. “He can just do it all, in my eyes. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without him. He’s just amazing.”
The Greyhounds improved to 10-2 overall.
At 2 p.m. next Friday at Happy State Bank Stadium in Canyon, Gruver will square off against Ropes. The Eagles (11-1) pitched a 67-0 shutout over Farwell on Friday at Wildcat Stadium in Littlefield.
It’ll be a rematch of grand proportions, as Gruver and Ropes last met in the regional final back on Dec. 6, 2024. In that meeting, the Greyhounds notched a 34-21 victory over the Eagles.
Haberthur knows that his team will have to put forth a complete ballgame.
“It’s going to take a great defensive effort, a great offensive effort and a great special teams effort, because they’re a really good football team,” said Coach Hab. “They’re well coached, with a lot of experience on their staff. We played them last year, and they were a very tough team. They have everybody back, so it should be a good one.”
Wink ends their season with a 9-3 record.
To get a jump on the Wildcats, Gruver had to convert their opening drive into points. Following a big run from senior Nick Shepard to get the Greyhounds going, Satterfield plunged into the endzone from four yards out. Senior Manny Valverde’s PAT sailed through the uprights, and with 9:42 on the clock, the Greyhounds took a 7-0 lead.
The game grinded down into a battle of field position and defensive stops. Even though Wink freshman linebacker Kolt Lusby recovered a fumble from Valverde with 27 seconds left in the stanza, Satterfield picked off Wink junior quarterback Layne Lusby on the next play.
Satterfield captured the football after it had bounced off of Lankford’s shoulder pads.
Midway through the stanza and following a punt from Valverde, Wink senior Cayton Noyola coughed up the football on the return. Gruver sophomore Bo Cowan pounced upon the pigskin, and kept their drive alive. Then, the momentum swung heavily into Gruver’s favor.
“We got some turnovers, and were able to capitalize from there,” Haberthur said of the fumble recovery.
The Greyhounds then cashed in on the opportunity, as Satterfield connected with Lankford for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 7:31 left until halftime.
“It was a great play, and we practice it every week,” said Lankford. “Every day, we come out and run routes. I can’t do anything without my line and without my other guys, so I really give (credit) to them.”
At the 3:03 mark, Satterfield emerged from a proverbial rugby scrum for a 52-yard touchdown run. The scamper completed a 90-yard drive from the Greyhounds.
With 24 seconds left in the first half, Satterfield struck paydirt from four yards away. The score was set up by Lankford’s interception.
“The play was where I go back and help (my teammates),” Lankford said. “I was just reading the quarterback’s eyes and our corners had great coverage. I just went for the ball and came down with it. I just wanted the ball.”
At intermission, Gruver built up a 27-0 lead.
The Greyhounds returned to the field, and held the Wildcats on a fourth and inches in the first possession of the second half. The red and black then marched 65 yards, before senior Dax Conyers rumbled into the endzone from five yards out at the 4:21 mark.
Along with his lone TD, Conyers would end up rushing for 88 yards on 15 carries.
Gruver kept applying the pressure, forcing another turnover on downs. Satterfield then tacked on another rushing touchdown, this time from 13 yards out with 2:22 remaining in the third period.
The Greyhounds then scored one more time before the final stretch, as Satterfield tossed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Lankford. With 23.5 seconds left until the fourth, Gruver commanded a 47-0 lead.
The Wildcats did prevent the shutout, though, scoring a pair of touchdowns on Gruver’s reserves.
Wink junior running back Kamyd Faciane scored a 15-yard touchdown run with 10:47 left in the game. The two-point conversion was no good.
The final points came from a 37 yard touchdown connection between Layne Lusby and junior wideout Cade Frerich with 37.6 seconds left. Junior Ja’kovien Roberson scored the two-point conversion via a screen pass from Lusby.
However, it was too little and too late.
Cowan had a strong performance, putting up 11 tackles with three tackles for a loss and a quarterback sack. Along with his fumble recovery, Cowan had three pressures on defense.
Senior Victor Flores had a complimentary showing, totaling five tackles. Within those five stops, two tackles were for a loss and one was marked as a quarterback sack.