The Montezuma-Cortez Panthers’ (0-3) slow start on Friday against Grand Junction Central (2-1) ended with a 46-20 loss.

The Warriors came out firing, scoring on their first five possessions, with three touchdown passes, one rushing score and a 60-yard punt returned for a touchdown to lead 40-0 after the first quarter.

“They just threw the deep ball,” interim head coach Scott Conklin said. “They have a couple receivers, one in particular, (Darrion Alton), he’s just darn good.”

The Panthers’ first four drives resulted in two punts and two turnovers, one on a fumbled handoff and one on an interception.

The Panthers’ offense gained momentum in the second quarter after junior Coby Baer’s 60-yard touchdown run, and Baer scored again in the third on a 72-yard touchdown run off a reverse.

“The offense is getting better every week,” Conklin said. “We got outside and scored a couple touchdowns on the outside, and had a nice passing touchdown towards the end.”

The Panthers lone passing score came in the fourth quarter when quarterback Cordell Ridings connected with Baer on a 67-yard pass.

M-CHS limited the Warriors to less than 100 yards rushing, but Central found success in the air, throwing for 151 yards and three scores.

“We shut down the run pretty good,” Conklin said. “Because the previous two weeks combined, they rushed the ball for over 500 yards. We were focused on stopping the run, but their receivers were pretty tough and hard to stop.”

Junior Tanner Desrosiers led the Panthers will nine tackles, and freshman Zeke Vargas came up with seven stops, including two tackles for loss.

The Panthers will look to grab their first win of the season next Friday, Sept. 25 at Ignacio (0-3) at 7 p.m.