The defending Class 3A champion Gold Beach Panthers opened football season Thursday night with a 36-22 win over the 5A Crook County Cowboys at home.

But the Panthers didn’t play up to the standards of coach Kevin Swift.

“We didn’t play well,” he said. “But I’m really proud of the kids to play poorly and still find a way to win.”

Gold Beach was plagued by letdowns and mental lapses, giving up an interception return for a touchdown and a 64-yard touchdown pass.

 “We did a lot more good than bad, but every time we did something bad they made us pay for it,” said Swift.

Gold Beach ran the ball at will, though, as fullback Travis Moore racked up 148 yards on 22 carries and quarterback Jeff Knox added 85 yards on 12 carries. Knox and Moore had a touchdown apiece, and running back Garrett Wolford added another three touchdowns.

The Cowboys struck first on a 1-yard touchdown run from Tom Leavitt but missed the extra point attempt. Gold Beach answered in the first quarter with a 10-yard run to the end zone from Wolford, who tacked on another two with the conversion.

The Panthers threatened to blow it open in the second quarter, as Knox scrambled 19 yards to find pay dirt and Wolford punched in a 2-yard touchdown, with both tacking on two-point conversions for each other.

Crook County kept things close when Christian Radadaugh nabbed an interception and ran it 25 yards back to score six. Andrew Marciel added two points to end the half.

In the third quarter, the Cowboys’ Zack Lea caught a 64-yard touchdown pass from Doug Hall, and with a Marciel two-point conversion the game was close at 24-22 heading into the final quarter.

Gold Beach ran away with it in the fourth, though, on a 15-yard touchdown run from Moore and a 2-yard scramble from Wolford.

Swift said he’s going to drill his kids hard next week about staying in the game mentally and playing with heart.

“This was a typical first game,” he said. “They’re just not playing with the passion they had last year.”