Gold Beach’s Travis Moore finds a hole and runs for some yardage against Myrtle Point in the first half Friday night. World Photo by Lou Sennick.

MYRTLE POINT — Myrtle Point entered Friday night’s game against defending state champion Gold Beach with a perfect record, but the Panthers left little doubt they’re still the team to beat in the Sunset Conference, pounding the host Bobcats 56-0.

Gold Beach’s physical line opened up holes all night for the Panthers’ primary offensive weapons, quarterback Jeffrey Knox, fullback Travis Moore and running back Garrett Wolford, who each had at least two scores during the game.

“We lift all year,” said Tim Young, one of the leaders on the Panthers’ line. “We pretty much base our program on how strong and physical we can be on the field.”

The report card Friday was all positive for the line.

Moore rushed for 162 yards on 26 carries, Knox gained 116 more on 10 attempts and Wolford carried 10 times for 81 yards.

“Our linemen do good,” said Wolford, adding that it was easy to find holes Friday.

“I love it.”

In contrast, Myrtle Point had just three carries all night that went for more than 3 yards, and one of them was a 5-yard gain. Scott Clark rushed for 66 yards on 14 carries, but that included runs of 26 and 44 yards.

“We played good defense,” said Wolford. “We shut them out.”

The Panthers wasted little time establishing their rushing attack.

On the opening possession, the Panthers marched down the field 74 yards in 11 plays, the only hiccup a 10-yard holding penalty. The play after the flag was thrown, Knox ran a quarterback keeper up the middle for a 20-yard score.

The Bobcats put Gold Beach in position for the next score with a big miscue. The Panthers quickly forced a punt and the deep snap sailed over the head of punter Sean Andy, who scampered after the ball, but quickly was tackled on his own 5-yard line.

Two plays later, Wolford took an option pitch from Knox and ran untouched into the end zone.

The Panthers’ next possession ended quickly with a fumble, recovered by Myrtle Point’s Daven Cagley.

But Gold Beach forced another fumble, and Knox scored on a 6-yard keeper three plays into the second quarter.

The Bobcats followed with one of their best drives, including their first two first downs of the game, but Knox ended the threat with an interception, returning it 44 yards to the Gold Beach 49. He scored on the next play on an option keeper up the middle and the Panthers never looked back.

Moore scored later in the first half and again early in the third quarter and Knox had a pair of touchdown passes — to Wolford and James Davis — in the second half, sandwiched around a safety when another punt snap went over Andy’s head and he was forced to run out of the end zone.

The two bad punt snaps were only part of the problem for the Bobcats.

In the first half, Myrtle Point struggled trying to catch the ball, as quarterback Kyle Davis completed just one of 14 passes. Several of his throws hit receivers on the hands before falling to the turf.

“Our first half, we didn’t catch the football,” Myrtle Point coach John Marquez said. “Our game plan was to throw the ball.”

Without the completions, the Bobcats had limited first downs, which meant more opportunities for the Panthers.

“We didn’t stop them, but they did earn and work for their yards,” Marquez said of Gold Beach. “That’s why they’re the No. 1 team in the state. They execute.”

Marquez was disappointed that Myrtle Point failed to score on four trips inside Gold Beach territory, including late in the second quarter, when Andy juggled and dropped a pass in the end zone — while heavily defended by two Panthers — on the final play of the half.

“I’m disappointed because my team doesn’t deserve to lose like this,” Marquez said. “We’re a better team than what we showed.”

But, he added, Myrtle Point isn’t at Gold Beach’s level.

“We’re not elite yet,” Marquez said.

The Panthers are at that level, and coach Kevin Swift had little to complain about Friday night.

“I don’t like the fumbles,” he said of Gold Beach’s three turnovers — recovered by Andy, Clark and Justin Fry. “I don’t like our sideline management when we’re subbing kids.

“Things the fans don’t notice we’re working on.”

Young said the Panthers came into the game fired up and kept the intensity throughout.

“We were pretty prepared,” he said. “We were ready to play.”

Gold Beach had its third straight convincing win since a loss to North Valley in the preseason.

“North Valley was the best thing that happened to us,” Young said. “We were still living on last year.

“That game gave us a whole new outlook. It’s fueled us.”

Next up is another big game, against Cascade Christian, which also is unbeaten in league and has played the Panthers tough the past two years, winning in 2006 before Gold Beach returned the favor last year. The teams play next Saturday at 6 p.m. at Gold Beach’s Jay Johnson Stadium.

“They’re a class act,” Young said. “We look forward to playing them.”

“They’re always pretty tough,” added Wolford. “We need to try to come out and play physical.”

The Bobcats also have a big game next week, against Coquille, which got its first league win Friday at Reedsport, but already has lost to Gold Beach and Cascade Christian. Last year, the Red Devils won the rival showdown and ended up going to the playoffs.

“They’re a good team,” Marquez said.

The Coquille-Myrtle Point game is Thursday night at Coquille, one of several games played early next week because of a statewide inservice day on Friday.

“We need to catch the ball,” Marquez said. “We need to run the ball.

“What we do is regroup as a team, keep our heads up, and make sure these boys know they went out and played their hearts out tonight.”