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GREENSBORO -- Ricky Lewis Jr. eased out of the pocket, surveyed the field and, seeing a hole, slammed on the accelerator.

A Grimsley defender gave the Dudley quarterback chase and another swiped at his legs, but on this night, the Panthers were just a little bit faster at every turn.

Lewis outran everybody for a 30-yard touchdown, just one of a string of jaw-droppers for Dudley in a 40-0 win Thursday that solidified the Panthers as a legit state title contender.

"We can still improve," Dudley head coach Steven Davis said, "but it might be kind of scary how good we can be."

The Panthers (3-0) entered the game ranked second in the state in the Associated Press 3-A poll, and anyone who picked a team ahead of them looked foolish after this. They racked up 442 yards to Grimsley's 56, got three touchdowns from running back Fred Overby and won their third straight game against a team that had 10 or more victories last year.

"They were just better than we were," said Grimsley head coach Mark Saunders, whose team had beaten Dudley the last two seasons. "Their experience showed."

Perhaps Saunders sensed he'd need some creativity to keep up.

Grimsley (2-1) tried a halfback pass on its first play from scrimmage, but it sailed long and the Whirlies went three-and-out.

They managed 40 yards of offense in the first half, or seven fewer than Dudley marched on its first four plays, a 63-second drive that ended with J.R. Peterson's 14-yard touchdown run. After the Whirlies went three-and-out again, the Panthers scored three plays later on a 28-yard run by sophomore Mycah Gaylord.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Grimsley punted, failed to capitalize on a Dudley fumble, then punted again. Overby scored from 11 yards out three plays later. Another Whirlie punt, another Overby touchdown. He added a 50-yard scamper in the fourth quarter, long after the result was in question.

Picture trying to run through a crack in a brick wall and you'll understand the Whirlies' night. They had four first downs and nine punts.

Sophomore running back Lashawn Brown, who couldn't be stopped against Northern Durham last week, couldn't find a hole anywhere against the Panthers. Quarterback Josh Patterson was 4-of-9 for 20 yards and an interception and -- just for good measure -- injured his shoulder late in the game.

"We couldn't block them and we couldn't stop them," Saunders said. "They were just a lot more physical than we were."

The Panthers' "Four Horsemen" defensive line -- Josh Jones, Kelton Shepard, Darius Hall and Chris Neal -- combined for 34 tackles and six sacks, and they created all kinds of room on the other side of the ball for Overby, who had 151 yards on 15 carries, and Lewis, who had 110 on 13.

"When someone messes up, someone else makes a play. When someone falls down, someone else picks them up," Jones said. "There are no superstars on this team. Just what it says right there on the jersey: Dudley."

Contact Tom Keller at 373-7034 or tom.keller@news-record.com.

D -- J.R. Peterson 14 run (Ricky Lewis Jr. kick)

D -- Mycah Gaylord 28 run (Lewis kick blocked)

D -- Fred Overby 11 run (pass failed)

D -- Overby 19 run (Lewis kick)

D -- Lewis 30 run (pass failed)

D -- Overby 50 run (Overby run)