Junior quarterback Mason Griffin played the role of gunslinger Friday night at Gilliam Field, leading host South Laurel to a decisive 56-0 rout of the Harlan Green Dragons.
Griffin threw four first-half touchdown passes and directed the Cardinals on six consecutive scoring drives during the first two quarters.
After leading South Laurel on its seventh straight scoring drive during the opening minutes of the third quarter, Griffin gave way to junior backup Ethan Leach and did not return to the game.
Griffin completed 13 of his 16 pass attempts for 267 yards. Through nine regular season games, Griffin has amassed 1,944 aerial yards and 15 touchdowns for the 6-3 Cardinals.
Meanwhile, the youth-laden Green Dragons struggled mightily against a tenacious South Laurel defense that stymied the visitors from the outset.
The Green Dragons were held without a first down and collected minus-7 yards in total offense through the first two quarters.
Harlan recorded its lone two first downs on consecutive plays during the final minute of the game and finished with 21 net yards of total offense.
Scoring runs by freshman Zach Thomas (28 yards) and junior Liam Newton (10 yards) staked the Cardinals to a 14-0 lead by the midway point of the first quarter, before Griffin took over.
Griffin’s first touchdown pass of nine yards came during the waning seconds of the opening quarter, and his 28-yard scoring strike at the 10:09 mark of the second quarter made it, 28-0.
A fumble by the Green Dragons on the ensuing possession set up a 32-yard scoring strike from Griffin to junior Gunner Williams to start the running scoreboard clock with 8:30 remaining until halftime.
After forcing Harlan’s fifth punt of the first half, Griffin needed just two plays to connect with Thomas on a 25-yard TD pass to make it 42-0 at intermission.
Freshman Mika Smith scored on a 24-yard run early in the third quarter, before Leach capped the scoring on a 1-yard run during the early stages of the fourth quarter.
Smith rushed for a game-high 63 yards on five carries, while Thomas chipped in with 58 rushing yards on three first-half carries. South Laurel collected 137 yards via the overland route.
Leach completed two of his three second-half pass attempts for 33 yards, and the Cardinals finished with an even 300 yards via the air.
Harlan sophomore Jonah Sharp rushed for a team-high 31 yards on 13 carries.
Next up for Harlan is a Class A playoff game Friday at Hazard, while South Laurel will travel to Madison Southern for a Class 5A contest.

South Laurel 56, Harlan 0
Harlan 0 0 0 0 — 0
South Laurel 21 21 7 7 — 56
Thomas 28 run (kick good)
Newton 10 run (kick good)
Griffin 9 pass (kick good)
Griffin 28 pass (kick good)
Williams 32 pass from Griffin (kick good)
Thomas 25 pass from Griffin (kick good)
Smith 24 run (kick good)
Leach 1 run (kick good)