A rattled Cameron Coffman, then a backup freshman, stepped off Noyes Field last year slightly shaken from his game-sealing interception against Central.

On Friday night, the Raymore-Peculiar quarterback returned a much different — and more devastating — player.

The Panthers’ signal caller conducted a ruthlessly efficient offensive effort, as Ray-Pec, the No. 1 team in Class 5, blitzed Central 48-21. Already one of the state’s top passers as a sophomore, he tossed three first-half touchdowns and ran for another.

“He knows the game beyond his years,” Ray-Pec coach Tom Kruse said. “He does good things, and he’s not done yet. He got a ways to go.”

That could be bad news for the Indians (1-6, 0-6 Suburban Big 7), who went winless during their first conference season against the best competition Kansas City has to offer.

Coffman zeroed in on senior Gavin Lutman throughout the first half and completed his first seven passes to the speedy wideout. Two of his first three passes went for touchdowns, but it was the last before halftime that made the most difference.

With two seconds left, Lutman outleaped two Central defenders for a jump ball, came down with it and raced the final 15 yards with the clock showing goose eggs. The score gave the top-ranked Panthers a comfortable three-score cushion that Central didn’t threaten.

Lutman finished with seven catches for 144 yards and three scores.

“I could live with everything that happened until that last two seconds,” Central coach Tony Dudik said. “Football’s a game of matchups, and we didn’t have an answer for that kid.”

Or for running back Kris Cornelius.

Behind an imposing wall of beefy offensive linemen, the Panthers’ senior back scatted for 187 yards and a touchdown. Backfield mates Brett Houchen (10-69) and Anthony DiIorio (8-37) joined him in the end zone.

All told, Ray-Pec’s offensive numbers were staggering — 530 total yards, 23 first downs and one impressive victory for a team that received a whipping at Central in 2007.

“After watching last year’s game, the same numbers kept showing up,” Dudik said. “Now they’re a year bigger and a year stronger.

“You don’t get ranked No. 1 in the state for not being a good team.”

Lost in the final score was the Indians’ development on offense.

After sputtering through the middle portion of its schedule, Central moved the ball effectively against a defense loaded with Division I prospects. The Indians even put a small scare into the Panthers in the second quarter.

Trailing 21-14 after Lutman’s second score, the Indians took over at their 27 yard-line. Senior quarterback Sheldon Farrell showed his swiftness by keeping an option play and picking up 11 yards.

Then he got a chance to show off his arm.

Farrell rolled left on a bootleg and found a wide, wide open Clay Linebach running along the sideline.

“I just threw it as far as I could,” Farrell said. “I put it out in front of him and hoped he’d catch it.”

The 62-yard score pulled Central within a score at 21-14. But Ray-Pec scored the next four touchdowns before senior Ghaali Muhammad — who rolled up 124 yards of offense — closed the scoring with his second touchdown of the game.

Now permanently installed as the team’s No. 1 quarterback, Farrell threw for 178 yards and a pair of scores — doubling his season total. By scoring a combined 55 points in the past two weeks, Central’s offense seems to be clicking just in time for districts, which start next week with a home game against Oak Park.

“We hit a couple bumps along the way, but I think we’re back on the right track,” Farrell said.

Sports reporter Andy Meyer can be

reached at andymeyer@npgco.com