COLUMBUS — Any thoughts that Louisville football might be looking ahead to next week’s showdown against Starkville were erased barely two minutes into Friday night’s game at Columbus.

The Wildcats used one explosive play after another to build a big lead over the Falcons and cruise to a 45-20 victory, improving to 3-0.

“We had a lot of guys who stepped up tonight,” Louisville head coach Tyrone Shorter said. “I’m pleased with our young men. They’re playing hard, and a lot of guys are getting the opportunity to play.”

The visitors wasted no time setting the tone — on the second play from scrimmage, Wildcats quarterback Xavier Hunt hit receiver Deniro Jackson on a deep sideline pattern for a 42-yard pickup to bring the ball inside the Columbus 10. Three snaps later, Kendon Sanders paid it off with a short touchdown run to give Louisville the early lead.

Following an interception, the Wildcats went right back to work, this time with Jaylin Jordan finding the end zone from a yard out. Louisville extended the lead to 17 on a 34-yard Ceidrick Hunt field goal before the hosts could come up with an answer.

That answer came in the form of quarterback Jaquavious Bankhead, a senior in his first year as the Falcons’ starter. After running back Reginald Wilkins gave Columbus a first down with a 14-yard rush, Bankhead connected with a streaking Delmere Hudgins along the left sideline for a 58-yard score. The Falcons trailed just 17-8 with a successful two-point conversion.

“We’re going to go as far as our seniors take us,” Columbus head coach Josh Pulphus said. “Last year, those guys got a lot of good game experience. They’ve just got to get ready to roll with it. These three games are big in (Bankhead’s) development and his growth.”

The Falcons (0-3) followed up the score with a three-and-out on defense, but on the second play of their next possession, Bankhead overthrew his receiver and Jamarion King was perfectly positioned to make the interception and race untouched down the sideline for a touchdown that killed Columbus’ momentum.

When the Wildcats got the ball back after a punt at the Falcons’ 28, they needed just one play to score again. Xavier Hunt found Xzarion Haynes on a quick swing pass, and Haynes did the rest to make it 31-8. Louisville would later take advantage of another Bankhead interception to further fatten the lead before halftime on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Hunt to Kameron Triplett.

“We knew Louisville was going to be a tough matchup,” Pulphus said. “We saw some good things happen today, but we also saw some bad things. We’ve just got to keep fighting and get back to the drawing board.”

Columbus went three and out to start the second half, and the Wildcats used seven running plays to push the lead to 45-8 and force a running clock. Even so, Louisville kept its starters in the game, so the Falcons kept theirs in as well and made the final score look more respectable with a pair of late touchdown passes from Bankhead to Antonio O’Neal Jr.

The Wildcats, the defending MHSAA Class 4A state champions and ranked No. 6 in Mississippi by MaxPreps, hit the road again next week for a marquee matchup against No. 3 Starkville. Columbus travels to Oxford to take on Lafayette next Friday.

“The biggest thing that we have to do in practice is make sure we understand situations,” Pulphus said. “Another thing is finishing plays. A lot of times, we didn’t finish plays like we needed to. We were there but didn’t make the tackle; we were there but didn’t finish the block. So we definitely need to make sure we do that this week.”

Louisville 45, Columbus 20

Louisville (3-0)             17   21   7   0 — 45

Columbus (0-3)              8     0    6   6 — 20

First quarter

L – Kendon Sanders 3 run (Ceidrick Hunt kick), clock 9:52

L – Jaylin Jordan 1 run (C. Hunt kick), clock 6:37

L – C. Hunt 34 field goal, clock 1:48

C – Delmere Hudgins 59 pass from Jaquavious Bankhead (2-point pass successful), clock 0:36

Second quarter

L – Jamarion King 40 interception return (C. Hunt kick), clock 10:52

L – Xzarion Haynes 28 pass from Xavier Hunt (C. Hunt kick), clock 9:06

L – Kameron Triplett 32 pass from X. Hunt (C. Hunt kick), clock 1:26

Third quarter

L – Jordan 1 run (C. Hunt kick), clock 8:22

C – Antonio O’Neal Jr. 17 pass from Bankhead (2-point pass failed), clock 0:54

Fourth quarter

C – O’Neal 32 pass from Bankhead (2-point rush failed), clock 2:00