As far as James Whitfield was concerned, fourth down is just another down.

The Fort Myers wide receiver, returning from knee surgery, converted three fourth-down plays on the winning drive of a thrilling 14-13 comeback win over Cypress Lake at a packed Thomas Broomhead Memorial Stadium on Friday night.

Green Wave coach Sammy Sirianni Jr. was enthusiastic in his praise of Whitfield, who has an offer to play for Indiana University.

“With all due respect, there are a lot of great receivers in this area, but I wouldn’t trade him for anything,” Sirianni said.

Whitfield’s receptions from sophomore quarterback T.J. Douglas included one for 13 yards, one for 9 and another for 13 to keep the game alive in the fourth quarter. Junior running back Dalvin Battle punched the game-winner into the end zone with a 9-yard run, his second touchdown of the night.

The comeback for the Greenies (1-0) came after trailing 13-2 at halftime.

The momentum shifted in the third quarter when a roughing-the-kicker penalty gave the Wave a first down. The drive ended with a 10-yard touchdown run by Battle.

“That is the absolute turning point,” Panthers coach Mike Thornton said.

It was a completely different story in the first half.

After Fort Myers took the lead with a safety on a botched long snap, the Cypress defense kept the Green Wave from getting more than 7 yards past midfield. Erick Calhoun stopped that drive with an interception at the 29.

The Cypress Lake offense shifted into gear midway through the second quarter. Sophomore quarterback Jayron Kearse lifted a 54-yard catch-and-run to Devon Calhoun, who put the Panthers (0-1) on the board and in the lead.

Later in the quarter, Kearse was off to the races, but it was more Dakar Rally than Indy 500. He ran and spun and dodged and seemed to do a loop-the-loop at one point, ultimately arriving in the end zone for an 82-yard touchdown run. Logan Franklin’s kick made it 13-2.

“He’s going to be a highlight reel,” Sirianni said of Kearse, who rushed for 179 yards on the night.

The stadium was filled to capacity, and many of those in attendance were wearing green. Given the rough season that the Green Wave had last year, Sirianni was thankful for the show of support.

“That’s the Green Wave spirit,” Sirianni said.