JACKSON -- The Greenhills School boys soccer team appears to be peaking at the right time.

The Gryphons cruised through their opening Division 4 district game, winning 9-1 over Rudolf Steiner Wednesday at Jackson Christian High School. The match lasted just 66 minutes due to mercy rule.

Greenhills will play again at 4 p.m. Friday in for the district championship against host Jackson Christian. If the Gryphons win, they'll move on to play in regionals on their own field.

A deep run into the playoffs has been on Greenhills' mind all year.

"I told them at the beginning of the season, we don't want to play our best soccer in September," said Greenhills coach Lucian Popescu. "We want to do that now."

Greenhills wasted no time in asserting its dominance Wednesday. Just 24 seconds into the game, Matt Jong received the ball inside the 18-yard box on a give-and-go with teammate Patrick Duggan. Jong buried a shot in the back of the net, and the Gryphons were out to a near-instant lead.

More Coverage at MLive.com: Rest of the Story | Boxscore