DETROIT - Just off the Chrysler Freeway on Detroit's east side, the Detroit Plymouth Educational Center's brand new football complex, Kilgore Field, has a picturesque view of the city's skyscape.

The General Motors Renaissance Center and the buildings that surround it are visible from field level, but that's not what caught Willow Run High School defensive lineman Will Meadows' eye.

"We plan on ending our season right over there at Ford Field," Meadows said, referring to the Detroit Lions stadium where the MHSAA state finals are played every year.

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Meadows did his part to make good on his plans Friday night with three sacks, three tackles-for-loss and a forced fumble -- which he recovered -- in Willow Run's season opening 34-25 win over Detroit PEC.

"I'm from Detroit, all my family's from the east side and everything, so it feels good to be in front of my family," Meadows said.

The game ended, appropriately, with the time running out following a Meadows sack of Panther quarterback Jaylnn Searcy.

"You can't say enough about Will," said Willow Run coach Rufus Pipkins. "He works hard at it, and he's a leader, like a coach on the field."

Detroit PEC (0-1) is a school in its third year of existence and, like Skyline High School, has added a class every year. It was playing its first-ever varsity game.

"I'm not disappointed with the kids at all," said Detroit coach Duane Carter. "It's their first varsity games, no seniors on the team, nothing like that, so we're gonna build and work to get better."

After trading punts and not getting much going offensively to start the game, Willow Run quarterback Ja'len Griffin took a two-step drop and aired it out from the Panther 30-yard line to Aaron Richmond, who won a jump ball on the 5-yard line and dragged a pair of Panther defenders into the end zone to put the Flyers on the board with 5 minutes, 58 seconds left in the first quarter.

Griffin wasn't completing a lot of passes, but nearly every time he did successfully connect with a receiver, it went for six points. Griffin finished 7-of-17 for 239 yards and five touchdowns.

"I wasn't trying to think about (the incompletions)," Griffin said. "I was just trying to get past it and get the W."

Detroit's first-ever touchdown came on a 60-yard bomb to 5-foot-5 receiver Javonte Coates. The Flyers (1-0) responded with a play from a jitterbug of their own, with 5-foot-2 receiver Desmond Brown scoring a 72-yard touchdown on the ensuing drive. Brown finished with three catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns. He had 186 all-purpose yards.

Coates scored again on an 80-yard kick return later in the half and finished with 165 all-purpose yards.

Willow Run took a 20-18 lead into half. The Flyers went to the ground more in the second half, spreading it between a trio of running backs, scoring 14 straight points and eating up the clock.

Chervez Sims got the lion's share of the carries and finished with 114 yards rushing on 15 attempts.

Searcy connected with Darrius Tolbert for the game's final score with 3:57 left in the fourth.

"They got 25, but it was lethargic, it was big plays, we didn't make them work hard for those points. One drive they had a penalty to put them in the red zone, another kick return for a touchdown," Pipkins said. "We're satisfied with our performance offensively we just got to get a little better defensively."

Pete Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2565 or by e-mail at petercunningham@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.