What a difference a year can make.

Catholic High quarterback Taylor Bullock torched the Erath High secondary with 15-of-17 passing for 202 yards, and the Panthers staved off a late Erath rally to snatch an emotion-charged win in the District 6-3A opener for both teams 28-21 Friday night.

“Aww, man, I tell you what, I’m so happy for our kids, and they worked so hard this week. They’re so young, but then so is Erath,” said CHS coach Craig Brodie. “This is a big rivalry, and this just feels great tonight. Last year’s loss left a real sour taste in our mouths because they got two touchdowns off turnovers to beat us. The ball just didn’t bounce our way over there last year.”

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This year, it was Catholic High’s turn to take advantage of the bounces.

The Panthers fumbled the ball three times Friday night, but CHS turned all three plays into big positive gains, one for a touchdown.

One the other side of the field stood EHS coach Jacob Byler, who was feeling just as much emotion as Brodie.

“We blew another one,” said Byler, after his Bobcats (3-2, 0-1) suffered their second straight loss. “They didn’t outplay us. We just made too many mistakes to win the football game. We should have been in a different defense on their last drive. But that was a heck of high school football game.”

Byler, who is ending a 44-year coaching career this season, was talking about the Panthers’ game-winning drive after Erath had seized its first lead of the night 21-20 with 3:54 to play.

That’s when Bullock was at his best for the Panthers. Bullock completed all four of his passes on the five-play drive, including with 21 and 29 yard strikes to Ridge Gonsoulin and Devon Boutte. The pass to Boutte set up Gonsoulin’s game-winning, three-yard TD run with 1:30 to play in the game.

Byler’s Bobcats weren’t finished. Junior quarterback Chris Tyson, who was having problems holding onto the ball all night, suddenly found his confidence, and after driving the Bobcats to the CHS 2-yard line, he watched his last pass end up in the hands of an ineligible receiver on a fourth-and-goal play, and the game was over.

“Chris was just trying to make something happen at the end. The kids didn’t quit tonight, ever,” said Byler. “But that’s not where we lost the game, really. It was in the beginning of the game. We just weren’t executing.”

After Erath started the game with a three and out on its first series, it didn’t take Bullock long to show his mastery of the CHS offense.

The Panthers drove 54 yards in 11 plays, and Bullock completed four of five passes for 32 yards. Gonsoulin took a handoff from Bullock at the Erath 8 on first and goal and rolled outside, where he was caught at the 1-yard line by Erath’s Mikey Seymour, who forced Gonsoulin to fumble. The ball rolled into the end zone where IV Roy covered it up for the Panthers’ first score of the night.

It didn’t take the Panthers long to make it 14-0 after Tyson fumbled the ball away to Catholic High at the Erath 32-yard line.

After Brady Rogers ran the ball six yards to the Erath 26 on the first play, Bullock dropped back to pass, tucked the ball in and rambled through the middle of the Erath defense to put the Panthers up 14-0 with 1:54 to play in the quarter.

Tyson made up for the mistake midway through the second period, when he dropped back to pass and hit Josh Pillette with an 82-yard bomb to pull Erath to within a touchdown with 6:26 to play in the half.

CHS chewed up over seven minutes of the clock to open the second half, and Bullock hit all five of his passes on the drive, including a 12-yard touchdown strike to Thomas Theriot. The Panthers were setting up for the extra point try, when the officials caught the Bobcats offsides. With the ball on the 1-yard line, Brody changed his mind, and he decided to go for 2. When the 2-point conversion run failed, the Panthers were up 20-7.

The decision to go for two points instead of one almost cost the Panthers the game after Erath took a 21-20 lead later in the fourth quarter.

“It was almost like they baited us into (going for two points), after they jumped offsides” said Brodie. “But I thought we had been running the ball well, so I decided to go for it.”

After the conversion failed, Brodie said he was thinking, “Oh my God, if we lose because of that, it would make me sick.”

Bullock came to Brodie’s rescue though, on the game-winning drive.

“The line was doing a great job of protecting me all night,” said Bullock, “especially on the game winning drive. The receivers were doing a great job of getting open, and everything just worked for us tonight. It was nice to get a little redemption after last year, and after watching the films of last year’s game, I really thought we had a great chance tonight.”

Theriot spent most of his night making Bullock look special.

The CHS wideout caught six passes for 94 yards.

Tyson accounted for most of Erath’s offense, rushing for 93 yards and passing for 180.