ERATH – You have to dig into Erath High School’s football results a number of years to find the last time the Bobcats got off to a 3-0 start.

20 years, precisely.

Back in 2004, EHS won its first seven games before losing three of four in district and falling to league rival Teurlings Catholic again in the playoffs.

This year’s team, which improved to 3-0 with a 28-21 win over Eunice, its second straight close win over a Class 4A opponent, will put its perfect record on the line Friday at home vs. Vermilion Catholic (3-0). Kickoff is set for 7 PM.

“We were just talking about this,” EHS coach Eric LeBlanc said. “Talking about finding a way to win. Not making excuses. The kids have really bought into it. They’ve taken ownership.”

No one would fault the Bobcats if they pointed to injuries as the primary reason for a two-win campaign in 2023. Star players Lynkon Romero (QB) and Christian Pillette (WR/DB) were sidelined. When Romero went down, Jack Landry took over at quarterback, and that impromptu experience has paid off.

Last week, Landry completed six passes for 122 yards and three TDs and rushed for 67 yards on 19 carries. His 27-yard TD pass to Talen Landry provided the winning points in the fourth quarter.

“Jack made great reads,” LeBlanc said. “He corrected mistakes. Our receivers ran great routes. We averaged five yards per carry. Jack isn’t the most athletic, but he makes guys miss.”

A 32-yard scoring strike from Jack Landry to Talen Landry gave EHS a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Eli Felipe added the PAT. Aiden Bourque (10 rushes, 40 yards) added a scoring run in the first quarter. Cameron Soirez (two receptions, 48 yards) grabbed a 31-yard TD pass from Landry in the second quarter.

The Bobcats trailed 21-20 before Landry’s final TD pass to Talen Landry, who reached the end zone on both of his receptions.

“We’re finishing games,” LeBlanc said. “But I don’t think we’ve played our best football yet.”

They’ll likely need that caliber of effort to get a win against Vermilion Catholic, which is ranked No. 2 in the LSWA Class 1A polls behind Southern Lab. The Eagles, who got two of 12 first-place votes, haven’t lost a regular season game since Erath won a 36-34 shootout in 2021.

One thing the Bobcats can do to try and neutralize VC’s explosive QB Jonathan Dartez is to feed the ball to hard-charging power back Mason Hebert, who will also be tasked with chasing down Dartez on defense.

“Mason is a leader on both sides of the ball,” LeBlanc said of the 5-foot-8, 180-pound senior. “If he was 6-foot-0, he would be more high profile.”

Erath isn’t far removed from the LSWA Class 3A Top 10 poll as the No. 14 vote-getter.

The playoff bracket could be kinder to the Bobcats, as well, after a move down from Division II to III. Instead of facing the smaller Class 4A and larger Class 3A programs in the playoffs, EHS will face the larger Class 2A and smaller Class 3A schools.