They’re Catholic High’s dynamic duo.

Not so much the crime-fighting variety, but a twosome that the Panthers’ opponents have trouble trying to defend and even more trouble trying to catch.

Blake Byrom and Gabriel Fuselier not only make the plays in Catholic High’s aerial attack, they make the offense go period.

“They’re pretty even in catches, pretty even in yards,” said Catholic High coach Keith Menard. “Both have stepped up and Joe (quarterback Joe Lissard) feels comfortable with either one.

“Those guys give people trouble because you can’t cover one because one guy is going to be in single coverage.”

Just what Byrom, a senior, and Fuselier, a sophomore, have done this year is remarkable for the 9-1 Panthers, who are headed into Friday’s first-round playoff game with Sterlington.

Going into the season, both were expected to be a big part of the offense along with running back D’Shawn Etienne. But when Etienne went down with an injury in the middle of the season, the duo stepped up to become an even bigger part of the offense.

“We were going along with the fact that we had a good running back,” said Byrom, who is among the state leaders with 48 catches for 793 yards and eight touchdowns this year. “We wanted to pass more but when D’Shawn went down we saw it as more of an opportunity. I thought that we could get some yards and scores if we could put the ball in the air.”

Fuselier, who has 47 catches for 635 yards and eight touchdowns this season, also wanted to see the ball more in the air.

“There was a little more pressure to produce because we throw the ball more since D’Shawn’s been out,” said Fuselier. “We didn’t throw as much in the beginning but now we’re seeing more passes so it’s been pretty fun.”

Together, Byrom and Fuselier have accounted for 60 percent of Lissard’s completions this year and 63 percent of the total passing yards for the Panthers.

They’ve been a big part of the offense from the beginning and will see more opportunities Friday night in the playoffs.

But it’s not so much just the yards and touchdowns they’ve produced so far, it’s what they do on the football field on Friday nights also.

“Blake has made some catches this year that make you go wild. He just find a way to make big time plays,” said Menard. “I wouldn’t want to tackle Gabe in a phone booth. He has so much quickness and so much vision on the field.

“It’s amazing just watching the two of them.”

Now that the playoffs are here, Byrom looks back on what he thought the Panthers could accomplish.

“We looked at the schedule for this year and we said that now is the chance to prove ourselves,” said Byrom. “Last year was a learning experience and this year we had a chance to turn heads. I think that we’ve done that so far.”

Amazingly, the duo, along with the rest of the CHS Panthers football team, have flown under the radar for most of the year, which is perfectly fine with Byrom.

“I like it,” said the CHS senior. “We don’t want too much recognition. We want to go out with a chip on our shoulders and show that we can produce.”

Friday night, the two get to experience what all football players want to experience — a home playoff game.

“This is the first one for me,” said Fuselier. “It’s something that I’ve never experienced before. It should be fun.”

“We’re going to go out there and handle business,” said Byrom. “But we’re not going to take anyone lightly. If a team is in the playoffs, they deserve to be there.”