The time for licking wounds is past, according to Erath coach Doug Dotson.

The Bobcats are back at work this week to prepare for another tough challenge when they take on Vermilion Catholic.

“We’re going to work on keeping and handling the ball better,” Dotson said.

The Bobcats turned over the ball several times, mostly on special teams plays.

“We can bounce back from this,” he said. “It’s only a defeat if you don’t learn from it”

And the Bobcats are taking the opportunity to learn.

They’ll need big performances from Coy Clostio and Ty Bares, among others, to keep up with a high-scoring Eagles offense.

Clostio so far has 212 yards this season and one touchdown. Bares has 127 yards and two touchdowns.

Also needing a breakout game is Aaron Greene. He has 71 yards this season for one touchdown.

Defensively, Bobcat defenders will need to be ready for both a strong ground and air game, but Dotson says they’ve made some changes in the defense starting in the second half of their game against Catholic High.

“There was some improvement overall,” Dotson said.

The Eagles are still flying high after a big win Friday night, with their record sitting at 2-0 this season.

A team loaded down with offensive weapons, Vermilion Catholic is poised to have a season similar to last year.

Running back Jacoby Davis already has 352 yards this year on the ground and five touchdowns.

Joining him in the running game is Michael Campbell with 107 yards and three touchdowns.

Not to be outdone, the passing game proves to be just as deadly with Joey Faulk earning 121 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Dustin Desormeaux, meanwhile, has 134 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

Defensively, the team is just as strong, shutting down opponents and preventing them from scoring. They’ll be focusing on doing the same against Erath this Friday night when the Bobcats visit them on their home turf.

Desormeaux and Faulk are two key defensive players, with the rest of the team not that far behind them.

“I think we’ve been good on defense,” head coach Russel Kuhns said throughout the first two weeks of the season.

Tickets for Friday’s game between Erath and VC are on sale now at VC for $7.