LAWRENCE – Growing pains are bound to come with young talent filling key positions, but the Central Catholic football team proved its character is far more meaningful than perfection in its season opener Thursday night.

Visiting Franklin (0-1) was 13 yards away from rallying back from a two-score deficit in the fourth quarter after the Raiders (1-0) missed an insurance field goal in the final three minutes, but Central Catholic’s defense held strong to force a turnover-on-downs and seal a 21-14 nonleague win with under 10 seconds left.

Raiders sophomore quarterback Caden Smith ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns in his starting debut after throwing an interception on the game’s opening drive, pairing with seven total forced turnovers (four turnovers-on-downs) from the defense to anchor the win.

“We made 700 mistakes tonight, but the kids played hard, we played four quarters, they hung in there together,” said Central Catholic head coach John Sexton. “I think it is invaluable. I really do. … It was a very, very good game all the way through. I hope it’s a launching point, I really do, and I think it can be. The guys should feel good about themselves tonight.”

After Smith’s two touchdowns helped Central Catholic to a 14-0 halftime lead, it took the Panthers a methodical, eight-minute drive in the third quarter to finally score its first points on a Will Tirrell 5-yard touchdown run. The Raiders responded easily for a 21-7 lead early in the fourth quarter when Smith (51 rushing yards) scored on a 9-yard run, seemingly putting away the game.

But Central Catholic couldn’t protect the ball during an interception return on the ensuing drive, and Franklin’s fortunes spiked when offensive lineman Hayden Reilly scooped the fumble and returned it about 40 yards to the Central Catholic 22. Cole Sidwell cut the deficit to 21-14 with a 22-yard touchdown on the next play, and the Franklin defense forced the Raiders to a missed field goal with 2:26 left for one last chance.

Franklin quarterback Justin Bianchetto led the offense down the field with three big connections to Kyle Walsh (four catches, 51 yards), and he spiked the ball at the Raiders’ 13 with under 30 seconds left.

But Central Catholic forced three incompletions from there, securing the win.

“I never had a doubt they would pull that off,” Smith said. “I believed. I go against those guys every day in practice, those guys, they tear me apart. I love those guys, every single one of them.”

“I thought they really played hard, I thought they really played tough,” Sexton added. “I’m thrilled. I thought we played with a lot of character on defense tonight. … The whole defensive staff, the whole group deserves a lot of credit.”

Smith credits the defense’s performance as a big morale boost after he tossed an interception on the first drive.

An interception from Dillon Doucette and a fumble recovery from Jomar Berrios gave the Raiders short field position on the next two drives, and Smith responded with keeper touchdowns of 23 and 25 yards. His toss to Drew Alsup (48 receiving yards) at the goal line nearly set up a third score in the waning seconds of the first half, but Franklin’s defense held up and time expired.

“The guys really came together, they had my back,” Smith said. “Even after that first throw, interception. I was on the sideline, head down. But all those boys came and picked my head up. That’s what I love about this team.”

“(Smith) is a competitor,” Sexton added. “He’s a young kid, he’s a sophomore, he’s going to have his lumps along the way. But he’s a competitor and he’s a poised, smart kid. I think he’s going to be really good before it’s all said and done.”