Cullman coach Matt Plunkett speaks to his football team during the second half of Thursday night's home opener against Jasper. The Bearcats earned a 28-27 victory against the Vikings. 

Down to the last of their nine lives, the Bearcats did what they’ve so often done at Oliver Woodard Stadium.

Make big plays when it matters the most.

Dylon Wallace hauled in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Max Dueland with 3 seconds remaining, Seth Gable put the squeeze on a game-sealing interception as time expired, and Cullman kicked off the Matt Plunkett era with a thrilling 28-27 win against Jasper on Thursday night.

The remarkable catch — Wallace laid out fully extended and drug a foot in the back corner of the end zone — came on a pivotal fourth-and-10 play in which the Vikings needed just one stop to spoil the party for the home team and secure a triumph for themselves.

Instead, Dueland and Wallace spearheaded the raucous celebration with victory balloons.

“I just looked for the throw,” the latter said. “I knew I was going to be close to going out of bounds, so I stuck my toes in the ground, leaned out, caught it and tried to drag them. My mind went crazy after that. I threw the ball to the referee and started running across the field. It’s great. It’s about to be party time in our locker room. Not a bad way to start the season.”

Dueland, who completed 18 of 26 passes for 177 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in his varsity debut, wasn’t quite sure his teammate had come down with the ball from his vantage point.

“I really just trusted what he was running,” the sophomore quarterback said. “I thought he dropped it and was out of bounds. But when he came up with the ball, I knew it was a touchdown. That was the best feeling ever. This gives us confidence for Week 2. We get to improve on our mistakes and play better next week.”

Trailing 7-0 late in the first half, the Bearcats picked up their first touchdown of the season — a 5-yard run by Ezra Burks — following a blocked punt and lengthy return by Gable, who also had a pick in the first half.

Cullman sandwiched a pair of Dueland touchdown passes — a 17-yard connection with Jake Dueland and a 22-yard toss to J.T. White — around an 80-yard scoring strike from Jasper to snare a 21-14 cushion heading into halftime.

The Vikings tied things up following their first possession of the second half and later racked up a 27-21 lead after churning out a nine-play, 95-yard drive midway through the fourth quarter.

The go-ahead march took place directly after Cullman tried and failed three times to punch the football in the end zone from inside the 3-yard line before turning it over on downs.

“I had an opportunity to kick the field goal,” Plunkett said. “I chose not to. Our kids really felt like they could take the momentum and get a touchdown. And I liked our play call, but I should’ve been a better coach there and had another play call I liked better. I’m just proud of our kids for saving my bacon. I told them I was proud of them for saving my butt (laughs).”

Jake Dueland, a freshman, paced the Black and Gold receiving corps with 57 yards on four receptions.

Jayden Sullins (43 yards), Noah Bussman (22 yards) and Isaiah Green (18 yards) combined for 10 catches.

Sullins also had 114 rushing yards on 25 carries.

Jasper, meanwhile, was led by quarterback Michael Crear, who threw for 309 yards in the loss.

In the end, though, it wasn’t enough to topple Plunkett’s Bearcats.

“I really found out a lot about our team,” he said. “We don’t have any quitters out there. We never quit, and our kids believed they could win the whole time. And I was really, really proud of them for that. We’ve just got to get mentally tougher and communicate better.

“Overall, we’re 1-0, and it’s sure a lot better than being 0-1. That’s a great win, and I’m excited, and I’ve got a pounding headache. We’ve just got to go back to the drawing board and get ready for a really good Mortimer Jordan team.”