When St. Paul’s pass on a 2-point conversion attempt sailed over a wide-open receiver in the end zone with 30 seconds left in last season’s game, it allowed Bishop Amat to escape with a 29-28 victory.

It was the first time the two schools had met since 2013 and it was Swordsmen coach Mike Moschetti’s first time experiencing the heated rivalry.

Afterward, Moschetti famously said it was a game that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

As St. Paul (1-0) gets set to host Bishop Amat (1-0) tonight, Moschetti’s thoughts haven’t changed.

“You don’t ever forget a game like that and you never really get over it,” Moschetti said. “It was an incredible atmosphere. It went back and forth and we had a chance to go for two and win and didn’t get it done. It’s not only going to haunt myself, but also those seniors. It’s something we’re going to use as motivation for this game because you remember being in the locker room and how it felt. Nobody wants that again.”

There are no visiting stands at St. Paul, but recently the school added bleachers in the end zones. The school is expecting an overflow, emotional crowd.

It is the first time St. Paul is hosting the rivalry game since 2013.

“This game is so important,” Moschetti said. “It’s a rivalry that goes back to the ’60s. It’s against the Catholic school over the hill. We’re never going to back down to them and eventually we’re going to beat them. The kids will never forget it, but we have to have a good week of practice and stay poised. It’s going to be rocking on both sides, we can’t wait.”

Going into last year’s game, Moschetti stoked some flames when he talked about the Swordsmen’s trip to Bishop Amat, saying they would get on the bus and go to Hacienda Heights.

Obviously, Bishop Amat is in La Puente.

Following Bishop Amat’s 49-6 win over West Covina last week, Amat coach Steve Hagerty was asked about the Lancers’ next game and their first trip to St. Paul in 11 years.

It seemed Hagerty was ready for the question.

“To us it’s just another stadium,” Hagerty said. “To (others) it’s the Pit. To me, we’re just going to play a game down somewhere in Pico.”

Pico Rivera? St. Paul is in Santa Fe Springs.

Moschetti had no problem with it, citing the rivalry’s recent history.

Bishop Amat owns a 29-15-2 record in the series and has won seven straight against the Swordsmen. St. Paul’s last victory over Amat was in 2000, when it won 31-3.

“This hasn’t been much of a rivalry for Bishop Amat, but it is for St. Paul,” Moschetti said. “I have nothing but respect for coach Hagerty. He can say whatever he wants. They beat us last year and they’ve been kicking our (behind) consistently for a while.”

Bishop Amat struggled to a 4-7 record a year ago. The Lancers graduated several impact players from that team and several others transferred out, such as talented receiver Eric Osorio, who is now at Damien.

In the 2022 season, Bishop Amat reached the CIF-SS Division 2 semifinals with a team loaded with impact transfers.

Don’t tell Moschetti that Amat is slipping or isn’t what it once was. He’s not buying it.

“It’s always tough to win against a program like Amat,” Moschetti said. “Two years ago they brought in a bunch of transfers and mercenaries. From the outside looking in, they cleaned that up and went back to what Bishop Amat culture always has been. They play hard, they play physical and it takes a lot to beat them. We know what we’re up against.”

St. Paul had a good opening week.

The Swordsmen fell behind by two touchdowns against Newport Harbor. But they quickly got it together and rallied for a 21-17 victory, getting a goal-line sneak from quarterback Gabriel Castaneda with 1:24 to go, and they held on to win.

“We didn’t play well early, lot of mistakes, but I was so proud of how we came back,” Moschetti said. “We lost a ton of games in the fourth quarter last year, including the one to Amat. So, it’s a good feeling in game one to see your guys come back and win a game like that.”

Castaneda threw for 136 yards and a touchdown. They also got a good game from running back Joseph Lafferre, who ran for 127 yards. One other player to watch will be sophomore Marley Luatua, who is expected to carry a bigger load in the backfield this week.

Bishop Amat, meanwhile, is still a curiosity.

Bishop Amat was expected to beat West Covina the way it did. Facing St. Paul will be a much bigger test and indication of what the Lancers look like as their schedule gets tougher.

Amat doesn’t have the size advantage is usually has on the offensive and defensive lines, but it does have skill players who can match up with most teams.

Bishop Amat running back Ryan Saucedo finished with 192 yards and two touchdowns last week and the Lancers rushed for 250 yards as a team. And they have an experienced senior quarterback in Frankie Villalbazo, who threw for 168 yards and two TDs.

Moschetti said he expects to be better prepared this time.

“It’s a typical Bishop Amat team, big up front, well coached, backs run hard and they’re good at the skilled positions and tight end,” Moschett said. “Last year Amat came out with all these gimmick formations on fourth downs and they had us on our heels the whole first half. We expect the same this year, but number one, we have to match their physicality and do a better job of shutting down the run game.”