Catasauqua freshman running back Hunter Reitz believed it could be a big night against Wilson last Friday at Alumni Field.

It was for his team, but also for Reitz, who broke the freshman single-game rushing record with his 174-yard, 26-carry, two-touchdown effort in helping his team snap a 21-game losing streak with a 41-34 victory over the Warriors. Ironically, it was their first victory since they defeated Wilson, 36-34, in overtime Sept. 21, 2018

“Beating the record for rushing yardage is definitely a dream come true,” said Reitz. “We were practicing very hard all week for Wilson. I couldn’t have been effective running the ball without my offensive line. They were great.

“Every week, we go out and try our hardest and we finally succeeded.”

Head coach Travis Brett was a little shocked about his team’s 312-yard rushing performance. Overall, the Rough Riders accumulated 428 yards of total offense.

Along with Reitz, Anthonie Hunsicker ran for 93 yards on nine carries.

“I was surprised how well we ran the ball on them considering their size up front,” said Brett. “Hunsicker also had a good night for us.

“Reitz is a natural runner, and he is great to coach. We’re really happy with him, and I can see him getting a heavy workload.”

Freshman quarterback Nasir McLean completed seven of 12 passes for 126 yards with touchdown passes of 24 yards to Dylan Pacheco and 26 to Ian Juica. Austin Brett, who caught three passes, brought back an interception 30 yards for a score.

McLean was pleased with his team’s overall effort.

“I thought we played well,” said McLean. “We fought back and never gave up in four quarters. I think I played better after the first drive when I threw a pick (interception). I realized that I had to wake up and actually play if we wanted to win the game.”

The Roughies (1-4) will end their regular season when they host Northwestern (5-1) Friday night. With their win over Wilson, Catty moved into the fifth spot in the District 11 Class 2A bracket and basically assured themselves of a playoff berth.

“Northwestern will probably put eight or nine men in the box and look to stop our running game,” said Brett. “They can do a number of things and have really played well. We’ll have to play well again, and it will be a big challenge.”

PREDICTION: The Roughies have slowly pieced things together the past few weeks and finally captured their first win. They should have a district berth, and Brett hinted they may look for another game before their annual Thanksgiving Day clash with Northampton. This will be a huge test for them and one to show their resiliency after the Wilson win. McLean will need a big game, as Northwestern should stop their running game. Roughies have a strong effort...NORTHWESTERN, 35-17.