When he spoke about the possibility of his team making the district playoffs, Catasauqua head football coach Travis Brett notably liked to face one team.

“I would like us to play Minersville,” said Brett. “I think we can compete against them, and if we don’t make mistakes, we can beat them.”

This Saturday night, Brett will get his wish.

The fifth-seated Rough Riders will make the trip to face the fourth-seeded Miners in an opening-round District 11 Class 2A playoff game. It will mark the Roughies’ first appearance in a district playoff game since 2013 under former head coach Tom Falzone.

Catty (1-5) ended its regular season last Friday at Alumni Field with a 37-6 loss to Northwestern in which they accumulated just 84 total yards and five first downs. Northwestern jumped out to a 16-0 first quarter and halftime lead and never looked back.

“We had trouble with our snaps and we made too many mistakes early,” said Brett. “I thought we ran the ball well.

“We were happy where we were at halftime, but we came out flat in the second half. They are a very good team. Like I always say, we’re a young team.”

The Rough Riders were paced by freshman running back Hunter Reitz, who provided the bulk of the offense with 55 yards. Fellow back sophomore Anthonie Hunsicker has been battling a groin injury and only lately has played on defense.

“Hunter has been looking good,” said Brett. “We hope we can get Hunsicker back for Saturday. We want to keep moving the ball on the ground.”

It was a learning night for freshman quarterback Nasir McLean, who was under consistent pressure and only threw for 26 yards with two interceptions.

“He does need some work,” said Brett of his young signal caller. “We would like to see him run the ball more, and have him get around the edge. We know he can get it done, but he’s going to take his lumps out there.”

The Roughies will be needing to hit on all cylinders against Minersville (4-3), which has won its last three games.

Minersville is led by freshman quarterback Connor Schwalm, who has thrown for 1,419 yards and 16 touchdowns with two interceptions. He is coming off a 431-yard, five touchdown performance against Schuylkill Haven and threw for 350 yard-three-touchdown showing in a win over Marian the previous week.

Senior all-state receiver Gabe Davis has been Schwalm’s primary target with 35 receptions and six touchdowns.

“They throw the ball around a lot,” stated Brett about his opponent. “They haven’t done much with their running game.

“They have a good quarterback and an all-state receiver. On defense, they will run a 5-2 or a 4-4. They are similar to us in their 5-2, and we should be able to stop their passing game.

“When we watched the film, they didn’t look like anything special. If we can get it together, we’ll be right there.”

PREDICTION: Brett really likes this matchup, but it looks like the Roughs are catching Minersville at the wrong time. The Miners, who have been frequent visitors to the postseason, have been getting their act together. Catty would benefit with the return of the hard-running Hunsicker in the backfield and could work to slow the game. McLean couldn’t find his rhythm against Northwestern, and he will need to get it back Saturday night. In Falzone’s first postseason game, his team lost a heartbreaker at Pine Grove. Roughie fans better appreciate the Schuylkill fall foliage on a predictable mild night....MINERSVILLE, 35-14.