After their lone scrimmage against Pleasant Valley last week, Catasauqua’s football team has a good feeling for its season opener against Northern Lehigh Friday night at Alumni Stadium.

“We thought the scrimmage went well,” said Rough Riders head coach Travis Brett. “We also came out healthy.

“We came out and threw the ball a lot, and we were happy with the way our guys looked and blocked. Our defense played well for the most part, and there were a few plays here and there that we didn’t make. But, overall, we were happy how we played on defense.”

The Roughies will have another tall order to open the season with Northern Lehigh, who is the defending Colonial-Schuylkill League and District 11 Class A titlist. Northern Lehigh advanced to the PIAA state quarterfinals before they ended their season with a 12-2 record.

The Bulldogs lost quarterback Nick Frame and running backs AJ Jimenez and Izaiah Ramos, all of whom accounted for 2,925 rushing with 44 touchdowns and 1,243 passing yards with 12 touchdowns.

But Northern Lehigh returns linemen Jackson Van Norman, Brody Dye, and Landon Moll, a trio that will anchor the unit. Linebacker/wide receiver Bailey Smith had 84 tackles last year. The Bulldogs have a small senior class, but they have a bevy of juniors, sophomores, and freshmen who have made it a reload instead of a rebuild in Slatington.

Head coach Joe Tout plans to stay the course with his ground game this fall with a three-pronged running attack to begin the season.

Catty isn’t expecting too many surprises.

“They are big up front, and we expect them to be run heavy,” added Brett. “We will need to stop the run.

“Defensively, they are a 4-3, and return two defensive tackles that are solid and two linebackers with a lot of experience. They are young in the secondary.”

Brett is cautiously optimistic.

“Our kids are excited and know Northern Lehigh is a very solid team. This is a chance early on to prove ourselves.”

PREDICTION: Northern Lehigh ripped Catty, 32-12, on their home turf last year. They also have won the last two meetings (51-20 in 2019, 48-0 in 2018). The Roughies won consecutive games in 2017 (38-20) and 2016 (39-31). The Bulldogs won the 2015 contest, 55-14 after the Roughies consecutive games in 2013 (40-0) and in 2014 (25-23). It has been a tight series ... Brett complemented the play of first-year quarterback Aiden Hess and wide receiver Ian Juica. Backup quarterback Aiden Reilly “looked good,” and underclassmen Cadeo Estronza, Manny Bolmer, Yandel Martinez, and Chase Kratochvil all “made plays.” Starting running backs Hunter Reitz and Jyzaiah Bonilla has limited carries ... Viewed as league and district contender, Catty can start the season on a high note with a victory even though Northern Lehigh has plenty of new people in place. This will be a battle on the ground, as both teams will employ an all-out ground game ... Catty has had this date circled on its calendar for quite some time, as the Roughies are anxious to get it going after their shocking loss in the district final last season ... Difference here will be Hess, who will need to throw the ball well to open the offense. If the Roughies can open lanes for Reitz and he runs hard, they can quickly take the game over ... Like the Roughies here especially at home, where they have the chance to get off to good start with three consecutive home games ... This will be a good game ... Eric Snyder can stay in house this week and just get me some noodles and cabbage and a pierogi casserole ... ROUGHIES, 24-21