It’s crunch time.

With their 30-28 loss to Minersville last week, Catty’s football team finds itself in a near must-win situation in its last three regular season games to secure a district playoff berth in the Class 2A bracket.

The Rough Riders (3-4) currently are in the fourth and final playoff spot. They will host Panther Valley (2-5), and then travel to Palisades (2-5), and Salisbury (0-7) in their final three weeks.

Against Minersville, Catty was apparently caught off guard when Minersville quarterback Dante Carr punted and pinned the Rough Riders inside their 10-yard line. Minersville then recorded a safety for the winning points. Battlin’ Miners running back Luke Stevenosky galloped for 202 yards.

Catty got the ball back, but they couldn’t generate enough offense for a potential victory, as they dropped their third straight.

Head coach Travis Brett knew it was a difficult setback, but he remained optimistic.

“Yeah, it was a tough loss, but we still control our own destiny with districts,” he said. “If we win out, we are almost guaranteed a spot.

“We just made too many mistakes. We couldn’t convert a fourth-and inches, and we fumbled inside the 25. Defensively, we played decently, but we let up a few big plays that hurt us. However, it was good to see us running the ball well.”

Senior running back Hunter Reitz, who ran for 113 yards with a touchdown, has battled through knee and shoulder ailments, and he has taken a cautious approach especially after the losses to Pen Argyl, Schuylkill Haven, and Minersville

“This game went pretty well for me because I was able to run the ball well and consistently,” he said. “The offensive line did a great job in opening holes up. I actually feel very good, which is kind of surprising. Northing is hurting.

“The team is in a state of shock basically. We did not expect to lose these games at all. We are just taking it one game at a time.”

Catty will look ahead to Panther Valley, which is coming off a 73-8 defeat to Schuylkill Haven. The Panthers have lost three straight and were beaten 55-6 by Palisades the previous week.

“They have a few good athletes,” said Brett. “We are going to have to come out and play. They got beat up by Schuylkill Haven.”

PREDICTION (Overall record 3-4): This is only the third meeting between the two clubs in recent years. Catty has won the last two years, 21-0 last season and 32-6 in 2021 ... Brett stated the team is healthy, and he liked the way Reitz ran the ball. He also noted that quarterback Aiden Hess played well, highlighting his 70 yards rushing. Hess completed 11 of 18 passes for 159 yards with a touchdown. He has completed 82 of 145 attempts for 1,108 yards with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions for the season ... Reitz has rushed for 394 yards for the year. Wide receiver Ian Juica has 31 catches for 509 yards, and teammate Jordan Bradshaw has 26 grabs for 219 yards ... Linebacker Chad Beller has 103 tackles for the season. Beller had eight tackles and Chris Wellington had six against Minersville ... Brennan Kunkel is Panther Valley’s leading rusher with 493 yards and nine touchdowns. Quarterback Brody Breiner has rushed for 335 yards with two touchdowns, and he has completed 32 of 95 attempts for 628 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions ... Roughies got a break when Pen Argyl edged Palisades, 21-17, last week. Catty will travel down there next weekend, and their matchup has developed into a rivalry over the years. Roughies lost a regular-season game there last season, and then revenged the defeat with a last-second win in a district playoff game on a last-second field goal ... Catty’s last win was Sept. 15 when they beat Mahanoy Area, 35-14 after a 28-0 shutout over Marian ... Roughies have to find a way and they may have a gift here ... Panther Valley has mightily struggled to find itself in recent weeks, and Catty has them at home ... Any loss is n the final three is fatal, but the Roughies should be back in the saddle again ... I certainly owe coach Snyder the past three weeks, but this time he will owe me. Both of us are pretty confident in this one, and some Potts’ hot dogs sound good ... ROUGH RIDERS, 35-12.