Jyzaiah Bonilla was aware of what his team needed to do against Palisades last week, and he and his teammates responded in style.

In a game filled with district playoff implications for both teams, the Rough Riders turned an anticipated slugfest into a 42-7 rout over the host Pirates.

With the win, Catasauqua (5-4) maintained the fourth and final playoff in the district Class 2A bracket. They can clinch the spot with a win at Salisbury Friday night. Palisades (2-7) slipped to the sixth spot.

Bonilla pointed to the team’s passionate play as the difference.

The Roughies built a 27-0 halftime lead.

“The big difference for us was that we kept our foot on the gas, and we didn’t let go,” said Bonilla, who rushed for a team-high 84 yards on 11 carries. “We also played as a team, and we were pumped up as a team.”

Head coach Travis Brett saw it as a pivotal win for his team, especially with their balanced offense. The Roughies ran 194 for and threw for 146.

The Roughies’ Manny Bolmer returned the opening kickoff 99 yards to get the wheels moving.

“We were pretty balanced, which is a good thing,” he stated. “With the opening kickoff return, we took control of the game.

“Bonilla had a good game running the ball for us, and he caught a few passes [quarterback Aiden] Hess again played well. We had a few plays in the passing game not go our way, but he threw and ran well.

“[Dylan] Pacheco played well on both sides of the ball, and he had two touchdowns. [Chad] Beller, [Miles] Melendez, and [Matt] Fotta were in their backfield all night.

“It definitely gives us some momentum getting ready for districts.”

Hess, who completed seven of 17 passes for 146 yards with a touchdown and an interception, definitely was focused for Palisades.

“I think we came into the game with a lot of energy,” he said. “We knew this game was going to make us or break us for districts. We played very well as a team and expect it to get better every week as we go on.”

The Roughies will meet winless Salisbury (0-9), which is coming off a 48-0 shutout loss to North Schuylkill last week.

Brett realizes his team can’t take this game lightly. A loss could eliminate them from district play.

“Salisbury has a few athletes, and they have nothing to lose. This is their Super Bowl, so we are going to have to be ready to play.”

PREDICTION (Overall record 5-4): Salisbury has lost 22 straight games. Their last win was 28-26 over Pen Argyl Oct. 9, 2021 ... Catty won the last two meetings in 2022 (53-6) and in 2021 (6-0). Salisbury last beat Catty in 2019 by a 34-0 score ... The Falcons have scored 89 points and allowed 394 points this season ... Hess rushed for 51 yards on 11 carries, and stated his team “won’t take any team lightly anymore.” ... Ian Jucia had three receptions for 33 yards ... Bonilla has rushed for 365 yards this season behind Hunter Reitz’s 485 ... Hess has completed 99 of 180 for 1,377 yards with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions ... Beller had six tackles and has 127 for the year. Melendez had four stops and has 55 for the season ... Juica has 37 receptions for 557 yards for the year ... Jacob Bucchin is Salisbury’s quarterback, and Jason St. Leger has been their leading rusher ... Pen Argyl is the fifth seed in the district bracket. If the Green Knights beat Bangor Friday, they will likely jump ahead of the Roughies if Catty loses ... Roughies have some momentum with two straight victories, and they will again need to get off to a fast start. This should be perfect way to end the regular season. They likely will have to travel to top-seed Schuylkill Haven for an opening round game unless Executive Education loses to Danville. Anyway, coach Snyder or AD Tom Moll can swing into Allentown for a Seward’s cheesesteak or if the Vince’s cheesesteaks truck is around because it will be a quick game ... ROUGHIES, 54-7.