For the past two weeks, Catasauqua head football coach Joe Henrich has watched his team get tested. Fortunately, the Rough Riders passed both weeks.

The Roughies struggled and overcome a stubborn and winless Wilson squad, 34-14, and then they endured a physical Palisades team in a 22-14 victory.

As a result, Catty is off to a 3-0 start, and they have been shown their share of grit, determination and character. The Roughies rallied for 12 unanswered points in the final quarter.

“They definitely were some character wins for us,” offered Henrich. “We knew Palisades would be a physical team, and we made our share of bad penalties and mistakes.

“Our kids could have thrown in the towel at some point, but they kept fighting. We weren’t playing our best, but we really came to life late in the game.

“We preach that you never know how a game will turn out. This is a young team that has gained a lot of character lately.”

With their early success, Henrich hopes his team can deal with their reality.

“They have to realize that they may not achieve the same level of success every week,” he stressed. “We had some guys put up some pretty good numbers in the first week, but they haven’t had the same. “However, they have had overall success, and have found ways to win.”

The Roughies will entertain Salisbury, which shutout winless Wilson, 28-0, last week. The Falcons are off to a 2-1 start.

“I feel like they are a lot like Palisades because they are physical and have some size,” offered Henrich. “We can’t come into the game with any preconceived notions.

“We just have to prepare like we always do, and worry about what we can do.”

PREDICTION (Overall record 3-0): It has been a revival for Salisbury, as the Falcons had a 3-28 record over the past three seasons. Catty has owned the last three meetings, 35-14, 53-6, and 6-0 ... Roughies quarterback Aide Reilly has completed 33 of 53 attempts for 656 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception. Wide receiver Manny Bolmer has 11 catches for 361 yards with six touchdowns, and running back Jordan Bradshaw has rushed for 190 yards on 33 carries with two touchdowns, and Reilly has rushed for 169 yards on 33 carries with a pair of scores ... Chris Wellington has a team-high 27 tackles, and Matt Fotta and Tyler Limandri have 23 apiece ... Salisbury quarterback Andrew Lucas completed nine of 11 passes for 110 yards with three touchdown passes in the Wilson win. He also rushed for 28 yards. Caleb Gonzalez had a team-high 83 yards ... Catty is buzzing with their team’s fast start, and the team certainly will have momentum and fortitude ... Roughies will have Notre Dame and Saucon Valley after Salisbury ... Roughies will need to avoid their slow start and sloppy play that nearly cost them the past two weeks ... However, this team believes in itself, and playing Salisbury at home will help. Roughies can’t take anything lightly, and they won’t. Eric Snyder can pick me up a cheesesteak from the Catty Corner ... ROUGHIES, 24-12.