After his team’s 63-7 loss to Notre Dame last week, Catasauqua head football coach Joe Henrich put everything in perspective.

“They (Notre Dame) are an established team,” he noted. “We’re not there yet. We gave them opportunities, and they took advantage of it.

“But our guys have bounced back. We always preach that one game doesn’t reflect who we are. We’re taking each week at a time.”

Against Notre Dame, starting quarterback Aiden Reilly wasn’t available for the game, and running back Jordan Bradshaw stepped into the role.

Bradshaw completed 6 of 12 passes for 47 yards, and he also was the Rough Riders leading rusher with 55 yards on 16 carries.

Henrich was pleased with his effort.

“He did everything we asked of him,” stressed Henrich. “He performed well considering the limited preparation time. He is a great teammate willing to do anything.”

The Roughies (3-2) have another tall order ahead at Saucon Valley Friday night, as the Panthers (4-1) are coming off a 55-7 throttling of Wilson last week. They are led by former Catasauqua standout Anthony Brinkley.

“Saucon Valley is another established program,” said Henrich. “We’ll have our work cut out for us. It is another challenge for us, and we’ll keep learning and growing.”

PREDICTION (Season-record 3-2): The loss was the biggest deficit for the Roughies since they lost 63-0 to Northampton on Thanksgiving in 2019 ... Notre Dame outgained Catty, 384-169, and the Crusaders were four-for-four on third downs, while Catty was five-for-13. Yadimer Martinez added 45 yards rushing for Catty against Notre Dame, and Manny Bolmer had eight tackles. Chris Wellington added five stops for the Roughies ... Reilly status will be re-evaluated before Friday ... Former Catty head coach Mike McClarin and offensive coordinator Andrew Brett are among several ex-Roughie coaches and players are on Brinkley’s staff ... The teams haven’t met since the 2017 season when Saucon Valley posted a 49-21 victory ... For the season, Bradshaw has rushed for 353 yards on 64 carries with three touchdowns. Bolmer has caught 18 passes for 499 yards with eight touchdowns. Wellington is the Roughies’ leading tackler with 25 followed by Bolmer with 20, and Tyler Limandri with 19 ... Panther’s quarterback Braden Rohn has completed 55 of 63 passes for 492 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. He also has rushed for 186 yards. Jared Rohn is their leading rusher with 309 yards on 63 carries, and Jack Robertson has 17 catches for 142 yards with four touchdowns ... Reilly’s availability will be a key factor here. Bradshaw did a serviceable job at quarterback, but he truly is a running back. Roughies will face a surging Saucon team whose coaching staff may have some more incentive. Catty can’t afford to fall behind 21-0 like they did last week. Roughies will come to play, but it may not be enough. Coach Snyder will owe me another round of Potts’ hot dogs ... SAUCON VALLEY 35-21.