Catasauqua head coach Joe Henrich had seen the same script before. In fact, it has been too many times over the past month.

Last weekend against Northern Lehigh, the Rough Riders fell behind 13-0, but they closed to within 13-3 at halftime.

But a 50-yard, second-half kickoff return quickly led to another Northern Lehigh score that re-shifted the momentum toward a 27-3 defeat for the Roughies. It was the fifth-straight loss for Catty (3-5).

“That really deflated us, and you could see the steam come out of us,” said Henrich about falling behind 20-3. “We were feeling good there at halftime. We were moving the ball quite a bit, and we coaches thought we could clean up some of the things we did.

“But we’re a young, inexperienced team, and we have ups and downs.”

Catty also had trouble stopping the run, as Northern Lehigh 270 yards rushing of their 348 total yards.

“We do not defend the run well,” stressed Henrich. “It is definitely a sore spot for us.”

Henrich stated that his team had a good week of practice, but he is also aware that it isn’t always a good barometer for a game.

“I thought we had a nice week,” added Henrich. “But that’s part of the growing process. You can never tell.”

Quarterback Aiden Reilly, who was back in the lineup for the second consecutive week, knew it was a daunting task against Northern Lehigh. Reilly completed 11 of 27 passes for 146 yards with an interception.

“They are a really good team, and we needed to execute from the start,” said Reilly. “We started well in the first half and had some long drives and big plays, but we just couldn’t convert, which hurt us a lot.”

The Roughies will host their final home game Friday against Pen Argyl (3-5), which is coming off a 49-13 loss to Saucon Valley.

In many ways, Henrich sees a mirror image of them with his team.

“I don’t know what to make of them,” he said. “They have the same record as us. They have a different style offense with the single-wing. They will run the ball, but they can also throw it.

Still, it comes down to what the Roughies can do.

“It still comes down to us,” said Henrich. “We have to stop giving away opportunities and committing the non-forced turnovers.”

PREDICTION (season record 3-5): Pen Argyl will present another major issue for the Roughies, as the Green Knights primarily run the ball. Caiden Faust has a team-high 786 yards with eight touchdowns, and quarterback Mason Soos has run for 634 yards with eight touchdowns. Soos has completed 44 of 85 attempts for 533 yards with four touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Green Knights enter the game with a two-game losing streak ... Pen Argyl won last year’s meeting, 36-14, it has won three of the last five meetings. Jordan Bradshaw led the Roughies in rushing against Northern Lehigh with 42 yards, and he has a team-high 406 yards with three touchdowns. Reilly had rushed for 199 yards, and Cadeo Estronza had 196 yards ... Roughies have been outscored, 233-69, in their last five games. Against Northern Lehigh, Bradshaw, Chris Wellington, and Chase Kratochvil each had seven tackles ... Jonathan Cordon-Pinto booted a 24-yard field goal ... Catty had 211 total yards and was 2-for-12 on third downs ... If Catty wants to salvage something from the regular season, this should be a must-win ... They will need to put the clamps on Pen Argyl’s running game, and take advantage of opportunities like they did when they started the season 3-0 ... Being at home will help, and there is plenty of pride at stake here ... Reilly has to find his early season groove, and the Roughs need to force some turnovers ... Going with heart over the head here, and boys’ basketball coach Eric Snyder can pick up a cheesesteak with a side of pierogies from the Catty Corner. There will be a bump in the night in Catty ... ROUGHIES, 24-14.