Catasauqua first-year football coach Joe Henrich isn’t judging his team by the results that are obvious to everyone.

The Rough Riders recently ended their season with a 58-14 loss at Northampton in the 101st meeting between the two clubs. Northampton won for the 10th consecutive year, and it left them with a commanding 64-44-4 lead in the series.

The loss marked the eighth straight defeat for the Roughies, who finished the season with an overall 3-8 record.

To his credit, Henrich knows success from his days at Bethlehem Catholic, where he won four district titles. He also led the Golden Hawks to two state semifinal appearances.

For Henrich, it is about building from within.

“It was a good first year,” beamed Henrich. “The record many not show that, but we were able to lay a foundation for the future. We were able to establish relationships and build trust.

“We also were able to get new systems installed, and we were able to get a lot of guys valuable playing time.”

Quarterback Aiden Reilly missed part of the season due to injury, but he will be back for his junior season. Against Northampton, Reilly was voted his team MVP in the game, as he completed 12 of 19 attempts for 84 yards. For the season, Reilly completed 88 of 155 attempts for 1,306 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Running back Cadeo Estronza will be back for his senior season. He rushed for 282 yards on 46 carries and incoming junior Ruben Concepcion will join him.

Incoming senior Manny Bolmer caught 35 balls 709 yards with eight touchdowns, and fellow incoming senior Josiah Lafond hauled in 26 catches for 255 yards with three scores.

Soon-to-be sophomore Evan DeLong is back front with soaring senior Braeden Smith.

Incoming senior Chris Wellington led the team with 74 tackles and incoming junior Tyler Limandri recorded 40 stops.

Henrich has a solid core to return, and it should fuel plenty of optimism. The Roughies will make the weight room workouts a priority

“We look forward to a very important offseason in the weight room,” stressed Henrich. “This will be the ultimate factor in regard to changing the trajectory of our program.”