Amidst a 1-4 start and heading into a matchup at Easton this Friday night, you can say the 2013 campaign for Freedom football hasn't been ideal nor does it get any easier.

The Patriots lost to Nazareth 21-7 last week and head coach Jason Roeder knows that keeping a positive attitude is all he can do for his struggling program at the moment.

"Moping around and feeling bad about yourself isn't going to make things any better," Roeder said. "You have to keep your head up. We have five games left and some of them are big games for our kids, so you have to look at them as opportunities for us to improve."

The Pates have committed a league leading 19 turnovers on the season through five games, which is the highest number of giveaways Roeder has endured in his entire coaching career.

It's part of the problem the Pates have in competing against LVC teams, where the margin for error is so small every week.

"We're not using youth as an excuse, but I'm sure it's been a factor for us in that department," said Roeder about the turnovers. "You can't be successful when you turn the ball over. It's as simple as that."

And what doesn't get any simpler is playing Easton this week with the Rovers (4-1) coming off their first loss of the season, a 14-7 defeat at Emmaus last week.

It may be the worse time for anyone to face Easton, but Roeder isn't going to shy away from the opportunity, as every week presents a chance to turn things around.

"We look at the last five games of the year as a chance to get better and take steps in the right direction," he said. "We have a bad taste in our mouths from last week's loss and we have a chance to go out and play. You have to be tough in tough times and that's where we are right now."