Phil Dorn realizes he is the new coach on the block in Catasauqua this fall, and he isn't playing any favorites.

Dorn and his squad are winding down their pre-camp workouts before they officially begin practice in a few weeks. It has been a typical four to five-day-a week workouts along with 11-on -11 sessions at passing camps against other local high school teams.

But, the first-year coach has left competition for all positions on the field open. The former Pocono Mountain East head coach knows there will be some voids to fill left by a collection of seniors who produced a pair of Colonial League crowns and a recent District 11 Class 2A title, one that propelled them into the second round of the state playoffs.

Still, Dorn expects his unit to stay in the hunt this fall based on some early returns.

"As a staff, we believe we are where we want to be," said Dorn, whose teams at PME qualified for the Eastern Conference playoffs two of the last three seasons. "Right now, we are taking care of what we have to do. There have been a lot of positive things."

Dorn has some initial thoughts about some possible starters, but he isn't going to mention any of them until the team's official practice gets underway. He has seen, though, a unified effort.

"We're trying to look at everyone that we can," he stressed. "I really don't know all of these kids that well yet, and I don't want to single anyone out until we really put the pads on and start hitting. Our quarterbacks have been throwing the ball well, and our wide receivers and running backs are looking good.

"We really can't make any judgments yet on our offensive line. Overall, we feel we can have good chemistry with this group."

Catty will travel to Lehighton for its first scrimmage Aug. 16 and then a final scrimmage at home against Marian Aug. 21 before their season opener against Southern Lehigh Aug. 29.

Entering into the season with a district title hanging over his team's head, Dorn is keeping his expectations high and deflecting any preconceived notions. Dorn also recently moved to Catasauqua as his wife, the former Jill Wilson, is a Roughie graduate.

"I don' think anyone can put more pressure on themselves than me," stated Dorn. "Getting back to districts can be a reachable goal. I have my expectations. But we will show everyone that we can play.

"We will get a depth chart once camp starts and we can go from there."