Kober, players adapting
A few weeks ago, Jake Kober quite didn't know what to expect regarding his football career.
Throughout his three previous years and middle school, Tom Falzone and his staff were directing the Catasauqua football program. This summer, Kober saw Falzone move on to Nazareth and new coach Phil Dorn step into town.
Kober admitted he had some apprehension about the situation.
"I really thought it would be a little tough at first," stated Kober, who is a senior. "Coach Falzone had always been my coach. None of us knew what to expect with a new head coach and other coaches on the scene.
"But coach Dorn really made this into a great camp and he treated us like we are the defending district champs even though all but two of those starters are gone. He (Dorn) has more of an up-tempo approach and we all feel very comfortable with him."
Having an entire new look and personnel in the fold, Kober and his teammates have also adopted a new philosophy for the fall.
"We want to be the underdog this season," he stressed. "We have even sung the song. Catty was the team with a target on its back for the past few years. This season, it will be different. We don't know if everyone doesn't think too much of us. It will give us more fuel for the season."
Offensively this fall, Kober again will be a receiver, but he will make the switch from safety to outside linebacker on defense.
"I'm excited to play there on defense because it will make me more active on every play," referred Kober to his new defensive position. "There is more responsibility on stopping the running game.
"I have spent a lot of time in the weight room getting stronger to play there. I think it will be a lot of fun and I can't wait."
Kober and his fellow seniors also have been adjusting to leadership roles among their new teammates.
"Being a senior certainly has been different," he said. "We have a lot of new guys here and we seniors have to be leaders for them. It was a different experience for a while. But everything has seemed to work out."
Kober, who wants to continue his football career in college either in the area or out of the Lehigh Valley, is among the new-look Roughies who all are anxious to prove to themselves as well as the area that Catty football will continue to be a force. The Roughies will host Bangor Friday night.
"We had two good scrimmages and we are as ready as we can be," stressed Kober. "Coach Dorn is pushing us to be excellent players out there. We'll come out as defending champs and we can't wait to show everyone what we can do.
"It will be nervous at first for most of us because we will be starters for the first time, but we need to take that first step."