Jake Kober expected to see some changes during his senior year in the Roughies football program this fall.

He and his teammates - notably seniors - were a bit apprehensive and anxious when former head coach Tom Falzone and athletic director Tom Moll both headed northeast to Nazareth. For Kober and his seniors, it signaled a definitive change in direction with the departure of both key figures as well as a horde of seniors who all helped reshape the program over the past four years.

Still, Kober saw plenty of optimism ahead.

"At the beginning of the year, it was tough trying to adjust to a new head coach and AD," said Kober. "We all quite didn't know what would happen.

"But there was a lot of people who predicted that we wouldn't win any games this year. We have won three so far and that's an accomplishment for us considering all of the injuries we have had and all of the young players out there.

"It has just been a struggle because we've had so many starters out and 18 or 19 players overall. It has also been getting used to a new head coach and his staff."

Kober admitted that the season has been filled with anguish.

"It's very frustrating after a loss and especially after a few of them in a row," stated Kober as his team has dropped three straight games and have been outscored 144-23 in the process. "It is really difficult with me being a senior.

"I have been on the team for the past few years and this is my first year starting. This team has had a great number of years and we wanted to keep it going. This hasn't been easy."

Yet, the wide receiver/outside linebacker has made the most of it.

Offensively, he has more than 600 yards in receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Defensively, Kober has been a mainstay on the Roughies' defense as one of their leading tacklers.

"I think I had a pretty good year (offensively)," said Kober. "I was behind (recent graduate Paryss) Marshall and (graduate Jacob) Stopay. But I knew I had to step up as a leader on the team. It was different for me being in a leadership role. I got used to being a leader for the younger kids on the team.

"On defense, I am not the biggest guy around, but it has been fun. I have enjoyed moving up to stop the run and dropping back in pass coverage."

Kober would like to play either football or baseball in college next fall, and he plans to pursue a career in sports medicine. He would like to stay within a two-hour range for his new home, but doesn't mind moving out of the area.

Despite a downward spiral for several reasons, Kober is eager for the team's annual Thanksgiving Day showdown with Northampton. However, the Roughies (3-6) will meet Northwestern (8-1) Friday, which is ready to stake its claim for the Colonial League title.

"Northwestern will be a very difficult game for us," said Kober. "But we all can't wait to play Northampton. It is still a huge rivalry game for us. That will be the biggest game of my high school career.

"We'll have most of our injured players back and we'll be ready to go out on the field. We may have had some tough times, but we'll keep fighting."

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