In their recent game against Notre Dame, Catasauqua was trailing 14-0 in the first quarter and was pleased with its progress.

However, a fumble late in the quarter proved costly as Notre Dame added 14 points in the final 30 seconds.

The end result was a 28-0 deficit at the half, and a 49-0 defeat in the end. The loss was their third straight for the Roughies (1-7) since they defeated Wilson, a stretch in which they have been outscored, 143-21. “We were moving the ball down the field and taking time off the clock,” stated Roughies’ head coach Mike McClarin. “We wanted to keep the ball as much as we could against them.

“But a couple of fumbles and a holding call really hurts us. It came down to mental lapses and lack of execution for us.”

With a relatively young roster, McClain sees several underclassmen emerging in the final weeks.

“We have a lot of young leaders on this team,” he said. “They are getting better. They are learning on the job and taking charge out there.”

McClarin noted the recent contributions of junior Jacob Smith, who rushed for 30 yards against Notre Dame.

“He (Smith) is an unbelievable leaders and is very coachable,” said McClarin. “He works hard on the field and in the classroom. His hard work is paying off on the field, and he is making plays for us each week.”

Andrew Martinez had another strong game on both sides of the ball, rushing for 42 yards. With the new run-oriented offense, Martinez has had his share of bumps - physically and literally – along the way.

Yet, McClarin believes he has a bright future.

“It (offense) is very difficult on the quarterback,” said McClarin. “But Andrew (Martinez) has done a phenomenal job overall. He’s getting banged up, but I believe he definitely is a college player.

“I have spoken to a number of Division III schools, and it is nice to see that he can compete at the college level.”

Wilquon Clemons had another big game for the Roughies, as he rushed for 92 yards on 19 carries. He may miss this week’s game with a collarbone issue.

“Wilquon (Clemons) has been doing a great job and stepping it up every week,” said McClarin. “He is a very explosive player. He can make things happen every time he touches the ball.”

The Roughies will travel to Southern Lehigh (5-3) this Friday and then end the regular season with Northwestern at home the following week. Like Notre Dame’’s stellar quarterback Cole De Franco - four touchdowns passes against Catty – the Roughies will face Southern Lehigh’s Logan Edmonds and Northwestern’s Devon Bollinger in successive weeks.

Both teams are in the heat of the district playoff races in their respective divisions.

“It will be a challenge for us,” said McClarin. “They will be two hungry teams. Our guys have to step up. We have an opportunity to show who were are.”

PREDICTION: This is another tough road trip for the Roughies. Southern Lehigh (5-3) is sitting third in the Class 5A bracket and has won four straight. If Clemons can’t go, it will put a huge crimp in the offense that has averaged 150 yards on the ground and 200 overall per game. It looms as another long and chilly night … Southern Lehigh 49-6.