Catasauqua’s football team’s strength will have a good test in their season opener Friday night at Alumni Field.

The Roughies will host Bangor, a 6-5 team and a district playoff team a year ago, for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

It will be a good litmus test for the Roughies’ line against the usual run-heavy Slaters, who will have plenty of new faces in their lineup. One major addition has been longtime Pen Argyl head coach Paul Reduzzi whose success there helps bring some instant credibility to the Slaters.

“That program keeps building,” said Roughies’ head coach Mike McClarin about his opponent. “Coach Reduzzi has been around for a long time and has been successful. They did a good job in their scrimmage and they will be ready.

“But you can tell that our offensive and defensive lines have benefited from a year’s experience and they are a lot more physical.”

However, the Slaters will be plugging in a majority of new starters with an overhaul of their backfield. They will return three starters on offense and two on defense.

“We watched their scrimmage,” added McClarin about Bangor. “They did lose their running back, but they do a lot of I-formation and also spread the field. Their JV team had a good year last season.”

The Roughies also will have a new backfield in place behind the veteran presence up front.

Senior Adam Reinhart, who saw time as a wide receiver last season, made a rather successful debut in the run-based offense.

“Adam did a great job,” said McClarin about his quarterback. “He was a physical presence running the ball and did a solid job throwing it.

“His composure was good and his attention to everything was better. He really wants this and believes he is doing the right thing.’

Elijah Solar, Anthonie Hunsicker, and Jacob Scheirer took the majority of the carries, and Brando Jenny and Stephen Schwab caught their share of balls.

McClarin also was impressed with the play of nose guard senior Lavonte Bouie, who decided to return to football this summer.

“He’s a difference maker,” said McClarin about Bouie. “It has shown on the field. He is really going to help us. He does make our lines work hard out there.”

PREDICTION: This has all the makings of a good football game. Both teams have plenty of new slots on both sides of the ball.

Reduzzi can make a huge difference in a game when he is calling the shots. The Slaters will try to find a way to exploit the Roughies’ offensive line and look to make it a difficult night for Reinhart. The Roughies will need to get their running game in gear, and Reinhart will have a good share of carries.

Catty should be a lot tighter on defense and they will have to deal with a healthy dose of runs mixed with the surprise pass from the Slaters. The key for them will be Bouie in the middle and also to generate a pass rush against an inexperience signal caller for the Slaters.

With Reduzzi and a slightly more experienced unit, look for the Slaters to escape with a victory..BANGOR 21-14.