Entering their game with Palisades, Catasauqua expected a physical game with Palisades. Their last few matchups dictated the presumed atmosphere.

Unfortunately for the Rough Riders, Palisades’ game was physical as well as a finesse one.

Palisades broke open a tight game with 21 unanswered points on their way to a 42-14 victory that sent the Roughies to their first defeat his season (2-1).

Catty will look to bounce back this week when they travel to Salisbury Friday night.

Palisades’ quarterback Jack Trickle threw for 361 yards with four touchdowns, three to Lincoln Cook, who caught nine balls for 261 yards with three scores. The Pirates also ran for 134 yards.

Yet, their physical play proved to be the difference.

Rough Riders head coach Joe Henrich anticipated the battle.

“The difference was they played more physical and executed at a much higher level,” stressed Henrich. “We knew that they would want to challenge us in the air, unfortunately we were not able to handle it. They are a good football team who really plays together, they are tough and aggressive.”

Linebacker/tight end senior Chris Wellington hopes his team can learn for the experience.

“Coming into the game I knew it was going to be tough game,” said Wellington. “I think our discipline is what really cost us the game. We can compete with that team. We just need to stay focused. I was more surprised the way we played more than how they played. I think this was just a wake-up call and the team knows what we expect from now on.”

Junior quarterback Aiden Reilly saw a similar picture. Reilly completed four of 14 passes for 38 yards with an interception. However, Reilly is confident his team his team can bounce back this week.

“Friday was definitely a learning experience for everyone. We had way too many mistakes on both sides of the ball which hurt us a lot. Offensively, we just didn’t execute at our best and had a lot of mistakes. I was surprised of the outcome of that game.

“I know we as a team is a lot better than we were Friday night. But at the end of the day now, it’s over with and we are on to Salisbury this week. We need to work very hard in practice to get things going again.”

ROUGHIE RUFFLES: Salisbury is coming off a 16-8 victory over Wilson, The Falcons (2-1) beat Panther Valley, 28-6, in their opener, before they suffered a 63-0 defeat to Notre Dame ... Salisbury beat Catty, 42-35 last season. Catty has won three of the last five meetings, with their last win in 2023 by a 35-14 score ... Trayshawn Dunn was the Roughies’ leading ground gainer with 51 yards on nine carries and a score ... The Falcons have been besieged with a rash of injuries, notably in the backfield. With their injuries, quarterback Keaton Frye was a one-man show last week, throwing for 136 yards with a pair of touchdowns and interceptions, and he ran for 122 yards.

PREDICTION (Season record 2-1): This is always an interesting matchup. One huge factor will be Salisbury’s injury status entering the game ... Roughies will need to regroup quickly and solve their pass protection issues ... This already can be a statement game for Catty, as they saw their season slip away last year after a 3-0 start. They also have undefeated Notre Dame in the wings, and the Crusaders have outscored them, 156-21, in their last three meetings ... Look for Catty to slug it out, and have a battle to the end .,. Roughies need it, and boys’ head basketball coach Eric Snyder can grab another cheesesteak from the Catty Corner, and stick it in his freezer for me ... ROUGHIES, 18-16.