Catasauqua’ football season is still a few months away, but head coach Joe Henrich already is anxious about the upcoming 2026 season.

The Rough Riders recently concluded their non-pad, spring workouts, and Henrich liked what he saw from his prospective players’ lot.

“We did eight days of practice which ended [recently,” stated Henrich. “It was good. There was a great attitude, a bunch of new faces being there. Everyone worked hard and it was positive.”

The Roughies will participated in a seven-on-seven passing drills at Lehighton a couple weeks ago. They will host Pocono Mountain West and Allentown Central Catholic in a similar event at the end of June.

Catty finished last season with an overall 4-8 record. They began the year with a 3-1 record before they suffered five consecutive defeats. The Roughies rebounded with a 26-7 victory over Palmerton in the final regular-season game Nov. 24.

With that win, the Roughies received a postseason district bid and met top-seeded Schuylkill Haven in an opening-round Class 2A district matchup. Schuylkill-Haven, the district runner-up, routed the Roughies, 62-14.

It was Catty’s first district appearance in two years. They suffered a 34-20 loss to Williams Valley in 2023.

Heinrich replaced Travis Brett before the 2024 season, and he posted a 3-8 record.

This season, Henrich will look to senior quarterback Aiden Reilly, senior wide receiver Omar Pacheco Jr., and senior lineman Chase Kratochvil.

Reilly, who was injured for a large part of last season, completed 45 of 110 attempts for 603 yards with three touchdowns and eight interceptions. Pacheco Jr. caught 22 passes for 325 yards with three touchdowns.

Junior running back Joziah Martinez, who ran for 124 yards last year, along with linemen Evan DeLong and Shane Bortz are expected to take the next step.

Heinrich will lean on his returning starters, and he is confident some promising newcomers will help fill the void.

“You never really know when you are doing stuff without pads,” added Henrich. “But you hope returning guys like Reilly, Limandri, Pacheco, Kratochvil, and some younger guys who helped last year like Martinez, Bortz, Delong, all take a big step.”

The Roughies have a scrimmage against Bangor Aug. 22 before they open the season against Wilson Aug. 28.