Catasauqua head football coach Joe Henrich knows his team had their share of opportunities against Northern Lehigh in a 22-8 loss last week.

“We played hard and did some really good things, but ultimately they made more plays in the critical moments than we did,” evaluated Henrich. “We had a shot and let it get away.”

Yet, he has seen improvements on both sides of the ball for his 1-5 team.

“(Quarterback) Aiden (Reilly) played very well,” added Henrich. “We need to sustain more drives by converting third downs. Our defense is as good with the exception of probably three or four critical plays.”

The game was knotted at 8-8 at halftime before Northern Lehigh drove the field on the opening drive of the second half to take the lead for good.

Reilly, who completed 13 of 21 passes for 91 yards with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Omar Pacheco Jr., saw a similar outlook with his coach.

“You know, the scoreboard didn’t reflect the team’s effort,” noted Reilly. “There were a lot of simple little mistakes. We have to take the good things and build on them and fix the negatives. It was definitely a confidence booster to see ourselves in a good game for the first time in a few weeks against a good Northern Lehigh team.”

Reilly cited a team meeting that changed their perspective.

“We had a meeting at the beginning of the week and talked about what needs to be fixed since we were at the halfway point of the season,” said Reilly. “We had a lot of positive leaders step up throughout practice last week and it reflected Friday night.”

Linebacker/tight end Ari Wright sees the team reversing their course the rest of the way.

“I think the game on Friday was a big step in the right direction,” stated Wright. “Our mentality stayed strong throughout, and we fought to the end. Regardless of the loss, there is a positive in the negative, as we have to learn from every win and loss. We look forward to all our games, and hopefully, we can come out with a win in the following weeks.”

Wright also likes the team’s chemistry. The Roughies (1-5) will travel to Pen Argyl (2-4) Saturday, and the Green Knights are coming off a 32-8 win over Wilson, snapping a four-game losing streak.

“I think we have been taking big steps, and even if we do not benefit from it this season,” said Wright. “Next year, I think the team will be much further along. The way we have been practicing, lifting, and just working in general has improved, and I hope we continue to keep growing together.”

ROUGHIE RITES: Pen Argyl won last year’s clash, 37-20, and the Green Knights have won the last three meetings. Catty’s last win was in ‘23 by a 30-12 score. For the season, Reilly is 57 of 130 with four touchdowns and eight interceptions. Joziah Martinez ran for 48 yards against Northern Lehigh, and he has 217 for the season. Omar Pacheco Jr. caught six passes for 62 yards, and he has caught 21 passes for 186 yards with three touchdowns ... Wright leads the team in tackles with 38, Chase Kratochvil has 28, and Solomon Mosby has 25 with an interception ... Kratochvil and Jonell Rosado each had eight tackles against Northern Lehigh ... Catty has five turnovers and six sacks as a team ... Pen Argyl quarterback Anthony Beltran ran for 102 yards in their win over Wilson ... Beltran and Blake Mutchler both have seen time at quarterback ... James Accatino is the Green Knights’ leading rusher with 302 yards, and Christopher Crespo has caught 14 passes for 135 yards, and he has a team-high 38 tackles.

PREDICTION (My season record 4-2): Playing on “The Hill” is always tough, and the Roughies may be out of sync not playing on a Friday. Yet, they got an extra day to prepare ... Catty rebounded well after their slashing by Notre Dame, and was in the game against Northern Lehigh until the end ... Pen Argyl has struggled to find consistency in a transition year ... This is a huge game for both teams, as this one likely will dictate the rest of their seasons ... Catty may have found itself last week, and Reilly has his best outing of the season ... This is a tough call, but I believe the Roughies can turn the corner with the first of three winnable games ... Coach Snyder will have to keep a Yocco’s cheesesteak and two Yocco’s dogs frozen for me ... ROUGHIES, 20-13.