Joe Tout always enjoyed coaching against Paul Reduzzi.

Tout took over at Northern Lehigh in 2006, a year before Reduzzi took the reins at Pen Argyl.

Their careers followed similar paths, with Tout leading the Bulldogs to a District 11 Class 2A title in 2010. Reduzzi brought the Green Knights back-to-back Class 2A crowns in 2011 and 2012.

The battles that followed in the years since have been just as memorable, regardless of where the teams were in the standings.

When Reduzzi’s tenure at Pen Argyl ended after the 2017 season, it looked like one of the better coaching matchups did too.

After a year as Liberty’s defensive coordinator, Reduzzi is back in the Colonial League and – and the Slate Belt.

Only this time, he’ll be clad in Maroon and White.

Their rivalry will be renewed Friday night as undefeated Northern Lehigh travels to Bangor in the Times News Game of the Week.

“With Coach Reduzzi being there now, Northern Lehigh and Pen Argyl had been a bit of a rivalry, and we expect that he’s going to bring a toughness to Bangor,” said Tout. “They were well-coached with Tom Toth (who stepped down after last season) being there, so I think they have similar mentalities, so we’re going to see that.

“Bangor was a different team when Tom took over, compared to what they had been ever since Frank Scagliotta left (after the 2012 season). I think Paul’s going to maintain that toughness and that type of mentality.”

After rallying with a fourth-quarter score to top Wilson 14-10 in the opener, Northern Lehigh (2-0) put the clamps on Catty early last Thursday. The Bulldogs scored early and often, jumping out to a 38-6 lead at halftime and rolled to a 51-20 victory.

The charge was spearheaded by 307 yards rushing, which included 82 yards and two touchdowns by Joe Abidelli. Matt Frame added 68 yards on the ground, Dale Wanamaker totaled 55, including a 10-yard touchdown run, and Trevor Amorim gashed the Roughies for a 31-yard score.

Zach Moyer threw two touchdowns - a 13-yard strike to Tyler Long, and a 32-yard pitch-and-catch to Mike Repsher.

Through the first two weeks of the season, seven players have scored touchdowns for the Bulldogs. Amorim, a sophomore, and Abidelli, a junior, lead the way with two apiece.

“Our skill guys, we’re using a bunch of them,” said Tout. “A kid like Trevor Amorim, he’s young; he didn’t play middle school football for us. It’s fun to watch him ... one of the plays we scored on, was one of the plays where we talked to him about keeping the play inside the tackles before you run outside, and he did it. We feel like he’s a younger guy that’s just going to get better each week. Those younger guys, if they can do that, then we’re going to be in pretty good shape.”

Frame, another sophomore, leads the team with 161 yards rushing. The Buldogs are averaging 345.5 yards per game, third-best in the area.

A week after rolling up 341 yards in a 34-6 season-opening win against Catty, the Slaters were stuffed last Friday against Notre Dame. The Crusaders held Bangor to 146 yards of total offense and forced four turnovers .

Bangor junior quarterback Joe Genteel finished 5-of-9 passing for 122 yards and a score, but also had two picks. Senior wide receiver Nick Davanzo had four catches, including a 77-yarder, for 122 yards and a touchdown.

The numbers weren’t a huge departure from what Genteel and Davanzo did in the win over the Roughies – Genteel was 3-of-7 for 98 yards with a touchdown and a pick, while Davanzo had two catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.

But it was the ground game that stumbled. Sophomore Kael Godshalk, who carried the ball 16 times for 136 yards and a touchdown against Catty, was held to only four yards on six attempts against Notre Dame.

Northern Lehigh’s defense is surrendering just 147 yards per game through the first two weeks of the seaosn, second-best in the area.

“It’s new for us, in that we’re trying to get a feel for them,” said Tout. “We’re seeing them in the I, so we’re seeing some things that we do. They’re running some plays that are similar to us. They’re running some plays that are similar to what they used to run at Pen Argyl, so it’s more or less trying to get a fit for that.

“The difficult thing for us has been they played Catasauqua Week 1. Catty is more of a double-wing, option look. And then Notre Dame is either single-back or no backs, so we don’t have a ton of film on them with a new coaching staff. So that’s been a bit of a struggle.”

Tout knows as well as anyone how tough scheming to stop a Reduzzi-led team can be.

But it’s a challenge he looks forward to.