North Catholic's opening act was very impressive, but head coach Patrick O'Shea knows things are about to get much tougher in Big East Conference play.

The Trojans dismantled Burrell last week, 54-6, scoring touchdowns on their first four possessions.

“In years past, we played a Week 0 game to help us work out the kinks, but not this year,” said O'Shea. “We weren't exactly sure how smooth we would be on the first few drives.

“Zack Rocco played really well,” he added of his quarterback, who completed 6 of 7 passes for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns. “He was making the right reads and was super-accurate with all his passes.”

North will hit the road Friday when it visits Freeport, which lost a 35-27 conference decision at Derry to open the season. Yellowjackets' first-year quarterback Garret Schaffhauser passed for 276 yards and two scores in defeat.

“We're not surprised, but very excited with how Garret started out,” said Freeport coach John Gaillot. “There were some minor mistakes made that we've already corrected.”

Freeport running back Ricky Hunter did score a touchdown, but gained 23 yards on just six carries.

“How many carries he gets is going to change week to week, depending on who we're playing,” said Gaillot. “We were moving the ball much better through the air last week, that's what Derry was giving us.”

Despite being inexperienced at the position, O'Shea was impressed when he saw Schaffhauser on tape.

“He's a fundamentally sound quarterback,” he said. “He's accurate, not just with the intermediate routes but the deep ones, too. He puts the ball where it needs to be.”

Making things even more difficult on the Trojan defense this week is Schaffhauser's ability to run. He rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown last week.

“That makes it very challenging for us,” said O'Shea. “Last week, we let Burrell's quarterback get out and get to the edge a few times. We can't do that against Freeport. If we do, he'll make us pay.”

Gaillot has similar praise for Rocco, who rushed for nearly 500 yards last year. In last fall's 40-8 win over Freeport, Rocco completed 8 of 10 passes for 232 yards and four touchdowns.

“He's a big, physical kid,” said Gaillot. “He's the real deal.”

The Yellowjackets must defend the run better than last week when Derry's Justin Huss rumbled for 261 yards and four touchdowns. North Catholic's Eamon Straub is poised to make Freeport pay for any missteps after gaining 163 yards on 12 carries last week.

“I need to do a better job of coaching, make sure our guys are using the right technique,” said Gaillot.

Defensively, O'Shea lauded the effort of his junior cornerback, Isaiah Jackson, who intercepted two passes against Burrell.

“This is his first year back after not playing football for a few years,” O'Shea said. “It was nice to see him play like the athlete we know he is.”

O'Shea isn't expecting a lopsided score this time.

“They have tough kids, that's always been a part of Freeport football,” he said. “We're preparing our kids for a very physical football game.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.