Rockets Look for Bounce Back From First Loss in Years

Last week, the Reading High School football team suffered a rare loss when Arlington came to town and escaped with a 17-14 win.

This weekend the Rockets hit the road against Winchester. Here are five things to get you ready for this weekend's Reading football game.

1. Who, what, where and when: Reading takes to the gridiron on Saturday beginning at 2:30 p.m. on the gridiron of Winchester High School. Winchester is coming off of a heartbreaking loss to Woburn, during which the Sachems fumbled at the goal line as time expired as they look for the game-winning score.

2. Sachems Struggling: After scoring just seven points in its season-opening victory in Wilmington, Winchester was thumped by Melrose by a 34-7 margin. Then last week, the Sachems suffered a 27-21 setback against the Tanners.

3. What to Watch For: Last week the Rockets struggled on offense for much of the game until the closing minutes when it was too late to complete a comeback. Reading has averaged 18 points per game this year, which is likely below what the team was expecting coming into the year. After allowing Arlington to take a 17-7 lead last week, the Reading defense was impressive in the fourth quarter, making several three-and-out stops.

4. Ratings Tumble: Entering last week's action, Reading was ranked as the No. 4 team in the rankings of both ESPNBoston.com and the Boston Globe. Following the loss to Arlington, the team is unranked by ESPN Boston and No. 10 by the Globe. Still, the Rockets remain right in the thick of the playoff hunt with plenty of season to go.

5. What's Next: Following Saturday's game, Reading has a pair of road games next on the docket. On Saturday, Oct. 12, the team plays in Lexington, followed by a road tilt against Belmont at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18.