Bethlehem Catholic 34, Allentown Central Catholic 31 – Rapid Recap
A tenacious defensive effort helped Bethlehem Catholic’s football team overcome an 11-point halftime deficit and defeat rival Allentown Central Catholic on Thursday night.
The second-seeded Golden Hawks topped the third-seeded Vikings 34-31 in the District 11 Class 4A semifinals at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium.
Turning point: Central Catholic had a 24-13 lead early in the third quarter when Bethlehem Catholic linebacker Emery Oberholzer recovered a fumble at the Vikings’ 30-yard line. Four plays later, quarterback Axel Burkart connected with wideout Carter Vassa for a 13-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone. Aaron Geiger’s extra point trimmed the deficit to 24-20 with 7:37 left in the third quarter.
On the following drive, Vikings quarterback Patrick Cahill was sacked by defensive lineman Jonathan Ayache on fourth-and-5 at the Golden Hawks’ 33.
Cayden Vassa, who played QB and tailback on Thursday, ripped off a 38-yard run to put Bethlehem Catholic into the red zone. He completed the series with a 5-yard scoring rush, and the Hawks took a 27-24 advantage with 3:45 remaining in the third quarter.
Burkart extended the lead to 34-24 with a 17-yard TD burst with 9:44 left in the fourth quarter.
Top performers: Becahi’s defensive front tallied five sacks in the second half, including back-to-back tackles for loss to seal the result in the closing minute. Burkart registered a strip-sack, which Oberholzer recovered, to halt the Vikings’ final possession.
Burkart and defensive lineman Caiden Charmant both had two sacks on Thursday.
Cayden Vassa rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Burkart added 67 yards and a score on the ground to go with 40 receiving yards.
What it means: Becahi (8-4) advances to meet top-seeded Southern Lehigh (11-1) in next week’s district final. The Spartans routed Blue Mountain 55-14 on Thursday night.
The Hawks have now defeated the Vikings in four straight meetings.
Central Catholic closed the season 6-6 in Jacob Reichard’s first year as head coach.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.