Joe Bernard had successful stints as a high school coach before.
At Nazareth in six seasons from 1990 to 1995, he led the Blue Eagles to a 37-29-1 record and two Colonial League titles.
Then after college stops at Fairfield, Duquesne and Pitt, Bernard came back to the local high school ranks. In two seasons, 2011 and ’12, he went 19-5 at Stroudsburg and won back-to-back Mountain Valley Conference championships.
After 11 seasons at the University of Albany, Bernard, a Moravian University graduate, decided to return to the Lehigh Valley, to the place that gave him a start as a coach, Bethlehem Catholic, where he worked on staffs led by Chuck Sonon and Bob Stem in the early 1980s.
The goal, he said, was to restore Golden Hawks football to a place of prominence.
With a win Thursday night in the District 11 4A championship game at Catasauqua against Southern Lehigh, the No. 3-ranked team in Class 4A according to Pennlive.com, Bernard will have accomplished what he set out to do.
It won’t be easy for Becahi, of course. Southern Lehigh is 11-1 and its only loss was to defending 3A state champ and unbeaten Northwestern Lehigh. Bernard is impressed by what he has seen of the Spartans on film and sees a lot of similarities to his own squad.
However, Bernard and the coaching staff he assembled are doing whatever possible to help the team avoid another loss like the 28-7 spanking the Spartans delivered in last year’s district final.
The Golden Hawks turned it over four times in that game, including a costly fumble that came just as Becahi was ready to score at the Spartans 1.
The memory of that game should provide enough motivation for the returning players, but Bernard has also reminded the team of the program’s rich history, which includes 14 district championships. A win Thursday night would break a tie with Allentown Central Catholic and give Becahi its 15th — the most in District 11 history.
“I’m loving it,” Bernard said of his return to Becahi. “I’m happy to coach these kids because they want to learn. They’re eager to be successful. My coaching staff has done a great job and I am having fun at games. It’s great to go out and see the adjustments that have to be made and all that kind of stuff. But I am really enjoying being back in the Lehigh Valley and at Becahi. We know high school football is a big deal here.”
Bethlehem Catholic High School football coach Joe Bernard instructs players during drills Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Bethlehem during the second practice of the season. Bernard, who is returning to a team he coached in 1982-84, takes over from Tyler Ward, who led the Golden Hawks to a 6-7 record in the 2024-25 season. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
The Golden Hawks are 8-4 and all four losses are to teams in the rugged Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Northampton County Division. They lost to city rivals Freedom and Liberty, unbeaten Easton and Nazareth — all Class 6A schools.
It hasn’t been easy for Becahi in the district tournament, however. The Golden Hawks were tied with Pottsville early in the fourth quarter of the quarterfinals before a long touchdown pass led to a 28-14 victory. In the semis, Becahi trailed ACCHS 10-0 and 24-13 before rallying for a 34-31 win.
“We’ve been in these types of games all year,” Bernard said. “We were down 10 and by 11 at the half against Central, but our kids are real resilient. They’re not going to panic, no matter what. Whether we’re up or down, we’ve got to stay steady and stay the course and get things figured out.”
Bernard said the team has had a good week of practice.
“They have been enthusiastic,” he said. “You would never know it’s about 30 degrees out there because no one’s complaining. We’re just doing our regular deal, everything with full pads. The kids are all in and I’ve been impressed with how they have practiced.”
Bernard said he has been impressed with how fast the Becahi players pick things up, especially since many of them are two-way players.
Keith Groller/The Morning Call
Joe Bernard grins as he walks off the field Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium after winning his first game as Bethlehem Catholic football coach. The Golden Hawks beat East Pennsboro 28-10. (Keith Groller/The Morning Call)
“In college, you have guys just playing offense or defense,” he said. “You can spend a lot more time on each side of the ball. In high school, it’s different. We’ve got five or six two-way players and you have to manage what you put in on each side of the ball. You don’t worry about that in college. But these kids have responded. We change stuff week to week, but the kids have retained it and done a great job.”
Frank Trovato, a former Bethlehem Catholic and Lehigh standout, was involved in selecting Bernard and is now on the staff coaching the receivers. He has been impressed with Bernard’s approach.
“I’m in a unique position in that I am a member of Bethlehem Catholic’s board of trustees and I was on the head coach search committee,” Trovato said. “I got to go through all of those interviews when Tyler Ward [Bernard’s predecessor] and Joe was hired. I know our athletic director brought in a couple of our seniors and key players and asked them what they were looking for in the next hire and unanimously they said — and this is no knock on Tyler — that they wanted to be coached and they wanted that coaching to be spread out to each position group coach and not just the head coach. That’s certainly something they got in Coach Bernard. I mean, this guy has forgotten more football than most people will ever know. Having coached for more than 40 years will get you that.”
Trovato said Bernard has delegated some duties to his assistants and said the coaching room is filled with camaraderie and respect.
Bethlehem Catholic’s head coach Joe Bernard walks the sidelines Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, against Allentown Central Catholic during a District 11 4A semifinal football game at BASD Stadium. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
“And the kids have bought into what we’ve been preaching since Day 1,” Trovato said. “I have never seen someone commit so much time and energy than he has this year. I’ve obviously been a player in high school and college and this is my first year on a varsity staff, but Coach Bernard’s energy from early morning to late at night has been top notch and it’s also infectious.”
Trovato, who played for Stem, said that there’s a similarity between the two.
“They both present what I call a healthy fear,” Trovato said. “You didn’t want to mess up or disappoint Coach Stem and it’s the same thing with Joe. He works them hard because he wants the best for them.”
Joe Jay Smith Jr., who played on a championship team coached by Joe Henrich, works with the defensive backs. The former UTEP standout is on his first varsity staff and has been impressed with how Bernard goes about his job.
“He put together a staff that has a lot of connections to Becahi and who know how important football is to the school and the community,” Smith said. “Guys like Fred Rice, Kurt Stametz, Frankie … we have been here before and know what it takes. We all play a very valuable part and it has worked. I am excited about what we’ve been able to accomplish, but the job is not done.”
Smith, who has worked with his share of coaches, said, “Coach Bernard is definitely a leader. A lot of the things he is doing I saw coaches do at the college level right down to the meetings, to the walk-throughs. The next day after a game, we’re out there running and watching film. There are no days off. He’s brought that organization, that structure and it definitely goes a long way.”
Becahi would like to go a long way. In recent years, both ACCHS and Southern Lehigh have reached the state semis in 4A, but it’s one step at a time. The winner will play either Bellefonte (6-6) or Shamokin (12-0) in next week’s state quarterfinals.
“I told the kids before the playoffs began that this is the time of year the seniors need to step up,” Bernard said. “If you lose, you’re done. And they have to take ownership of that. We have leaned on our seniors heavily the last three weeks and they have executed. We’re going to need them to execute again on Friday night.”
Keith Groller’s pick: Southern Lehigh 24-21. Groller’s picks were 4-0 last week and he is 93-23 on the season.