{"id":290385,"date":"2026-09-20T17:16:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T17:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/290385\/"},"modified":"2026-09-20T17:16:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T17:16:10","slug":"easton-football-beats-bethlehem-catholic-in-thriller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/290385\/","title":{"rendered":"Easton football beats Bethlehem Catholic in thriller"},"content":{"rendered":"

Easton coach Matt Senneca said simply, \u201cI\u2019m an offensive guy. I want to score a touchdown. I wanted to end it with a touchdown if we can. \u201c<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why he decided to eschew a field goal try that would have been the distance of an extra point kick with 6 seconds left and the Red Rovers tied with Bethlehem Catholic at Bethlehem Area School Stadium.<\/p>\n

Instead of the field goal, Senneca left his offense on the field and Zahviay McGurn found tight end Justin Cosover in the right flat and a mere inch or less inbounds for the game-winning 3-yard touchdown on the final play that gave Easton a stunning 20-14 win in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference opener for both teams.<\/p>\n

The result allowed Easton to bounce back from a lopsided loss to Parkland to get them to 2-2, while the Golden Hawks lost for the first time after three wins.<\/p>\n

\"BethlehemBethlehem Catholic\u2019s Axel Burkart gets ready to take the field against Easton on Sept. 19, 2024, at BASD Stadium in Bethlehem. (Jonathan Broady\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

The Becahi loss also meant that even before the regular season gets to its midway point after this weekend\u2019s games, no EPC is left unbeaten. Pocono Mountain East entered Week 4 unscathed along with the Golden Hawks, but the Cardinals lost at Emmaus on Friday night.<\/p>\n

None of that was a concern for defending EPC Northampton County and District 11 6A Easton, which took a 14-0 lead over Becahi midway through the second quarter, but didn\u2019t score again until the final play.<\/p>\n

The Red Rovers took over possession at their own 20 with 1:43 left and moved swiftly down the field behind the passing of McGurn, a junior in his first season as the varsity starter. He completed four passes on the game-deciding drive.<\/p>\n

He found Amin Fideen for 28 yards to convert a third-and-5 to the 47 and then hit Sean McPeek for 26 yards to the Becahi seven. Another strike to Jeffrey Thomas got it to the 3 and a Thomas carry went nowhere and Easton scrambled to spike the ball just in time to get off one more play.<\/p>\n

Many in the crowd thought Easton would send out kicker Greyson Baker who was successful on two previous PAT kicks.<\/p>\n

Instead, the Red Rovers ran a play that proved to be successful when a defender fell down, leaving Cosover all over in the right flat.<\/p>\n

It was a matter of catching the ball and getting a foot down inbounds for Cosover, a senior who is one of the few experienced players on the Easton roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw the ball go up and I was just trying to make sure my feet were in,\u201d Cosover said. \u201cI was a little scared catching it. I saw the defender fall on the ground and I knew there would be no one else because they were playing man-to-man defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just knew I had to get him the ball,\u201d McGurn said. \u201cWe just had to get it done and we executed it perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Easton'sEaston\u2019s Zahviay McGurn looks for a play against Bethlehem Catholic on Sept. 19, 2024, at BASD Stadium in Bethlehem. (Jonathan Broady\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

Senneca said the play didn\u2019t go as designed, but trusted Cosover to make the catch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to hit McPeek on a slant, but they were giving us the flat all night and that\u2019s what popped open,\u201d Senneca said. \u201cCosover and McPeek are our two captains. The leadership they have given us and the trust I have in both of them in critical situations like that are huge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senneca said the kids wanted him to go for a touchdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it didn\u2019t work out, I was hoping we\u2019d have a second left and could still kick the field goal,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a risk I took, but I trusted our kids tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senneca said he was disappointed in his team\u2019s offensive performance in the second half until the final drive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe struggled to move the ball like we did in the first half, but you have to give our kids a lot of credit,\u201d the Easton coach said. \u201cA lot of them have never been in a situation before like that at the end of a game. They went down and put the ball in the end zone and it\u2019s a credit to those kids. They did a great job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not forgotten either was the play of the Easton defense after Becahi rallied to tie it at 14 with a pair of Justin Martinez touchdowns runs \u2014 a 3-yard run with 4:20 left in the first half and a 1-yarter that ended a 12-play, 70-yard drive to start the second half.<\/p>\n

The Golden Hawks had the ball at the Easton 33 as the first half was ending but the Red Rovers got an interception from Akir Brown.<\/p>\n

\"BethlehemBethlehem Catholic\u2019s Axel Burkart passes the ball against Easton on Sept. 19, 2024, at BASD Stadium in Bethlehem. (Jonathan Broady\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

On the final play of the third quarter, Becahi quarterback Axel Burkart got through a hole at the line of scrimmage and ran from his own 1-yard line for 83 yards to the Easton 16. It looked like Burkart was going to score but Jeffry Thomas caught him from behind.<\/p>\n

Thomas\u2019 tackle saved a touchdown and might have saved the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis effort all night was special,\u201d Senneca said. \u201cThat effort on that play probably saved the game for us and he ran the ball well on offense. He has done a great job the past couple of weeks for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senneca thought getting a hard-fought win in a game that could have easily gone the other way was important for a team that graduated 19 starters from last year\u2019s record-breaking 14-1 squad.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a huge confidence-builder to be able to go down in a two-minute situation and get a win,\u201d Senneca said. \u201cPeople ask me all the time why we go no-huddle and that\u2019s why. It\u2019s what we do and it\u2019s not a different situation for the kids. It\u2019s not a hurry-up situation. We just go about our offense and doing what we do. It\u2019s a credit to the kids for executing like they did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Becahi coach Joe Bernard was disappointed his team wasn\u2019t able to execute better in key situations on offense.\u00a0 The Golden Hawks got 176 yards passing from University of New Hampshire commit Burkart and another 121 from him on the ground, but stalled out several times in Easton territory, including the possession just before the Rovers\u2019 game-winning drive.<\/p>\n

Becahi was hurt by several dropped passes and numerous penalties, especially on offense and many pre-snap infractions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t practice well all week,\u201d Bernard said. \u201cWe had a lack of focus all week, and I was concerned about it. It\u2019s ironic that: the same kids who had a lack of focus during the week, also had a lack of focus tonight. We had a lot of busts. It\u2019s a lesson learned. It\u2019s a hard way to learn. But hey, they deserved to win, and we deserved to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Becahi was without Carter Vassa due to injury. He entered the weekend leading the EPC in receptions with 24 for 307 yards. His absence was greatly felt.<\/p>\n

\"BethlehemBethlehem Catholic\u2019s Ronnie Brodie catches the ball against Easton on Sept. 19, 2024, at BASD Stadium in Bethlehem. (Jonathan Broady\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure about his timeline,\u201d Bernard said. \u201cBut\u00a0he\u2019s going to be back in the next week or two and be ready to go. I feel pretty good about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Becahi will host Allen at 1 p.m. Saturday in a battle of 3-1 teams. Easton entertains Allentown Central Catholic as Lehigh County teams play Northampton County teams in the Week 5 slate.<\/p>\n

Easton 20, Becahi 14
\nScoring summary<\/p>\n

Easton 7 \u2013 7 \u2013 0 \u2013 6 \u2014 20<\/p>\n

Becahi 0 \u2013 7 \u2013 7 \u2013 0 \u2014 14<\/p>\n

FIRST QUARTER<\/p>\n

E: Jeffrey Thomas 2 run (Greyson Baker kick), 1:54<\/p>\n

SECOND QUARTER<\/p>\n

E: Colby Oraschin 4 run (Baker kick), 7:40<\/p>\n

B: Justin Martinez 3 run (Evan Schultz kick), 4:20<\/p>\n

THIRD QUARTER<\/p>\n

B: Martinez 1 run (Schultz kick), 6:14<\/p>\n

FOURTH QUARTER<\/p>\n

E: Justin Cosover 3 pass from Zahviay McGurn (no PAT attempted), 0:00<\/p>\n

Individual stats<\/p>\n

RUSHING<\/p>\n

Easton: Zahviay McGurn 12-74; Jeffrey Thomas 23-89, TD; Colby Oraschin 1-4, TD.<\/p>\n

Becahi: Justin Martinez 13-52, 2 TD; Axel Burkart 8-121; Antonio Salamoni 3-14; Tyre Lewis 1-1.<\/p>\n

PASSING<\/p>\n

Easton: McGurn 11-24-0, 141 yards, TD.<\/p>\n

Becahi: Burkart 11-30-1, 176 yards.<\/p>\n

RECEIVING<\/p>\n

Easton: Sean McPeek 4-61; Cosover 4-29; Amin Fideen 1-28; Thomas 1-13; Zack Martenis 1-10.<\/p>\n

Becahi: Lewis 4-71; Ronnie Brodie 3-71; Aiden Rivera 1-15; Salamoni 1-7; Martinez 1-6; Armando Thom 1-6.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Easton coach Matt Senneca said simply, \u201cI\u2019m an offensive guy. I want to score a touchdown. I wanted…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":290386,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154,304,305,726,432],"class_list":["post-290385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news","tag-high-school-football","tag-high-school-sports","tag-sports","tag-top-stories-tmc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=290385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290385\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/290386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=290385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=290385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}