On a night when your quarterback accounts for four touchdowns, three running and one passing, you would think the game was in the bag. That wasn’t the case on Friday night at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. The Liberty Hurricanes lost to the Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks 56-27. Liberty quarterback Doug Erney accounted for four scores for the hurricanes. Thanks to Freddie Simmons’ three scores, two of which were punt and kickoff returns, the Golden Hawks took city bragging rights and christened the new Eastern Pennsylvania conference in style.
First quarter action started off slow with both offenses sputtering to complete passes and find running room. Then a big play happened. Michael McDaniel stripped Liberty’s running back Harvey House. Golden Hawk’s linebacker, Antwon Keenen scooped it up for the score, making it 7-0 midway through the first. “Getting that turnover for a touchdown really settled us down,” proclaimed Coach Joe Henrich of Bethlehem Catholic. The lead would be short lived though as Doug Erney scored his first of three rushing touchdowns for 13 yards. With a fake on the extra point, Alex Mack ran it in giving the hurricane a 8-7 lead.
Second quarter action is where it got explosive for both sides, especially Bethlehem Catholic. Michael McDaniel would pound the ball into the end zone on a two-yard rushing touchdown to give the Golden Hawks a 14-8 lead. Liberty came back with a Doug Erney 33 yard touchdown pass to Elijah Hall. Ater missing the extra point, the game was all tied at 14 apiece.
Then the Freddie Simmons show took over. Liberty, not seeing Simmons, kicked it short where he had hidden himself. He took the kickoff on a bounce and darted for a 55-yard touchdown scurry, putting the Hawks up 21-14. After Becahi stopped Liberty, forcing them to punt, Simmons stood deep and took the punt 54 yards for the touchdown. This put Becahi up 28-14 and they never looked back. “Freddie opened it up before the half for us. He’s a real special player,” Coach Henrich exclaimed. Before the halftime horn went off, Bethlehem Catholic quarterback Julian Spigner connected with Michael McDaniel on a screen pass to put the Hawks up 35-14 going to the half.
Third quarter action saw life in the Liberty Hurricanes as they took the opening kickoff and scored on a Doug Erney nine-yard touchdown run to make it a manageable 35-21 deficit. Bethlehem Catholic took some time to score next but did two possessions later as Julian Spigner ran the pigskin in for nine yards to pay dirt to make it 42-21 Hawks. The relentless Hurricanes would strike back aided by a Becahi pass interference call that kept the drive alive on a Erney two yard touchdown run to make it 42-27 late in the third quarter.
Fourth quarter is where the Golden Hawks finished it off on a Spigner to Simmons 72 yard touchdown connection making it 49-27. Michael McDaniel would add a 13 yard touchdown run near the end of the game to finish the scoring at 56-27, as the Golden Hawks Triumphed on this night. “It was a tight game early as we expected, a rivalry game, a big time 1st game of the season,” Hawks Coach Henrich emphatically spoke. The Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks look primed for another big season in the newly minted Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.
One Response
Becahi looked good this past Friday but I believe they could even look better. Too many penalties, at times offensive play calling and execution suspect. Best drive was right before the half, this works, similarily to the 2nd quarter against Berwick last year! It’s ashame that adults had to mess up a good thing like the LVC. A shame that Becahi was exiled, the only LVC team to be cast to the mountain side of the conference. I suppose the swift decision to create the EPC was in part due to what some Athletic Directors saw coming, the reemergence of a contending/competitive football program. All other sports’ divisions were created with balance and fairness in mind, not so with football. This Becahi team is special and unfortunately the lehigh valley fan base of other lehigh valley will miss out on ther opportunity to see the team live. These kids deserved better.