With one of their most skilled players ejected in the first quarter and staring down the barrel of a 13-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter, Bethlehem Catholic faced their share of adversity last Saturday afternoon at Frank Banko Field.

But in the end, Becahi proved that this season has been no fluke and that the football program is flying high following a dramatic 35-27 victory over Liberty last week.

The Hawks improved to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in Lehigh Valley Conference play, to grab a share of the league lead with the likes Parkland, Easton , Emmaus and Whitehall, who all share 3-1 league marks.

But for the Golden Hawks, this unlikely climb to the top from an outsiders perspective was one that was always attainable from within, something that Becahi didn't have a year ago.

"The biggest difference for us is the resiliency and heart this team has," said Becahi running back Michael McDaniel."This is a totally different team from last year. No matter what happens this year, we always believe that we can come back. It's all about heart for us."

McDaniel rushed for 138 yards and four touchdowns on the afternoon, as Becahi needed someone to step up following a first quarter ejection from wide receiver Freddie Simmons, who was tossed following a pileup where he was accused of throwing a punch.

McDaniel knew that moment needed to be a rallying cry for the team moving forward.

"I'm not going to lie," he said. "That really bothered all of us. We were upset, but we still had a whole football game to play and we just needed to keep on moving forward from it."

And even after quarterback Julian Spigner was picked off by Liberty's KJ Williams for a 63-yard interception return for a TD with 2:42 remaining in the third period to put Liberty ahead 27-14, the Hawks kept moving forward.

Spigner found wide out Chris Figler on a 16-yard TD with 6:43 in the fourth to pull within six points.

Becahi then forced Liberty to punt from the back of the end zone, which resulted them starting the drive at the Liberty nine-yard line following the return.

That's where McDaniel gave the Hawks his third score of the afternoon, bursting in from two yards out with 3:00 left, as the extra point gave Becahi a 28-27 lead.

"This team is a special group and they really just won't quit," said Hawks head coach Joe Henrich. "They just have a passion for winning. It was an ugly first half and we committed too many penalties. But our resiliency paid off for us. We have some playmakers this year and we're bigger and stronger than we have been in the past, but there is a no quit attitude with this team."

McDaniel bursted through for his final score, a 44-yard scamper with 18 seconds left on the clock, where the Hawks may have wished to take a knee, as the touchdown gave them an eight-point cushion, but also kept Liberty alive.

The Hurricanes (2-3, 1-3) returned the kickoff to the 43, which was followed by a 40-yard completion from Doug Erney to Williams to give Liberty one last play from the 17.

Unfortunately, that's where it ended for the 'Canes as a final passing attempt was swatted down to give Becahi their second straight win over the Hurricanes.

"I've never been apart of a game where you were on a roller coaster like this," said Liberty head coach John Truby. "We score 21 points in the third quarter and then go out and give up 21 in the fourth. This loss really stings. It's our cross town rival and this was a game that you really want and I give Becahi the credit. They never quit."