If there was a message that rang clear from Bethlehem Catholic's collegiate signing for 18 student-athletes last Wednesday, it's that everyone in attendance was proud to be graduating from Bethlehem Catholic.

Athletic director Mike Grasso spoke to the assembled students and parents last week and stressed that whenever an athlete steps onto their respective athletic field, it has never been about them, but about representing Bethlehem Catholic.

That was something that was evident from seniors Taylor Bennett and Marco Blasco, who both gave separate speeches to those in attendance, highlighting their own personal messages about what being a Golden Hawk has meant to them.

For Blasco, a senior football player who went through three years of losing seasons before the Hawks won the District 11 3A championship last fall, he understood exactly what that ideology means.

"Our coach would always tell us that we honor the past, present and future when we play," said Blasco, who will head to Muhlenberg to continue his gridiron days. "I think our team this year did that and hopefully we brought some of that tradition back of what Becahi football used to be.

"Anytime people would talk negatively about us, we would use that as motivation and I think a lot of the student-athletes that hear that same stuff use that to motivate themselves too."

Bennett, a standout volleyball player who will attend the University of Delaware, has waited since the end of last July to sit in Becahi's auditorium to formally announce the next step in her life.

Being able to share the day with her fellow classmates was a special opportunity that she relished.

"This is really important to me because I've been waiting to make this official and get the opportunity to do this in front of my parents," she said. "Something like this shows that my high school days are coming to an end and I'm really excited for the next step in my life playing at Delaware."

Zeke Moisey (wrestling, West Virginia), Jose Ortiz (wrestling, Rutgers), Lauren Rebovich (cheerleading, Rutgers) and Maddie Titus (volleyball, Lafayette) highlighted Division-I destinations for the assembled group.

Other signees included Brieana Baughman (cheerleading, California University of Pennsylvania), Megan Beaupre (softball, Kings College), Chris Figler (football, Shippensburg), Seamus Hickey (football, Mount Allison University), Kaelah Horwath (softball, York College), Marisa Iannelli (soccer, Eastern University), Justin Lenzer (basketball, Eastern University), Paul Mancini (football, Indiana University of Pennsylvania), Jean Markovic (softball/volleyball, Moravian), John McGeary (baseball, Indian River State College), Pat Mergel (baseball, Scranton) and Bridget Parise (soccer, Kean University).