Bethlehem Catholic has not lost in wrestling in a long time60 matches to be accurate, but that streak will be on the line this week when the Hawks trek to Hershey to compete in the PIAA team wrestling championships.

The move up to 3A didn't affect Becahi's dominance in district duals, but it will be put to the test once action starts on Thursday afternoon against District 2 champion Scranton in Hershey.

The Hawks are heavy favorites in that match to move forward, but that's when head coach Jeff Karam pumps the brakes on words of caution moving forward.

"Everyone keeps talking about us taking on Franklin Regional in the semifinals," Karam said, "but we're probably going to see Central Dauphin in the quarterfinals and they are tough. They have a strong tradition of wrestling and I don't want to overlook them. I don't want to overlook anyone. Last year, I think we knew we had a very strong team heading to states last year and that the likelihood of us winning was favorable, but I think there's six teams that can win 3A this year."

Karam may be giving respect to his opponents, but he isn't lying when he talks about the field this year being the toughest the Hawks have seen during their recent four-year reign as PIAA 2A state champions.

Western PA is the current king of wrestling and District 7 champion Franklin Regional is the big bad wolf, right next to Becahi, that has everyone is talking about.

The Panthers (19-1) defeated Belle Vernon 33-27 in Saturday's WPIAL championship, as 170-pounder Ryan Deloach won the bout for Regional with a pin to end the match.

Belle Vernon (20-1) defeated Regional earlier in the season and are equally as difficult, as they are situated in the other half of the bracket, which also includes District 7 power North Allegheny, District 1 champion Boyertown and District 3 champion Cumberland Valley.

Should Becahi move through to Saturday's 1pm finals at the Giant Center, a date with any of those three would be likely, but getting through a potential stacked Franklin Regional squad would be a tall order.

"Well, when you look at their lineup, they have a returning state champ at 113 and one of the best wrestlers in the country at 120 in Spencer Lee," Karam said of Franklin Regional. "I mean we have Jake Riegel at 120 and he would be a underdog against him and he's a state champ too. They have guys at 126, 145, 152 and 160 that have or are ranked number one in the state. They have six wrestlers in their lineup that are legitimate state title contenders. In matches like that, it really comes down to some of the unseasoned wrestlers in your lineup and how we would do at 170, 182, 195 and heavyweight."

With all the presumptuous talk aside, Karam is looking forward to the competition.

"It's going to be exciting and this is why we moved up, to have matches and opportunities like this," he said. "I'm anxious to see how our guys react."