When it comes to championship contests, the team that can make more plays and commit less mistakes has an upper hand to walk away as champions.

For Bethlehem Catholic, they saw the District 11/1 2A championship so close to their grasp, but eventually fall in the hands of Dock Mennonite Academy last Thursday night at William Tennent High School in Warminster.

The Pioneers came back to force a fifth game and rallied from the depths of a 14-13 score to come back to win in five games (21-25, 25-16, 17-25, 25-11, 16-14).

“They earned the victory against us in the title match, but we know that on a different day it could of been a very different outcome,” said Becahi head coach Jeff Koch. “Volleyball is very situational. In that fifth set it was back and forth the whole game. It had 12 ties. It came down to the last three plays for us. Dock was a bit more solid those plays and earned the victory and title.”

Dock’s Lincoln Bergey came away with the game winning kill, his 38th on the night for the final point in the decisive fifth game to push the Pioneers to the state tournament and ending the Hawks season.

But for as difficult it was to swallow a championship loss, Koch looks back on the past season with nothing but praise after witnessing the program go through a one-win season a year ago.

“This past season was a successful one for us,” he said. “We were a very young team that went through its ups and downs in different ways throughout the season, however, the growth of our individual players and by the team was great to see, and ultimately leaves everyone excited looking ahead.

“For the program to bounce back this year after only having one win last year was very important to us. With the success we had this season, I can tell that we’ve molded the program into something that hopefully will see sustained success like the Emmaus’s Parkland’s, and Whitehall’s of the [Lehigh] Valley.”

For Koch, though, this season was one that took a step toward bringing the program back to respectability. After coaching the team to a 2010 2A state championship, having Becahi be relevant again might be a consolation prize.

“I feel very good about where the program is headed once again,” said Koch. “I’m very proud of this year’s team. Our program’s culture is back, along with the heart that needs to be with it.”