On the surface of Liberty’s 41-9 defeat to Bethlehem Catholic last week, it looks like the Hurricanes might be far off the Hawks path, but Liberty head coach Jody Karam likes to think they’re just a step behind.

Last week’s defeat was the first for the Hurricanes (14-1) this season and likely will be their last dual meet defeat heading into the postseason, but it wasn’t a giant step backward for the blue collar bunch, rather an opportunity to restore some hunger as they move forward this winter.

“I feel the match was closer than what the score indicated,” said Karam. “I think there were six matches determined by one-to-three points. We are just a half a step behind them at this point. But considering where we started, and where we are, I am pleased with the progress. It’s nice to see where you stand relative to other teams at this point.”

Liberty actually lost seven bouts within the point range Karam referenced and if you want to throw in Damen Moyer’s 7-3 defeat to Robert Spezza at 195, you’d add an eighth within close range.

However, Karam and everyone knows that close losses still count as defeats and if the Hurricanes want to close the gap heading into districts, they’ll need to improve on the little things.

“The message was clear to the team,” Karam said. “The progress has been consistent, we like what we see. There is no need to throw out our plan and start over. The type of changes needed are small adjustments, not radical. It’s easy to look at that score and say, oh no, we are doing things wrong. But anybody who knows, who truly knows, realizes that it’s only minor adjustments needed to go to the next level.”

Liberty followed the Becahi loss with a 64-9 win over Pleasant Valley and a 51-18 victory over Emmaus last week.

They now head into this week with a match against Stroudsburg (7-2) on Wednesday night.

“We’ve met every challenge so far,” Karam said. “After the Beca loss, the message is the same, the season certainly doesn’t end with a loss to Beca.”

Freedom (6-4) got back in the win column with a 67-12 defeat over Allen last week. The win snapped a three match skid with losses to Easton, Nazareth and Parkland.

The Patriots take on East Stroudsburg South and Dieruff this week before heading to the Clearfield Bison Duals this weekend.