You knew it would come to this. It always comes to this after every football game for the Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks.

“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name...”

It places the 50-49 EPC South loss to the Emmaus Green Hornets (8-1, 6-1 EPC South) on Oct. 20 at BASD Stadium in perspective. It is, after all, a football game. It is not a matter of life or death. But that doesn’t mean a loss like this doesn’t hurt, and hurt like a swift kick to the groin. Why? Mistakes. Too many mistakes sabotaged the Golden Hawks.

“We have to understand we can be a great football team,” Henrich said after the game. “We are a talented football team. We are good. But I don’t know what it takes to get us to focus to not hurt ourselves so much, and stop doing these little things that kill us...We lost that game.”

Normally, a team that accumulates 623 yards in total offense can name the final score. This was a game the Golden Hawks could have won and should have won. They led 14-0 early in the second first quarter and 49-35 in the fourth quarter, but could not seal the deal. The loss drops the Golden Hawks to 6-3, 4-3. If there is a bright spot, it’s that Becahi already has a District 11 4A birth in the bank.

“They didn’t make the mistakes,” Emmaus coach Harold Fairclough said. “It’s not about who has more talent all the time. With evenly-matched talent, it comes down to execution.”

In a game where 99 combined points were scored, defense was at a premium. Ironically, Emmaus won the game on a defensive stop.

Late in the fourth quarter, Emmaus embarked on its game-winning drive. It was culminated by a 29-yard touchdown pass from smooth quarterback Ethan Parvel to the sure-handed Deonte Castro. The touchdown cut the Becahi lead to one point at 49-48. Fairclough rolled the dice and went for two. After a timeout, Parvel attempted to run to his right, but was greeted by an angry cadre of brown-and-gold clad football warriors. Parvel kept his cool, improvised, and cut all the way back to his left to score.

“We got a two-point conversion stopped in the backfield and can’t finish,” Henrich said.

The Golden Hawks were not a dead football team. All night their offense had easily matriculated the ball down the field. Their prospects improved when Tavion Banks returned the ensuing kickoff with a rush to the Emmaus 48-yard line. After a few plays, the Golden Hawks had moved to the Emmaus 27, but two ambush sacks took them out of field goal range. Forced to gamble on fourth and long, Becahi came up empty.

The cruel loss in no way diminishes two awesome rushing performances by Banks and backfield mate Zaheer Seabrooks. Time and again this dynamic duo went into the Emmaus meat grinder and time and again they emerged with legs still chopping. They did it with a combination of bull-headed running and fancy feet. It often took half the Green Hornet defense to tame Banks and Seabrooks after they were initially hit. Sometimes the rushers would run through arm tackles with defiance. Other times, they would use a shake and bake that left defenders looking around for their jocks.

Banks racked up 226 yards on 24 carries and four touchdowns. Seabrooks carried the pill 22 times for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Most of the night the Becahi offensive line won their individual and collective battles and even when they didn’t, Banks and Seabrooks still managed to escape the clutches of Emmaus defenders. The Green Hornets were at their mercy.

Bethlehem Catholic quarterback Zamar Brake was also superb. The tall, slender signal-caller completed 12 of 13 passes for 154 yards. His lone incompletion came in the second quarter, when Emmaus’ Sone Ntoh picked off an underthrown pass for an interception.

“I thought we played hard, I thought we kept battling, never say die,” Henrich said. “The bottom line was they out-executed us at critical times.”

Unfortunately for Becahi, its defense was not nearly as good. Emmaus’ offense is dangerous. They posses a small army of explosive offensive weapons that are ready to detonate at any moment. The Green Hornets accumulated 357 yards of offense, but also received two gift-wrapped scores, thanks to Bethlehem Catholic fumbles. With 9:50 remaining in the third quarter, Ntoh journeyed 68 yards for a touchdown with a fumble recovery to give the Green Hornets a 28-21 lead. With the clock showing 10:46 in the fourth quarter, Gabe Trexler recovered a fumble in the end zone on a Emmaus kickoff. It tied the game at 42-42.

“We gave up two fumbles for touchdowns,” Henrich said after the game, shaking his head. “...We have got to find a way, if we are going to reach our goals, one week at a time, to focus and be smarter. Execute at a higher level. That’s what it comes down to.”

Bethlehem Catholic will have a chance to execute at a higher level in their holy war against Allentown Central Catholic Friday at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown. There was nothing holy about the war against Emmaus. It was just a war that the Golden Hawks could have won, should have won, but didn’t win. Now Bethlehem Catholic has to work hard, work smarter and above all, keep the faith.

“...For thine is the kingdom. the power, and the glory. For ever and ever. Amen.”