2nd-quarter outburst leads way
Golden Hawks score 3 TDs in less than 4-minute span
Bethlehem Catholic struggled to block Parkland in the first quarter Saturday night.
The Golden Hawks found their footing before halftime.
Bethlehem Catholic ripped off three touchdowns in a 3minute, 48-second span to bury the Trojans in a 24-point second-quarter hole. The Golden Hawks never relented, rolling to a 44-7 win in an EPC South football game at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium.
One week after it needed a late escape against Liberty, Bethlehem Catholic (3-1 overall, 2-1 EPC South) played a complete game to dismantle Parkland (2-2, 1-2). Tavion Banks and Malik Thomas each topped 100 rushing yards as the Golden Hawks amassed 409 yards of total offense. Bethlehem Catholic also stymied Parkland’s ground game, limiting the Trojans to 44 yards on 31 carries.
Bethlehem Catholic led 3-0 after the first quarter, but its play took off in the second quarter once it adjusted to Parkland’s defensive front. A 64-yard run by Banks on thirdand-14 jump-started the Golden Hawks. He finished with 16 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
“They came out in a 3-4 [defense], which they had shown in some games, but more in passing situations,” Bethlehem Catholic coach Joe Henrich said. “I think not that it threw us off, but it slowed us down at first just till we got a hang of what was going on. And they’re aggressive. They’ve got a good front, and they were aggressive and coming at us.
“You’ve just got to stay with it. You’ve got to stay with your training. Our coaches did a great job of making some adjustments and coaching some things up on the sideline, and we were able to just get into a flow and start doing some things.”
Thomas teamed with Banks to produce chunk plays for Bethlehem Catholic’s ground game. Thomas had four runs of at least 10 yards en route to a 13-carry, 119-yard night. He scored on runs of 19 and 54 yards.
Sophomore quarterback Jared Richardson added 185 passing yards and one touchdown. His 19-yard TD pass to Matt Stianche (six catches, 87 yards) on a third-and-18 play midway through the second quarter started Bethlehem Catholic’s second-quarter scoring spree.
“Really, it was just an attitude change,” Thomas said. “All week we’ve been stressing playing four full quarters of a game. But we really came out and we really believed what we could do.
“I guess the scoreboard showed that.”
Perplexed Parkland
Parkland had no answer for Bethlehem Catholic once it began its roll. The Trojans had a five-drive stretch where they managed only one first down, allowing the Golden Hawks to pull away.
Parkland avoided a shutout when sophomore quarterback Ty Tremba, who entered the game in the second quarter, hit Dante Medlar for a 36-yard touchdown in the third. It was Tremba’s first varsity completion.
Parkland coach Tim Moncman turned the postgame huddle over to his captains, two of whom (Nick Dawkins and Luke Dauberman) remain sidelined with injuries. No matter who plays for the Trojans next week against Liberty, they need someone to provide a spark.
“We have a lot to fix,” Moncman said. “It’s just one thing after another. We just have to rally and survive.”
Up next
Bethlehem Catholic heads to undefeated Nazareth (4-0 overall, 3-0 EPC South) on Friday. Parkland returns to Bethlehem Area School District Stadium for a Friday game against Liberty (2-2, 0-2).
Stephen Miller can be reached at 610-820-6750 or at samiller@mcall.com