Familiarity can breed contempt. It can also make it easier for a football team.

Bethlehem Catholic was familiar with their opponent last Saturday afternoon, and the result also proved to be the same.

The Golden Hawks met Blue Mountain for the third consecutive season in the District 11 Class 4A playoffs, and they blanked the Eagles, 17-0, at Northwestern High School.

Fourth-seeded Becahi will meet top-seeded Allentown Central Catholic, a winner over Bangor due to their COVD-19 withdrawal, Saturday night at Allentown’s J. Birney Crum Stadium.

Central Catholic defeated Becahi, 35-3, on Oct. 30. Heading into their playoff game, the Golden Hawks were outscored by their previous two opponents, 80-3. They were blanked by rival Freedom, 45-0, two weeks ago.

“Wins were hard for us to get lately,” said Golden Hawks’ head coach Joe Heinrich. “We had two tough losses, but we managed to come back to get this one.

“We started strong, but we tailed off at the end.”

Becahi (4-3) jumped out to a 14-0 lead after the opening quarter when quarterback Luke Thomas broke free on a 27-yard run, and Thomas then hit Eric Wert on an eight-yard touchdown pass.

The Golden Hawks sealed the deal when Anthony Barcyzinski booted a 35-yard field goal in the third quarter.

Becahi limited Blue Mountain (4-5) to 130 total yards and recorded four sacks.

However, their offense tailed off considerably in the second half. That can be a major concern with a rematch with Central Catholic on the horizon.

Thomas, who stepped in for starter Jared Richardson who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury against Freedom, will play a major role. He completed seven of 10 passes for 42 yards and rushed for 50 yards against Blue Mountain.

Despite the outcome, Heinrich sees the Central game in the big picture.

“This is a growth process,” he said. “We’re excited to have another game for our seniors and for the young guys every opportunity you have to coach them and put them in a playoff situation is only going to help their growth and long-term prospects.”