With his team holding a 27-point lead over Nazareth, Bethlehem Catholic head coach Kyle Haas and his Golden Hawks had a good feeling.

Twenty minutes later, Haas and his troops were sick to their stomachs.

In an unprecedented happening this football season, Nazareth posted a 27-point rally to edge Bethlehem Catholic 42-41. It certainly sent some vibrations around the Bethlehem area.

The Hawks previously dropped some heartbreaking losses to Northampton and Whitehall.

“We just keep finding different ways to lose,” said Haas. “Each way has torn our hearts out.

“We wanted to start fast, and we did. We simply ran out of gas. We condition our kids well. Maybe we aren;t working our kids hard enough in practice.”

Haas noted his team had a viable shot to ground the Blue Eagles, but they couldn’t convert a fourth down with just under six minutes left. In turn, Nazareth responded with the game-winning drive.

“All we needed to do is get a couple of first downs and make some stops,” added Haas. “It just all unraveled. We weren’t focused enough.”

Haas stated that his team needs to take an honest evaluation of itself.

“We dress 38 or 39 kids,” he said. “We have seven or right kids that are injured. But we don’t have enough of the upperclassmen totally involved. I believe our senior class is split right down the middle. That was the issue before. If we have to, we will play with the younger kids.

“It’s a weird dynamic right now,”

Senior quarterback Jaden Ricahrdson continues to have a banner season for Beca. Against Nazareth, Richardson completed 22 of 34 passes for 227 yards with a touchdown, and he ran for 93 yards with a score. Haas has considered having him play safety this weekend.

‘He has made some big plays for us,” said Haas about his quarterback. “He is our main weapon right now. We want to protect him, but he also needs to make plays.

“We need to put our best 11 players on the field, and he may be on defense.”

Beca will meet Liberty (1-3) Friday night in an expected rivalry game. The Hurricanes have dropped three straight after an opening night 24-16 victory over East Stroudsburg South. They dropped a 23-22 decision to Stroudsburg last week.

Haas will be reunited with Liberty head coach Shaun Daignault, who was his defensive coordinator at Northampton. He also “penciled in” the probable return of Justin Kanyuk, Max Johnson, Jacob Stoudt, Eli Thompson, and Kyle Melson to the lineup.

“They have kids that can run,’” said Haas of his next opponent. “Up front, the matchup should be even. They try to run the same stuff with different formations. It will be a good game,and it will be good to catch up with Shawn (Daignault).

“We have to get over this and play at a high level. We need to avoid mental mistakes, and the kids have to be held accountable. We need to keep everyone on the same page. If we can do that, we will see where we are at the end of the season.”

PREDICTION: With both teams reeling, something has to give. Haas has called out his players, and the staff will see who shows up to play. The Hawks proved they can jump on teams early, but they need to close the door. Beca can’t afford another letdown with Emmaus and Easton in the wings. If they can keep Richardson upright and active, he can have a huge game here. Their defense produced two key scores last week. This has all the trimmings of a classic game and an old-fashioned fight for bragging rights. These Hawks still should have some fight left in them. Haas owes me a few Pott’s hot dogs. GOLDEN HAWKS, 28-17