There was a point in Saturday’s football game between Bethlehem Catholic and Nazareth when the Golden Hawks were looking toward a possible mercy rule victory, but the Blue Eagles showed no mercy on Becahi and pulled out a stunning 42-41 victory at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium.

“We had them on the ropes. We needed a killer instinct to put them away, and we don’t have the killer instinct,” said Becahi head coach Kyle Haas, “and there was a distinct change in body demeanor from our energy and the way we carried ourselves in the first half to the second half, and every time we came off this field and gave up a touchdown, I told them, ‘You gotta keep playing. We’re still winning.’”

Becahi led 41-14 with 8:03 remaining in the third quarter after Antonio Ramos intercepted a pass by Nazareth quarterback Sonny Sasso and ran 41 yards for a touchdown.

“We were talking about, after the touchdown that put us up four (touchdowns), we gotta go for two next time for the mercy rule,” said Coach Haas.

But that’s when Nazareth started its comeback and wouldn’t stop until it finished.

Sasso’s pass to Mason Kuehner, and Tyler Rohn’s run to the end zone put the Blue Eagles within two touchdowns, still trailing 41-28.

With 36 seconds left in the third quarter, Sasso ran two yards for another Nazareth touchdown.

“We literally were there, and something changed, and you could see it,” said Coach Haas. “The way our kids were walking around, and [Nazareth] still had energy. It’s not like our kids are out of condition. Maybe we’re playing too many kids both ways, but we don’t have anybody else, so it’s one of those deals where we have to watch the film and see exactly what happened schematically, but I think a lot of it had to do with, just, we didn’t put them away when we had to, and the most disappointing thing was the way we responded when they started to come back.”

Becahi took over on downs with 8:07 left in the game but couldn’t convert on fourth-and-2, and Nazareth took possession around their own 45-yard line.

The Blue Eagles drove to Becahi’s 30 when Sasso found Jake Hilarczyk in the end zone to tie the game, and Chris Bugbee’s extra point proved to be the game winner with 4:15 remaining.

“It’s crazy. We called a post and it was...I’m so ecstatic...Catching that ball, excitement going through my head, it’s just amazing,” said a breathless Jake Hilarczyk. “Incredible. I was so excited. Everyone on the team came out and cheered me on. It was great.

“We were down big. The captains brought us together and told us to stay locked in, come back, and score. Coaches told us game’s not over, plenty of time left, and we took that to heart. We grinded all week at practice. We knew we could do it, and I believed in us all the way.”

Becahi’s first touchdown came with 6:09 left in the first quarter when Jamel Claments picked up a fumble by Hilarczyk and ran 52 yards to the end zone. Five minutes later, Becahi quarterback Jared Richardson completed a 40-yard pass to Eric Wert, and Zyaire Morris scored the Hawks’ second touchdown on the next play.

Becahi’s defense came out hard and fast in the first half, while Richardson led the Hawks to three touchdowns, and kicker Anthony Barczynski had two field goals.

“I was proud of the way they played in the first half. That’s their capability, but whether or not they can maintain it, that’s the next thing we have to correct,” Haas said.

In the second quarter, Richardson completed a pass to Ethan Shelton to put the Hawks up 27-14, and Richardson ran in for his own touchdown early in the third quarter when the Hawks still led.

“We got into that funk and couldn’t get out of it,” Haas said. “No matter how much I challenged them, when you look into somebody’s eyes and they have the 1,000 mile stare, it’s a scary feeling as a coach because you know there’s something going on, and we didn’t respond the way I hoped we would respond. We’ll fix it.”