Bethlehem Catholic head football coach Kyle Haas figured it was going to be a close game with Liberty.

After the Golden Hawks’ 24-19 win over Liberty, he was right.

“It was another nail-biter,” said Haas. “It seems like the last five games have been decided by around a touchdown or less.

“I was proud of our effort. We made some assignment errors that we have to clean up if we want to continue to win.”

With their victory, Beca improved to 3-1, and they are suddenly in the thick of the East Penn Conference (EPC) North race, tied with Nazareth (3-1) and on the heels of unbeaten Emmaus (4-0), who they will host Friday.

The Golden Hawks will have plenty of momentum and motivation after the Liberty win.

Haas cited the play of quarterback Luke Thomas (15-for-23, 245 yards, TD two rushing TDs), wide receiver Eric Wert (7 for 154 yards), running back Rahmel Terry (100 yards, TD), and wide receiver Jayden Ellis-Lahey (4 catches, 67 yards).

He also credited the play of his defense, which has shined in recent weeks.

“We gave Liberty the ball a few times in our territory and they capitalized,” said Haas. “We are happy to be 3-1 but there is plenty of room for improvement.”

The Golden Hawks will meet an Emmaus squad, which demolished East Stroudsburg North, 70-6, last Friday. They beat Beca, 41-3 last season.

“Emmaus is a well coached football team who has some great individual talent,” offered Haas. “Offensively and defensively, they give you a lot of different looks. We are going to have to take that next step in our progression if we want to compete with them. I expect a physical football game.

“We haven’t played our best game yet. We will be tested again this week.”

NOTES AND PREDICTION: Emmaus has allowed 45 points in four games ... Nine different players found the end zone for the Green Hornets last week ... Starting quarterback Jake Fotta threw for two touchdowns, and backup Josiah Williams tossed four of them ... Wert has 18 catches for 270 yards on the season, and Ellis-Leahy has 12 catches for 181 yards. Thomas is 53-for-90, 645 yards, and four TDs for the season ... This is as big as a game for the Golden Hawks over the last few years. They have some momentum on offense with Thomas, and the defense has played lights out the past few weeks. Emmaus is a tall order here, and the Green Hornets have been tested by Allentown Central Catholic (12-7), Freedom (19-13), and Whitehall. (27-19). They haven’t dominated a team this year. Beca has some mojo going, and they need to avoid turnovers. There is something special with this team, and the Golden Hawks can soar here. Haas expects a tight game, and it will be. However, he will need to send me a couple of cheesesteaks from Carl’s ... GOLDEN HAWKS, 21-17