Bethlehem Catholic learned the hard way what Nazareth’s offense is capable of on any given night.

The Blue Eagles scored all their points in the first half of last week’s 36-7 mercy-rule victory to win their third straight game of the season.

It’s the second straight loss for the Hawks (4-4) and it’s two straight weeks they’ve failed to score more than seven points in a game.

Head coach Tyler Ward knows his team is capable of better performances, but understands they need to execute better.

“It was one of those games where we were just a step away or throw away all game,” he said. “I thought we played hard but their kids won more one on one battles than we did, they hit more shots then we did and that’s just something we have to learn from. Football is an execution based game and the team who executes at a higher level generally wins.”

Nazareth (6-2) opened the scoring in the first period with a one-yard score by Marquez Wimberly, but exploded for 29 points in the second quarter, as quarterback Peyton Falzone threw for three touchdowns on a 200-yard night.

The Hawks, on the other hand, struggled to get their offense going, registering four first downs on the night and 159 yards of total offense.

“We have to learn more patience and learn that fighting through trials will make us stronger in the end,” said Ward. “We have to continue to learn that the only way to grow sometimes is to fail. And as long as we stay together and refocus we should be fine.”

Next on tap for the Hawks is a home showdown against Liberty on Saturday night at BASD Stadium. It’s the second city game for the Hawks this year after falling to Freedom two weeks ago and getting a win in the city series is important for Ward and company.

“Winning the city is a goal every year,” he said. “We want to be the best in Bethlehem and until we can consistently beat both Liberty and Freedom we have work to do. All rivalry’s are important, and with them having a great year so far we will have to come ready to play.

“I look at each game individually. We want to win every game and we especially want to win the Bethlehem games. This game is extremely important for us to get back on track with the season. It’s the most important game of the year because it’s the one right in front of us.”