Bethlehem Catholic Overcomes Halftime Deficit to Defeat Central Catholic(Video Recap)

Tagged under: District 11, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, Playoffs

Cody Brady | November 7, 2025

Beca v ACC TV by PAFootball Newsdotcom

From the opening kickoff that Bethlehem Catholic fumbled, to two interceptions thrown late in the first half by Cayden Vassa, it was a sure bet that the Central Catholic Vikings were going to ground the Hawks in the second meeting of the Holy War in 2025. Until it wasn’t. While Vassa gave way to Axel Burkhart at quarterback, it was the legs of Vassa that drove forward for a gain of 38 and then a 5-yard touchdown that put Bethlehem Catholic ahead in the third quarter and for good in a 34-31 victory.

After the Vikings fell on the opening kickoff at the Hawks 16-yard line, Beca’s defense stood tall, forcing a Bryson Baker 29-yard field goal. But with 10:42 to go in the first, the Vikes led 3-0. On the Hawks’ opening drive, Cayden Vassa picked up 18 on a draw play, but the drive was stalled due to a holding call. The punt was perfectly executed and downed at the Vikings 3.

The Vikings picked up 37 yards on a Tate Shoemaker run, and under heavy duress in the red zone, Patrick Cahill managed to stay alive for a pass that put his team in a Goal to go situation. On the next play, Deon Johnson went in from 10 yards out. Central Catholic led 10-0 with 3:02 to go in the opening stanza and had all the momentum.

Bethlehem Catholic drove the field, getting a 25-yard hookup between Vassa and Axel Burkhart at the end of the quarter. However, the Hawks would end up facing 4th & 4 on the Vikings 11. Vassa hit Rodney Brodie over the middle in the front of the end zone for the score. The extra point was missed, but the Hawks were on the board, trailing 10-6.

Central Catholic returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, but a holding call wiped it all away, bringin the ball back to their own 21. A sack by Emery Oberholzer helped squelch the drive. Beca took over near midfield following the punt. Axel Burkhart then stepped in at quarterback, showing off the dual threat passing attack that Beca fans have come to know so well. He fired over the left side to Cayden Vassa to put the Hawks inside the 10. From there, Antonio Salomoni took it in for a 2-yard touchdown, giving Bethlehem Catholic its first lead of the night at 13-10.

After a short kickoff, the Vikings took over at their own 48 and after a personal foul and defensive offsides gave them 20 free yards, it’d only be four plays until ACC found pay dirt. Trevaugn Johnson went off left side and in from 15 yards out to quickly give the Vikings back a 17-13 lead with 3:24 to go in the half.

And then things got messy. Three plays into their ensuing drive, after being clobbered in the backfield for a loss of 16, Cayden Vassa threw a long ball over the middle of the field. Di’Qiuwan Leak snagged it and returned the ball to the Hawks 35. Cahill had Luis Martinez wide open in the end zone from 35 yards out, but they could not connect, as Martinez pounded the end zone turf with his fist. ACC had to punt it back.

But Cayden Vassa was picked off again one play later, as the ball tipped off the fingers of his intended receiver and into the grasp of Harry Restino. Patrick Cahill found the end zone two plays later, taking it in from 18 yards out and increasing the lead to 24-13. That would be the halftime score.

Central Catholic took the ball to open the second half, but a three-and-out prevented them from takcing on to their lead. The Hawks also punted on their first possession. The Vikings got the ball back, but after a short completion to Leak, he had the ball punched out and the Hawks took over on the Vikings 30 with 9:25 to play in the third. Four plays later, Burkhart hit Carter Vassa on the run in the back corner of the end zone. Vassa got both feet in on the touchdown catch; suddenly Bethlehem Catholic only trailed 24-20 and had momentum.

The defense went to work from there. Jon Ayache came up with a huge sack on 4th & 5 that gave Beca the ball back on its own 42. Two plays later, Cayden Vassa was putting his team back in prime scoring position with a 38 yard run. He capped the drive with a 5-yard score, giving the Hawks a 27-24 lead late in the quarter.

On the Hawks’ next possession after forcing a punt, Burkhart was hit from behind with his arm raised. The ball popped free and Tahir Edmondson snagged the interception. But Burkhart got his revenge, sacking Cahill to end the drive quickly, forcing a 4th & 15 punt. In the third quarter, the Vikings managed only 28 yards on offense.

Axel Burkhart then gave his team some distance in the contest. He first took it 27 yards up the gut. Then, with Cayden Vassa in the backfield, he faked the handoff and kept it as a massive hole opened up the middle. Seventeen yards later, he was in the end zone and the Hawks had a 34-24 lead with 9:44 to play.

Facing a 4th & 17 with 7:16 to play, Central opted to punt from the Hawks 49-yard line. The result was a touchback and a time consuming Beca drive. The drive chewed up nearly four minutes and only stalled on 4th & 1 due to a holding penalty. Tahir Edmondson returned the punt 30 yards to the Hawk 30, but a personal foul after the play backed them up. On the night, Central Catholic ended up tagged with seven personal fouls. Another personal foul backed them up from the Hawk 20 to the 35. A last-ditch pass to a diving Harry Restino in the end zone was complete. With 1:14 to play, the Vikings trailed 34-31.

The onside kick went to the home team, but the Vikings did get a stop on 4th & 1 and one more crack at the ball with :38 left and no timeouts. But Cahill was caught in the backfield not once but twice to end the ballgame, as Burkhart knocked the ball out to add an exclamation point.

Bethlehem Catholic ran for 243 yards on the night, with 145 of those coming by the legs of Cayden Vassa. The Hawks overcame four turnovers, offset by seven Vikings personal fouls and mistakes late in the game. Bethlehem Catholic will now take on Southern Lehigh Thursday night at Catasauqua for a District XI 4A title.

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