When Joe Bernard and Jake Reichard were hired as the head coaches at Bethlehem Catholic and Allentown Central Catholic, respectively, last winter, they both talked about bringing back the tradition of both programs.
One of their best traditions is the annual “Holy War” game between the two schools.
Saturday night at Allentown’s J. Birney Crum Stadium, the first edition of the “Holy War” featuring Bernard and Reichard turned into a revival of the rivalry with a game that went down to the final seconds before Bernard’s Becahi’s team secured a 28-24 Eastern Pennsylvania Conference win.
The game ended with the Vikings scrambling to stop the clock and attempting to get off another play after advancing to Golden Hawks’ 29.
But game officials ruled time had run out, and Becahi had its fourth win in five games and its first victory in the EPC.
The Vikings, meanwhile, fell to 2-3, 1-1 in the EPC.
“We were very resilient,” Bernard said. “Our pass rush at the end was what we needed to get going. Those guys did a great job. We had a couple of injuries on the back end, but coverage-wise we were pretty solid. Give [Patrick Cahill, the ACCHS quarterback] credit. He was scrambling and tried to make us work for it, but we stepped up in the end.”
The Golden Hawks used a pair of third-quarter touchdowns to take a 28-17 lead, getting scoring runs from Axel Burkart and Cayden Vassa, who ended up sharing the quarterback job.
But Becahi, coming off a 35-9 loss to Easton, didn’t score over the game’s final 17 minutes and 33 seconds and needed several defensive stands to cap the first half of the EPC regular season with a win.
The Vikings were able to get one score to get within four, but couldn’t convert on three consecutive possessions that began in Becahi territory.
The Golden Hawks chewed up plenty of time with a drive that began at their own 15 and carried to the ACCHS 3. The Vikings took over with 37.3 seconds left. Cahill’s 46-yard completion to Harry Restino and a 15-yard roughing penalty gave Central a shot, but Becahi got one last stop.
It was Central’s third loss to a Bethlehem team this season.
“I know the kids are getting tired of me saying it, but we’re so close,” Reichard said. “We’re fighting like hell. We’re right there. I have to be better. It’s not on the kids. It’s on me. I’ve got to clean some stuff up. We have to get right back to work and get ready to go to Emmaus. They’re hungry for a win, and they’re going to be prepared. I’ve got to get my guys ready, but I am proud of their effort.”
While Reichard’s team will face Emmaus, where he spent the previous six seasons as an assistant, in what will be a battle of 2-3 teams, Bernard and Becahi will have a noon game Saturday against Pocono Mountain East. After that, the Golden Hawks have four straight games in a rugged EPC Northampton County division.
Becahi has one of the best athletes in the area in Vassa, who has spent much of the last three seasons as the Golden Hawks’ quarterback but has emerged as one of the league’s best running backs.
After starting the game at QB, Vassa shifted to the other backfield spot and made way for Burkart.
Vassa ran for 167 yards on 22 carries and had a pair of 45-yard runs that set up Golden Hawks scores. Burkart completed 7 of 12 passes for 122 yards and hit Carter Vassa, Cayden’s younger brother, for a 27-yard TD.
“We went in at halftime and knew exactly what we were going to do there and made the switch because we needed to get our running game going,” Bernard said. “We know he’s one of the best athletes in the Valley. You’ve got to put him back there, and that’s how unselfish he is. He said ‘Coach, I’ve got this’ and he knows all the stuff, and as you could see, he can excel as a tailback.”
Bernard said Vassa has mentored some of the running backs he has worked with in the Becahi attack.
“He’s amazing in practice,” Bernard said. “He understands what we talk about with patience and how to hang back. He knew exactly what to do.”
Vassa said he knew what his team needed.
“Axel Burkart really stepped up, and we were able to function with that offense,” Vassa said. “As a quarterback, a dual-threat, I do like to run the football a lot. So when the ball is in my hands, it makes it a step easier. I’ve done a lot of work with my linemen. I’ve just got to be patient and let them do what they do.”
And Becahi’s defense did what it had to do to close it out after putting a touchdown on the board with an interception return by sophomore Aiden Rivera to start the scoring.
“The defense did its job today, Cayden Vassa was running like crazy, and Axel Burkart came in and threw a touchdown pass … everyone is working together right now,” said senior Emile Ayache, who moved from defensive end to nose guard.
Becahi was able to join Whitehall, Nazareth, Liberty, and Pocono Mountain West as the EPC’s 4-1 teams at the midway mark of the regular season. Only Easton and Parkland remain unbeaten.
Scoring summary
Bethlehem Catholic 7 – 7 – 14 – 0 — 28
Allentown CCHS 3 – 14 – 7 – 0 — 24
FIRST QUARTER
BEC: Aiden Rivera 47-yard interception return (Aaron Geiger kick), 9:24
ACC: Bryson Baker 27 field goal, 0:17
SECOND QUARTER
ACC: Luis Martinez 52 pass from Patrick Cahill (Baker kick), 7:16
BEC: Carter Vassa 27 pass from Axel Burkart, (Geiger kick), 2:27
ACC: Deon Johnson 26 run (Baker kick), 1:10
THIRD QUARTER
BEC: Burkart 1 run (Geiger kick), 8:15
BEC: Cayden Vassa 1 run (Geiger kick), 5:33
ACC: Cahill 1 run (Baker kick), 2:36
Individual stats
RUSHING
Bethlehem Catholic (43 for 237): Cayden Vassa 22-167, TD: Carter Vassa 10-37, TD; Axel Burkart 9-25, TD; Isaiah Lebron 2-8.
Allentown CCHS (34 for 105): Tate Shoemaker 13-56; Deon Johnson 12-51, TD; Patrick Cahill 9-(-2), TD.
PASSING
Bethlehem Catholic: Burkart 7-12-0, 122 yards, TD; Cayden Vassa 1-1-0, 12 yards.
Allentown CCHS: Cahill 12-22-1, 161 yards, TD.
RECEIVING
Bethlehem Catholic: Carter Vassa 3-59, TD; Cayden Vassa 2-49; Mason Thomas 2-19; Emery Oberholzer 1-7.
Allentown CCHS: Luis Martinez 4-93, TD: Tahir Edmondson 4-1; Harry Restino 2-51; Di’Quawn Leak 2-16.
https://www.mcall.com/2025/09/22/epc-football-bethlehem-catholic/
