Berwick – Becahi Preview

http://www.d11football.com/news/11/19/berwick-becahi-preview/

Courtesy of Vince Pellegrini, Easternpafootball.com writer;

2013 PIAA Class AAA Football Playoffs First Round

Friday, November 22, 2013 at 7 PM at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown

Bethlehem Catholic (8-4) vs. Berwick (12-0)

GOLDEN HAWK NOTES

-On October 18, Bethlehem Catholic was 4-4 following their loss to Parkland (49-6). The Hawks have not lost since, winning four straight including their District 11 Championship overtime thriller over Southern Lehigh, 27-24. Michael McDaniel scored from 7 yards out to give the Hawks their 27-24 victory. Becahi hadn’t won a District 11 championship since 2001 (39-14 over Easton in Quad A).

-Bethlehem Catholic finished the regular season with a 1-3 mark against programs which finished with a winning record. The Golden Hawks were outscored in those contests by a total count of 175-100.

-Almost three years ago, Becahi introduced Joe Henrich as their head football coach. The former Emmaus defensive coordinator had a rough start to his tenure. After winning his first two games, the Golden Hawks went onto compile a 6-20 record until their current 4-game win streak.

Bethlehem Catholic’s Schedule

1 – at Pocono Mountain West, 35-7 W

2 – at Emmaus, 32-29 W

3 – Easton, 35-49 L

4 – at Northampton, 41-24 W

5 – Bethlehem Liberty, 35-27 W

6 – at Whitehall, 27-48 L

7 – Nazareth, 14-28 L

8 – at Parkland, 6-49 L

9 – at Bethlehem Freedom, 20-16 W

10 – Allentown Central Catholic, 33-13 W

11 – Lehighton, 34-6 W *

12 – at Southern Lehigh, 27-24 (OT) W *

*-Playoff game

BECAHI CAPSULE

State Championships (2)

1990: Class AAA – Bethlehem Catholic 43 Seton LaSalle 7

1998: Class AA – Bethlehem Catholic 26 Wilmington 11

BULLDOG NOTES

-Berwick got by Crestwood and Abington Heights in the district tournament by a combined total of 8 points. During the regular season, the Dawgs outscored their opponents by an average of 44.9 to 7.3.

-The Bulldog offense grinded out a 35-28 win over Abington Heights last week. In their district opener against Crestwood, Berwick was only able to manage 24 rushing yards as a team. This past Saturday, Berwick gained 269 stripes against the Comets led by Jorden Stout’s 134 yards (2 TDs) and Dain Kowalski’s 86. The Bulldogs’ ran the ball 48 times compared to just 6 pass plays.

-Dissecting what their previous two opponents tried to do against the defensive unit of Berwick, here’s a glance at some of the numbers:

• Vs. Crestwood – Run Plays: 43; Pass Plays: 14 = Total: 57
• Vs. Abington Heights – Run Plays: 25; Pass Plays: 27 = Total: 52

• Vs. Crestwood – Rushing Yards: 273; Passing Yards: 104 = Total: 377
• Vs. Abington Heights – Rushing Yards: 93; Passing Yards: 225 = Total: 318

•   Vs. Crestwood – Yards Per Carry: 6.3; Yards Per Pass Play: 7.4

• Vs. Abington Heights – Yards Per Carry: 3.7; Yards Per Pass Play: 8.3

-Berwick is 19-1 in their last 20 games.

-The Bulldogs have won 44 of their last 45 games when they score 23 points or more. The lone loss came in last year’s District 10 championship loss to Abington Heights (44-35).

Berwick’s Schedule

1 – Crestwood, 41-7 W

2 – at Pottsville, 56-7 W

3 – at Dallas, 37-7 W

4 – Wyoming Valley West, 42-28 W

5 – Selinsgrove, 36-0 W

6 – at Tunkhannock, 57-3 W

7 – at Williamsport, 48-7 W

8 – Pittston, 50-0 W

9 – Coughlin, 39-7 W

10 – at Hazleton, 43-7 W

11 – Crestwood, 14-13 W *

12 – Abington Heights, 35-28 W *

*-Playoff game

BULLDOG CAPSULE

State Championships (6)

1997: Class AAA – Berwick 17 Perry Traditional Academy 14

1996: Class AAA – Berwick 34 Blackhawk 13

1995: Class AAA – Berwick 43 Sharon 6

1994: Class AAA – Berwick 27 Sharon 7

1992: Class AAA – Berwick 33 Blackhawk 6

1988: Class AAA – Berwick 13 Aliquippa 0

COACHES

Bethlehem Catholic: Joe Henrich, 3^rd Season (12-20)

Berwick: George Curry, 44^th Season (435-93-5)

RANKINGS

Points Scored Per Game: Berwick, 41.5; Bethlehem Catholic, 28.3

Points Allowed Per Game: Berwick, 9.5; Bethlehem Catholic, 26.7

OPPONENTS’ WINNING PERCENTAGE

Bethlehem Catholic – 53.4% (71-62)

Berwick – 50.4% (68-67)

STAT LEADERS

Passing

Bethlehem Catholic: Julian Spigner – 1334 yards, 47.1% (88-187), 15 TDs

Berwick: CJ Curry – 1955 yards, 58.8% (104-177), 19 TDs

Rushing

Bethlehem Catholic: Michael McDaniel – 754 yards, 4.9 ypc, 22 TDs

Berwick: Dain Kowalski – 842 yards, 6.8 ypc, 17 TDs

Receiving

Bethlehem Catholic: Freddie Simmons – 32 catches, 600 yards, 8 TDs

Berwick: Andrew Force – 29 catches, 742 yards, 8 TDs

Winner plays the winner of the Clearfield (12-0) and Jersey Shore (6-6) the following week in the State Quarterfinals.