Berks Catholic can’t contain Becca QB Cayden Vassa, falls 28-10
2024 Berks football coverage
presented by UECU
By George Ruth — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
BETHLEHEM — Bethlehem Catholic quarterback Cayden Vassa punished Berks Catholic with his running ability Thursday, scoring three touchdowns as the Golden Hawks defeated the Saints 28-10 in a non-league game at BASD Stadium.
A 52-yard run on a second-and-40 encapsulated his ability to make up for his team’s mistakes and the Saints’ inability to contain the junior quarterback.
“Cayden’s a special player,” Berks Catholic coach Dave Stahler said. “We got beat by a quarterback run by Twin Valley a couple weeks ago and I said (then) that Evan Myers beat us with his mind because he is really smart.
“Cayden’s smart (and) we didn’t have anyone to match up with him. He’s a really good player, and other than tonight, he’s fun to watch.”
The Golden Hawks (2-1) committed 10 penalties for 100 yards and turned it over three times.
They opened the night with an efficient 12-play, 92-yard drive capped by a 9-yard touchdown run by Vassa.
The Golden Hawks did most of their damage on the ground as Vassa ran for 97 yards and sophomore running backs Jeziah Gregory and Justin Martinez combined for another 103. The three-headed monster tallied 200 yards.
After an interception of Vassa and a strong defensive stand seemed to help the Saints settle in, senior quarterback Zach Suski made a costly mistake on a bootleg with a floated pass that he didn’t get over freshman linebacker Isaiah Lebron.
The interception was returned inside the Berks 20-yard line and Vassa was able to punch it in three plays later from 3 yards out to make it 14-0. Suski finished 4-of-8 for 15 yards and exited the game early in the second half with an apparent injury.
“Zach was a little bit banged up and we always want to be precautious,” Stahler said. “I think he’s going to be okay but talking to our trainer he said he wasn’t sure so we decided to be precautionary.”
Sophomore Cole Harter replaced Suski and while he wasn’t asked to throw a pass he did lead a pair of successful drives, including a quick two-play touchdown that was set up by a phenomenal 50-yard kick return by Swiss army knife Owen Schalk.
Nathaniel Rose took the second play of the drive for a 39-yard score, which was part of another productive night in his impressive junior season.
“Nate’s a great kid and he worked really hard in the offseason to get a little bit faster,” Stahler said. “He runs hard all the time and does everything we ask him to do. We ask him to play middle linebacker and tailback the whole game and he does it. I’m really glad to have him. He’s an awesome kid.”
Rose was the most productive player on the ground for the Saints with 18 carries for 94 yards. Xavier Gerald (11 carries, 44 yards) and Julian Rios (six carries, 30 yards) were bright spots late in the contest for the Saints.
Their success provides Stahler with some confidence as the Saints head to their Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 opener next week against Pequea Valley.
“We’ll take positives out of the way we competed in the second half,” Stahler said. “We were able to move the ball on the ground better than we have the last couple of weeks. I’m proud of my football team. I love those guys and they work hard for us.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Berks Catholic | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Bethlehem Catholic | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Bethlehem Catholic | Cay. Vassa, 9 run (Wiles kick) | 5:48 |
| 2 | Bethlehem Catholic | Cay. Vassa, 3 run (Wiles kick) | 6:55 |
| 2 | Berks Catholic | Tyler Osorio, 31 FG | 0:12 |
| 3 | Bethlehem Catholic | Gregory, 8 run (Wiles kick) | 3:18 |
| 3 | Berks Catholic | Rose, 39 run (Osorio kick) | 2:17 |
| 4 | Bethlehem Catholic | Cay. Vassa, 3 run (Hawach kick) | 10:06 |
Team statistics
| BERKS CATHOLIC | BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC | |
| First downs | 10 | 15 |
| Rushes-yards | 46-178 | 26-200 |
| Passing yards | 15 | 100 |
| Total yards | 193 | 300 |
| Passes | 4-8-1 | 10-14-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2-1 | 2-2 |
| Punts-average | 2-36 | 1-29 |
| Penalties-yards | 6-59 | 10-100 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Berks Catholic: Rose 18-94, Gerald 11-44, Rios 6-30, Schalk 4-18, Curley 5-2, Suski 1-(-10).
Bethlehem Catholic: Vassa 11-97, Gregory 9-65, Martinez 6-38.
PASSING
Berks Catholic: Suski 4-8-1–15.
Bethlehem Catholic: Vassa 10-14-1–100.
RECEIVING
Berks Catholic: Kozik 1-14, Curley 1-4, Welker 1-1, Rose 1-(-4).
Bethlehem Catholic: Vassa 5-52, Medina 4-52, Gregory 1-(-4).
INTERCEPTIONS
Berks Catholic: Duffy.
Bethlehem Catholic: Lebron.
