On a chilly night at the BPHS Stadium, the Hawks shined once again. They earned their ninth straight win on Thursday night. This time, they defeated Laurel Highlands 4-1.

Bethel Park, and their rowdy student section, left no doubt Thursday night, scoring twice within the first 10 minutes.

Henry Gaston scored the opener on a header from a corner kick, which was followed up quickly by a Jackson Friday finish into the bottom corner of the goal.

These two goals would set the tone, as the Hawks dictated the pace of play for the full 80 minutes.

In the second half, Bethel Park wouldn’t let the Mustangs even see the other half of the field during their relentless attack to open the second half. This steadiness in the midfield would reward Bethel Park with two more goals in the final half.

Xavier Jackson showed poise by taking over a mishandled pass and burying it behind the keeper. Jackson Friday would have the ball land at his feet in the box again. This time he would send a rocket past the keeper to put the Hawks up 4.

Luke Rubican would shine in the final 15 minutes, making three saves to hold the Mustangs off the board.

However, the Mustangs would go on to score off of a free kick. Putting it past Luke despite his best efforts to stall the late Mustang burst.

The Hawk fans had a strong showing of their own. The cheering and singing throughout the game earned applause from players and coaches throughout the game, as well as a shoutout from the public address announcer.

“They were awesome,” said Coach Dough Fink. “They were chanting and cheering for these guys. It was just an awesome atmosphere.”

“We couldn’t do it without them,” added team captain Lucas Varley. “It was definitely a great boost. I’m just glad they got a good show.”

The Hawks earned their ninth straight victory, and eyes have begun to open wide at the Hawks’ tear. There’s been no doubt about their ability after defeating section-leading Thomas Jefferson and leap-frogging Trinity in the standing after defeating them.

The Hawks now sit second in Section 3-3A, and make no mistake, the Hawks believe they can win a WPIAL title.

“I think we can win WPIALs,” said captain Miles Jackson. “We’ve been playing together for 10 years now, if we keep playing how we’re playing, we’re going to win.”

“As long as we go in with the mindset that we need to earn our wins, not that we deserve them, I think we can go a long way,” said Varley.

The ultra-confident Hawks will now seek their tenth straight victory against Albert-Gallatin, whom they defeated 5-0 in their previous encounter earlier this year.