Judging by what was written prior to the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Track and Field Championships, Whitehall’s 4x100 girls relay team was merely an afterthought.

Both Emmaus and East Stroudsburg South were being touted as teams to watch leading up the EPC/Colonial League Championships at the Zephyr Sports Complex last week. And even though the Zephyrs were the defending EPC champs, setting a new school record in the process, they were overlooked by local scribes.

But the team of Helen Davis, Aspen Schache, Aliyah Barkley and Kate Bonshak showed why you can never count this foursome out. They took the gold again, finishing in 49.63.

Bonshak, who runs the anchor leg, said that they had a quiet confidence leading up to the race.

“We definitely knew we were good,” said Bonshak. “But we didn’t know we could run better than the teams we were going against. So it was definitely a shock, but I believed we could do it. Anything is possible.”

That possibility turned into reality as they stood atop the podium receiving their gold medals from former EPC sprint champion Saquon Barkley, who had arrived at the Complex to cheer on his sister. It also marks their second consecutive win in the 4x100 at the EPC Championships.

Schache led off the race, followed by Davis, who’s the senior member of the group. Davis wasn’t able to run in the EPC Championships last year, so this year’s gold was especially significant.

“I said to myself that this year, no matter what happens, I will go to states again; I plan on it,” said Davis. “And I also plan on beating this [4x100] record, breaking it one last time.”

During Wednesday’s race, Davis said that she was focused on setting up the next leg.

“Once I got the baton, everything just went away, and I just thought about getting the baton to Aliyah,” said Davis. “I ran my best, and I owe it all to my teammates and coaches.”

The third leg belonged to Barkley who had previously finished sixth in the 100 meters. Barkley gave Bonshak a huge lead to work with, and the junior delivered down the final straightaway.

Their 4x100 lineup has been in flux all season, with Rebecca Ganthier also part of the mix. Bonshak said that they’ve been moving people into different spots to see where they fit best, and this is the lineup is where they seem to be the most comfortable, noting that Ganthier, who helped them establish school records last season, is still part of their relay family.

Head coach Tyler Miller said that they were just a shade off the school record. He said they’ll be aiming for that mark (48.80) which was set last year during the preliminaries at the PIAA 3A Championships.

The girls also medaled in the 4x800. The foursome of Devon Roberts, Juanita Flores, Alyssa Marsteller and Lindsay Solderitch finished fourth.

Solderitch, who also competes in the 400, finished fifth, hitting the tape in 1:01.39.

As noted earlier, Barkley competed in the 100, finishing sixth, as she crossed the line in 13.09. She also competed in the long jump, finishing 15th with a 15-8 mark.

In the pole vault, Hope Millets finished seventh (9-6), while Savanah Rivera was right behind in the eighth spot with a 9-00 mark.

Miller said that Millets’ mark of 9-6 was a new personal record, while Schache also had a personal best in the same event with a 9-0 mark.

Devon Roberts, who had hoped to break the school record in the mile, fell just short of that quest, finishing in 5:31.39. That put her in 13th place among the milers.

On the boys side, Lucas Souders finished third in the javelin, with a 180-09. It’s his second league medal, last year winning a silver in the event.

Miller said that all three of Souders’ throws were over the state qualifying mark so he hopes that bodes well for the junior in the district tourney.

Izak Bright also medaled, finishing fourth in the discus with a 128-10 toss.

The boys 4x100 also had a strong showing at the EPC Championships. The team came in seventh, finishing in 44.77.

Marcus Hamscher was seventh in the pole vault with a 12-03 mark. Miller said that Hamscher set a new personal record, raising his previous mark by nine inches.

“He had a great day jumping,” said Miller.

Finally, Chris Perez was 10th in long jump at 20-01.

Track and field action continues at the Zephyr Sports Complex next week as they host the District XI AA/AAA Championships on Wednesday and Thursday after rain pushed back the event a full day.