Once Hunter Pinkey’s kill bounded on the floor for the final point in the district finals against Parkland, the celebration erupted, leaving no doubt that Whitehall was the best boys volleyball team in the area.

They had met every challenge, and now stood inside Catasauqua High School’s gymnasium wearing gold medals that were placed around their necks by head coach George Cowitch.

If anyone harbored any skepticism about Whitehall’s ability to climb the mountain after falling short the last few seasons, the Cowitch-led Zephyrs made a golden rebuttal. They swept Parkland 25-19, 25-13, 25-20 to win the District 11 championship. They defeated Freedom in three sets to claim the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference crown. And they’re 23-0.

“I think tonight, if anybody doubted us, and I think some people do, you can’t doubt anymore,” said Cowitch. “We’re real good.”

That became evident in the first set as they built a commanding lead. It was 24-17 after an Alex Khouri kill, and ended when Dylan McGinley’s banger glanced of their blockers and out-of-bounds for the win.

The second set was just as smooth, taking a 17-10 after a Joe Herman kill, the start of four consecutive kills for the league MVP. That set ended on a Trojan unforced error.

They were pushed a bit in the third set, but a Ricky Melosky ace started to give them some separation at 15-12, and then they just continued to ride their dominant frontcourt as Aziz Atiyeh made sure their offense continued to thrive by making dig after dig. Pinkey then stuffed the winner.

After getting to the finals the last two seasons, Whitehall had captured the gold. They had scaled the D-11 summit.

“We climbed the mountain; it’s awesome,” said Cowitch. “It feels great. We had so many close calls in the district finals, and this year these guys were so hungry for this thing. They’ve been there two times before and they were not going to be denied.”

He said that the road to the championship began in practice where their work ethic got them to that spot.

“I told them hard work’s going to pay off; it’s not guaranteed but it will pay off, you’ll get rewarded,” said Cowitch.

That reward is their second district championship under Cowitch. He won his first in 2010.

Parkland took them to five sets in their final regular season game, but in the championship match they were never able to really challenge them. Cowitch said that flipping their lineup and rotations may have caught them off guard. And by the time they adjusted in set three, it was too late.

What didn’t catch Parkland off guard was the fact that Joe Herman was going to be a force in all phases of the game. He did it again in the championship match, as he tallied 17 kills and nine digs.

He said that match against Parkland was a continuation of what they’ve been working on since the beginning of the year.

“We preach that everyday in practice, one ball, side out, and that’s what we did today,” said Herman. “Our serving was great and they were out of system, and that one ball, side out, that we preach everyday, was too much for them.”

Herman said that Parkland was aided by their surroundings in their last meeting, but when everything was on the line in the championship, Whitehall was going to prevail in that atmosphere.

“We punched them in the face and they weren’t ready for it,” said Herman.

Herman said that the hard work everyday in practice was the reason he and his teammates were wearing gold.

“We came in; we did not complain, and we worked hard every day, and it obviously paid off,” said Herman.

Herman got to share the moment with his family who have been supportive throughout his athletic career. He said that they really bring him up, and supply him with an energy that’s there regardless of the outcome.

Herman, like the rest of the seniors, have had their share of disappointments in the postseason. Through their hard work they were able to erase all that this year.

“It all paid off for this moment,” Herman said. “It feels great.”

Senior Alex Khouri has been through those battles as well. He had 10 kills and three blocks in the championship.

Khouri knows how it feels to come close, and to finally achieve that district championship was a moment he’ll cherish.

“It’s amazing,” said Khouri.

After playing Freedom in the league championships, Khouri said that they knew that they “couldn’t sleep on any team.”

“We just came out and hammered them; we were so aggressive,” said Khouri. “We served the ball on them and let them make mistakes, and then let them have it.”

While it wasn’t a foregone conclusion by any stretch, Cowitch said that this team was ready for the moment. They were hungry for a championship.

“They weren’t going to be denied,” he said.

The Zephyrs began their quest for a state title as the PIAA 3A playoffs got underway this week when they played Central (14-4) at Catasauqua High School at 6 p.m.