The Whitehall golf team finished strong down the stretch, winning three of their final five matches, including a 398-418 victory over Tamaqua to close out the regular season.

In that match against the Blue Raiders, Cody Suhaka shot an 89 to lead the Zephyrs, while both A.J. Capille and Kevin Landis shot a 101, and Jayden Kuhn finished his round with a 107.

With that final victory, the Zephyrs finished 5-9 this season.

In the postseason, Kristine Landis finished in the eighth spot at the Eastern Pennsylvania Golf Championships held at Olde Homestead, shooting a 135. In the District XI 3A qualifier on Sept. 30, also held at Olde Homestead, senior A.J. Capille was unable to advance into the championship round after carding a 111.

Head coach John Conrad said that after losing seven seniors to graduation, he wasn’t sure how the 2019 season would unfold. It was a big number, and that left a number of positions to fill.

When the final match concluded, the 2018 squad had just one more win than the current team.

“I feel I got a lot more than expected out of this team,” Conrad said.

He said that their stats didn’t fall off that much from the previous season and applauded his team for rising to the challenge.

Conrad said that the season was highlighted by their annual drive to defeat a team that’s handled them in the past. That came this season with their win over Bethlehem Catholic, enabling them to fulfill that goal.

“It’s something that we always look to do each year,” he said.

The Zephyrs will graduate Capille and Kevin Landis. Both players occupied the top two spots this season and their absence will create a big void.

Conrad said that Capille is a good all-around athlete. He was a three-year varsity starter, and his ability to improve each year allowed him to earn the No. 1 spot this season. Conrad said that he only wished he had him all four years to see that upward trend continue with each passing season.

“He was always a steady contributor,” said Conrad. “He’s going to be tough to replace.”

Likewise, he had Landis for two seasons, and in that short time, he was able to make his scores one of the ones that counted each match. Conrad said that he was another consistent player for this team, and his departure, along with fellow senior, Capille, will be felt next season, both in talent and experience.

“They both did a great job as leaders for this team,” said Conrad.

The Zephyrs will return Connor Foster, Suhaka, Kuhn, Harvie Oliver, Kelly Gawad and Kristine Landis.