The Whitehall wrestling team’s recent trip proved to be a fruitful endeavor as they placed first at the Lehighton Indian Duals last weekend.

The Zephyrs went 5-0 at the tournament, culminating in a 42-25 victory over Tunkhannock to win the championship.

The Indian Duals featured eight area teams as William Allen, Scranton, East Stroudsburg North, Jim Thorpe, Panther Valley, Tunkhannok and Lehighton participated in the tourney.

The Zephyrs defeated Scranton 75-6 in the first round, and followed that with a 52-21 victory over Lehighton in the second round. In round three they handed Panther Valley a 69-6 loss, and later met East Stroudsburg North in the semifinals, defeating the Timberwolves 54-24.

That win put them in the finals where they won nine bouts to claim the championship.

The Zephyrs had several wrestlers who went undefeated in the tournament, including Kai Clark who notched four pins, ending his tourney with a fall over Alexzandre Pierce in 0:28 during the finals.

Tyler Cunningham was also 5-0 for the Zephyrs. He racked up two pins and a major decision to go along with two forfeits. He faced Tunkhannok’s Cole Stauffer in the championship, pinning him in 0:43.

Johnny Colon also went unblemished in the tournament, registering two falls and a major decision, coupled with a pair of forfeits, for a solid day on the mat. At 106, Wilfred Jimenez continued his strong senior season as he also finished the Duals at 5-0. His day included a pair of pins, a couple of forfeits, and a 4-0 decision over Owen Woods in the finals.

Another Zephyr who had an extremely successful day was Melquan Warren. He entered the championship round at 4-0, and that journey included two pins and two decisions, one of those a gritty 9-8 victory over Panther Valley’s De’Antay Alston at 195. In the finals, he defeated Frankie Scranta, 11-7.

Nathan Mendez also finished the Indian Duals undefeated, registering two technical falls, a decision and a pair of forfeits. Hi decision came in the championship finals, defeating Matt Rosentel, 5-1.

The Zephs also had a bunch of wrestlers who won four of their matches, including Xavier Arner, Randy Okungu (four pins), Michael Hernandez and Hudson Saylor.

Prior to the Indian Duals, the Zephs had competed in three grueling tournaments. Their participation in The Beast of the East, the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic, and the Zephyr Duals, exposed them to some outstanding competition and gave them some valuable experience. It all came to the forefront last weekend.

“I think our tough schedule helps us prepare for these tournaments.” said head coach Tim Cunningham. “We concentrate on just getting better every day and making daily improvements.

“Most of our guys are making improvements through working on the little things we see while studying the videos of each match and planning our practices for each wrestler accordingly. As long as we work hard as a team and as individuals at practice we will continue to make these little improvements that help win the close matches.”

Cunningham said that they were focused on what they needed to do and were rewarded with their effort.

“I am really proud of the way the team went out and wrestled hard every match this weekend,” said Cunningham.