Whitehall’s 34-13 loss to Allentown Central Catholic in their opener last Friday wasn’t a wide a margin as it appeared.

The Zephyrs played hard for and inspired throughout most of the game, but their inexperience and Central’s tandem of quarterback Matt Rauscher (5-9, 97 yards, 1 TD) and running back Jayden Williams (23-207, two touchdowns) proved to be too much to handle as the Vikings scored 21 consecutive points to seal the victory.

Whitehall tied the game at 13-13 midway through the third quarter when junior quarterback Chris Wentling scored on a one-yard plunge. He earlier had a 27-yard scramble on a fourth-and-10 to keep a near six-minute drive alive.

Yet, the bottom line comes down to mistakes and turnovers.

“It just comes down to assignment football,” said Whitehall coach Matt Senneca. “We come out with a 6-minute drive to start the third quarter and tie it up. We should have had all the momentum in the world after that.”

The Zephyrs looked crisp offensively throughout the night, and Wentling ran their multi-look offense well. He finished with 17 of 29 for 173 yards and a touchdown. Wentling, who was sidelined most of last year with injuries, also rushed for 73 yards.

Tommy Buskirk had six catches for 85 yards, Bryce Bashore (pulled in five catches, for 48 yards, and Zack Hartman corralled four catches for 42 yards.

Hartman was effective as he caught four passes in the opening quarter before he left the game with a shoulder injury.

He knows his team is on the verge.

“I think the final score of the doesn’t reflect how good of a team we really are,” said Hartman. “We have a bunch of talent and we just need to put it all together.”

His coach certainly missed him.

“That killed us,” added Senneca of Hartman’s loss. “He (Hartman) was a huge part of the offense. He’s had a phenomenal summer and preseason, so I’m hoping it’s nothing too bad so he can get back.”

The Zephyrs are back home Friday against Bethlehem Catholic, who is coming off a 7-5 season was a district semifinalist. Becahi, which lost several key players from last year’s team, has a relatively young group with a small band of seniors.

Senior running back Angelo Daddona, who ran for 42 yards on 14 carries, believes his team is on the verge of a breakout.

“We showed glimpses of what we are capable of throughout the game,” said Daddona. “We still just weren’t able to put together four quarters together. We have to keep our heads up and just learn from each game.

“I know we have the talent and capabilities to be a good team. We just have to stop making the same mistakes on both sides of the ball and finish games.”