When the Zephyrs football team scored their final touchdown against Northampton last Friday to make the score 35-34 in favor of the Konkrete Kids, head coach Matt Senneca had already decided what he wanted to do.

“Right when we started the first play of the series I told our OC, ‘We punch this in here, we’re going for two, so get your two-point play ready.’”

QB Quinn Wentling hit Bryce Bashore on an underneath route and Whitehall reclaimed the Cement Belt Trophy 36-35.

Senneca praised his team afterward.

“We’ve been looking for a signature win all year,” he said. “Came close last week. We didn’t play our best football tonight, but I’ll tell you what, our kids faced a lot of adversity and they kept coming back and I couldn’t more proud of them.”

In fact, Whitehall came back five separate times as each Northampton touchdown was answered by a Zephyr score. Whitehall never led until after the two-point conversion, but never trailed by more than a touchdown.

While the final drive of the game was memorable with its hook and lateral play and game-winning conversion, it would not have been possible without a critical drive at the end of the first half.

The possession started with Wentling converting a 3rd and 15 with a 17-yard run. The next series of downs reached a 4th and 2 where Wentling found Bashore for a 6-yard gain to extend the drive. Damonte Foreman then ground out two yards on 4th and 1 to keep the drive going. Wentling to Ryan Kovalchick converted a 3rd and 5 from the Northampton 23. Whitehall ran the final play of the drive with 28 seconds left in the half, a 10-yard dime from Wentling to Bashore.

Not only did the Zephyrs score to tie the game at 14-14, but they also took 6 minutes off the clock, denying Northampton a chance to respond before halftime.

Wentling had monster game, accounting for 416 of Whitehall’s 460 total yards from scrimmage. He rushed for 200 yards and 3 TDs, including an 84-yard gallop for the Zephyrs’ first points of the second half, and was 22 of 35 passing for 216 yards and 2 TDs.

Foreman had 33 yards rushing plus the additional yardage on end of the hook and lateral.

Tommy Buskirk led the team in receiving with 9 catches for 105 yards. Kovalchick had 5 for 56 and a TD. Bashore had 4 for 31, a TD, and the all-important 2-point conversion.

Due to several cases of COVID-19, Whitehall’s District XI Class 5A semifinal game against Southern Lehigh is currently scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at Zephyr Stadium. The Spartans were 4-1 in the Colonial League this season against opponents with an aggregate 8-20 record.