Whitehall will begin defense of its PIAA District 11 Class 5A title Friday evening when the Zephs host third-seeded Southern Lehigh in an opening-round playoff game.

This time around, the second-seeded Zephyrs have taken a different path than their late-season rise last year after a sluggish start.

They will enter Friday’s game with six consecutive losses after an 3-0 start (3-6) due to a rash of injuries. The Zephyrs are coming off a hard-fought, 7-0 setback against rival Northampton last week.

Earlier in the year, the Zephs lost all-state senior quarterback Quinn Wentling to a shoulder injury, and Wentling did have appearances as a running back. His loss severely crumpled their offensive attack.

Wentling completed 32 of 53 passes for 437 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown. He rushed for 264 yards on 63 carries with five touchdowns.

Junior running back Nigel Linton also has battled injuries all season. He has rushed for 412 yards on 53 carries with nine touchdowns.

Sophomore Trey Dogmantis has done an admirable job in replacing Wentling. He threw for 253 yards in a recent loss to Nazareth. For the season, Dogmantis has completed 39 of 72 passes or 437 yards with five interceptions and one touchdown.

Senior running back Damonte Foreman has been the team’s lead back most of the season. Foreman has rushed for 617 yards on 117 carries with six touchdowns.

Senior Bryce Bashore has been the Zephs’ leading receiver with 25 catches or 217 yards.

Whitehall began its season with impressive victories over Pocono Mountain West, Bethlehem Catholic and Liberty, but injuries began to take their toll as they ran into the East Penn Conference buzz saw of Emmaus, Parkland, Freedom, Allentown Central Catholic, Nazareth and Northampton. Over the past six games, the Zephs have scored a combined total of 47 points.

Southern Lehigh (4-6) will enter the game on a four-game winning streak, coming off a 37-8 win over Salisbury. Coupled with a win over Lehighton, the Spartans have scored 93 points in their last two games, and they have outscored their opponents, 130-52, over the past four games.

PREDICTION: The winner will meet the winner of top-seeded East Stroudsburg South and fourth-seeded Wyoming Valley West ... Whitehall rolled to a 52-7 victory over Pocono Mountain East in last year’s title game ... The Zephs had a valiant effort against Northampton in what was certainly a pride game between the two with plenty of intensity on the field and in the stands ... Whitehall will need to have open lanes for Dogmantis and Foreman to be effective. Both struggled against Northampton ... The Zephyrs are meeting Southern Lehigh at a bad time, as the Spartans have found themselves and are hitting on all cylinders after a slow start ... WHS will have to find a way to recapture the magic, especially on defense ... Zephyrs will battle, but the 2022 season should be a better one ... SOUTHERN LEHIGH, 30-16.