Whitehall’s quest for their first district championship in boys’ soccer began this week, as the second-seeded Zephyrs opened the District 11 3A tournament Wednesday evening against third-seeded Bangor.

The results of that contest were past Press deadlines, but Whitehall (13-7) came into the contest as a sizable favorite against a Slater (9-8-1) team that hasn’t played since a 9-0 loss to Northampton on October 8th.

Despite Bangor’s stature in the Colonial League, head coach first-year head coach Christian Malone isn’t taking anything for granted.

“Bangor like any playoff team has good players,” said Malone. “They earned themselves a spot in the post season just like us. Their coach has a tremendous amount of experience and I know he will have them ready to compete against us.”

Whitehall has been off since their 3-0 loss to Northampton in the East Penn Conference semifinals last Tuesday, but the days of rest and preparation are sometimes just what a team needs heading into districts.

“Sometimes a little time off, especially this time in the year, can be good for getting healthy,” Malone said. “I feel that and some added time to train and prepare has been beneficial for us since Northampton.”

Top-seeded Southern Lehigh (12-6-1) took on fourth-seeded Pocono Mountain East (5-12-1) in the other matchup of the four-team bracket.

The Spartans were shock champions in the Colonial League, knocking off previously undefeated Northwestern 2-1 in overtime in last week’s Colonial League championship.

Both Whitehall and Southern Lehigh came into the tournament as the favorites to meet in the final, but Malone knows his team needs to take it one day at a time to keep their mind focused toward their ultimate goal of coming home with a district championship next Wednesday.

“The mindset always must be to take one game at a time,” he said. “I want to see us play with the high intensity level I know we are capable of. We must have that do or die mentality. You lose now, your season is over, simple as that. We must give everything we have and then some, not just in the games but also in the training sessions preparing us to execute on game day.”