Speaking to his team after the PIAA Class 5A state quarterfinal, Whitehall football coach Matt Senneca hoped the Zephyrs would remember the things they achieved this season more than their 55-7 loss to Imhotep Charter last Saturday afternoon in Germantown.

“Over the next couple days, couple weeks, they’ll look back and realize what they accomplished, and they’ll be proud of it,” Coach Senneca said. “When people pick you to finish last in the league, and you end up playing on Thanksgiving weekend, and you’re one of the final eight teams in the state, you have a whole lot to hold your head up about.”

Entering the state quarterfinal, the Zephyrs came off a 34-13 first-round victory a week earlier and picked up where they left off by putting up the first points against District 12’s Imhotep Charter on Saturday.

The Zephyrs took over on downs near Tep’s 30-yard line after Whitehall’s Dalton Wickel sacked Panther quarterback Mikal Davis.

Trey Dogmanits’ pass to Aiden Parvel in the end zone and Andrew Deutsch’s PAT put Whitehall on the scoreboard first.

Imhotep evened the score with two minutes remaining in the first quarter on Davis’ pass to Jabree Wallace-Coleman for 60 yards.

“(We) tried to give [Imhotep Charter] some formations they hadn’t seen yet, and hopefully they wouldn’t adjust to them, but their athletes are just too good,” Senneca said.

That became evident in the second quarter when the Panthers scored five touchdowns while the Zephyrs were having trouble getting out of their own territory.

Whitehall kicker Cole Richards was having a good day, especially on a second-quarter punt that put Tep on their own 33-yard line.

Also in the second quarter, Zephyr running back Nigel Linton got good yardage off a kickoff shortly before halftime.

That’s when Senneca took the opportunity to encourage his team to keep pushing.

“We play Whitehall football. We don’t quit. We don’t lay down for anybody. We’re gonna keep fighting till the clock says 0:00,” he said.

Despite two Panther touchdowns in the third quarter, Whitehall’s defense held Tep to no points in the fourth quarter and a sack by Joseph Hahn.

“I couldn’t be more proud of this group of kids and the way they fight. They’re underdogs a lot of times, and they don’t care. They just come out and fight, and they let it all out on the field,” said Senneca.

The Zephyrs will graduate 14 seniors whose leadership took the team in the right direction this past season.

“...making sure things got done in the right way and the way they needed them to get done to be successful,” Senneca said. “I’m gonna miss them. It’s a great group.”