Whitehall head coach Jeff Jones knew he had to keep his expectations in check throughout the season, but he also had some moments when they were raised.

The Zephyrs finished with an overall 12-12 record after their season ended in a 69-60 loss to Pocono Mountain West in the District 11 Class 5A semifinals. Whitehall stormed out to a 7-2 start to begin the season, then they likely sought their level the rest of the way.

Still, having just four players returning who wore varsity uniforms, Jones began to see a new foundation beginning to form. The team will lose just two seniors – Gavin Kneller and Aiden Parvel – but the duo left their mark.

“We will greatly miss Gavin Kneller who has been a member of our program since middle school,” said Jones. “Gavin was a co-captain on this year’s team. Gavin played well in his last game in a Zephyr uniform scoring seven points off the bench. Gavin came off the bench as a sub for our interior players. He was always the last one to leave the floor after practice.

“Aiden Parvel was the other senior. He returned to Whitehall this year after spending part of his school years at Northern Lehigh. Aiden was a backup point guard and fit well with our team. His toughness will be missed at the guard position.”

Junior guard Luke Keppel was the team’s sledding scorer averaging better than 16 points per contest. Sophomore 6-7 center A.J. Hines began to establish his presence down low, as he added 10.5 points per game. Keppel was a third-team East Penn Conference choice.

The duo will lead a pack of 13 returnees for next season. Juniors Ethan Ringenberger, Sebastian Orochena, and Gavin Roberts will be a major part of the rotation.

“With 13 returning players we are hoping for great things next season,” said Jones. “We understand with wins over CCHS, Emmaus, and PM West during the season that we won’t sneak up on anyone. We will need to continue to work on our skill level, speed, and strength.

Luke Keppel returns as the year’s leading scorer, and he scored 25 points in our semifinal game. Ethan Ringenberger, Sebastian Orochena, and Gavin Roberts will return as seniors who started the majority of the season, and AJ Hines returns as the starting center as a junior. A collection of mostly sophomores and freshmen rounded out this year’s team. With several underclassmen gaining valuable playing time this year, we hope to be deeper from the top to the bottom of the roster.”

With expectations expected to be raised for next season, Jones is anxious to get back to work.

“After taking a few weeks away from the court we will be getting back in the gym and weight room with those players who don’t play a spring sport,” said Jones. “We will then compete in a collection of tournaments and summer leagues after the spring.”