For Whitehall’s football team the past few weeks, the emphasis has been on team, and it paid huge dividends in the Zephyrs’ 45-44 overtime victory over rival Northampton in their annual “Cement Bowl” last Friday.

“The Northampton game was a great team win,” said Zephyrs’ wide receiver Braden Bashore, who caught five passes for 46 yards and a had a key interception of an attempted game-winning, two-point conversion. “Everyone contributed in every phase of the game. It felt great to beat them after losing the past two years.

“This game is a confidence booster to go into the playoffs.”

It was the third overtime victory for the Zephyrs this season in as many games. They broke a three-game losing streak a week earlier when Andrew Deutsch kicked a winning goal in their 23-20 overtime victory over Liberty.

With an overall 6-4 season record, second-seeded Whitehall will host third-seeded Pocono Mountain West (6-4) and begin defense of their defending district title in the opening-round of the District 11 Class 5A playoffs.

Whitehall head coach Andy Marino watched his team stay the course against Northampton.

“We had a good week of practice,” said the first-year head coach. “We stayed positive the whole game and never let down. We executed at the right times.”

Quarterback Trey Dogmanits, who threw for 203 yards with three touchdowns, also saw the Zephyrs as a determined unit. The Zephyrs trailed throughout the first half against the Konkrete Kids.

“The team is very resilient this year,” stressed Dogmanits. “In year’s past, we could have just put our heads down and got blown out. I think the experience that we have had with close games will help us in the following games.

“Securing a home game is pretty big because we play well at home.”

Running back Dalton Wickel ran for a team-high 92 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Northampton victory. He was proud to bring the Cement Bowl trophy back home as well as his team.

“It was great to bring the trophy back to where it belongs,” said Wickel. “Both the offense and defense made big plays when they needed to, but the offensive line played a great game. Braden Bashore’s interception won the game for us. Braden always comes through for us when it matters.

“We are very excited to have home field advantage, so all of our fans can come out and support our team. This will be the last home game for the seniors, and it means a lot.”

PREDICTION (Overall record 6-4): Zephyrs finished 8-6 overall last year. They defeated Southern Lehigh, 43-7, for the district title then downed Delaware Valley, 34-13 and lost to Imhotep Charter, both in the state playoffs ... A win over Pocono West could potentially set up another meeting vs. Solehi ... Dogmanits has completed 113 of 221 attempts for 1,568 yards with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions ... Wickel has 468 yards on 102 carries with 10 touchdowns ... Bashore leads the team in receptions with 39 for 399 with four touchdowns, and Jack Kocher has 33 catches for 549 yards with five touchdowns ... Carter Troxell leads the team in tackles with 73 and Brandon Bird has 58 ... With a win, Whitehall will meet Southern Lehigh (9-1), which had won nine straight before their loss to Northwestern last week ... Zephyrs continue to make believers of many people, and I am back on the bandwagon. Their overtime wins over the past two weeks have been impressive, and this team is peaking at the right time ... Look for the trend to continue, especially with a home game. Coach Jones can pick me a Wawa Italian hoagie and a soft pretzel. Since it’s chilly, he can throw in a coffee ... ZEPHYRS, 31-20