After a 31-6 thumping from Emmaus the previous week, Whitehall was looking to redeem itself against a struggling Allen team that had lost five straight.

The Zephyrs had been on a roller coaster lately, trying to find some consistency with wins over Pocono Mountain East (41-6) and Dieruff (31-20) with losses to Northampton (41-10) and Emmaus.

However, Whitehall still had a hold on second place in the District 11 Class 5A bracket behind East Stroudsburg South with the playoffs around the corner.

So, Whitehall decided to take care of business against Allen in a 35-0 shutout, picking up their third win of the season (3-5).

Sophomore quarterback Tanner Dogmanits threw for 86 yards, and he also ran for 42 and had three rushing touchdowns in the rout. Elias Lopez had a team-high 76 yards with a pair of touchdowns, as the Zephyrs racked up 142 yards on the ground.

Defensively, Whitehall allowed Allen 183 total yards but they kept the Canaries out of the end zone.

Junior wide receiver Talon Dogmanits knew his team needed a win badly.

“Friday was a big game for us,” beamed Dogmanits. “Although we came out flat, we were great after that and never let go the rest of the way.”

Head coach Andy Marino saw the victory as a mean of controlling the tempo and making key adjustments at times.

“We stayed in manageable situations,” said Marino. “We were also able to convert on third down on both sides of the ball.”

The Zephyrs will need a similar effort this Friday when they travel to surging Parkland (7-1) Friday night. The Trojans have won six straight, their latest a 49-16 victory over Allentown Central Catholic.

Marino believes his team is ready to reach another level.

“We have been building good practice habits all year,” said Marino. “We have been getting better as a team. There has been a lot of individual improvement, which leads to team improvement.”

Dogmanits envisions a clash ahead with the Trojans Friday.

“This Friday will be a challenge, but we can get it done,” stressed Dogmanits. “We just can’t come out slow or else it will be tough getting back into the game. We will be ready, and there always in dome fire in us when we are going against Parkland.”

PREDICTION (season record 3-5): Parkland has won four of the last five meetings, winning 36-7 last year. Whitehall won a 32-31 overtime classic in 2022 ... During their six-game winning streak, Parkland has averaged 42.6 points and has allowed seven points per game ... Trojans quarterback Osmany Guzman has completed 80 of 131 passes for 1,174 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions ... This is the time of the season when Parkland usually starts to heat up. Playing at Parkland makes it a tougher task ... Zephyrs can take the cue from their coach and continue to improve, but I don’t think it will be enough ... This time around, Zephyrs’ head boys’ basketball coach Jeff Jones gets a Wawa hoagie on me ... Parkland, 31-17.