After they had a successful weekend at the Virginia Duals, Whitehall’s wrestling team returned home to begin a series of matches against their East Penn Conference opponents before the District 11 tournament.

The Zephyrs will have matches against Liberty (Jan. 22), Pocono Mountain East (Jan. 27) and Pocono Mountain West (Jan. 29).

Earlier in the season, the Zephyrs downed East Stroudsburg South (64-110) and East Stroudsburg North (58-12), while they dropped matches to perennial powers Bethlehem Catholic (57-12) and Nazareth (58-12).

With their series of upcoming matches, the Zephyrs will seek to prove their mettle as one of the Lehigh Valley’s elite wrestling programs.

However, head coach Tim Cunningham has kept his focus on a simple premise for success.

“We always have something to prove to ourselves,” boasted Cunningham. “We drive each other in the practice room to push each other to get better every day.

“All we can control is the hard work and effort we all put in at practice the rest takes care of itself.”

Junior James Hopkins, who is 19-6 at 189/215 pounds with 10 falls, sees the team chemistry forming a solid foundation. Hopkins was sixth at regionals last year.

“Things have been going a lot better,” reflected Hopkins. “One thing that wasn’t there at the beginning of season that is there now is our bond as a team. We work together as a family. I feel like the past matches we were successful because we all felt like we had each other’s back and it took away pressure.

“So, I think we could continue to prove how strong the bond is with our team throughout these remaining matches.”

Fellow junior Wilmont Kai has a 20-2 mark with 12 falls at 114, and he is confident the matches can be a springboard for the immediate future.

“I still feel like our team has something to prove with these next few matches,” said Kai. “These matches are key because it challenges us and puts us in a great position for team districts where we would have great competition for the first round.”