Nick Shafnisky didn't want to have a huge weight on his shoulders heading into his senior year at Whitehall.

The top returning quarterback in the Lehigh Valley Conference wanted to get his college destination out of the way before the upcoming 2012 season and Shafnisky decided Lehigh was the best fit for his athletic and academic standards.

With Colgate and New Hampshire as other possible ventures, Shafnisky always knew what place was best for his interests.

"Lehigh's academics was always just better than the other schools," said Shafnisky, who is leaning towards concentrating in criminal justice. "I wanted to stay close to home and Lehigh's won the Patriot League the past two years. It really was the perfect fit for me."

With all that said, Lehigh's spread offense is also a perfect fit for Shafnisky's skills, as Whitehall operates under a similar system.

That helped Shafnisky compile 1,183 yards passing along with 15 touchdowns to only one interception last year in his first full season under center. He also rushed for 537 yards and seven TD's as a junior.

Shafnisky also looked at the path his predecessor, former Whitehall quarterback and current Villanova product, Chris Polony had endured when he committed to the Wildcats.

"When Chris got a scholarship offer from Villanova, that really opened my eyes about my potential of doing the same thing," he said. "I didn't really think things would happen so quick, but I'm just glad to have everything out of the way before the season starts."

The Zephyrs finished last season 8-4 overall, but did not qualify for the District 2-4-11 subregional tournament, settling for the Eastern Conference 4A playoffs, where they lost to Liberty 42-35 in a thrilling final.

Shafnisky hopes 2012 will pay better dividends for the football program. Not having to worry about a future college destination certainly makes that easier.

"It's a huge weight off my shoulders," he said. "Getting it out of the way before the season let's me focus on what we have to do on the field."