Defense may have been the story when the Zephyrs and Blue Eagles clashed at Andrew S. Leh Stadium last Friday, but it was a Nick Shafnisky touchdown scamper that ultimately was the backbreaker in their 28-21 win.

With both Nazareth and Whitehall undefeated in league play, and their offenses averaging 54 and 33 points respectively, the expectation was that those in attendance would be watching the scoreboard light up like a pinball machine. However, that power output went largely unplugged thanks to some suffocating defense from both squads, most notably the gang from Whitehall who didn't give the Blue Eagles any traction, especially in the first half.

It was that effort that began the postgame conversation with head coach Brian Gilbert who lauded the play of his defensive troops.

"Our defense played great tonight," said Gilbert. "We were able to make tackles, and limit them to a fewer big plays than they've had in the past. The key for us was our defense tonight."

Whether it was Zachary Delp and John Johnson breaking up a passes, or Chad Rex getting a sack, the defense didn't allow the Eagles to get into any rhythm for much of the game. They held talented back Jordan Gray in check, surrendering just 31 yards to the quicksilver sophomore who averaged over 100 in their previous three games.

Nazareth eventually managed 303 total yards, the bulk of those coming in that final period as they mounted a furious comeback.

But Whitehall won the battle of the big plays, one to open the scoring, and one to effectively shut the door on the surging Eagles who scored all their points in the final quarter to seize the momentum and draw within a score with a little over six minutes to play.

That crowd-invigorating TD on a quarterback keeper by Parish Simmons was quickly doused by Shafnisky who used the Zephs ensuing drive to establish himself as one of the league's top performers.

After rescuing the drive deep in their own territory with a clutch sideline toss to Seth Sommer on third and nine, Shafnisky took the ball and ran up the middle, spinning off a would-be tackler and bouncing to the outside for a 62-yard score.

That run, in which Shafnisky showed some separation speed, firmly placed the momentum back onto the maroon and gold.

"They had the momentum, and getting it back was huge," said Sommer. "Earlier in the drive we missed on some plays, but Seth's [Sommer] catch on third down was huge."

Accordingly, Shafnisky was able to convert on a number of third downs, finishing 9 of 15 for the game, with that final conversion one of the biggest plays of the game.

"When Seth Sommer caught that comeback, that was huge," said Shafnisky. "It set up my long touchdown run and that's what really put it away."

Shafnisky finished the game 12 for 17 for 124 yards. He also rushed for 78 yards and was the driving force behind the win.

Whitehall's first score came from an unexpected source. When Simmons dropped back to throw a screen, Jacob Wygant stuck out his hand and deflected the ball, tipping it to himself for the interception. While catching the ball may have been a career highlight, for most D-lineman, Wygant went into Wah-mode, juking Simmons, and then racing 22 yards to the end zone.

"As D-end I'm supposed to have contain on the backside on quarterback runs, and I ran flat down the line when I saw him pass, so I just jumped up and tipped it, then bobbled it and caught it," said Wygant. "After that, I just ran it in."

It was Wygant's first touchdown since middle school and one he'll always remember.

Wygant flexed his muscle throughout the game, registering nine tackles, two of those for losses. He was an integral part of shutting down that potent Nazareth offense.

"They're a good offense scoring fifty points a game, and we changed our defense up a little bit with new blitzes coming in, so we could stop Gray," said Wygant. "We were just doing our technique and playing football."

The significance of beating Nazareth and staying undefeated in the Lehigh Valley Conference was another big step in getting them toward their goal of playing for a championship.

"It's a huge win," said Shafnisky. "With the offense they had, I don't know how we stopped them. To stop them for the whole first half was amazing."

Shafnisky was under center for stretches, noting they were trying to take advantage of the push they can get from their superior offensive line. They ran their "fatso package" to soften the interior, a strategy that worked well in the third quarter as they reeled off a 10-play scoring drive, capped off by a Ryan Bonshak 11-yard run.

Bonshak totaled 34 yards on the ground, while James Wah picked up 46. It was the type of night where they couldn't get into a dynamic flow on the turf as the Blue Eagles keyed on their running game.

"They had their ears pinned back and really contained our run," said Gilbert. "Good thing we were able to loosen them up a little with the pass at times."

Gilbert also said that another important factor was controlling the line of scrimmage, allowing Shafnisky time to complete some passes, especially on third down.

"Our guys stepped up and made some big plays for us tonight," Gilbert said.

The Zephyrs other score came on a Wah one-yard plunge in the second quarter. That TD extended their lead to 14-0, and was another building block in a win that puts them in a tie with Easton Area High School for first place in the LVC.