Posted in many football locker rooms is the axiom that luck is the residue of design.

However, some times luck is just that: luck. That was evidenced by Whitehall's fumble recovery for a touchdown, with Jacob Buskirk simply being in the right place at the right time after quarterback Jeff Charles lost the ball during a drive in the second quarter. It found Buskirk's waiting arms who then rumbled 30 yards to pay dirt.

But the design part of that adage was the Zephs hook-and-ladder play that was executed to perfection with Conor Sullivan lateraling the ball to Saquon Barkley who streaked 45 yards down the far sideline for a score with under a minute to play in the half. It's a play that's rarely pulled from the playbook, and it reflects a team's ability to perform a play that needs an element of surprise to be successful.

These two unconventional scores were part of an offensive outburst that saw the Zephs manhandle Freedom High School 42-3 last Friday at Frank Banko Field.

The win keeps the Zephs undefeated and sets up a big game against Nazareth Area High School next week as the Zephs look to remain unblemished heading into their showdown against Parkland.

While the offense was scoring almost at will, the defense was the story in the game against the Pates. They created four turnovers, kept constant pressure on Patriots quarterback Jonah Gundrum, and only allowed 119 total yards, with Freedom gaining most of those late in the game.

Part of the takeaway parade was Ryan Bonshak. He had a pick that resulted in a score after he darted 67 yards to put the ball on the Freedom 29-yard line. The ensuing touchdown was his 32-yard reception from Charles, converting a third and thirteen for the score.

The senior safety also had seven tackles, and was an important cog in limiting Gundrum to just yards 25 yards passing.

Bonshak said that their game plan was that keep the Pates bottled up all night.

"Credit goes to coach [Harold] Fairclough and coach [Michael] Yadush, they definitely put us through a lot of difficult drills to get turnovers on defense, and turnovers on defense create offense, and that's what came out tonight," said Bonshak.

Another part of Bonshak's defensive repertoire is stripping the ball, something he attempted numerous times while Freedom rushers were in the middle of a maroon and gold scrum.

"There was a big emphasis on that before camp even started," said Bonshak. "We're definitely trying to cause turnovers every single play and every opportunity we get. Stripping was one objective that was high up on the board."

Head coach Brian Gilbert also lauded the effort of his defense.

"Our defense kept us in the game when things were tight, and then put us ahead through the field position they gave us," said Gilbert. "Freedom couldn't get a running game going tonight. It was a great defensive effort."

Both Nick Nejad and Jacob Kerchner proved to be nemeses for the Patriot offense. Nejad has five tackles, three of which were for losses. Kerchner was an impenetrable wall at times, getting two tackles. Orlando Bonilla was also a stalwart on the defensive line, registering four tackles, while Buskirk led the Zephs with six unassisted tackles.

Also getting their name in the police blotter for thievery was Tyler Cyriax, Tyler Williams and Barkley.

Offensively, Bonshak had another strong, multifaceted game. He rushed for 12 yards, scoring a touchdown, caught three passes for 45 yards, including that aforementioned TD, and lined up as the quarterback for a snap. His ability to beat a defense a number of different ways creates headaches for the opposition.

"The credit goes to the offensive line," said Bonshak. "But some credit goes to some guys behind the scenes, the wide receivers, who bust their tails every week getting blocks for us in practice, and it shows out here during the game."

Charles finished the game 8-17 for 131 yards and two TDs. He also rushed for 32 yards, scoring two touchdowns. He led the offense on six scoring drives, finishing the game with a 142.27 passer rating.

Barkley also turned in another outstanding offensive performance, combining for 122 total yards, including two touchdowns.

The hook-and-ladder was probably the highlight of the night. It wasn't the first time that Whitehall successfully executed the play. In their 2010 regular season game against Easton Area High School, Chris Polony hit Tyler Artim who tossed it to Eric Fiore for a 34-yard score.

"To be honest with you, we practice that every week, and one of my assistant running back coaches suggested it, and I took his suggestion and we ran it," said Gilbert. "It's something you have to practice and pull it out at the right time."

As for their other fortuitous bounce, Gilbert said that was just lucky.

"The ball bounced our way," said Gilbert. "That was just freak luck that the ball bounced in Buzz's hands. He was able to scoop and score, but it could have easily been a scoop and score the other way."