As they prepared for the Nazareth Area High School, Whitehall head football coach Brian Gilbert said that the Blue Eagles had a habit of trying to get under your skin.

Well, it was the Zephyrs who caused most of the irritation, especially for the Eagles defense as they rolled over Nazareth 27-7 last Friday to stay unbeaten as they head into their annual grudge match against Parkland High School.

They hit the Eagles with a some big plays (Saquon Barkley's 52-yard run for a touchdown in the first quarter), and some sustained drives (a thirteen-play drive in the fourth quarter capped by a Bonshak 4-yard TD plunge), that kept Nazareth on their heels for most of the game.

The Zephs racked up 398 total yards in the game and nearly doubled the time of possession, never allowing the Blue Eagles to establish any kind of momentum.

The decisive win, their second consecutive over Nazareth, was a product of the Zephs mentally and physically prepared for the challenge.

"Our guys were ready to go tonight," said Gilbert. "They played with a lot of emotion.

"It was a great high school atmosphere. Nazareth kids, they play tough, they're a product of their head coach [Rob Melosky] who is a fiery guy, and then we got our guys who try to match that intensity, and I was happy the way we came out and did that."

Another sore spot for Nazareth was the fact that their high voltage running attack was short-circuited, netting only 25 yards for the entire game. Standout tailback Jordan Gray, who rumbled for 243 yards against the Zephs in 2011, had a mere 17 yards on 10 carries.

Their ability to bottle him up was highlighted by a fourth-and-one play deep in their own territory in the third quarter. Their interior, led by the play of Danny Roustic (10 total tackles, three for losses), swarmed Gray their bread and butter as soon as he got the ball, negating the drive. In fact, on the Blue Eagles ensuing drive after a turnover, they corralled Max Wasilewski on a fourth-and-one as he tried to gain the edge on a sweep.

Those two critical stops deflated the Eagles hopes of getting back into the game.

"That's awesome," said Gilbert whose defense has only allowed 50 points through four games. "If you're a defensive guy, if you're into defense, it's all about short yardage, or goal line stands, or fourth-and-shorts, and to be able to do that, that says a lot about the attitude that we brought to this game tonight."

Conversely, Whitehall's tandem of Barkley and Bonshak, the Killer Bs, both went over the century mark in the game, with Barkley ripping off 167 and Bonshak gaining 111. They also has two touchdowns apiece in the win.

Quarterback Jeff Charles also eclipsed the century mark through the air, completing 7-15 for 119 yards.

Gilbert said that Charles had an effective game, standing in the pocket as the defense closed in, while still surveying the field for an open receiver. His 40-yard strike to Conor Sullivan illustrated that point, said Gilbert.

"That throw he made to Conor was his third choice," said Gilbert. "He got pressured early in the game, and for him to stand in there like that, that was one of the best throws I've seen."

Winning the battle on the ground was spearheaded by their offensive line. Bonshak said that the holes were opening all night as Fouad Haddad, Edgardo Rivera, Shawn Glosek, Joseph Mark, Jacob Kerchner and Jeffrey Cordon paved the way for their 279 yards. Their effort was also aided by tight end Nick Nejad and the receivers.

"Those guys study, they know what they're doing," said Bonshak who also had 64 yards receiving. "They rep it out in practice and it kind of becomes habit in a game, and it makes you execute."

Senior Tyler Williams also loomed large on defense, intercepting Nazareth starter Spencer King. He also recovered a fumble and broke up a pass along the sideline.

His ability to break on the ball is something they go over in practice, said Williams. His recognition of their alignment set the stage for the pick.

"Coach [Harold] Fairclough always tells us to stay over [their] one and two receivers, and I reacted on the ball," said Williams. "I was just doing my thing."

He said they also knew the challenges of stopping a potent running attack led by Gray.

"We came out strong, and we knew that Gray was a great running back," said Williams. "We had to stop him, and our goal was to keep him under a certain amount of yards, and we did it."

Gilbert also recognized the need of surrounding Gray in a swarm of maroon and gold.

"You need to get more than one guy at the point of attack," said Gilbert.

That effort allowed the Zephs to get the Eagles out of their comfort zone, he said. The Eagles only managed a late touchdown via the air as Justin Albert hit for a Wasilewski for a 33-yard score.

In addition to Williams and Roustic, the Zephs got outstanding play from Kerchner who had seven tackles, and Angel Rodriguez who had five tackles, including one for a three-yard loss. Darius Young also had a solid game, finishing with three tackles, including a sack.