Friday's 41-20 win over Northampton Area High School was jam packed with goodies for the Zephyr football team.

First on that list of savory treats was a share of the Lehigh Valley Conference Championship for the second consecutive year.

Pretty tasty, indeed.

Parkland High School held on to beat a tenacious Emmaus team, 37-30, to share the title with the Zephs once again.

Second was the reclaiming of the Cement Bowl trophy, restoring it back in their awards case for another year.

Thirdly, the seniors finished the regular season with their ninth win, culminating a season that was only blemished by a nine-point loss to the Trojans. This senior class has a 24-6 record during the regular season since their sophomore year.

Finally, the win cemented their second-place finish in the District 11 AAAA sub regional standings, finishing with 1280 points. Friday's win over the Kids earns them a home game against seventh-ranked Pleasant Valley High School on Nov. 8.

Reaching that plateau was a culmination of hard work and a lot of preparation.

"It's huge for these kids and these seniors," said head coach Brian Gilbert. "They worked hard to achieve this."

One of those seniors who have been a part of those two championships is Darius Young. He's been a force on offense both running and receiving, and is an integral part of their defense, finishing sixth on the team in tackles.

"For my senior year, this feels great," said Young. "I'm glad we have the Lehigh Valley Championship."

The Zephs were explosive on offense for the first half of the game, racking up all their points during those 24 minutes. They were amassing yards through the air and on the ground, with Saquon Barkley, Ryan Bonshak and Jacob Buskirk combining for 188 yards rushing.

Barkley led the B-Brigade with 122 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a pass for a 12-yard score. Barkley finished the regular season with 1,236 yards, averaging 7.3 yards a carry and scoring 20 touchdowns. He also was second in receiving on the team behind Conor Sullivan, catching 20 balls for 313 yards and three TDs.

Bonshak ended the regular season with 480 yards and eight touchdowns, a lot of those yards with defenders draped all over him as he fought for additional real estate.

Those two backs opened the scoring for the Zephs with Bonshak igniting their big night with an eight-yard TD jaunt. That was followed by Barkley's 30-yard score to get the Zephs rolling.

Quarterback Jeff Charles also put his stamp on the game. He threw for 187 yards, including two TDs. One of those scores was a 34-yard strike to Mustafa Mitchell who made a diving one-handed catch, arguably the best play of the season in a year highlighted by big plays.

Charles finished the regular season with 1,453 yards and 10 TDs. He's been able to make the crucial throws all year and kept drives moving, guiding the team to a 43.5 percent success rate on fourth-down conversions.

"He's playing with a lot of confidence right now and that's key," said Gilbert. "When you're a quarterback playing with confidence, and have a real grasp of the offense, that's what it's all about. He's doing a great job."

One of his targets was Young. Young made another big catch, this time hauling in a 42-yard bomb to set up another score. Young's big reception against Easton last week was crucial in their win, and the receiver/linebacker/strong safety has made a big impact this year.

Young took the ball to the five-yard line after his catch, narrowly missing his first receiving touchdown.

"It was a screen and Jeff threw me a nice ball," said Young. "I actually didn't see the guy behind me, and one of our linemen was supposed to get him, but it was a good gain."

Young said he looks for one thing once he catches the ball.

"Daylight, just daylight," he said.

Young and Charles are neighbors so that's helped with their chemistry. Young finished the regular season with 10 catches for 181 yards.

Young also has a big responsibility on defense, helping to set the edge with his counterpart, Barkley. He also has to play safety and keep receivers from making those big plays.

"It's a lot on my shoulders," he said.

While the Kids fought to keep up, scoring on a Nick Cook 45-yard touchdown burst in the second quarter, they never could overcome a swarming Zephyr defense that kept pressure on the senior signal caller all night. Angel Rodriguez and Danny Roustic dropped Cook for losses, while Buskirk and Jacob Kerchner were stalwarts at the point of attack.

Gilbert said that their defensive staff prepares the team well. They surrendered 158 points in the regular season, and were among the top teams in the league in that category. They also fly to the ball and make plays, helping them to earn another league title.

"They're hungry right now as a defensive unit," said Gilbert.

While they didn't put up a point in the second half, Gilbert said they were able to accomplish what they wanted against a gritty Kids' squad.

"We did what we needed to do," said Gilbert. "Our playmakers made big plays. So I'm glad we prepared this week like we would any other week, and the results showed."

Every game presents an opportunity to learn something, and the win against Northampton was no exception.

'We're a confident group right now," said Gilbert. "I think they know how to practice. That's the biggest key. We're learning how to prepare for games."