The Zephyr wrestling team traveled to Northampton last week, loudly declaring they're not about to go gently into that good night.

After falling behind 30-6 to start the match, they fought back, winning some close bouts along the way before finally succumbing 43-27 to the Konkrete Kids.

Head coach Tim Cunningham said the match demonstrated that they're headed in the right direction.

"We showed improvement," said Cunningham. "Obviously not enough improvement, so we have to keep working."

Cunningham said that one area that needs to be addressed is their hand fighting, an important exercise when wrestlers are neutral and trying to gain control.

That will be an area they need to work on as the season progresses.

Nico Kauffman got the Zephs on the board with a pin at 120. The senior worked a reversal, and then quickly used a cradle to get the fall in the second period.

Kauffman showed why he's one of the wrestlers to watch in the Lehigh Valley Conference this season, deftly turning a disadvantage into an advantage.

Tyler Bridgwood's match at 182 and Joe Gladish's bout at 195 were close contests, with Bridgwood utilizing a takedown at the end of the first period to establish a 2-0 lead. He then escaped in the final period for a 3-1 win. Gladish got the only points in his bout, winning 1-0.

Another win came at 152 as Quincy Boulware jumped out to a 2-0 lead after working a single leg takedown. He escaped in the second period, pushing the score to 3-0, but surrendered two takedowns at the edge of the mat, erasing his lead.

He eventually escaped to knot it at 4-4 heading into the final period. The senior was able to capitalize on a single leg shot, stepping over his opponent for a 6-4 lead, and then had to hold on for a 6-5 win.

Cunningham said that he likes the improvement he's seen from Boulware, and expects the senior to continue to follow that path as the season progresses.

In the most exciting bout of the night, Robert Tully opened the match with a pretty ankle pick, grabbing a 2-0 lead at 145. After surrendering an escape and takedown in the second, Tully got deep on a single leg, and turned it into a takedown.

However, he found himself in danger of getting pinned in the final period, but utilized a neck bridge to come out the other side for a reversal, knotting the score at 7-7 as the final buzzer sounded.

In the overtime, Tully got into a scramble, finally yielding a takedown to lose 9-7

Cunningham has always stressed winning the close matches, and that's what they'll have to do against a strong Lehigh Valley Conference schedule of opponents.

"I thought "Butchie" had that match," said Cunningham. "Obviously, he has to work to wrestle a full six minutes When it went into overtime, I thought he had that takedown, but after the scramble, the other guy wound up on top.

"I think we reverted more to their style of wrestling in that particular bout, but "Butchie" gave it his all He wrestled a good match."

The Zephyrs closed out the match with an exclamation mark as Edgardo Rivera pinned his opponent at the edge of the circle in the first period.

Their other six points came via forfeit with Fouad Haddad winning at 220.

Northampton features a solid line-up with four wrestlers returning who were state qualifiers last season, with three of those earning medals (Zach Valley, Bobby Fehr and Michael Scheetz) Whitehall's ability to put 27 points on the board may have been a step in the right direction, but Cunningham still saw their missed opportunities.

"I thought we should have scored more," said Cunningham "We have to get the offense going on our feet."

They still have a young team, and each match is an opportunity to gain some experience and compete at the varsity level. While they may get their lumps, they learn something every time they take the mat.

"Each one of those wrestlers gives us everything he's got," said Cunningham. "That's all you can ask for as a coach."