The Christmas holiday proved fruitful for the Whitehall wrestling team.

The Zephyrs participated in two holiday tournaments over the break, and wound up earning themselves a nice little present with a strong showing at both events.

In the Spartan Duals at Springfield Township High School they went 5-0. Head coach Tim Cunningham said it was a dual meet format, with the Zephs winning every match. The tournament featured eight schools, with the Zephs the lone undefeated participant. They won the matches by a combined 285-87.

In the Dec. 21 tourney, the Zephs had a number of wrestlers who went 5-0, with many of them registering multiple pins. That group included Adel Sharif, Nico Kauffman, Brad Schuler, Robert Tully, Tyler Bridgwood, Fouad Haddad and Edgardo Rivera.

Cunningham said they took some important steps during the tournament that enabled them to have some success.

"The guys showed a lot of improvement," said Cunningham.

After dropping some early Lehigh Valley Conference matches, Cunningham said the team spent time watching videos and making the proper adjustments. He said they took what they learned and applied it during the Spartan Duals.

He also said they competed in a tournament that was on par with their level of wrestling. Moreover, they benefited from "doing the little things the right way."

Those little things were made manifest by becoming more aggressive on their feet and getting better at hand fighting, two important aspects of gaining control over the opponent. Cunningham said they did a good job in those areas in the duals.

In the Selinsgrove Holiday Tournament, Whitehall had 11 wrestlers place at the Dec. 28 event that featured eight schools, the majority from the Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference. The Zephs finished third with 114 points. The tournament was won by West Scranton High School who topped the field with 140 points.

Each wrestler that took the trip north placed, a notable achievement given the competition at the tourney.

"That's not an easy thing to do," said Cunningham.

Of the wrestlers who placed, three Zephyrs walked away with titles. Earning the top step on the podium were Kauffman, Tully and Haddad. Taking home second-place finishes were Joe Gladish and Bridgwood, while Rivera, Schuler, Sharif, Quincy Boulware and Tyler Schaeffer all earned third place honors.

Tully, Haddad and Kauffman are three wrestlers with a lot of talent and experience, a potent combination that allowed them to get the gold. They've been the bulwarks of a young varsity team that's growing every day.

Cunningham said it was a tournament in which all their matches were competitive and each individual wrestled to their ability or above.

He said they won some matches they weren't necessarily favored to win, but came up with their hand raised at the end of the bout due to effort and desire.

"They always wrestle real hard," said Cunningham. "They've been making that daily improvement that we like to talk about."

He said it's a now a matter of getting in better shape so they're stronger as the match wears on, making sure they have enough to get that winning takedown or escape.