In Whitehall's win over Pocono Mountain West last week, Nico Kauffman's bout summed up their match against the visiting Panthers: Relentless.

Kaufmann earned a 13-2 major decision over Alphonso Lee, one of 10 Zephyr wrestlers to post wins in their 41-27 victory over the Panthers. The win gave the Zephs back-to-back victories and pushed their record to 14-6.

Kauffman began the match by taking down Lee. After letting him escape, he built on that lead with another takedown, extending the score to 4-1.

In the second period is when the tenacity took hold, as Kauffman tried to turn him with a high half, constantly tinkering with the hold to gain the fall. His effort resulted in three near-fall points, and he went into the final period with a 7-1 lead.

The final period showcased why Kauffman (14-1) is one of the top 120 lb. wrestlers in the area, applying that relentless effort to get another exposure on his way to a major decision.

His bout served as a microcosm of the way the Zephs approached the match with the Panthers. They kept asserting their will the entire time. For his part, Kauffman said that he had to change his tactic to get the MD.

"I was getting frustrated because I was riding the legs and I couldn't get him over." said Kauffman. "I had him turned, but the ref wasn't agreeing with it, and eventually coach told me to stop riding the legs, and I did, and I went to the high half, and I finally got him."

Head coach Tim Cunningham said that Kauffman's ability to tailor his match from the advice of the coaching staff paved the way for the major.

"He adjusted," said Cunningham. "He looked over, he's coachable, he listened to us and what we told him to do, and wound up getting the win."

He said they needed to apply that lesson up and down the line-up, noting they left some points on the mat because wrestlers didn't heed the coaching from the sideline.

Still, they maintained enough of that relentless attitude to get the victory.

Of the 10 wins, three were by decision, with Tyler Bridgwood (11-8 over Dishon Springer), Brad Schuler (12-7 over Elias Borrero) and Joe Gladish (5-3 over Andrew Tutrone) picking up those wins in the middle weights.

Cunningham has always stressed the importance of winning the tight bouts.

"We won a lot of the close matches which was something we wanted to do," said Cunningham. "We got bonus points where we wanted to get bonus points."

Cunningham also said it was a good test since the Panthers are a quality opponent.

The Zephs got bonus points from Fouad Haddad, Edgardo Rivera and Tyler Schaeffer, all of whom registered pins. Rivera only needed 52 seconds to dispose of William Poole, while Schaeffer got his fall over Darryl McAlpine in 1:16.

The Zephs also got a major decision from Robert Tully who bested Chris Martinez 18-7, while Nikitas Davis won by forfeit at 126.

As for Haddad, he keeps racking up the wins. He's now 16-1 on the season and currently sits third at 220 lbs in a local publication's area wrestling rankings.

After a scoreless first period, Haddad escaped, and then gained a takedown to go up 3-0. He then tilted Mario LaMonica later in the period, using an arm bar to get the fall.

Kauffman's year has been impressive as well, and right now he's now gearing up for the final stretch as they head toward the postseason. He said it's been a lot of dedication maintaining his weight, and that's been one of the reasons for his success. He's also put in a lot of sweat and sacrifice, another vital component of his outstanding year.

"Just trying to work hard every day and get better every day the best I can, and then build up to districts," said Kauffman.

"I got a couple of tough matches next week, and I want to try and do my best there."

The Zephs face Parkland and Liberty next week, with Ethan Lizak (Trojans, 14-2) and Joe Curzi (Hurricanes, 17-6) his prospective opponents. That's a tall order and Kauffman knows he needs to be on the top of his game when he steps on the mat.

"I want to try and win all three," said Kauffman. "I want to get the best seed I can for districts. We have a tough stretch coming up, and I hope to do well for the team, because a goal of mine is to take the team to district duals."