When the lights dimmed to begin the opening round of the District Duals, a familiar foe stood across the mat from the Zephyrs.

Whitehall entered the AAA team tourney as the twelfth seed and drew the number five-seeded Konrete Kids. These two squared off on Dec. 18 with Northampton Area High School rumbling to a 43-27 win.

In this latest encounter the Kids won 43-20, ending the Zephyrs dual meet season. The Zephs last entered the tourney in the 2011-2012 season, defeating Pocono Mountain West High School in the first round.

Head coach Tim Cunningham said it was one of their goals to reach the team tourney, a feat they accomplished with a line-up that was peppered with a number of inexperienced varsity wrestlers. They were able to make it to Stroudsburg High School, the site of the AAA tourney, even though they had a rocky start, losing their first four Lehigh Valley Conference matches.

"We knew we had to make up ground every match." said Cunningham.

That rise began with a 57-15 victory over Allentown Central Catholic High School, and then was finalized with a 59-9 win over William Allen High School.

Cunningham said that drive was led by his group of seniors who guided them into the postseason. That group included Nico Kauffman, Quincy Boulware, Alonzo Mann, Fouad Haddad, Tyler Bridgwood, Adel Sharif, Mohamed Elseify, George Hana, Lewis Kamamo, Samuel Kollie, Jonathan Martinez Gonzalez and Ali Mobin.

"The seniors really prevailed this year," said Cunningham. "They were leaders on and off the mat. That whole crew has been great."

Cunningham said the tourney was about challenging the wrestlers, getting them to spill their bucket on the mat and keep moving forward.

"I think every single guy went out there and wrestled to the best of their ability," said Cunningham.

He said they were aggressive the entire match, noting they didn't have a single stalling call assessed against them the entire contest.

"We were on the attack the whole time," he said.

The Zephs received a number of bonus points against the Kids. Haddad continues his torrid season, registering another pin, this time flattening Alex Darabaris in 0:07. Joe Gladish also got a fall, stacking up Jason Kocher in 2:40. Bridgwood was another Zeph to join the pin parade, nailing Adam Bobyak in 5:15.

Earning decisions for the Zephs were Brad Schuler (6-0 over Devon Turner) and Kauffman (7-6 over Brandon Wallander). Additionally, Tyler Oswald won by forfeit.

With their dual meet season over, the Zephs will now concentrate on the District XI individual tournament. Cunningham said it's a matter of fine-tuning what they've been working on since the season began. They'll also work on their technique and practice "the little things" that will benefit them in the tough matches. In addition to getting physically ready for the postseason, they'll also work on their mental attitude, an important part of their grueling sport.

The District XI AAA tournament begins Feb. 21 at Liberty's Memorial Gymnasium.