When it was over, just two points separated the Whitehall and Nazareth boys track teams, ending the Zephs quest for an undefeated dual meet season.

Head coach James Sebesta said the boys came into the year with the goal of an unblemished season, and when they lost 76-74, it was a bitter disappointment for a squad that was hoping to go through the Lehigh Valley Conference unscathed.

The girls also put up a good fight against the Blue Eagles, winning a number of events, but eventually lost 81-69.

In the end, it came down to the jumps, for both the boys and the girls, said Sebesta. They needed to nab a few more points in the jumps to secure the win, but fell short.

Still, it was a valiant effort by both squads, taking the Blue Eagles down to the wire.

"I'm just proud of the way the kids competed," said Sebesta. "They didn't want to lose."

The Zephs had a number of outstanding efforts, starting with the boys sprints as Kyleem Harrison won the 100 in 11.4. Finishing third was Daniel El-Hajj in 11.7.

Jarad Mittl finished second in the 200 (24.2), while J.C. Falcon took third in the 400 with a 54.1 mark.

In the 800, Calvin Schneck finished second (2:06.0), while Andrew Frisch took third (2:06.8).

Schneck came back to win the mile, crossing the line in 4:37, while Gabe Lamm took second in 4:44. Lamm followed suit in the 3,200, taking first with a 10:22 mark.

Harrison continued his strong day with a second in the high hurdles 15.3, while Julio Giraldo took second in the 300 hurdles (45.3).

Once again the Zephs were strong in the relays, winning two of the three races. El-Hajj, Charles Mikhail, Ronnie Okungu and Zach Hixson took first in the 4x100 (45.9), while Falcon, Frisch, Lamm and Brian Plucinsky won the 4x800 in 8:43.

Falcon was tops in the high jump, clearing the bar at 6-3.

Sebesta said that Flacon continues to chase the school record, and has his sights set on breaking it this year. He has attempted to clear 6-6 a few times, falling just short on both occasions.

"Kyleem and J.C. are just unbelievable," said Sebesta.

In the high jump the boys swept the event, with Harrison leading the way at 20-09.50. Isaiah Cary finished second, clearing the bar at 19-03.50, while Dominic Brown-Andriulli placed third with a 18-08.50 jump.

The triple jump saw Cary take first with a 41-06 mark, while Harrison finished second with a 40-03 leap.

In the shot put, Jake Kerchner was second with a 38-07 toss, while Nick Nejad was first in the javelin, throwing the spear 163-09 to lead the field.

Sebesta said that Harrison, Falcon and Nejad continue to impress every time they take the field, demonstrating their talent which is infused with determination to be the best.

For the girls, Kourtney Cunningham took second in the 100 (13.1), followed by Decontee Krayee. In the 200, Krayee captured second (27.8), while Kylee Cunningham nailed down the third spot (27.9).

Kourtney Cunningham finished second in the 400 (1:03), while Angela Stella took second in the 800 with a 2:27.9 mar, while Alexandra Dorner finished third.

Stella followed that second-place finish with a win in the mile, crossing the line in 5:42, while Emily Brand was second at 5:43.

Brand came back to win the two-mile with a 12.57 mark.

In the hurdles, Alyssa Holland was second in the 100 at 17.6, and duplicated that finish in the 300 with a 50.4 time.

The girls took the 4x100 relay as Kourtney Cunningham, Kylee Cunningham, Krayee and Jones won in 51.7. They also were tops in the 4x800 as Dorner, Stella, Hannah Gill and Madison Walker broke the tape in 10:07.

Jones won the high jump at 5-0, while Kreglow came in third with a 4-7 bound. Jones also won the long jump, leaping 16-09.50 to lead the field.

Sebesta said that Jones went for a personal best in the high jump, clearing the bar at 5 ft., then had enough in the tank to win the long jump.

"She's just a good athlete," said Sebesta whose whole stable of jumpers have been a strong suit this year.

In the pole vault, Taylor Hamscher finished second as she cleared the bar at 7-6, while Amber Meyers was third at 7-0.

In the shot put, Vanessa Hadeed was third with a toss of 26-9, She also finished second in the discus (72-04), followed by Madison Scarfaro (71-06).

Finally, Natalie Saraceni was third in the javelin with a 77-09 mark.

Sebesta said that they stayed toe-to-toe with the Blue Eagles, getting points in almost every event. They just couldn't get over that last hurdle.

"Overall, it was just a tremendous effort," he said. "We were getting those thirds and seconds that you need to win a meet. It just didn't work out that day."