Home cooking appealed to the Whitehall track and field team as the boys battled for supremacy at last week's Lehigh Valley Conference Track and Field Championships.

The Zephyr Sports Complex was the site of the combined Colonial League and Lehigh Valley Conference Track Championships, a two-day affair that began May 6. The familiar surroundings were a perfect backdrop for the boys to try and become the team champions, but Parkland High School eventually secured that honor, earning 112.50 points, while Whitehall finished with 94.

The girls also had a strong showing, finishing seventh among the twelve teams with 42 points.

The Zephs climb into second was fueled by the high-octane performance of Kyleem Harrison who finished second in the 110 meter hurdles (15.32), third in the long jump (20-11.50), sixth in the triple jump (41-04.50), and was eighth in the 100 meters (11.61).

Head coach James Sebesta said that Harrison had to "turn right around" after running the hurdles to compete in the 100, and that was a difficult assignment. Still, his effort helped pave the Zephs bid for first at the championships.

"The Untouchables," otherwise known as the boys 4x800 relay team once again asserted their dominance. They've been cranking out wins all year, and the championships were no exception. The foursome of J.C. Falcon, Andrew Frisch, Brian Plucinsky and Calvin Schneck broke the tape in 8:04.18. This group has set the school record this season, and will now look to continue their winning streak at the District XI Championships that get underway beginning May 14 at East Stroudsburg South High School.

"They just ran a great race again," said Sebesta.

The Zephs had a number of athletes come in second, including Falcon in the high jump. He cleared the bar at 6-3, finishing behind Scott Schlegel of Emmaus who cleared 6-7.

Isaiah Cary was second in the triple jump, hitting the pit in 44-00.

Gabe Lamm was also second, crossing the line in 9:48.04 in the 3,200, while Frisch was a second-place finisher in the 800 meters, breaking the tape in 2:00.40.

In the 1,600 Schneck and Lamm were third and fourth, respectively, with Schneck finishing in 4:29.43, while Lamm crossed in 4:32.43.

Sebesta said that this pair has a healthy rivalry, with both runners pulling for one another. He said they support one another, and have been consistently among the top three in the distance races all year.

"It's just amazing what they do," said Sebesta. "One may win the mile, and the other may come back and win the two mile. There's no bitter feelings."

In the pole vault, Elliot Miller was fourth with a 11-9 mark, while Nick Nejad was fourth in the javelin with a 163-09 toss. Additionally Cary was fourth in the high jump, clearing 6 ft.

In the shot put, Jake Kerchner was 9th with a 40-04 heave, and Nejad finished 10th in the discus with a 106-01 mark.

The girls had some stellar performances as well. Ivana Jones had a good meet, taking fourth in the long jump at 16-06.50 and fifth in the high jump at 4-10.

Additionally, Angela Stella kept up her strong senior season, finishing third in the 800, crossing the line in 2:20.60.

The 4x800 relay team finished third as Emily Brand, Alexandra Dorner, Stella and Madison Walker finished in 9:58.38. The 4x100 team accomplished the same feat with Decontee Krayee, Kourtney Cunningham, Kylee Cunningham and Arianie Pizarro crossing the line in 50.33.

The sprints were highlighted by the performance of Kourtney Cunningham who was sixth in the 200 meters with a 27.15 mark, and eighth in the 100, breaking the tape in 13.08.

In the pole vault, Taylor Hamscher was sixth, clearing the bar at 8-6, while Kelsey Millets was 9th at 8 ft.

In the javelin, Natalie Saraceni was fourth with a 103-11 mark.

The meet marks the end of conference competition as it now expands to include the best the district has to offer. Sebesta said that they all worked hard at the championships, allowing them to have success.

"Overall, I though we had a great effort by everybody," he said.