With the amount of success the boys have had against Easton Area High School in track and field the last few years, the Red Rovers must be left wondering what they need to do to beat this pesky band of athletes who relish the role of the underdog.

With a pool of student-athletes that dwarfs Whitehall's, head coach James Sebesta has defied the numbers and led his boys team to four consecutive victories over the Red Rovers. In their tri-meet last week that also featured Stroudsburg High School, the boys dealt the Red Rovers a 90-60 loss.

While their current dominance is surprising to him, he was more surprised with their ability to contend with Mountaineers who are arguably the team to beat in this year's Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. They battled throughout the afternoon, capturing a number of firsts, but not enough seconds and thirds in falling 63-87 to the Mounties.

"I was more impressed with how we did against Stroudsburg," said Sebesta. "I was really happy with the way they performed there."

After to cruising to a sweep in their first tri-meet, the Zephyrs were faced with the difficult task of facing both the Red Rovers and the Mounties. The boys were able to earn a split, while the girls lost both times, succumbing to Stroudsburg 97-53, and Easton, 90-60.

Throughout the meet, they had a number of highlights.

Saquon Barkley was tops in the 100, crossing the line in 11.2. However, they weren't able to muster any more points in the sprints, leaving the door open for the Mounties who capitalized on those opportunities, grabbing a second and a third in the 100 and 200, respectively.

They bounced back in the 400 meters with Julio Giraldo taking second with a time of 54.8.

Sebesta said that Giraldo's been a big boost this season, both in the middle distances and the hurdles. He finished second in the 300 hurdles as well, crossing the line in 42.7.

In the 800 meters, Calvin Schneck began his big day on the track. He won that race in 2:07.03, and then followed that with a win in the mile, hitting the tape in 4:45.2.

Sebesta said that Schneck has added the 800 to his repertoire and that addition will certainly benefit the team. Schneck has proved to be s tireless worker, and he's now managed to win six events on the young season

"Calvin just keeps getting better," said Sebesta. "He's someone who just works hard."

Schneck once again teamed up with Andrew Frisch, Andrew Hawk and Elliot Miller to win the 4x800, finishing in 8:45.3. They also finished second in the 4x400, as Frisch, Hawk, Miller and David Labib crossed the line in 3:49.8.

Gabe Lamm placed second in the 3,200, helping the Zephs capture more points on the day. Lamm and Schneck have been their two pillars in the distance races the last couple of years, and they both have the ability to be at the head of the pack at the finish line.

"These guys just want to be good," said Sebesta. "That's their focus every day."

Barkley soared in the jumps, taking first in the high jump at 6-0, while Mustafa Mitchell was tops in the long jump with a 19-08.25 mark.

In the pole vault, Miller came in third, clearing the bar at 9-9.

Barkley demonstrated his versatility, taking first place in the shot put with a 45-05 mark, while Tyler Meyers was second in the discus with a heave of 105 feet.

Finally, Nick Hassler nailed down second place in the javelin with a toss of 173-10.

The girls were looking to get established early against two top tier programs, and managed to earn two third-place finishes in the sprints. Amanda Crooks took third in the 100 (12.2), while DeContee Krayee finished third in the 200 at 27.8.

Also capturing third was Anna Gallina in the 400. The junior clocked in at 1:051, while Alexandra Dorner was second in the 800, finishing in 2:33.7.

In the 3,200, Emily Brand and heather Busch finished second and third, respectively, with Brand crossing the line in 13.00, while Busch hit the tape in 13.06.

Alyssa Holland took second in the 300 hurdles (49.7), while Ivanna Jones was second in the high jump (4-10) and third in the long jump (15-8).

Taylor Hamscher finished second in the pole vault, hoisting herself 7-6 to grab some points for her team.

In the throws, Vanessa Hadeed took second in both the shot (29-04) and the discus (79-08), while Natalie Saraceni was third in the javelin with an 86-08 mark.

Overall, Sebesta said that they been getting some consistent performances from a number of kids across the board. That's enabled them to stay competitive through their first four meets, something they hope to retain as the year progresses.

"They're performing every week and doing a good job," said Sebesta. "These were two hard teams we went against, and they just competed."