The Whitehall track and field team closed out its regular season with a sweep last week, putting a big exclamation point on another successful year.

While they ended the year on a high note defeating Freedom and Pocono Mountain West High Schools, both the boys and girls were hoping to change the course of history when they met Parkland High School (9-1) the day before in their annual battle between the cornfields.

With both the boys and girls riding successful seasons, they were looking to vanquish the Trojans who have bested them in this rivalry the last 35 years. However, they'll still be chasing the "Red Army" as head coach James Sebesta refers to them as the boys lost 66-84, while the girls fell 89-61.

Sebesta knew they had to be just about pinpoint perfect to upend the Trojans, and when the boys only managed three points in both the 200 and 400 meter races, he knew their chances at an upset were delayed for another season.

"We do better in the 400 and 200, we win that meet," said Sebesta who guided the boys to a 9-2 record this season.

Still, he was encouraged by how hard they fought for every point. Parkland's depth is always an issue, and their ability to plug in quality athletes in every event makes the margin of error razor thin.

It was the same with the girls, as they lost some valuable points in the hurdles due to an absence. Sebesta felt they could have won the meet if they had their full squad on hand, but couldn't overcome that setback.

In the end, he was pleased wit their competitive drive, giving the Trojans another tussle on the track.

"I thought we would give them a battle, and we did," said Sebesta. "We just didn't have enough."

In the 100 meters, Saquon Barkley took first in 11.5, while Mustafa Mitchell finished third, crossing the line in 11.8.

In Barkley's inaugural season on the track, the senior tallied eight wins in the nine races in which he competed during the regular season.

In the 200, Nick Kovalchick finished third, hitting the tape in 24.40.

Calvin Schneck was once again tops in the 800 with a 2:06.30 mark, while Gabe Lamm did the same in the 1,600, crossing the line in 4:42.90. Lame duplicated that feat in the 3,200, finishing in the top spot with a time of 10:18.50.

In the high hurdles, Julio Giraldo was second (17.10), while Jahrod Amoroso was a third with a 17.30 mark.

Giraldo continued his strong showing in the hurdles this year, placing second in the 300 with a 42.80 finish.

Whitehall took two out of the three relay races, winning the 4x100 in 44.60 as Barkley, Mitchell, Kovalchick and Ronnie Okungu placed first. They also took the tape in the 4x800 as Schneck, Andrew Frisch, Andrew Hawk and Elliot Miller crossed in 8:28.60.

In the high jump, Javaughn Hussett came in second, crossing the bar in 5-7. The boys swept the long jump with Barkley winning (18'11.50), Brian Heckman second (18'11) and Mitchell third (18'3.5). The triple jump saw Nicholas Rackus grabbing third place with a 36'4.5 leap.

Barkley continued his string of multiple victories this season, winning the shot put as well with a 44-10 toss. Jake Buskirk was third with a 39-3 mark.

The discus was won by Tyler Meyers (134-8), while Nate Wechler was second in the javelin with a 138-3 toss.

For the girls, Amanda Crooks and Decontee Krayee finished one-two in the 100, with Crooks taking the tape in 12.8, while Krayee finished in 13.4.

The 400 saw Anna Gallina claim third place, finishing in 1:03.90, while Kassidy Cunningham (2:32.90) and Alexandra Dorner (2:34.50) were second and third, respectively, in the 800 meters.

Hannah Gill finished third in the 1,600, crossing in 5:47.70, while Jillian Kreglow was third in high hurdles with an 18.10 mark.

In the 300 hurdles, Madelyn Mertz finished second, crossing in 51.50.

The girls won the 4x100 relay, clocking in at 51.40. That team consisted of Kassidy Cunningham, Kourtney Cunningham, Ivanna Jones and Krayee.

Jones emerged as a three-time winner, clinching the top spots in the long jump (16'0.5) and the high jump (4-11), along with the relay. Joining Jones in the top three in the long jump was Taylor Hamscher (14-2) who also won the pole vault with a 7-6 mark.

Vanessa Hadeed was another multiple winner for the Zephs, She was tops in the shot (30-8) and the discus (83-9). Judaha Amoroso finished third in the shot for the Zephs with a 28-2 toss.

Finally, Natalie Saraceni won the javelin with a 93-1 mark, while Madison Walker placed third with a 90-6 toss.

Despite the loss to Parkland, Sebesta said that they were eager to get back on the track the next day and finish the season with a victory.

The meet between Freedom and Pocono Mountain West, resulted in a sweep for the Zephs. The boys beat the Patriots 93-53, while the girls won 109-41. Against PMW, the boys downed the Panthers 95-55, and the girls came out on top 76-70.

"The kids really wanted to run," said Sebesta. "They put everything on the line, making sure they finished strong."

His major concern was keeping them healthy heading into the postseason, and they were able to emerge unscathed under very windy conditions. It also gave them the chance to work in some younger kids, something that will help them build toward the future.

With the completion of the year, the boys finished 9-2, and the girls hit the finish line at 8-3.

They'll now shift their focus to the league championships which get under way this Tuesday and Wednesday at the Zephyr Sports Complex.