In a first half marred by turnovers, the one turnover that turned the tide was a 10-point turnaround that set the stage for the Zephyrs second win.

Pleasant Valley was lining up for a 26-yard field goal attempt with under a minute left in the half to try and extend their lead when Devin Martinez broke through. The Bears had a one-point lead at that point, 19-18, but Martinez was able to block their attempt, scooped it up and rumble 72 yards.

That 10-point swing was the springboard for an eventual 45-29 win by Whitehall, raising its record to 2-1. Once they got that score from Martinez- his first of two defensive TDs of the game- they held the Bears to just 10 points the rest of the way, with their touchdown coming as time was winding down in the fourth.

The Zephs burst out of the gate with a strong first possession, going 59 yards in five plays to take an 8-0 lead after their two-point conversion was successful. They had a good mix of run and pass with Gianni Sinatore capping the drive with a 15-yard run.

However, their next three possessions resulted in turnovers with the Bears converting on one of those to take a 13-8 lead. The Zephs were fortunate that Pleasant Valley didn’t score on another of those miscues, as they immediately fumbled after getting the ball on the Zephs 42-yard line following a Sinatore interception.

The Zephs inability to hold onto the ball was foremost on head coach Brian Gilbert’s mind.

“We had three turnovers in the first quarter; it was sloppy, we have to fix it,” said Gilbert.

He said that’s something they have to address in practice and make the necessary corrections.

“There’s just no excuse, no excuse,” he said.

While he was happy with the effort, he knew that they left too much meat on the bone.

“We were just sloppy, too many penalties and too many turnovers,” Gilbert said. “We were lucky we won like that.”

What the Zephs had going for them offensively was the play of Sinatore who accounted for 365 of their 434 yards. He rushed for three TDs and connected with Desmond Boykin on an 80-yard play.

He was also able to find a crease in the Bears defense, a number of times gashing up the middle for big gains. Sinatore’s longest run came on a 63-yarder to get them within 19-18. Tavion George was second in rushing with 78 yards on 12 carries.

He also connected with five different receivers with Boykin leading the way with six catches for 147 yards.

But it was Martinez’s play that swung the momentum and lifted the Zephs to their second win of the season.

Martinez said that once the field goal block was called, a couple of his teammates told them to follow their “pull” and jump over their legs. Pleasant Valley’s kicker, Dean Krcic, certainly had enough leg for the attempt since he was consistently booming his kickoffs through the end zone for touchbacks.

However, Martinez was able to get a hand on it and then recover his own block, picking it up for the score. His romp to pay dirt was aided by a block from Zachary Pantoni.

Before that big play, Martinez wasn’t happy, shaking his head after coming off the field following a defensive series.

“We couldn’t wrap up, we weren’t calling things,” said Martinez. “Offensively we were turning it over, we weren’t blocking right. We just made too many mistakes.”

In the second half, both the offense and defense played much better. “We didn’t give up,” said Martinez. “We kept going.”

Martinez later intercepted a Michael Brown pass, taking it 48 yards to the house for his second TD. Martinez said that the coaching staff told him to keep an eye on one of their receivers, Austyn Bore.

“I was watching him and he came across [the field], and as he was coming, the quarterback went to throw it, and I read it and picked it off,” said Martinez.

He said they were telling him to get down which he didn’t hear, instead weaving through would-be tacklers for his second TD of the night. Those were also the first two TDs of his varsity career.

“Devin’s a great player who’s just going to get better with more experience,” said Gilbert.

Brown played well for the Bears, finishing the game 19-of-29 for 108 yards.

Additionally, running back Trent Thomas rushed for over 100 yards, part of a strong running attack for Pleasant Valley, which gained 145 yards on the ground.

Martinez finished the game with six tackles, adding to an impressive defensive night.

Both Phil Reeves and Jackson Buskirk were active as well defensively, finishing with 10 and seven tackles, respectively.

The Zephs will next face Liberty High School at BASD Stadium this Friday.