When the Whitehall football team travels to Parkland this Friday, their first order of business will be stopping Trojan quarterback Devante Cross.

That will be a tall order, indeed. The senior signal caller has been running the Trojan offense for the last three years. During that tenure, Cross is 3-1 versus the Zephyrs, having also beaten Whitehall in the district semifinals in 2013.

However, last year the Zephs reclaimed the Joe Gerencser Trophy after defeating the Trojans 38-24, a win that was sparked by Saquon Barkley’s 158 yards rushing and two touchdown passes.

They would like to hold onto that trophy and will be looking to halt the Trojans march toward what many see as another district championship.

Cross can hurt a team with both his legs and arm. He’s the career leader in passing for the Trojans and has thrown for 621 yards and seven TDs this season and rushed for 258 yards and four TDs. The Zephyrs are familiar with Cross’ capabilities, having seen him up close the last three seasons.

Head coach Brian Gilbert understands the challenges involved in corralling Cross. He’s smart, experienced and efficient.

“He runs their spread offense really well,” said Gilbert. “He makes the right decisions. He just knows instinctively what they want to do offensively.”

Gilbert said that all that experience under center ultimately leads to few mistakes.

Conversely, the Zephs, who have committed eight turnovers in the last two games, will be looking for more ball security. They’ve been able to gain yards, but they’ve hurt themselves with those costly turnovers, many of which have led to points for the opposition.

Gilbert said that’s a main focus as they begin preparation this week.

“We need to improve; we need to get better,” Gilbert said. “We need to clean up the mistakes.”

He believes if they played error-free ball against Liberty, given the way they were moving the ball, the outcome may have been different.

He also wants them to stay positive on offense, continue to spread the ball around, and run their plays as efficiently as possible. He’s been encouraged by their development, especially on the offensive line. Bryce Crum is healthy again and he gives them a solid option in the backfield along with Tavion George. On the outside, Desmond Boykin has emerged as a playmaker, someone to watch this Friday as they look to slay the Trojans.

Parkland came into the season as the consensus pick to win the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. They’re currently 4-0 and have scored 177 points during that stretch, while only allowing 47.

While Cross makes the red engine run, they also have playmakers at running back and wide receiver. Kenny Yeboah is a talented receiver, perhaps the tops in the league, and backs Erik DiGirolamo, Jahan Worth and Nolan Ridgway are all capable of making big plays.

The Zephs, who are 2-2, have scored 113 points and have yielded 120. A lot of their success rests with their quarterback as well. Gianni Sinatore leads the team in both passing and rushing. The senior has thrown for 822 yards, completing over 57 percent of his passes. He’s also rushed for 314 yards. In what’s been dubbed as the year of the quarterback, Sinatore can make a strong case that he belongs among the area’s top QBs as well in the EPC.

This is the second week in a row that the Zephs have faced a three-year starter at quarterback. It’s another tough assignment, but the Zephs will be eager to play their rivals.

“I think we’ll be ready to play, that’s for sure,” said Gilbert.

He said both teams are familiar with what the other likes to do and it all boils down to execution. That’s going to be the key.

Finally, as a rivalry game, Gilbert said you can toss aside what’s transpired to this point. The players know what’s at stake.

“They know it; they feel it,” Gilbert said. “You can throw out the record.”