After giving up two touchdowns within the first few minutes of the game, Nazareth was threatening to score again, but that’s when Ryan Klaugh and Jackson Buskirk perhaps made the biggest play of the football game.

The Blue Eagles had the ball at Whitehall’s 7-yard line. They had driven 80 yards to get down to the shadow of the end zone, thanks in huge part to Jahan Dotson’s 52-yard reception.

Now it was 4th and 4 and they could still get a first down without scoring. That’s when Klaugh and Buskirk came up with the big stop, pushing Dotson out of bounds and giving the football back to the offense, subsequently igniting a 38-point outburst that gave Whitehall a 38-20 win over Nazareth on Homecoming.

That stop resulted in a 10-play, 96-yard drive that brought the Zephyrs within a touchdown of the visiting Eagles. During that drive, quarterback Gianni Sinatore connected with Devin Castro for 52 yards, and then three plays later, Bryce Crum broke loose for 23 yards to put the Zephyrs on the board.

Crum’s TD run helped get the ball rolling as they scored on their next five possessions, scoring 38 unanswered points over a team that was 5-2 in conference play heading into the game.

Crum said that getting that first score helped turn the tide.

“It’s just a big game changer,” said Crum. “Obviously, from a game perspective, it’s now just a one score game.”

It was the Zephyrs first win since week three. They’re now 3-5 on the season.

Crum, a senior, said that it’s a good feeling to get back into the win column after dropping their last four games.

“It’s awesome to get out there and finally get a win, especially on homecoming,” said Crum.

The game could have turned on Nazareth’s pick six which gave the Blue Eagles the two touchdown lead. But Sinatore was determined to move forward and not dwell on any mistakes.

“We moved onto the next play,” said Sinatore. “We started making plays on offense, the running backs were running great, the offensive line played their best game so far this season, and the defense played great stopping their playmakers.”

It was a complete game for the Zephyrs en route to their first EPC South win of the season. They had 390 rushing yards and 96 through the air.

On defense they had a number of big stops, and Phil Reeves had a critical interception at midfield that kept the Blue Eagles from marching down the field after Dotson gave them great field position following a kickoff return.

But it was Sinatore who really guided the team to victory. The senior had 173 yards rushing to go along with his 96 through the air. He also ran for two scores, and threw for another. His fingerprints were all over the win.

Sinatore said that eliminating turnovers and playing error-free ball was the key to victory.

“We eliminated the mistakes, and we made plays on both sides of the ball, and played great on special teams,” said Sinatore.

For head coach Brian Gilbert, those first few minutes of the football game looked too familiar.

“I was like, ‘Here we go again,’” said Gilbert. “We turned over the ball twice and it led to scores. It was 14-0 before we got a chance.

“We just had to believe in what we were doing. And the kids did. I’m so happy they believed in the system and they didn’t panic and put their heads down.”

Gilbert said that showed a lot of character for a team that’s only won three games, and is loaded with underclassmen, doesn’t hang their heads. It also helped to have valuable leadership.

“The difference was our seniors stepped up tonight,” said Gilbert.

That list included Crum, Sinatore, Reeves, Brandon Jones, Justin Maicks, Darius Mensah, Shane Gibbs, Jacob Bird, Conor Ilgenfritz, who had a 25-yard field goal, and Nicholas Kovalchick.

“Our seniors had a big game tonight,” said Gilbert.

Heading into the game, Crum said they put the onus upon themselves.

“Really the seniors just needed to step it up,” said Crum “We just needed to show the way and play better.”

The ability to shake off those early turnovers showcased their resiliency, and that began with Sinatore who engineered the comeback.

“He’s been mature all year,” said Gilbert. “With all the ups and downs, and what he’s had to go through, what this team had to go through is one thing, but as a quarterback you bear a lot of that weight. He’s been great. He’s been resilient.”

In order to get almost 400 yards rushing, the O-Line played a big part. That group featured Michael Smith, Tyler Myers, Markes Cruz, Bret Legath and Jakob Hudak.

“They got off the ball and really pushed their defensive line back and got onto the second level,” said Sinatore.

Tavion George was also a beneficiary of those holes, rumbling for124 yards on 19 carries.

The Zephs travel to Emmaus this week for another EPC South game.