Whitehall’s football team came away with a major off-season milestone over the weekend, as the Zephyrs captured the championship in the Lion Strong 7-on-7 Passing Camp at Penn State.

The 44-team tournament featured teams from all over the region and the Zephyrs proved to be the best on the day, topping Penn Manor (PA) in Saturday night’s championship.

With 23 skill position players on the Zephyrs tournament roster, Whitehall’s Dez Boykins (WR/S) came away with MVP honors to cap off a special day for the team.

Former Zephyr and current Penn State running back, Saquon Barkley, was with the team the entire day, giving the Zephs added motivation en route to the title.

“We’ve been doing these 7-on-7 camps ever since I’ve been at Whitehall and this was definitely the biggest win for us in this type of competition,” said head coach Brian Gilbert. “The best thing was how we handled adversity and just being mentally focused all day. We were down in every one of our playoff games and the kids came back.”

Whitehall went 4-1 in pool play action, leading them to be seeded fourth into the knockout rounds.

The Zephyrs then knocked off Clairton in the quarterfinals, a team from western Pennsylvania, who feature 5-star cornerback Lamont Wade (third ranked CB in country).

The Zephs then defeated Bishop McNamara from Baltimore, MD in the semifinals before eclipsing Penn Manor in Saturday night’s championship.

It was the second straight year the team participated in the camp, as they reached the sweet 16 a year ago, but Gilbert felt his team was more prepared this time around.

“Our parents had a big part in helping us with tents, food and drinks they provided,” Gilbert said. “Our kids were hydrated throughout the day and we had more depth this year too, so guys were fresh.”

Outside of Boykins taking home MVP honors, Devin Martinez (TE/LB), Jackson Buskirk (WR/S) and Zach Gilbert (QB) stood out for the Zephyrs.

It all completed a perfect day of competition, as players were able to interact with Penn State head coach James Franklin and have a Heisman hopeful from their alma mater root them on all day.

“Saquon was there from the start and he was so excited for us,” said Gilbert. “I think it added motivation for our kids to play well in front of him and they fed off his energy too.”