Special teams loomed large again in last Friday’s game versus Nazareth as a number of plays were crucial in helping influence the outcome of the game, giving the Blue Eagles a close victory at Zephyr Stadium last Friday night.

Now, one may be inclined to believe that Austin Vlasaty’s 93-yard kickoff return with 3:34 left was the sole determining factor, but that’s overlooking some earlier plays that also had a bearing on the outcome. Vlasaty’s touchdown did give the Blue Eagles the 37-33 lead, the same score that wound up as the final, but some preceding special teams plays were just as important.

Even with that big play by Vlasaty, who bucked into the end zone through the arms of a tackler, Whitehall had a chance to win the game in the final minutes. And with Zach Gilbert orchestrating the drive, the senior signal caller brought the Zephs to Nazareth’s 23-yard line with a little over 26 seconds left to play. Gilbert was 6-of-8 in that drive for 52 yards, but he just couldn’t connect with Devin Martinez on a 4th and 8 that sealed the win for the Blue Eagles.

Another special teams play that also had an impact was a missed PAT by Whitehall in the second quarter. They convert that point they can force overtime with a field goal on that final drive. That led them having to drive 80 yards on that final possession.

Whitehall also misplayed a punt snap deep in their own territory that led to a Nazareth score, another special teams play that shaped the game. On the Blue Eagles ensuing drive, quarterback Travis Stefanik scored on a one-yard plunge to give Nazareth a 7-0 lead.

Whitehall also was the beneficiary of some big special teams plays. One was Dez Boykin’s 85-yard kick return that gave the Zephs a 21-14 lead in the second quarter. Kasai Harrison received the kick and then handed off to Boykin who burst up the right side. Once he broke through the cluster of would-be tacklers, he cut to the near sideline and tip-toed down the chalk line for the score.

They also recovered an onside kick that set up a Tavion George 3-yard score to give them a 14-7 lead early in the first. Jackson Buskirk recovered the kick, and then the Zephyrs went to work on the ground as George and Braxton Marrero combined for 49 yards during the drive to push them ahead by a touchdown.

But it was two special teams plays, one by each team, that happened right before halftime that helped shape the outcome.

First, Whitehall decided to pop up the kickoff after they scored on a nine-play drive that culminated in a Devin Castro touchdown catch.

That made the score 28-27 after the aforementioned missed PAT. That decision was largely due to Nazareth’s Julian Liaci who may be the fastest player in the Lehigh Valley. He was deep for the Blue Eagles, and up to that point, had five catches for 160 yards and two TDs.

Head coach Brian Gilbert said that keeping the ball out of Liaci’s hands was the reason they decided to pop the kick. He’s a game changer and they didn’t want him handling the ball.

“It was a matter of don’t let the best player get you,” said Gilbert.

Gilbert said that ideally they would have liked the kick a little deeper. It wound up on Nazareth’s 46-yard line where Stefanik went to work, hitting Jager Keiser for a 36-yard gain. That put them in field goal range and Avery Petrozelli connected on the 35-yard field goal to put them up 31-27 at the half.

Gilbert acknowledged that special teams played a role, but felt that turnovers were also an important factor in deciding the outcome.

“No team should win a game with six turnovers,” he said. “You can’t win a game like that.”

Whitehall accumulated 424 yards of total offense, easily out gaining Nazareth who rolled up 281. They also allowed just 30 yards rushing to the Blue Eagles, another sign that self-inflicted wounds led to the loss.

But big plays made up for those paltry numbers as Liaci finished the game with six catches for 168 yards and two TDs.

As Whitehall clawed back in the second half, they leaned on some tough interior running by Marrero who became the workhorse, rushing for 33 yards, including a one-yard plunge to give the Zephs the 33-31 lead with 3:49 remaining. He finished the game with 74 yards on 11 carries. Backfield mate George had 55 yards on 16 carries.

That set the stage for Vlasaty’s 93-yard return, a play that was a “backbreaker” according to Gilbert.

Still, Zach Gilbert drove them down the field, converting some crucial third and fourth down plays, none bigger than a strike to Buskirk on fourth down that put the ball at Nazareth’s 25-yard line. Zach Gilbert also rushed for a first down on fourth-and-one during that drive.

But the drive ended when Zach Gilbert couldn’t connect with Martinez.

“We had a chance to win it in the end, but we just didn’t get it done,” said Gilbert.

Zach Gilbert finished the game 28-of-45 for 282 yards and 2 TDs.

Gilbert said that he said the team’s focus will now be cleaning up “the little things that can turn into big things” as they prepare for Liberty on Friday. He said that the emphasis has to be on what they do on the field.

“We have to worry about ourselves,” he said. “We have to line up right, make the right block, and make sure we’re doing a better job.”