When assessing what Whitehall needed to do to prevail against Easton, head coach Brian Gilbert said they needed to be physical at the point of attack.

It was mission accomplished for the Zephyr football team, racking up 211 yards rushing. That physical play by the guys in the trenches opened holes and helped pave the way for the 27-10 win over the visiting Red Rovers.

“We’ve been throwing the ball all over the place and they double teamed Dez [Boykin] tonight, and other guys made big plays,” said Gilbert.

Churning up the turf at Zephyr Stadium were backs Braxton Marrero and Tavion George who accounted for the bulk of those rushing yards. George led the way with 86 yards, while Marrero had 76. That pair also accounted for 12 of Whitehall’s 17 first downs during the game.

Their dominance on the ground was the result of playing physical, something Gilbert stressed in their weekly preparation.

“I thought coming into this season our main strength was the offensive line,” said Gilbert. “I didn’t see it early, in the first couple of games, because we didn’t really run the ball that much because we were in throwing situations.”

In the Emmaus game they were forced to abandon the run because they were playing from behind most of the game. Against Nazareth it may have been a more even split, but their passing game still accounted for the majority of their yardage.

Friday night they stayed on the ground and pounded the ball against the Rovers, effectively flipping the script against a team who was looking to run the ball, something Easton did with success at the end of the first quarter, driving 94 yards in 12 plays to tie the score 7-7.

But Whitehall didn’t waver from their game plan. On their ensuing drive, the Zephyrs marched 72 yards, mixing in some passes to go along with bursts from George and Marrero who combined for 28 yards, the latter scoring on a one-yard plunge to put them up 13-7.

Also contributing on that series was Devin Castro who had a big first down catch to extend the drive. Castro finished with two catches for 22 yards, but his two interceptions were instrumental in helping Whitehall seal the win. His second set up Whitehall’s final touchdown, returning the ball to the Rover 5-yard-line where Tavion George beat the defense to the pylon for the score.

The win raises Whitehall’s record to 3-2 on the year. It also avenges last year’s 45-0 loss to Easton.

The Zephyrs controlled the line of scrimmage, and no where was it more evident than on the final drive of the game when they wore down the Rovers, running 17 plays, most of them rushing, as the O-line just asserted their will until the game ended.

Right guard Tyler Meyers was one of those experienced lineman who made it possible for the Zephs to gain 285 total yards. He said that their ability to win at the line of scrimmage begins during the off-season when they meet in February. He said that offensive line coach Moussa Ramie treats their preparation “very seriously,” running them all the time which makes their off-season perhaps tougher than their in-season workouts.

“It’s just really intense,” said Meyers.

Last year’s loss was also something Moussa and the rest of the coaching staff kept stressing as they prepared to play the Red Rovers.

“That was something the coaches kept talking about.” said Meyers, adding they were also reminded about losing to Nazareth the last time that played at home.

Meyers said that the coaches told them to keep a level head since they would experience ups and downs during the game. That way they can weather the highs and lows that often come with an EPC game.

Meyers will often get to the second level to block on bubble screens and other passing plays. He said that the coaches want them to line up out of their run blocking stances in those situations so they can help out the backs and receivers.

“We do that so we can be more aggressive in our blocking and we end up downfield a lot more,” said Meyers. “That’s one of our biggest points so we can get to the linebackers.”

Senior quarterback Zach Gilbert was good in the clutch again. On their first two scoring drives, he completed critical fourth down plays, both times to Jackson Buskirk, the former resulting in a 14-yard touchdown. He finished the game 8-of-18 for 74 yards and one TD.

His favorite target was Buskirk who hauled in four passes for 50 yards. Gilbert also connected with Buskirk on some quick slants that helped move the chains.

The defense was solid all the way around, getting huge sacks from Kori Zacharias, Kevon Allen and Jacob Snyder, with Zacharias’ sack forcing the Red Rovers to attempt a field goal once he corralled Rover quarterback Scott Paulson for a six-yard loss. Additionally, linebacker Devin Martinez led the way with six tackles.

Now that they’ve won two games in a row, the Zephs will look to keep the momentum. Meyers said that attitude reflects their mood night now.

“Every win motivates us more,” said Meyers. “It’s kind of recharging our batteries and we want to keep going more and more.”

He said they’ll look to keep it going with a win over Parkland this week.

“We’re feeling great right now after two consecutive wins,” he said.