Early on, it was a little like the tortoise and the hare when Whitehall hosted East Stroudsburg North to begin the district playoffs.

Whitehall got off to a fast start, striking on their first possession when Zach Gilbert connected with Dez Boykin for a 59-yard touchdown. With the catch, Boykin became Whitehall’s all-time single season yardage leader, passing Nick Sommers who held the previous mark of 910. Boykin currently sits at 960 yards.

With the Zephyrs showcasing their big-play capability, the Timberwolves used a deliberate ground attack that chewed up both yards and time on the clock. They had the ball twice as long as the Zephs in the opening quarter, most of that coming on a 12-play scoring drive that was capped by a Jay’ln Smoot 6-yard run.

With the missed extra point, Whitehall led 7-6.

It would remain that way until Zach Gilbert found Kasai Harrison on a middle screen for a 39-yard score at the close of the first quarter.

That scenario would become the thread line, with Whitehall’s quick strike offense easily surpassing ESN’s methodical rushing attack as the Zephyrs rolled to a 55-20 win.

The victory sets up a 5A district final championship game against Southern Lehigh at Bethlehem School District Stadium this Friday.

Head coach Brian Gilbert said it took a while for them to adjust to ESN’s triple option. They had 292 yards rushing in the game, with the majority of those yards coming in the first half. That allowed them to keep moving the chains as quarterback Thomas Melchiorre and Smoot combined for 223 yards.

“It takes time to catch up with the speed and the deceptiveness of their offense,” said Gilbert. “Once we settled in, we did a good job with it.”

While the Timberwolves plodded along, the Zephyrs unleashed their potent passing attack, needing just seven plays in that opening period to score two TDs.

On their second possession of the first quarter, Whitehall needed to convert on fourth down to keep the drive alive. Harrison was lined up in the slot on the left side and drifted into the middle of the defense where he caught the screen pass, turning a short completion into a 39-yard score.

Harrison likes playing in the slot because “it’s easy to get around” and he often finds himself going against a linebacker. Harrison said that the middle screen was something they practiced this week.

“I knew I was going to get a look on that, but I didn’t know I was going to score like that,” said Harrison.

Harrison would again find the end zone in the first half, this time on a slant route, turning another short pass reception into a 33-yard score

“They usually don’t throw it, but then I saw Zach look at me so I knew he was going to get it right away,” said Harrison.

Harrison caught three balls for 114 yards and two scores. His final catch was the longest of the night, hauling in a deep ball from Zach Gilbert for 42 yards, setting up Boykin’s 3-yard TD catch to close out the first half. It was the first time Harrison ever scored two touchdowns in a game, and it gives him three TDs on the season, his first one coming last week against Northampton.

With an array of talented receivers at their disposal, Gilbert said that any one of them can step up and make an impact on the game.

“Each week it’s different,” said Gilbert. “Kasai had a great week of practice and he’s been playing great. He got a couple of balls thrown his way, and when he gets them in his hands he can make some things happen.”

“I always knew that Kasai had the potential to have a breakout night like this,” said Zach Gilbert. “He had more opportunities and he made the best of it.”

Gilbert said that they also did a great job protecting Zach Gilbert, allowing him to throw for 232 yards, including five touchdowns. On his fourth TD throw of the game, a 3-yard score to Boykin, Zach Gilbert became Whitehall’s single season touchdown leader, eclipsing Gianni Sinatore’s mark of 21 set in 2014. Gilbert now has 23 on the season.

For Zach Gilbert, the record represented a bit of validation. He spent the last two years in a backup role, and his emergence this year as a starter where he eventually blossomed into one of the league’s best quarterbacks, answered some questions surrounding him.

“Coming into the year I know there was a lot of doubt coming my way,” said Zach Gilbert. “It was like, who am I? It was my first year starting and Gianni was a really good quarterback.

“It definitely motivated me, and to come in here and set the record at home in front of our fans in our first district playoff game in a while, just feels really good.”

Zach Gilbert has a talented cast around him, starting with Boykin who had three touchdown catches, finishing the game with 101 yards, all three of his catches going for scores. The junior now has 10 TD catches on the year. Jackson Buskirk, Devin Castro, Ryan Klaugh and Harrison have all had receiving TDs this year, while tight ends Jacob Snyder and Devin Martinez have also found pay dirt.

Their rushing attack is another strong component, with backs Tavion George and Braxton Marrero handling most of the load. Marrero finished with a team-high 56 yards rushing against the Timberwolves, while George added 32. They also have been mixing in Dabriel Ayala this season, and he showed his speed against the T-Wolves, finishing with 47 yards on three carries.

In addition to their dominance on offense, the Zephyrs were opportunistic on defense, with Klough picking up a fumble and returning it 72 yards for a score, making it 27-6 late in the second quarter

With the district championship game looming, Harrison said it’s important to stay focused and continue their good habits.

“We just got to keep working hard,” said Harrison.