While Whitehall’s jaunt to the coal regions to play Abington Heights in the opening round of the state playoffs didn’t produce the same last-minute heroics as their previous postseason meeting, the final result was equally as satisfying.

The Zephyrs defeated the Comets 35-14 in the opening round of the 5A PIAA playoffs and will now advance to the quarterfinals. Their opponent will be Archbishop Wood, winners of District 12, for a Friday night game at Al Erdosy Field in Northampton.

This time the Zephyrs unpacked their offense early, scoring on a Braxton Marrero 9-yard run midway through the first period. It took them just five plays on their second possession to take a 7-0 lead. They would add to that lead later in the first quarter when Zach Gilbert connected with Dez Boykin for a 74 yard score.

“We got some big plays and jumped on them early,” said head coach Brian Gilbert, who earned his 100th victory as a head coach with the win over the Comets.

Boykin has been a master of yards after the catch this season, and he did it again against the Comets, catching a pass just a few steps from the line of scrimmage, and then bouncing off would-be tacklers before bursting up the hash marks for the score.

The Zephs would score once more before intermission, this time on a jumpback screen to Ryan Klough that covered 17 yards.

The Comets would answer with a score right before the close of the half, recovering a fumble that Comet quarterback Colin McCreary turned into six points on their ensuing drive, rumbling 45 yards to cut the lead to 21-7.

With the momentum now in Abington Heights’ favor, they picked up more steam after the break with McCreary connecting on a 28-yard TD pass to Anthony Dubowski.

The Comets were now trailing by one score and the pendulum had swung in their favor.

Gilbert said that the next series was crucial to stop the Comets from building on their momentum.

“Our defense held and we forced them into a three-and-out, and that was a big series for us,” said Gilbert.

While the offense garners most of the attention, Gilbert thought their defense played really well, especially Kevon Allen who had two tackles for loss, both of those as a result of sacks.

They limited the Comets to just 152 yards of total offense. They gave up two big plays for a combined 73 yards, accounting for the bulk of Abington Heights yards.

“As a unit, they played really well,” said Gilbert.

Once the Zephs regained possession after that crucial stop, Whitehall’s secret weapon emerged. On their ensuing drive, Zach Gilbert found Kasai Harrison on a screen pass for a 13-yard score. Harrison was part Bronko Nagurski on the play, refusing to go down even after being hit and wrapped up by a defender. He shook off that player and outraced the remaining Comets for the score.

Harrison’s emergence as the team’s touchdown leader over the last four games is the result of preparation meeting opportunity. With receiver Jackson Buskirk tweaking his ankle late in the season, Harrison has taken a bigger role in their offense.

“That gave him the opportunity to get some playing time and he’s really responded,” said Gilbert. “He’s making big plays for us.”

Gilbert said that his success in the passing game is a credit to his elusiveness. He’s another player who can take a short pass and turn it into a long gain.

It also helps that he has an accurate quarterback getting him the ball. Zach Gilbert finished the game 14-of-20 for 310 yards and four TDs. He now has 30 touchdowns on the season.

“That’s pretty good in a state playoff game,” said Gilbert.

It turned out to be another big day for the senior signal caller who has 12 touchdown passes in their three postseason wins.

His final TD toss was to Boykin who once again demonstrated his big-play capability as he went 71 yards for the score. Boykin finished the game with four catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns.

It was the first time the Zephyrs played a day game all season. Gilbert said they left Whitehall at 8:15 a.m., arriving about an hour before game time so they could get some work on the Comets home field and adjust to their surroundings.

“We just wanted to see the lay of the land,” he said.

They certainly liked what they saw as they started fast using their vast arsenal of skill players to earn they victory and with it a trip to the quarterfinals.