Northampton’s season came to an end on May 18, as the Konkrete Kids lost to the Whitehall 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the District 11 3A playoffs.

“It’s a shame we allowed the first game to go to four sets (against Wyoming Valley West),” said Northampton head coach David Faust. “We fought hard, it was a hot one in here and you could tell that our legs got weary. Whitehall is a tough opponent, they keep coming and it is hard to stop their momentum. I wish we had fresher legs but I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished this year.”

While Whitehall got to sit and watch opening round action, Northampton’s momentum after winning the first match of the evening showed in the first set against the Zephs, as back and forth action continued throughout game one. As the set was tied 6-6 in the early going, things moved to 16-16 in the middle of the set, before seeing a 24-24 score at the end of the set, thus resulting in some bonus action. Northampton was able to pull away with a 28-26 victory. The set was a highlight for the Kids season, as it showcased how far the team had come from the previous year.

But, fatigue began to set in for Northampton as the second set saw Whitehall jump out to a 14-7 lead. The Zephyrs maintained control and ended the set with a 25-15 win. The third set saw Northampton lead in the early going by a score of 6-2, but Whitehall regained composure, and it took the lead and brought the score up to 19-13 before finishing the set 25-16.

The final set saw Northampton trail 12-6 in the early going before climbing back to tie the game at 12-12. Once more, though, Whitehall and fatigue proved to be too much as the Zephyrs won the set 25-16, ending the match.

“Whitehall has a swagger about them, they come in with the confidence to know that they can win and are going to win and that’s something that we want to have going into next season,” said Faust. “You have to play well and we know that we can now.

“I want to thank senior Justin Monte, he’s a terrific player and leader and we’re going to miss him next year. Juniors Brandon Caffrey and Kyle Whiteman had terrific years and we’re going to come strong and get that swagger going next year.”

Northampton’s season ends with a record of 10-8.

Whitehall moved on to the semifinals to face three-seed Parkland, a team they defeated to end the regular season and then again in the opening round of the EPC playoffs.

The District 11 3A championship will be on Thursday, March 25, at William Allen High School at 7 p.m.