Whitehall head coach Brian Gilbert has always stressed fast starts as a recipe for success, and Friday’s opener against Pocono Mountain East was a textbook example of that philosophy.

Braxton Marrero and the running game took center stage against the Cardinals as the Zephyrs scored 35 points in the first quarter. Their running attack proved too much for PME as the Zephs racked up 437 yards en route to the 55-12 win.

The Zephs are now 1-0, notching their first conference win of the season. They host Emmaus this Friday, looking to avenge last’s year’s loss to the defending league champs.

On their first series of the game, Marrero busted loose for a 42-yard run, breaking tackles as he gave the Zephs a quick score. Gilbert said that the run was the product of excellent downfield blocking by the line and receivers. Marrero, who also caught a pass for an 18-yard gain, finished the game with 164 yards on the ground.

Boykin had three tackles in the game, while Anthony Johnson had two tackles for loss in the game.

“That was a really great way to start the game,” said Gilbert.

The dominance by the offensive line helped starting quarterback Ethan Parvel settle into a good rhythm in his first career start. With the running game churning up real estate at will, the Zephs didn’t need to put the ball in the air. When he did throw it, he connected on six of nine for 76 yards.

Parvel also took advantage of the gridiron graders up front, rushing for 89 yards on 11 carries.

Gilbert said that their ability to control the point of attack dictated their game plan as Mike Smith, Jacob Hudak, Bret Legath, Ian Kulp, Justin Santiago and Markes Cruz opened big running lanes.

“That was a lot of our offense,” said Gilbert. “We really dominated the line of scrimmage.”

Gilbert said they didn’t need to force anything through the air since the ground game was working. They were able to convert eight out of eleven opportunities on third down, and were a perfect 2-for-2 on fourth down.

Gilbert said that Parvel handled his first start extremely well as he engineered those early scoring drives. The win will give him confidence moving forward.

It’s good for Ethan to get that win under his belt,” said Gilbert.

The Zephs got production from a number of players on offense as 12 players toted the rock. Dez Boykin had three carries for 41 yards, Darwin Cofield had 38 yards on a single carry, and Ali Barkley gained 32 yards on six carries.

Their defensive line was also dominant against the Cardinals, allowing just 73 yards on the ground.

While the guys in the trenches were getting a good push and playing on their opponent’s side of the field, Boykin was patrolling the rest of the field like a heat-seeking missile. Gilbert said that Boykin was their defensive player of the game.

“He really had some big hits; he was all over the field,” said Gilbert.

Boykin had three tackles in the game, while Anthony Johnson had two tackles for loss in the game.

Defensive back Shaver Hussett got the Zephyrs’ first pick of the season, intercepting Cardinal quarterback Jacob Keane.