With the district game against East Stroudsburg North set for this Friday, the Whitehall coaching staff will be tasked with making sure their players stay sharp heading into the game.

The Timberwolves are 0-10 on the season, and head coach Brian Gilbert said that they’ll be focusing more on individual coaching while making sure they don’t get distracted by their won-loss record.

“You don’t prepare like they’re 0-10,” said Gilbert.

Gilbert said that their goal is to get better every week since they’ll be facing tough teams throughout the tournament. Gilbert knows that every team would love to knock off the reigning District XI 5A champs and they must be ready for every challenge.

The Timberwolves lost their final regular season game to rival East Stroudsburg South as the Cavaliers won 46-7. The Timberwolves played better as the game wore on, allowing just six points in the second half. They were led on the ground by quarterback David Aguiles who rushed for 55 yards against the Cavaliers. He also completed nine passes for 47 yards.

The Zephs come into the game as the top seed in the 5A playoffs. They enter the playoffs with some momentum, winning their last two games to finish the regular season at 7-3.

Gilbert said that their preparation this week will be to work on areas where they need improvement.

“We’ll work on some of the things that we need to get better,” said Gilbert.

The Zephs have plenty of players that will give the ESN coaching staff fits when trying to formulate a game plan. First, the Zephs have a talented offensive line that will look to control the line of scrimmage.

The backfield will be another area that could cause some sleepless nights as Ethan Parvel, Braxton Marrero and Dabriel Ayala have all had outstanding seasons. Parvel has thrown for 1,760 yards, including 24 TDs. He’s also rushed for 805 yards. Marrero is first on the team with 852 yards, while Ayala has chipped in with 145.

Their receiver corps is also formidable as Dez Boykin, Joe Herman III, Allen Negrete and Shavar Hussett have all made contributions. Boykin leads the group with 55 catches for 825 yards, including nine TDs, while Herman has hauled in 14 passes for 310 yards, and Negrete has 11 catches for 290 yards. Hussett, meanwhile, has 111 receiving yards and 105 rushing yards.

Boykin is also a threat as a runner, turning the corner on multiple jet sweeps throughout the year. The senior has amassed 434 yards on the ground this year, scoring another five touchdowns.

Defensively, Boykin leads the team in tackles with 51, while Joshua Novak has registered 48 and Roberto Rivera Colon, Jacob Hudak and Joel Henninger have each made 39.