It will be round two when Whitehall and Southern Lehigh meet for the District 11 5A football championship this Friday.

The same two teams met in the inaugural championship last year at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium as Whitehall won 35-15 to claim the district prize.

The Spartans come into the game at 10-1, their ticket punched into the finals with a 48-19 win over East Stroudsburg South in the semifinals. Whitehall, who is now 8-3, earned its berth by defeating East Stroudsburg North 56-7 last Friday.

Whitehall vs. Southern Lehigh II is now set for Northampton’s Al Erdosy Stadium this Friday night.

The Zephyrs defeated Southern Lehigh 35-14 in last season’s championship, and head coach Brian Gilbert knows that memory still lingers as they look ahead toward their rematch.

“This is for the championship and they’re going to be ready,” said Gilbert.

The Spartans have a number of quality wins on the résumé, including a last-minute field goal to beat Saucon Valley, a team that’s currently in the finals of the 4A bracket, having defeated Allentown Central Catholic 41-10 to earn that trip.

After watching the Spartans on film, Gilbert said that what stood out the most was their ability to get the ball to a number of different players, and that begins with junior quarterback Logan Edmond who piloted them last year in the finals.

“He’s really had a great year,” said Gilbert.

Edmond has thrown for 1,648 yards this season and has rushed for 368. Gilbert said he and Ethan Parvel share the ability to shred a defense with both their arms and their legs, and they’ll need to stay on their defensive keys to make sure he doesn’t get loose.

They also feature senior running back Luke Strauss who was effective on the ground in last year’s championship game, rushing for 158 yards. This year he’s compiled 1,149 yards on the ground this season. The senior will be part of an experienced cast of skill players that will look to topple Whitehall from its perch.

Also on that list is fullback Michael Sisselberger who’s rushed for 483 yards this season.

The Spartans can also hurt an opponent in the passing game with Strauss and Nathan Derby going over 50 receiving yards in their win over ESS.

“They definitely have a skilled cast of characters,” said Gilbert.

Gilbert said that while their focus will be on stopping their potent running attack, they also have to be wary of their passing game. He said that the Spartans can really sling it as well, and that will be another area of concentration this week.

As they’ve been preparing this week, Gilbert said that the Spartans are an aggressive team that looks to get a lot of people involved.

“They spread the ball around offensively and they fly to the ball on defense,” said Gilbert.

Gilbert said that they’ve been playing better defense the last three weeks and he hopes that will continue against the Spartans.

The Zephyrs come into the game with their own momentum. They’ve now won three consecutive games and have averaged 46 points in those victories.

That offensive output is a testament to a stout offensive line as well as a talented group of skill players who’ve put the Zephs on the doorstep of a repeat championship.

They feature quarterback Parvel who’s thrown for 1,864 yards, including 27 touchdowns. That single season touchdown total ranks him second behind Zach Gilbert who set the mark with 32 last season.

Dez Boykin is another Zeph who’s worked his way into the record books. He now has 55 catches for 825 yards and 9 touchdowns.

Braxton Marrero leads the team in rushing with 874 yards, while Parvel is close behind at 858. Additionally, Boykin has rushed for 434 yards, while Dabriel Ayala has run for 167, while Shavar Hussett has rushed for 131.

Gilbert said that his team is excited to play and looks forward to the challenge of defending their title.