The Emmaus football team used a swarming defensive effort to derail the high-powered Whitehall Zephyr offense en route to an impressive 26-7 win last Friday night at East Penn School District Stadium.

With the victory the Hornets improved to 3-1, while the Zephyrs dropped to 3-1.

“It was a great bounce-back win,” said Emmaus head coach Harold Fairclough. “It was good to get this one the way we did.”

After trailing 7-0 in the second period, the Hornets gradually displayed their dominance in scoring 26 unanswered points - 20 in the second half. Emmaus scored three touchdowns by three different players. The game-winning score came with 8:04 left in the third quarter on a one-yard run by senior Jared Groller, a young man Fairclough said “has the ability to play at the next level.”

After a hard-hitting scoreless first quarter, Whitehall broke on top when Nigel Linton exploded on a nifty 73-yard touchdown run and the extra point gave Whitehall a 7-0 lead. Even though he didn’t know it at the time, Linton’s evening had reached its apex as the Hornets shut him down the rest of the way. Minus the touchdown run, Linton gained 49 yards on 15 carries.

Trailing 7-0, the Hornets did not panic. They responded with two nice offensive drives each deep into Whitehall territory. Although Emmaus couldn’t punch it in either time, kicker Owen Garcia cashed in field goals of 24 and 25 yards to cut the deficit to 7-6 at halftime.

Leading 13-7 after Groller’s dive, quarterback Josiah Williams ran a proficient offense and helped score the Hornets’ second touchdown when he fired a 19-yard dart to Rian Stevens for a 19-7 lead after the PAT failed. Williams turned in a workmanlike effort last Friday night, going 7-for-14 for 119 yards and one touchdown.

Tylik Jarvis redeemed himself after a listless effort the week before against Central Catholic. Jarvis made small but consistent gains before ripping a 68-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to put Whitehall out of their misery for the night’s final score. Jarvis carried the rock 17 times for 122 yards and the score.

The Emmaus defense held the talented Whitehall offense to 191 yards overall. The green-and-gold held the Zephyr passing attack to a meager 31 yards. Groller led the way with seven tackles, although his defensive pals gave him plenty of help. Aiden Garrett had five tackles and Trevor Gitski chipped in with four. Overall, the defense looked sharp, the line won most of its individual battles and the linebackers and secondary diagnosed plays quickly and were sure tacklers.