Whitehall junior quarterback Tanner Dogmanits realized the importance of his team’s game last Friday night against East Stroudsburg South (ESS).

Former Zephyr and current Eagles’ standout Saquon Barkley was being inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame, and revenge was on their minds against their opponent.

East Stroudsburg South downed Whitehall during the regular season and later edged them in the District 11 Class 5A championship game.

Dogmanits and his teammates made the most of their moments with a 62-21 rout of the Cavaliers.

With the win, the Zephyrs increased their record to 2-1, and they will host undefeated Pocono Mountain West (3-0) Friday night. The Zephyrs were coming off a 62-33 loss to Nazareth the previous week.

In spite of the atmosphere, Dogmanits knew his team would maintain their focus.

“The atmosphere Friday was different than a normal game because of Saquon and us losing to ESS last year twice, but we weren’t going to let that distract us from playing our game,” said Dogmanits. “Our defense did their part, and our offense did too.

“It was all-around a good team win. Coming off a loss last week, we knew that it all started at practice and that we have to put the loss behind us. We came in every day and working hard so it could pay off, going through my progressions. If there was a broken play, I worked all getting the yards I can while also being smart.”

Head coach Andy Marino was proud of how his team responded with 21 unanswered points and 28 overall in the second quarter to take a commanding, 35-13 halftime lead. Both teams were knotted at 7-7 after the opening quarter.

Marino see his team working to tightening their overall game.

“I’m proud on how they responded to the first quarter,” said Marino. “We are focusing on getter better at the details of the game and having better practice habits.

“We have seen progress in a lot of players, and we look forward to more development with a long season ahead of us.”

ZEPHYR ZEALS: Marino expects a huge challenge for his team Friday night against Pocono Mountain West. “They are playing like a 3-0 football team. They are explosive on offense and aggressive on defense.” Whitehall won last year’s matchup by a 41-6 score, and they have won the last four by an overall margin of 142-16 ... Pocono Mountain West is coming off a 22-0 shutout of Dieruff, and the Panthers have outscored their first three opponents, 94-47 ... Dogmanits threw for 124 yards and three touchdowns last week, and running back Jeziah Gregory ran for 172 yards with three scores. Senior Talon Dogmanits was the recipient of all of his brother’s TD passes for 83 yards. For the season, Tanner Dogmanits has thrown for 515 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions, while Talon has caught nine passes for 229 yards with four touchdowns. Gregory leads the team in rushing with 432 yards and eight touchdowns ... Seniors Braidyn Delvalle has a team-high 30 tackles and Justin Hussett has 24 stops. Hussett also has been averaging 36.5 yards on kickoff returns.

PREDICTION (Season record 2-1): Zephyrs appear to be hitting on all cylinders after their big win last week ... Pocono Mountain West hasn’t played the same caliber of opponents, and their record can be deceiving after they finished 3-7 last season ... Look for the Zephyrs to keep it rolling at home before they get into the meat of their schedule. Boys’ basketball head coach Jeff Jones can pick me up at Italian hoagie with extra vinegar at Wawa ... ZEPHYRS, 31-14.