Whitehall’s 49-7 loss to Roman Catholic in a PIAA Class 5A opening-round playoff game last week may still have lingering effects, but the Zephyrs commitment to each other remains solid.

“It hasn’t fully sunk in yet,” said senior Justin Hussett last week, who rushed for 571 yards with seven touchdowns this season. “I think some things that set this team apart from other years was that we all played together. We had each other’s backs no matter what, like a family.

“At our school, we have pride in that word. After every practice, every lift, every meeting, every game, we always break it down on ‘family.’ And this year we truly were a family and played together.”

Hussett also saw an experience factor that benefited them this season.

“Another thing that was different was we had a lot of returners from last year, and a few from my sophomore season,” said Hussett. “So there was a lot of leadership and experience spread throughout the field, which contributed a lot.”

Whitehall did win its sixth district Class 5A title in the last 10 years, and they finished the year with an overall 10-3 record. Unlike their slow start from last year, Whitehall won six of its first seven games and eventually rolled to the 35-24 victory over Pocono Mountain East in the district title game.

Zephyrs’ junior quarterback Tanner Dogmanits, who threw for 2,293 yards with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions this season, also knew it was going to be a memorable year. His brother, Talon, a senior wide receiver, caught 57 passes for 1,101 yards with 14 touchdowns.

“Our team this year was very special,” stressed Dogmanits. “We were determined all year long to get gold and to give our best effort for the guys next to us.

“We juniors and sophomores are going to miss the seniors a lot. We learned a lot from them and they were a great group of leaders. We are going to be working all offseason to get even better. A lot of young guys stepped up this year that didn’t get time and didn’t play last year.”

Fellow senior Braidyn Delvalle, who was second in tackles with 43 to Iskander Blanco’s 46, was impressed with the team consistent grittiness.

“It was huge to win in the postseason, especially winning districts,” said Delvalle. “It said to everyone that we were a hungry team that kept fighting through the season even when things got tough.”

Head coach Andy Marino thanked and praised his players for their overall, “time, effort and commitment,” for the season. The Zephyrs will lose 19 seniors off their roster.

“It was great to see them make a commitment to one another,” said Marino. “Through that, they achieved their goal of becoming a champion.”

Marino cited his team’s sense of family and commitment as a key to their success. He also saw this season, like every other one, as unique. Marino will look to continue their success.

“They did a great deal of development,” added Marino. “That was credited to their practice habits and consistency.

“Every year is different. We look forward to building next year’s team.”