WHS proud of showing at duals
Whitehall’s James Hopkins likes his team’s ascension in the latter part of the season. The Zephyrs recently downed Emmaus, 33-29, the number-two seed, and they just fell short against defending champion Bethlehem Catholic, 38-21, in the District 11 Class AAA team tournament.
“I think the duals went pretty good,” said Hopkins, a senior who is 28-7 this season at 189 pounds. “Upsetting the number two team in the state isn’t something a lot of teams can accomplish, which I think really showed how much we wanted to win. We had the chance to knock off the four-time defending state champs, but we fell a little short of that. We did a great job limiting bonus points and also getting them at some weights.
“We just lost the two key matchups that we knew we needed and it hurt a lot not being able to accomplish our goal. But our team’s mindset has shifted to individuals and are getting better to make a run individually.”
Senior Willmont Kai, a defending state champion at 133 and a recent University of Nebraska commit, is 33-1. Fellow senior Kade Pascoe is 25-8 at 121, junior Adam Gasterats is 19-11 at 114-121, fellow junior Layony Sanchez is 19-9 at 172-189, freshman Mason Hopkins is 14-11 at 152-160, and fellow freshman Dionte Wheeler is 17-7 at 114.
Also, senior Tyrell Hoff is 17-11 at 145, fellow senior Aiden Harris is 14-10 at 215, sophomore Rocco Fonzone is 13-14 at 152-160, and freshman Semaj Weatherspoon is 10-5 at 107.
The Zephyrs had a 14-3 overall record in dual meets. They will begin individual district competition Feb. 20-21.
Head coach Tim Cunningham continues to be impressed with his team.
“I’m incredibly proud of our guys,” beamed Cunningham. “Beating Emmaus, the number-two team in the state, showed our grit and belief. Losing a close semifinal to Bethlehem Catholic was tough because we truly believed we were going to make states, but I was never disappointed in this team.
“Now the focus shifts to the individual postseason, and we’ll turn that frustration into added fire and intensity as we prepare for the next challenge.”