Whitehall senior Willmont Kai admitted he had a good feeling about his 133-pound district final against Bethlehem Catholic defending state champion Keanu Dillard, but he didn’t exactly stick to his plan in a 1-0 defeat.

“I saw the match as a filler just to feel him out,” said Kai, who won a state title last season. “I definitely knew what was coming, and I had a game plan for it. But I didn’t really stick to it.

“I just got to listen to my coaches a little better, but overall I do think I wrestled a good match.”

Kai, who is 36-2 overall this season, was one of four Zephyr wrestlers who will advance to the North East Class 3A Regional at Liberty High School this weekend.

Along with Kai, fellow senior James Hopkins (31-9) was fourth at 172, and senior Kade Pascoe (28-10) and freshman Mason Hopkins (28-13) were fifth in the weights and also will advance. Freshman Dionte Wheeler (20-10) was sixth at 114, but he will not advance.

Hopkins slipped to fifth when he dropped a 19-16 decision to Southern Lehigh’s Brock Frable. He bounced back to record a 15-2 major over Parkland’s Donato Ciampittiello before he suffered a 4-2 decision to Emmaus’ Xayden Sallit.

But Hopkins saw it as a positive looking ahead.

“It was a good confidence booster knowing I can beat a top-ranked kid in the state,” said Hopkins. “I stopped putting the pressure on Frable and gave him too many opportunities, which he took advantage of. I am wrestling with more confidence than I have been, and I just need to open up more and take more control.”

Head coach Tim Cunningham was pleased with his team’s showing, and he is optimistic his wrestlers moving on can take another step.

“We wrestled well, but we need to make little improvements hoping to get higher up on the podium this upcoming weekend,” stated Cunningham. “A few other guys were close to getting on the podium which was encouraging and at the same time frustrating knowing we could have had a few more guys moving into next week. These are the things that I always try to change in my coaching plans for practice when I see certain guys make little mistakes they should not be making because that is on me and having them more prepared.

“A few of the most encouraging things I saw this weekend is that everyone wrestled hard, with all their effort in all their matches and all the guys were cheering each other on in every match. The guys that got knocked out of the tourney came back the next day and for the finals to cheer on the guys in the placement round.”

Kai is definitely ready to raise his own bar.

“I feel great wrestling now,” beamed Kai. “I feel like I’m peaking at the right time, but I can’t rush anything. I know my time will come. I just know in some situations I have to pull the trigger because I know deep down inside, I’m the best.”