Andy Marino is gradually ingratiating himself into Whitehall football royalty.

He will begin his fourth season at the helm of the Zephyr’s program this fall with an overall record of 23-15 and already has a pair of District 11 crowns in his pocket.

Three years ago, Marino stepped into a high-profile situation when Matt Senneca, who also led the Zephyrs to a pair of district titles, suddenly bolted after a district title to take the Easton job.

Marino didn’t miss a beat, winning a district title and posting an overall 8-5 slate.

Looking back, he appeared to be destined to be at Whitehall.

In stepped Marino, who had a varied 12-year football resume with his latest stop at Elon, under former Zephyrs’ boss Tony Trisciani. Marino, who also had a stop at Lehigh, was Elon’s primary recruiter in the Lehigh Valley.

When the door opened at Whitehall, the former Philadelphia-suburb Neshaminy High School grad didn’t hesitate to step inside.

“There were a handful of job openings around, but Whitehall was the one that I wanted,” stated Marino at the time of his hire. “I had a really good feeling about it, and I don’t have any second thoughts.”

Neither do the Whitehall faithful.

Marino apparently has found a home on Mechanicsville Road, and the community has seen the return of hard-nose, blue-collar football that Marino continued and built upon after Senneca left. He quietly pieced together a pair of district championships in his mold.

The four-year skipper can start to be mentioned in the same sentence as Andy Melosky, who had a historic four-year run of 31-10-1 that included a 1973 undefeated, 10-0 team, the lone unblemished team in Zephyr history. Matt Millen was among those who were significant contributors during that stanza.

There was also Tony Cocca, who built a 60-43-1 mark over nine seasons with a district championship.

John Bendekovits had the weight room named in his honor after he instituted a full-fledged program. Bendekovits posted a 27-21 record and brought home a district title.

Brian Gilbert had the luxury of Saquon Barkley, and he won the first Class 5A district crown with a 48-23 mark over six seasons before he left to become Palisades’ athletic director.

Joe Gerencser is at the top of the heap with a record of 87-33-3 over 10 seasons.

At Marino’s space and his expected longevity, he would be in line to pass Gerencser if he stays 12-plus seasons. When he was brought on board, Marino indicated that he wanted to make it a long-term stay.

But he’ll be bucking the odds in today’s coaching ranks, as his peers are often subjected to parents’ pressures and school boards.

Marino will face another challenge this fall, as he will look to retool and rebuild some after he lost a significant amount of seniors from a 10-3 team. Senior Tanner Dogmanits will be the centerpiece.

But like he has in the previous three years, Marino will pull together the pieces and form a productive season that will end in the district or state playoffs.

It will be another road on his path to Whitehall football royalty.