It was the day when California came to Whitehall.

That was probably the centerpiece event of one of Whitehall’s greatest football runs.

On Sept. 4, 1986, Whitehall hosted El Toro, which was the first meeting between a Pennsylvania and California team.

El Toro was touted as one of the best teams in their state, and they dominated their county with three division titles and six league championships. With players and coaches, there was a contingent of 85 who made the trip across the country.

The game was billed as “The Best of the West vs. The Beast of the East.”

A reported crowd of 6,500 packed Zephyr Stadium to watch a game that lived up to its expectations, as El Toro edged Whitehall, 20-19, in the closing minutes after the Zephyrs built a 19-7 lead.

But the tight-knight defeat motivated the Zephyrs to East Penn Conference (EPC) and district crowns behind Joe Gerencser, posting an overall 10-3 record. Gerencser stepped down after the season after winning seven EPC titles and having four, 10-win seasons and an undefeated 1976 season over his 11 years.

After the loss to El Toro, the Zephyrs bounced back with a 10-0 shutout of Bethlehem Catholic, and the Zephyrs sprinted away from there.

The Zephyrs would record five shutouts, their last one was a convincing, 34-0 win over Allentown Central Catholic in which Tim Clancy returned an interception 100 yards and their defense registered five sacks. They handled and blanked Easton, 35-0.

Whitehall’s lone blemish along the way was a stunning, 27-7 upset by Allen. The Canaries stunned Whitehall when they returned the opening kickoff 93 yards. It was a back-and-forth tussle until Allen sealed the victory with a pair of pick-sixes for scores midway through the fourth quarter.

Gerencser’s offense was a grind-it-out, running attack sprung by the line of Tony Delazio, Bill Blozinsky, Bill Seibert, Mike Saccani, Mike Perl and Andy Lisicky.

Quarterbacks Mark Beidelman and Jason Yakubecek threw when they had to deliver the ball and Tim Fahringer was their main target. Fullback Joe Tatasciore was the lead back.

On the other side of the ball, linebacker Tim Clancy, defensive ends Mark Buskirk and Dave Beitler, tackle Rick Pammer, and defensive back Glenn Joseph were the steady contributors.

Clancy went on to star at Kutztown and coached at several schools in the area. He was one of several players who continued their career in college.

The Zephyrs defeated Stroudsburg, 20-14, to claim their district title, but they dropped a 10-7 decision to Emmaus a few days later on Thanksgiving.

It was a year of Pennsylvania football history, and it also was one of the more memorable runs in Whitehall football history.

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