At Whitehall, expectations are once again high, as the Zephyrs will begin defense of their district championship in Wilkes -Barre Friday night.

This time around, the Zephyrs will compete in the ultracompetitive Class 6A, as they have moved up in class.

In his team’s recent scrimmage against District 1 perennial power Central Bucks West, head coach Andy Marino viewed it as a learning process.

“We played a lot of players to get them live reps,” noted Marino. “A lot of new faces saw what it’s like to play an excellent opponent. As always, some good and bad plays. As long as we learn, then it was productive.”

Whitehall will enter the year off a 10-3 season in which they defeated Pocono Mountain East, 35-24, for the Class 5A crown before they lost to Roman Catholic, 49-7, in the opening round of the state playoffs.

Senior quarterback Tanner Dogmanits, who had a banner season with 2,293 yards and 24 touchdowns, will be the centerpiece of the offense. Senior running back Jeziah Gregory, who ran for 1.049 yards and scored 20 touchdowns, returns to lead the running game.

The Zephyrs will make the trip north to meet Wilkes-Barre, which finished last season with an overall 8-5 mark. Whitehall hosted last year’s meeting, and the Zephyrs posted a 38-14 victory.

Marino sees an early litmus test for his team Friday night.

“Wilkes-Barre is very big and experienced up front,” stressed Marino. “They have a ton of skill players. It will be a great challenge. We look forward to playing them.”

ZEPHYR ZINGS: This will be the third straight, opening-game meeting between the two teams. Wilkes-Barre won the first contest on their home field, 27-10 ... The Wolfpack have lost a number of veteran skill players, but they have a solid returning core of linemen. Senior lineman Aiden Gilmore had 45 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss and three sacks last season ... Marino is beginning his fourth season, and has a 23-15 overall record ... Zephyrs averaged an East Penn Conference (EPC) best 38.5 points last season.

PREDICTION: Zephyrs’ players and coaches don’t appear fazed by the fact they will move to the 6A classification this season and believe they can compete ... Getting a win in the Poconos can give the team a huge boost, as they will face Nazareth and then Northampton in the annual Cement Bowl in the next two weeks ... Dogmanits can make the difference, and Gregory provides the balance ... Keep an eye on he Zephyrs’ defense, which is often overshadowed by the offense ... Unless they have turnovers, the Zephyrs should have a more pleasant ride home. Head boys’ basketball coach Jeff Jones can pick up an Italian hoagie with all the trimmings and banana peppers for me ... ZEPHYRS, 24-13.