It’s only Week 3, but there will be plenty on the line when Whitehall hosts Northampton in their annual Cement Bowl classic. The game normally is played late in the season or the last game.

This game is already crucial to both teams in the District 11 Class 6A bracket, as well as establishing themselves in the East Penn Conference.

There’s are also the Cementon Bridge bragging rights, and there’s certainly to be plenty of thrash talking going on, as several players on both sides know each other. Whitehall also will celebrate its 100th anniversary of their program.

Yet, after the opening kickoff, friendships and formalities will be put aside for the next 48 minutes.

It will be the 94th meeting between the two clubs in the rivalry that began in 1925. Northampton narrowly leads the series 44-43-6.

Northampton enters the game 2-0, and Whitehall is 1-1.

Northampton has been especially fueled after they blew a 28-point on their home field last season in a 56-49 loss that saw 972 yards of total offense generated between the two teams.

Konkrete Kids’ junior running back Chase Kessler expects his team to be laser-focused.

“It is a big rivalry, especially what happened last year,” said Kessler. “We are definitely going into the game confident. If we have a lead, we are not going to get comfortable with the lead and keep going until the game is over.”

Senior quarterback Zion McKinney echoes Kessler’s thoughts and sees his team in line for their third straight victory.

“This is very big for us,” said McKinney. “Losing last year being up 28 is never good, but our team is coming in hot and with confidence. That will be big for us.”

Senior linebacker Robert Wambold knows his teammates are well driven.

“It’s a big one for us,” said Wambold. “After what happened to us last year, that’s one we want to get back real bad.”

Whitehall senior linebacker Josiah Murray anticipates the game living up to its billing as a battle for the treasured game trophy.

“Northampton is absolutely bigger than just a game,” said Murray. “It’s history itself is almost 100 years of gritty, hard-nosed football, so this week we are working our absolute hardest to keep the trophy at Zephyr Stadium. I don’t have any friends playing over there, but I have played against a bunch of those kids over the years in middle school.”

Zephyrs’ lineman Justin Heckert is confident his team will keep the trophy.

“I would say Northampton is bigger than just a game because it’s my senior year and this game has been a huge rivalry for years now,” said Heckert. “We currently have the rivalry trophy and we’re fighting to keep it.

“They’re a good team but so are we, so we just have to work and prepare ourselves for the challenge ahead of us. We’re hosting it at home, so it’s going to be a great game. I do have a couple of friends over there playing, and we already know once we get to kick off, it’s going to be business and won’t let friendship affect our game.”