Whitehall head football coach Andy Marino and his Zephyr squad was anxious to help set the tone against underdog Dieruff last week. The Zephyrs entered the game with a 4-1 record, while Dieruff was 1-4 and in the midst of a three-game losing streak.

Marino watched his team quickly achieve that goal.

The Zephyrs posted 28 first-quarter points, and they went on to score all of their 43 points in the first half on their way to a convincing 43-8 victory over Dieruff.

“Starting fast was very important to us,” said Marino. “We accomplished that goal, and our guys did a great job.”

It was their fourth straight victory, and the Zephyrs have averaged just under 37 points in the process.

Quarterback Tanner Dogmanits was a perfect 7-of-7 for 191 yards with two touchdowns. Jeziah Gregory ran for 100 yards on seven carries with four scores. Henry Shultz caught four passes for 125 yards with two touchdowns.

On the other side of the ball, Whitehall forced four turnovers and limited Dieruff to 144 yards of total offense. The Zephyrs had two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

Nazaiver Calcano had both interceptions, a sack, and a game-high six tackles. Iskander Blanco added five tackles and two sacks.

Whitehall’s defense has forced 14 turnovers and has 12 sacks this season

Marino has been impressed with his team’s play on both sides of the ball.

“Our defense set us up with multiple short fields,” stressed Marino. “Jeziah and the offensive line continue to improve.”

The Zephyrs will look for their fifth straight victory when they travel to Emmaus (2-4) Friday.

“It will be another tough task for us,” added Marino. “But we will be ready.”

ZEPHYR ZOUNDS: Emmaus is coming off a 17-14 loss to Allentown Central Catholic, and they have lost two straight. Whitehall won last year’s meeting 38-31, and Emmaus won the 2024 game, 31-7. Emmaus has won three of the last five games ... Emmaus quarterback Kellen Hafner completed 18 of 25 passes for 193 yards last week, and he has completed 66 of 119 attempts for 781 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Anthony Attar ran for 123 yards with two touchdowns last week, and he has 638 yards with 10 touchdowns this season ... Mason Lenis has 53 tackles and Nik Castro has 36 for the Green Hornets ... Dogmanits has completed 76 of 110 passes for 1,149 yards with nine touchdowns. Gregory has 677 yards on 90 carries with 11 scores. Shultz has 33 receptions for 609 yards with six scores. Aiden Hannis leads the team in tackles with 43, and Blanco has 40. Calcano and Rocco Fonzone lead the team in interceptions with three apiece ... Clifford Murray ran for 32 for Whitehall, and Clifford Lowe had three receptions for 21 yards ... Whitehall has rushed for an average of 188 yards per game, while they have allowed 181 on the ground. Through the air, Whitehall has averaged 198 and allowed 113 per game.

PREDICTION (My season record 5-1): This is normally a tight battle between these two clubs, but one team occasionally grabs control ... Whitehall avoided the trap game with Dieruff last week, and they got the job done early ... This could be another type of game, but Whitehall appears to be a very fluid team at this point ... Zephyrs only have five turnovers this season ... Emmaus desperately needs a win to get back on track, but Whitehall should be able to fend them off ... Look for the Zephyrs to stay focused and take set the tone ... New AD Jeff Pukszyn gets to pick me up a cheesesteak from SMP Mini-Mart ... ZEPHYRS, 31-14.