Aiden Hannis felt pretty confident coming into his and his teammates’ game against Allen last week.

The Zephyrs had won five games in a row, and the Canaries had lost three in game.

Hannis and his mates decided to follow their instincts, and the Zephyrs rolled to a 45-20 victory.

The Zephyrs (7-1) will take their winning streak to Parkland for a key showdown Friday night, as the Trojans have won seven straight.

“We saw the game as an opportunity to go out and have some fun among us while playing some complete, intense football,” said Hannis about the Allen game. “We were able to do what we needed to do.”

The sophomore linebacker has enjoyed his year as a linebacker. Hannis had eight tackles against Allen, and he leads the team in tackles with 56 and has a sack (see story below).

“I feel like I’m playing well,” said Hannis. “I have always played linebacker, and it is comfortable for me because I understand and love it. But I always know I have to improve with my overall game.”

Offensively, quarterback Tanner Dogmanits completed 16 of 19 attempts for 179 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Running back Jeziah Gregory had a huge game with 201 yards on 25 carries with three touchdowns. Clifford Lowe had four catches for 47 yards with a touchdown.

The Zephyrs had a 17-6 lead at halftime, and they responded with 28 second half points. Allen had 179 yards passing with two of its touchdowns via the air.

Head coach Andy Marino was pleased with his team’s overall play.

“We finished drives with touchdowns and stopped the big play in the second half,” said Marino. “Jeziah ran the ball well, but we need to also focus on ball security.

“Our defense played well outside of a few big passes.”

Hannis initially also is confident this week with the Parkland showdown.

Parkland is coming off a 38-7 victory over Allentown Central Catholic last week.

“The feeling is that we are ready,” stressed Hannis. “We have to have a good week of practice, and be ready to play all four quarters.”

“They (Parkland) are a well-coached team,” added Marino. “We have to be well prepared.”

ZEPHYR ZITES: Parkland thumped Whitehall, 53-7, last season, and the Trojans have won three straight. Whitehall last won in the series in 2022 with a 32-31 victory in overtime. Parkland has won 11 of the last 12 meetings with Whitehall’s last win in 2014 by a 38-24 score ... Whitehall is averaging 32.25 points per game. Whitehall’s only loss this season was to Nazareth, 49-13 on Sept. 4 ... Dogmanits has completed 108 of 151 passes for 1,512 yards with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. Gregory has run for 937 yards with 15 touchdowns, and Schultz has 45 catches for 789 yards with eight touchdowns ... Aside from Hannis, Iskander Blanco has 48 tackles, and Ben Pychinka has 40. Naz Calcano has four interceptions, and Rocco Fonzone has three ... Since their opening-game loss to Phillipsburg, Parkland has outscored their opponents, 298-77. Quarterback Finn Coen has completed 58 of 97 attempts for 937 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. Injured TJ Lawrence is their leading rusher and tackler with 659 yards with nine touchdowns and 38 tackles. Tycen Norman, who ran for 159 yards with four touchdowns against Central Catholic, has 353 yards and 10 touchdowns for the season. Blake Nassery has 19 receptions with 434 yards and five touchdowns. Colby Hoffman and Benjamin Moll each have three sacks.

PREDICTION (My season record 7-1): This could be one of the better games in the greater area this season. It will come down to the Zephyrs’ defense to slow Parkland, which is hitting on all cylinders. Four of Parkland’s wins have been against teams with .500 records or better. Gregory can be a major factor here, but Parkland allowed just 82 yards rushing last week. Dogmanits also will need plenty of play action here ... Whitehall has been in this situation more than a few times against Parkland, catching them at the wrong time. Parkland is at home, and that makes it more difficult. Zephyrs will hang tough, but I will owe boys’ basketball coach Jeff Jones a Wawa hoagie ... PARKLAND, 35-17.