WHS opens with Mounties
It was another week, and another win for the Zephyrs.
Whitehall rolled to its eight consecutive victory with a 35-21 victory over Allentown Central Catholic, ending its regular season with an overall 9-1 record. Their lone blemish was a 49-13 loss to Nazareth in the second week of the season back on Sept. 4.
During the past 10 weeks, Whitehall has proved to be one of the Lehigh Valley’s offensive juggernauts, averaging 33.8 points and allowing 25.7.
The second-seeded Zephyrs will host seventh-seed Stroudsburg (5-5) Friday night in an opening-round district game. Stroudsburg ended its regular season with a 40-36 loss to Pleasant Valley, which ended their three-game winning streak.
Zephyrs’ senior quarterback Tanner Dogmanits, who threw for 229 yards with a pair of touchdowns and also ran for 95 yards rushing against Central Catholic, is well aware of his potent offense that could reach another level.
“Our offense is clicking very well,” stressed Dogmanits. “We are playing well, but it can be better. We are playing together and playing good football at a good time. You want to play your best football during this time and we are trying to do that.”
Dogmanits was recently named the East Penn Conference Most Valuable Player (MVP), and head coach Andy Marino couldn’t have thought of a better choice.
“That speaks volumes of what kind of players he is,” beamed Marino about his quarterback. “He is the ultimate team player.”
Senior wide receiver Henry Shultz, who caught four passes for 73 yards with a score, knows it has been a team effort.
“We have been dominating on the offensive side of the ball,” said Shultz. “Our coaches call great plays and we have been executing them. We have so many playmakers and we all mesh really well together.”
Yet, Marino isn’t taking anything for granted.
“We need to have a great week of practice,” said Marino. “We are excited to play at home.”
ZEPHYR ZITES: These two teams don’t meet often. Their last meeting was in 2017, and Whitehall on, 49-10. The Zephyrs won the two previous meetings, 29-17 in 2016, and 23-21 in 2014 ... Last season, Whitehall won the district Class 5A title with a 35-24 win over Pocono Mountain West. Stroudsburg was defeated by Parkland, 49-14, in the opening district round ... Dogmanits has thrown for 2,068 with 17 touchdowns and three interceptions, and he has rushed for 718 yards with nine touchdowns ... Shultz had 56 receptions with 968 yards with 10 touchdowns. Jeziah Gregory ran for 111 yards with a touchdown against Central Catholic, and he has rushed for 1,182 yards with 17 touchdowns. Clifford Lowe caught four passes for 39 yards against Central, and he has 24 catches for 319 yards with three touchdowns. Eliam Davila Rivera had five catches for 38 yards against Central ... Whitehall’s offense has averaged 208.70 yards rushing per game, and 211.20 yards passing ... Aiden Hannis has a team-high 70 tackles, and Islander Blanco has 57 stops. Naz Calcano and Rocco Fonzone each have four interceptions, and the defense has 12 as a team ... The Zephyrs’ defense has allowed an average of 187.10 rushing and 122.20 yards passing ... Stroudsburg quarterback Jack Mitchell has thrown for 1,595 yards on 92 of 182 attempts with 15 touchdowns and three interceptions. Running back Keyen Johnson has rushed for 1,003 yards with seven touchdowns, and wide receiver Joshua Ivers-Green has 35 catches for 837 yards with nine touchdowns. Stroudsburg has averaged 170.3 yards passing per game, and 145,1 rushing per contest ... Keegan Munch has a team-high 46 tackles, and the Mountaineers’ defense has nine interceptions.
PREDICTION (My season record 9-1): The only obstacle that should be in the Zephyrs’ way is looking ahead to a possible rematch with Parkland next week ... Whitehall dumped Parkland, 45-42, two weeks ago, but Parkland is back playing at a high level ... Zephyrs have been efficient and effective on both sides of the ball, and they have shown the resiliency to bounce back when they have trailed ... Basketball is around the corner, and head boys’ coach Jeff Jones can pick me up an SMP cheesesteak ... ZEPHYRS, 38-14.








