Whitehall believes season can be saved despite frustrating slide
It was one of the best nights in Whitehall High football history.
On Sept. 10 in front of one of the biggest crowds in years at Zephyr Stadium, Saquon Barkley came back to his alma mater to have his number retired and Super Bowl champion Dan Koppen, another Whitehall graduate, was among the many Zephyrs alums in attendance.
The current team didn’t disappoint, rolling to a 30-6 win over Liberty and in so doing looked like the team everyone thought it would be with almost everyone back from a team that won the District 11 Class 5A crown last November.
The whole night was cause for celebration.
But the celebrations have been muted ever since for the Zephyrs.
A rash of injuries and a rugged schedule largely has contributed to a four-game slide that has Whitehall below .500 and in need of at least one win over either defending District 11 6A champ Nazareth or unbeaten Northampton to ensure a return to the 5A tournament.
Despite the mounting injuries and defeats, the Zephyrs are staying strong. They believe in each other as players and coaches and feel the next four games, which could include district semis and finals, will go a lot better than the last four games.
“It has been tough the last four weeks but we’re still in position to achieve everything we wanted to accomplish this season,” said senior Quinn Wentling, who had entered the season as one of the league’s top quarterbacks but has been limited to running the ball due to injury.
Wentling knew entering the season that he wouldn’t be 100% because of an injured throwing shoulder. It was hard to notice it being much of a factor in the first three weeks when Whitehall posted lopsided victories over Pocono Mountain West and Bethlehem Catholic in addition to the victory over Liberty.
“The problem is that I can’t get all the reps in practice that I would normally get because I’ve been told not to overdo it,” Wentling said. “It really hurts. It’s very hard to not get reps all week and have to play on Friday. So, our best option was to play Trey [Dogmanits] at quarterback. He’s doing a really great job and I am proud of him for going in there as a sophomore. He’s figuring it out and making his reads.”
Wentling has been used as a running back and said running the ball has always been his favorite thing to do.
The Zephyrs also lost one of their backs, Nigel Linton, to injury and Damonte Foreman has carried the load in the running attack along with Wentling. Foreman ran for 152 yards in a 21-7 loss to Allentown Central Catholic Saturday night and the three runners — Wentling, Foreman and Linton — have combined for 1,133 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Wentling and Linton are not the only ones who have been affected by injuries. Linebacker Michael Hernandez and defensive lineman Carter Hudak have also been out.
Whitehall coach Matt Senneca isn’t looking for excuses.
“Every team in the league is dealing with injuries,” he said. “Look around and how many starting quarterbacks are out and how many sophomores are playing in their place? We’re not the only ones dealing with it. It’s one of those years where everybody’s dealing with injuries. We’re trying to do the best we can.”
Senneca said the four-game losing streak starts with him.
“I need to do a better job with some things and getting back to some of the things we did earlier in the year,” he added. “The last four weeks we really haven’t had an identity on offense with Quinn being in and out and us not being sure whether he was going to play or not. We’re straightening all of that out now. But it starts with the coaching staff being able to put the kids in the best position.”
The one thing that hasn’t happened is a loss of positive attitude or effort or the start of the finger-pointing game.
“It’s not easy dropping four like we have, especially after the start we had,” Senneca said. “But we have a good bunch of seniors who have been through everything already. They went from 0-10 in 2019 to district champs last year. They’ve seen it all. They know this stretch is just part of it and they know we’re going to get through it and get through it together. We had a talk about that and said everybody has to have everybody’s back and they do. I have complete faith in our seniors.”
One of those seniors, wide receiver/safety Bryce Bashore, exudes leadership in talking about the turnaround he expects to come.
“We might be banged up, but we’re confident in the guys we have,” said Bashore, who leads the team with 19 receptions for 146 yards and is also a top tackler with two of the Zephs’ five interceptions on defense. “We’re just going to keep working and the one thing we can control is our own effort and that’s what we’re focused on.”
Bashore isn’t going to sugarcoat what has transpired. He said the four-game losing streak has been frustrating, but at the same time, he added there has been no drop-off in energy or enthusiasm at practice.
Many of 19 seniors grew up together playing in the Hokendauqua and Fullerton youth programs and were part of some solid teams at the middle school level.
“In our freshman year, we went 9-1, and it has been a tight group through the years,” Bashore said. “At the end of the day, we’re still a brotherhood and we look after our guys. When someone goes down, we’re looking for the next guy. We have a ‘next man up’ mentality. We’re just going to keep pushing with what we have and hope we get some of the seniors back who have been out.”
Bashore, Wentling, and Senneca all believe a turnaround is coming. They would like it to start Friday night at Andy Leh Stadium against a Nazareth team that is also highly motivated after a 35-7 loss to Emmaus.
“They’re a good football team, and they definitely have some athletes,” Bashore said. “But we have some athletes, too. I feel like if we can just get that one W, we’ll be back on the right track and feeling good and rolling again. We’ll be ready to go.”