Zephyrs hang on in thriller
Cement Bowl decided on final play in OT
The late Tom Landry – the revered former coach of the Dallas Cowboys – used to say it’s not what you do in a game, but when you do it.
Whitehall proved that on Friday night.
In what looked like could turn into a Northampton blowout in the opening quarter, the resilient Zephyrs fought back again and again.
For the third time this season, Whitehall went to overtime and pulled out a win, this one for the Cement Bowl as they edged a tough Northampton team 45-44 in overtime at Al Erdosy Stadium.
Braden Bashore intercepted Gavin Taff ’s two-point conversion attempt pass in the end zone to seal Whitehall’s sixth win of the year (6-4) while Northampton lost for the second time this season, this one a real heartbreaker.
Whitehall quarterback Trey Dogmanits overcame two interceptions -– including one returned 50 yards for a touchdown by A.J. Slivka – to complete 15 of 26 pass for 203 yards and three touchdowns.
Jack Kocher pulled in five passes for 114 yards, the highlight a 75-yard scoring pass in the the second quarter when he beat the Konkrete Kids secondary and outran them the last 45 yards.
Northampton looked nearly unstoppable with Caden Henritzy carrying the ball 29 times for 218 yards and two TDs in the slugfest that saw the lead change continuously in the intense contest.
Whitehall running back Dalton Wickel, in his second game back fromanelbowinjury,carried20times for 92 yards and three touchdowns, the most important in overtime on a 1-yard plunge. Andrew Deutsch nailed the kick for a 45-38 lead.
Northampton got into the end zone to pull within one when Taff found Sincere Wadlington for an 8-yard TD pass, but wasn’t as fortunate on the two-point attempt.
The loss drops the Kids to 9-2, a playoff spot clinched, and one more regular-season game left with Catasauqua on Thanksgiving Day.
Whitehall (6-4) also has a playoff spot clinched. The Zephyrs took the lead for the first time all night when Trey Dogmanits found his brother Talon in the end zone with 2:24 left in the third quarter for a 21-yard touchdown pass and a 24-23 lead thanks to Deutsch’s PAT.
Northampton regained the lead on a 21-yard scoring run by Taff just 7 seconds into the fourth quarter to go up 30-24. Whitehall put together a 10-play, 76-yard drive capped by Wickel scoring from with 8 yards out to regain the lead at 31-30.
Northampton needed just six plays to take the lead again with Slivka scoring from the 1, and the two-point conversion pass to Devlin Chevere giving the Kids a sevenpoint lead.
Whitehall tied the game on an eight-play drive after Kocher returned the ensuing kick 61 yards to the Northampton 33. Dogmanits hit Kaden Weaver for a 9-yard touchdown pass, Deutsch’s kick was good, and the Zephyrs held off the Northampton offense for the final 31 seconds of regulation.
Fans at Northampton’s Senior Night were treated to a donnybrook in the opening half with the Kids taking a 23-17 lead into the locker room.
Three explosive plays highlighted the opening half, with Northampton scoring on two of them, Whitehall the other.
Henritzy, who had 173 yards and two touchdown on 20 carries in the first two quarters, ripped off a 75-yard scoring run in the second quarter to put the Kids up 17-7 just 1:50 after Whitehall got on the scoreboard with an 11-yard run by Wickel.
Whitehall looked to be putting together a methodical drive on the next possession when Slivka stepped in front of a Trey Dogmanits pass and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown. The PAT failed and Northampton led 23-7 with 5:02 left in the half.
Dogmanits answered right back for the Zephyrs, finding Kocher on a short post, and Kocher turned on the afterburners to outrun the Kids secondary for a 75-yard touchdown catch.
Taff fumbled an attempted handoff with Henritzy on the Kids’ next possession and Whitehall’s Justus Miles recovered at the 10. An encroachment penalty put the ball on the 5, but the Zephyrs couldn’t move the ball forward and had to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Deutsch to cut the score to 23-17 at intermission.
Northampton scored on its first two possessions of the game, going up 10-0. Henritzy was the proverbial workhorse with 14 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown in the first 12 minutes. Whitehall’s second possession ended late in the quarter when Michael Coleman intercepted Trey Dogmanits at the Northampton 39 with 32 seconds left.
Whitehall’s defense stiffened on the next possession, and then a bad snap to punter Aaron Gutkowski forced him to throw the ball away, and he was called for intentional grounding, pushing the ball back to the Northampton 11 to set the table for Wickel’s 11-yard scoring run.