Waiting a year for shot at redemption
Whitehall DC Beller among those wanting to avenge last year’s heartbreaker
As Dieruff ’s head coach for seven seasons, Kyle Beller experienced plenty of frustrating nights.
But those tough nights with the Huskies might have paled in comparison to what Beller felt at Lehighton Area High School last Nov. 12. As Whitehall’s defensive coordinator that night, Beller was left exasperated trying to stop an East Stroudsburg South comeback in the District 11 Class 5A title game.
The Zephyrs had leads of 13-0, 27-6, 33-21, and 41-27 in the fourth quarter, only to have the Cavaliers rally to tie it with 19 seconds left in regulation and win 47-41 in overtime.
Now, precisely a year later, Beller and Whitehall have another chance at the gold as the Zephyrs face Southern Lehigh at 7 p.m. Saturday at Catasauqua High School for the 2022 5A crown.
Whitehall coach Matt Senneca has talked several times about how last year’s district loss motivated this year’s players and coaches to work hard to get back to this game. No one has worked harder than Beller.
“We’ve talked a lot about the feelings we had that night,” Beller said. “Matt hired me to be the defensive coordinator last year and I really felt that we let him down. It was a heartbreaker. The way that game went and the points we gave up in the second half left such a bad taste and gave us the feeling that we wanted to get back here.”
Beller said 10 of 11 starters on defense had to be replaced and the new group has put in the time and effort to make six wins and a return to the finals possible.
“A couple of kids played sporadically throughout last year, but the kids coming back were determined to get the job done and they’ve done a great job,” Beller said. “But the job isn’t done yet. In Southern Lehigh, we’re playing a really good football team that plays hard and gets after it.”
Whitehall beat Southern Lehigh 43-14 in last year’s semifinals, but Beller admitted: “We got a couple of breaks in that game. You see some lopsided scores, but it’s often some little breaks that turn a game that way.”
Beller said he and the defensive staff insist on doing all the little things right.
“And that stems from the fact that we didn’t do the little things right in that game against East Stroudsburg South,” he said. “Our fundamentals really went out the window and one of the big things we looked at in the offseason was why that happened. What did we do as a defensive staff to let that happen that night? So now we focus non-stop on doing the little things right.”
Southern Lehigh is 9-2 and won eight straight in between a season-opening loss to Quakertown and a defeat to Northwestern Lehigh in the regular-season finale.
The Spartans lost quarterback Avery Koser before the Northwestern game, but Beller respects what Southern Lehigh does offensively.
“They’re going to come out and run it right at us and we’ve got to be ready to stop their running game because they do it well,” Beller said. “They’ve had success running the ball all year and our kids know they’re going to be in for a physical challenge.”
After leaving Dieruff following the 2018 season, Beller spent two years on the coaching staff at Bethlehem Catholic, and now he’s in his second year at Whitehall.
This is his first opportunity at winning a gold medal, and it’s an opportunity he treasures after going 22-37 at Dieruff.
Beller is proud of what he was able to accomplish at Dieruff, taking over a program that had lost 30 straight games when he was hired in 2012, and he led the program to a 5-5 mark in his second season.
But what he appreciates at Whitehall is that tradition still matters and there are many in the community who want the program to succeed.
“There’s great tradition still at Whitehall and a huge community offering support starting with the booster club,” Beller said. “They bring back alums to talk at our team dinners and they’re always talking about family. And the people who come back talk about what Whitehall football meant to them. It’s awesome to be around that.”
Beller said it would be awesome to see the players he coaches get gold draped around their necks late Saturday night.
“As a coach, I’ve always felt that kids win the games, but the coaches can sometimes lose them and my job this week is to get them as ready as I can, don’t make any bad calls, and put them in position to succeed,” he said. “We had our highs and lows this year, and we’ve had some really good games on defense and some really bad games on defense. But the kids have never stopped working and they have earned their shot at this championship.”
A closer look at the 5A and 4A title games:
5A championship
The matchup: No. 1 seed Southern Lehigh (9-2) vs. No. 3 Whitehall (6-5)
When/where: 7 p.m. Saturday at Catasauqua’s Alumni Field.
At stake: A berth in the state tournament against the District 2 champ Delaware Valley (7-5).
The storylines: Whitehall is going for its second district 5A title in three years and fourth since the 5A class was created in 2016. Zephyrs also won district gold in 1986, 1989, and 1997. Southern Lehigh is looking for its second district title overall. The Spartans beat East Stroudsburg South 52-35 for the 5A crown in 2019. Whitehall has beaten Southern Lehigh four times in the playoffs since 2016. The Zephyrs prevailed over the Spartans in semifinal games the last two years. In 2016, Whitehall beat Southern Lehigh 35-14 in the finals and 34-17 in the 2017 title game.
Players to watch: Southern Lehigh is led by Cade Sawyer who has run for 1,349 yards and 20 TDs and averages 6 yards per carry. As a replacement for injured Avery Koser, Christopher Fritts has completed 20 of 36 passes for 153 yards. Tyler Rizzuto has 24 receptions for 466 yards and three TDs; Andrew Olesh has 21 grabs for 193 yards and Jack Inglish has 5 TD receptions among his 12 catches for 334 yards. Whitehall’s offense has been led by Nigel Linton, who has run for 1,155 yards and 15 TDs. Quarterback Trey Dogmanits has completed 135 of 243 passes for 1,500 yards and 16 TDs. Jack Kocher has 43 catches for 484 yards and 4 TDs and Braden Bashore has snared 34 passes for
375 yards and 6 TDs. Carter Troxell heads the defense with 71 tackles, including six for loss, and has five interceptions.
What to expect: Southern Lehigh will try to run the ball against a Whitehall defense that has given up a lot of rushing yards against several EPC South teams. The Zephyrs will likely counter by trying to throw the ball and get the lightning-fast Linton out in space. As an underdog in the eyes of most, expect Southern Lehigh to play aggressively and empty out its offensive playbook. Whitehall must avoid turnovers and other mistakes that could allow the Spartans an upset opportunity.
Keith Groller’s prediction: Whitehall 35-22
4A championship
The matchup: No. 1 seed Bethlehem Catholic (6-5) vs. No. 2 Allentown Central Catholic (6-5)
When/where: 4 p.m. Saturday at Whitehall At stake: A berth in the Class 4A tournament against the District 4 champ Jersey Shore (12-0).
The storylines: One of the great rivalries in Lehigh Valley high school football is renewed with another edition of the so-called Holy War. The Vikings and Golden Hawks have each won 13 district titles, the most of any area program. They have met numerous times in the postseason with the most recent meeting being a 38-17 win in the 2020 semifinals. They also met two weeks ago with the Golden Hawks prevailing 14-13 in overtime at BASD Stadium on a two-point conversion pass from Luke Thomas to Jaiden Ellis-Lahey. Players to watch: Central Catholic’s offense has been centered around a ground attack led by Caiden Shaffer (858 yards, 17 TDs). Becahi counters with the 1-2 punch of Jacob Sutton (580 yards, 5 TDs) and Rahmel Terry (499 yards, 8 TDs). Central’s Jareel Calhoun leads the EPC with 67 catches for 587 yards and three TDs while Becahi’s Eric Wert and Jaiden Ellis-Lahey have combined for 70 receptions for 947 yards and 12 scores. The Golden Hawks have gotten improved play from QB Luke Thomas who has thrown for 1,416 yards and 13 TDs. Tamlin Ferguson, who took over the job late in the season, has thrown for 709 yards and 7 TDs.
What to expect: An evenly-matched game much like the first meeting on Oct. 28. Both teams have talented players on both sides of the ball. This one could come down to the defenses and Central might have a slight edge with Ethan Hosak, who leads the EPC with 101 stops, leading the charge along with Braheem Battles, Griffin Patridge, and Matt Keyes.
Keith Groller’s prediction: Allentown
Central Catholic 28-21
Keith Groller’s EPC football prediction record is 78-22.