Whitehall survives to win Cement Bowl battle with Northampton

FROM THE MORNING CALL

Whitehall won the turnover battle. It amassed a sizable edge in total yards and controlled the time of possession.

The Zephyrs still needed to sweat out every play before knowing they would reclaim the Cement Bowl trophy from Northampton.

The Konkrete Kids' final drive of the game Friday night took them as close as Whitehall's 19-yard line. Northampton took two cracks at the end zone in the final minute, trying to use tight end Dan Riley's size to produce a go-ahead touchdown.


Whitehall defended both passes, allowing it to escape with a 20-16 Lehigh Valley Conference football win at Al Erdosy Field.

"This is high school football, and they're all tough," Whitehall coach Tony Trisciani said after watching his team improve to 7-1 overall and 6-1 in the LVC, keeping it tied with Easton for second place in the LVC. "Northampton, this is a rivalry game for us. They got the best of us the last two years. It's a big win, really, and especially the way we did it. We had some chances to put the game away with a couple of field goals and a penalty down there that killed a drive.

"I really wish we would have put those in and finished the deal, but we responded. Our kids showed some resilience. They got us on our heels, and we just kept playing. I'm real proud of the kids for playing that way."

Eric Fiore and Tyler Artim delivered some of the biggest plays for Whitehall as it snapped Northampton's three-game winning streak. Fiore ran 25 times for 132 yards and three touchdowns, the last one a 1-yard plunge with 11:54 to play to give the Zephyrs the lead. He also caught four passes for 54 yards.

Artim (seven catches, 73 yards) set up the game-winning drive by intercepting Patrick Cook at Northampton's 42-yard line late in the third quarter. That was the lone turnover of the game.

"We needed a play, and Tyler's a playmaker," Fiore said. "He really pulled through and got it for us."

Northampton (4-4, 3-4) played a gritty second half despite losing leading rusher Chad Fenon to injury in the second quarter. The Konkrete Kids finished the first half with 8 rushing yards but opened the second half with a 53-yard touchdown drive where all the yards came on the ground. John Lambert had 41 of his team-high 62 yards on that drive, which ended with Cook sneaking for a 1-yard touchdown and a 16-13 lead.

The Konkrete Kids did not have a first down on their next three possessions but still had a chance to pull out a win thanks in part to three missed field goals by the Zephyrs. Northampton hit a 36-yard pass from Cook to Tony DiClemente to move into Whitehall territory and pushed the ball to the Zephyrs' 19-yard line. A sack and an intentional grounding call cost Northampton 17 yards, but the Konkrete Kids moved the ball back to the 21 before Cook missed his final two passes to Riley.

"We kind of went back to basics in the second half," Northampton coach Bob Steckel said. "We didn't get too fancy. We didn't do anything out of the ordinary. The O-line stepped up a little bit, and Johnny Lambert played his heart out tonight. I wish it would have gone a little different for us in the end, but the kids fought from beginning to end."

While Northampton saw its playoff chances damaged, Whitehall remained in the hunt for the top seed in the Districts 2-4-11 Class 4A subregional playoffs. The Zephyrs host 6-2 Nazareth, another team in the hunt for a high district seed, next week.

"That was a little too close for comfort," Fiore said, "but a win's a win, and we're 7-1."

http://www.mcall.com/sports/varsity/mc-football-northampton-1022-20101022,0,5524566.story