Northampton football finishes strong in 4th quarter to down Whitehall, win back ‘Cement Bowl’ trophy

Halfway through the 2024 season, the Northampton Area High School football team is seeing the benefits of facing a more difficult schedule.

The Konkrete Kids, who won most of their games in the old Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, North Division via mercy rule in recent years, have not had a running clock in any of their first five games this fall.

Competing for four quarters is paying off for Northampton, as evidenced by its 41-10 win over rival Whitehall Friday night.

One year removed from a 45-44 overtime defeat where they ran out of gas, the Konkrete Kids scored four of their six touchdowns in the fourth quarter and left Whitehall with the "Cement Bowl" trophy.

"In the past, week one was always tough and, if (East Stroudsburg) South was in there or Stroudsburg was in there, maybe a tough game, then we'd have four easy ones. Now we've played five games all the way through," Northampton coach John Toman said. "Last time we made it to week 10 against Whitehall and we weren't in game shape and we died at the end. Obviously, we didn't die tonight. We were in pretty good shape and firing on all cylinders at the end of the game."

Northampton (3-2) has now beaten the Zephyrs (1-4) in three of the last four years.

"Getting that trophy raised, when we were down 10-7 at halftime, there's no better feeling," senior lineman Gavin Grell said.

"It feels great. Losing last year, right on the goal line and then going to overtime, then we lost on a two-point conversion, it was a little heartbreaking," senior defensive back Devlin Chevere said. "This year, came back, wanted some vengeance and got the 'W'."

A pair of questionable calls sparked the Konkrete Kids' scoring spree in the fourth quarter.

Northampton scored the only touchdown in the third quarter to take a 14-10 lead and looked to expand its lead on the first drive of the fourth.

Facing third-and-7 from the Zephyrs' 22, junior quarterback Gavin Taff's pass to the end zone fell incomplete, but pass interference was called. It looked far more like Northampton senior Ashton Green leaned in to Whitehall senior Trokon Kai than any sort of defensive pass interference but, the ball was moved to the Zephyrs' 11.

Two plays later, Taff reached the end zone on a 10-yard keep up the middle with 8:03 left to play.

Thanks in part to a personal foul and a pass interference call on the Konkrete Kids, Whitehall moved the ball 65 yards in just seven plays on the ensuing possession.

On second-and-2 from the 10, senior Brandon Bird seemed to be stopped for a short gain to the left but the ball ended up on the turf and Northampton junior Zander Rickert scooped up the recovery and took it 90 yards the other way for a touchdown.

Chevere, who caused the fumble, wasn't concerned during or after the game if Bird was down before the ball came out.

"I was just really focused on making a tackle, containing the edge. I just saw the ball on the ground, I don't worry about that," Chevere said. "I just worry about when the whistle is blown. I played to the whistle and Zander played to whistle, scooped and scored it and it took it for the touchdown."

Down 28-10 with five minutes left, Whitehall's next two possessions ended with a fumble, which happened on the first play of the drive, and then a short punt.

The Konkrete Kids capitalized with two more touchdown runs as senior reserve quarterback Aiden Hess scored from a yard out and junior Zeke Spencer scored from eight yards out.

Taff led Northampton in rushing with 70 yards on 13 carries.

"It was different for me, I usually don't," Taff said of running the ball as frequently as he did. "I had to come into this week knowing that was the plan. I just had to power through it."

"He played good tonight. He made good decisions with when to pass, when to run," Toman said of Taff's performance. "He ran well. We found something in there with the quarterback running."

That performance came one week after Taff frequently rotated in and out with Hess, who has primarily served as the Konkrete Kids' mobile threat at QB this fall, in a 16-7 loss to Liberty .

"We turned the page," Toman said of responding to the defeat.

Taff threw for 140 yards, with just three incompletions on 12 attempts, and two touchdowns. The junior hit senior Tymir Williams in stride on a 29-yard TD pass off play action in the second quarter and junior Cameron Hersch, who broke a tackle along the away sideline, for a 38-yard touchdown in the third.

"I have a lot of trust in both Tymir and Cameron Hersch," Taff said. "They're my playmakers, they're the guys I look for every play when I'm passing."

Senior Billy Struhldreher added 67 yards on the ground on 17 carries.

"It's awesome," Grell said with a smile of being able to run block so frequently. "It brings me back to watching like an old-fashioned football movie."

Northampton found a way to contain sophomore quarterback Tanner Dogmanits, who had 175 yards through the air and 88 on the ground, as the game went on and shut out the Zephyrs in the second half.

"Our defensive coordinator (Curtis Reigle), I think the best in the Lehigh Valley. He made adjustments at halftime," Grell said. "They were seeing stuff that we didn't see and we adjusted to it and we executed very well."

"Every single day at practice, we're running after practice," Chevere added of the Konkrete Kids' effort in the second half. "Every day, coaches are conditioning us."