Northampton complete perfect EPC seasons with win over Whitehall – The Morning Call

It’s exactly 10 multiplied by two.

The Northampton Konkrete Kids completed their second straight 10-0 Eastern Pennsylvania Conference season with a 42-7 win over Whitehall on Senior Night at Al Erdosy Stadium on Friday night.

Coach John Toman’s K-Kids clinched the North Division title a few weeks ago, and this week they add to their considerable power in the South Division as a playoff preview.

Northampton displayed a huge array of attacking weapons against Whitehall.

Junior Kaden Henrizzi was the headliner with 168 yards, including his 1,000th of the season, and four touchdowns. Classmate Tristen Pinnock had a 72-yard rush for a TD, and the senior team of quarterback Antonino Russo and offensive tackle Jaylen Richardson had a 53-yard field goal.

“We had a great week of practice,” Henrizzi said. “We were motivated and we were locked in this week. Our goal from the beginning of the season was to go 10-0 again. We took advantage of our opportunity.”

The K-Kids showed off their offensive versatility in the first half.

On their first possession of the night, they drove 75 yards on 16 plays (all runs) to take a 7-0 lead. They consumed 9 minutes 47 seconds of game clock. Henrizzi finished the possession with a 9-yard dash up the middle.

On the second drive, they needed just three plays to reach the end zone. The payoff was a 53-yard pinpoint bomb that Russo threw to a wide-open Richardson.

“The line opened up huge holes for us to do our thing,” said Henrizzi, who rushed for 113 yards and the lone TD in last year’s 7-0 win over Whitehall. “Then when you get players coming into the field, you go over the top. It was open.”

Northampton, who had eight of their 10 opponents ruled at mercy, pulled away throughout the second half.

Henrizzi scored on runs of 7 and 24 yards nine seconds apart in the third quarter. The K-Kids have forced three straight turnovers, one on a fumble and two on interceptions. Michael Coleman, Pinnock and Richardson intercepted the ball for Northampton. Coleman came on late in the first half of the game.

The Cubs totaled 299 yards rushing and 89 passing yards.

Much of the credit for their offensive success goes to their experienced O-line, Toman said, a unit that includes senior three-year starters Christian Bundra and Luke Baker, along with junior center Colby Reff.

“We knew coming in here that everybody was saying we were a southern team and that we weren’t going to do anything,” said Reff, a 6-foot, 270-pound starter. “We came out and managed a different team. We have faith. We know what we can do.”

Toman liked the way his team practiced throughout the week and it carried over into Friday night’s game.

“The kids were fired up all week playing this game,” said Thoman, in his second season at Northampton. “We play this whole South vs. North game and the kids were ready to play the South team. It was a rivalry, so we had an extra boost all week in training. This senior and junior class are getting focused on what needs to be done and they are practicing very hard. It shows on the field.”

Whitehall were successful, at times, moving the ball in the first 24 minutes. The Zephyrs had two drives inside the K-Kids’ 25 – the first a fumble and the second an interception in the end zone.

Senior running back Nigel Linton broke the 1,000-yard mark in the first half. He finished with 111 yards on 18 carries, including a 49-yard dash early in the final quarter.

Coach Matt Seneca’s Zephyrs finished the regular season 5-5 overall and 4-4 in EPC South play.

Photo of the playoffs

Northampton and Whitehall will play in the District 11 postseason starting next week.

The Konkrete Kids took part in Friday night’s No. 3 contest in the Class 6A sub-regional. Most likely, they will play the quarter-final game at Al-Erdasi Stadium. (Eight teams qualify for the 6A tournament.)

The Zephyrs were No. 2 in the district’s Class 5A standings before Friday night’s game. They will likely play Pleasant Valley in the semifinal round. (Four teams qualify in 5A.)

Michael Blues is a freelance writer.

NORTHAMPTON 42, WHITEHALL 7

Whitehall 0 0 0 7 – 7

Northampton 0 14 14 14 – 42

The second quarter

N: Kaden Henrizzi 9 run (Aaron Gutkowski kick) 8:46 (Drive: 16 plays, 75 yards, 9:47).

N: Jaylen Richardson 53 pass from Antonin Russo (Gutkowski kick) 3:18 (Drive: 3 plays, 68 yards, 1:20).

The third quarter

N: Henrici 7 run (Gutkowski kick) 6:48 (drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 5:12).

N: Henrici 24 run (Gutkowski kick) 6:39 (Drive: 1 play, 24 yards, :07).

The fourth quarter

W: Nigel Linton 49 run (Andrew Deutsch kick) 10:52 (Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 2:13).

N: Henrici 19 run (Gutkowski kick) 7:12 (Drive: 7 plays, 52 yards, 3:38).

N: Tristen Pinak, 5 run (Gutkowski kick) 3:48 (Drive: 6 plays, 33 yards, 2:43).

SEPARATE STATISTICS

HURRY UP

Whitehall (22-113): Linton 18-111, 1 TD; Trey Dogmanitz 3-5; Brayden Bashore 1-(-3).

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Northampton (51-299): Henry 26-168, 4 TD; Pinok 15-72, 1 TD; A. Ya. Slivki 5-31; Rusa 5-28.

TRANSITION

Whitehall: Dogmantis 12-24-3 for 101.

Northampton: Russo 2-5-0 for 89, 1 TD.

RECEIVING

Whitehall (11-101): Jack Kocher 6-35; Bashor 3-40; Clara Finland 2-18; Aiden Parwell 1-8.

Northampton (2-89): Richardson 1-53, 1 TD; Henry 1-36.