Coming off two wins in battles of unbeaten and state-ranked teams, one might have thought Parkland could be in for a letdown Friday night.
But one would have thought wrong because this Trojans squad operates a little differently than most area teams.
Parkland, ranked third in the state in Class 6A behind only St. Joe’s Prep and Pittsburgh Central Catholic, routed Whitehall 36-7 and became the lone remaining Eastern Pennsylvania Conference unbeaten with Emmaus beating Bethlehem Catholic 10-0.
And, at the moment, the Trojans have separated themselves from the rest of the EPC and perhaps all of District 11 with another dominant performance.
Senior star Trey Tremba, the EPC’s top rusher and scorer, had 174 yards on eight carries and scored three touchdowns and senior quarterback Luke Spang threw for 149 yards and two scores.
Even with two key senior offensive linemen, Owen Broadhead and Kale Kumernitsky, out for awhile with significant injuries, Parkland hasn’t missed a beat. The Trojans have scored at least 31 points in all six of their wins.
“We’re getting there with our O-line,” Moncman said. “Mason Marcks and Evan Saylor [both juniors] have done a good job stepping in there and Trey had another good night, Spang threw the ball and we had some guys making catches.”
Connor Johns and Jendel Sanchez both had long TD receptions from Spang, breaking tackles on their runs after the catch.
“It definitely helps the team when you have a dual-threat at quarterback like Spang,” Johns, a 6-foot-3 senior, said after hauling in a 36-yard score that set the mercy rule in motion with 10:47 left in the third quarter. “It’s a testament to how many weapons we truly have. We can just pick our poison with who we want to go to and our passing game really opens up holes for Trey in the running game.”
For Sanchez, just getting back out on the field was a victory of sorts after he missed the last 12 games of Parkland’s 9-5 2022 season that included the District 11 6A title.
“I just played two games last year and I didn’t even get to finish that second game either,” he said. “It was a hamstring injury that I suffered against Nazareth and it lingered through the whole season. But it feels amazing to be back on the field with my teammates. We’re undefeated right now and hopefully it will continue.”
Parkland scored the first two times it had the ball, getting TD runs from Tremba who now has 988 yards rushing this season with at least four more games scheduled and postseason contests to follow.
Spang was 9-for-10 in the air in the first half and it was his 43-yard strike to Sanchez that made it 20-0. Even a botched snap on the PAT was turned into points as holder Satoshi Rosenblum got the loose ball and flipped it to kicker Aidan Gallagher for the two-point conversion.
Whitehall had opportunities to score and keep the game competitive, but had a 35-yard touchdown pass from Trey Dogmanits to Jack Kocher negated by a holding penalty and then missed a field goal attempt. The visitors had seven penalties for 88 yards overall compared to two infractions for 12 yards by Parkland.
Another Zephyrs drive that produced a first-and-goal at the Parkland 5 also ended without points as Sanchez made an interception in the end zone.
With Whitehall’s leading rusher Dalton Wickel sidelined by injury, Carter Troxell got the lion’s share of the Zephyrs carries and Dogmanits also made big plays with his feet. Whitehall had 254 yards and was balanced with 131 in the air and 123 on the ground. Dogmanits ran for 61 and passed for 131.
But the lone Zephyrs score came on a 15-yard run by Troxell with seven minutes left and the mercy rule already in effect.
“We gave up a little on those [Dogmanits] scrambles but when it came time to keep them out of the end zone, we did,” Moncman said. “Our kids responded. They’re focused. We still have a tough road ahead but they’re playing well right now. Hopefully, they’ll stay healthy and keep it rolling.”
Parkland plays winless at Allen next, but returns home to play Becahi on Oct. 13 and then finishes the regular season with games against Easton and Emmaus. The Trojans haven’t been unbeaten this late into a season since 2017 when they started 13-0 before losing to St. Joe’s Prep, 49-14, in the state quarterfinals.
Whitehall, which had a three-game winning streak snapped, fell to 4-2 overall and 3-2 in the division. First-year coach Andy Marino got his team back on track after a Week 2 loss to Bethlehem Catholic and will have to do it again with a home game against Nazareth coming next.
The series
While Whitehall won the 2022 game, 32-31 in overtime, Parkland holds a 34-20 in a series that began in 1974 and has won 23 of the last 27 meetings. The Trojans also hold a 3-1 edge in District 11 playoff games. They met once in the finals, a 42-7 Parkland win in 1998.
For the record
According to District 11 statistician Duke Helm, Whitehall quarterback Trey Dogmanits entered the night with 37 TD passes and was tied with Mike Gnall for the school record. Gnall’s 37 scoring tosses came from 2002-05. Whitehall has eight QBs who have thrown for 30 or more TD passes. Matt Shultz 32 (from 1993-95), Chris Hudak 32 (from 1995-97), Brad Wagner 30 (1999-02), Chris Polony 33 (2008-10), Nick Shafnisky 31 (2010-12). Giani Sinatore 33 (2013-15), Zachary Gilbert 32 (2014-16) and Ethan Parvel 33 (2016-17).
Scoring summary
Whitehall 0 – 0 – 0 – 7 —7
Parkland 14 – 8 – 14 – 0 —36
FIRST QUARTER
P: Trey Tremba 15 run (Aidan Gallagher kick), 8:09
P: Tremba 61 run (Gallagher kick), 4:48
SECOND QUARTER
P: Jendel Sanchez 43 pass from Luke Spang (Gallagher pass from Satoshi Rosenblum), 5:56
THIRD QUARTER
P: Tremba 80 run (Gallagher kick), 11:47
P: Johns 36 pass from Spang (Gallagher kick), 10:47
FOURTH QUARTER
W: Carter Troxell 15 run (Andrew Deutsch kick), 7:10
Individual stats
RUSHING
Whitehall (36 for 123): Dogmanits 15-61; Troxell 16-55,TD; Huffort 4-7; Kocher 1-0.
Parkland (25 for 235): Tremba 8-174, 3 TDs; Corsa 8-39; Rosenblum 3-3; Spang 2-8; Lawrence 2-11; Nassry 1-6; Adams 1-(-6).
PASSING
Whitehall: Dogmanits 8-25-1, 131 yards.
Parkland: Spang 10-11-0, 149 yards, 2 TDs; Nassry 1-1-0, 5 yards.
RECEIVING
Whitehall: Kocher 3-65; Weaver 3-46; Dogmanits 1-11; Bashore 1-9.
Parkland: Sanchez 3-62, TD; Johns 3-47, TD; Tremba 3-15; Dauberman 1-25; Jean-Baptiste 1-5.
