LEHIGHTON — With an Anthracite Football League title and an undefeated regular season in sight, Lehighton scored early and often Friday against visiting Tamaqua for a 43-7 victory that sets the stage for a Week 10 showdown against arch-rival Jim Thorpe.
Wyatt Clements set the tone with a 68-yard touchdown run on the second offensive play for the Indians (9-0, 8-0 AFL), who led 26-0 at halftime. Clements finished with 164 yards rushing on 12 carries, with six Indians getting into the scoring column.
With Blue Mountain defeating previously undefeated Jim Thorpe 31-7, the Indians are in position to win the AFL title outright by defeating the Olympians (8-1, 7-1 AFL). If Jim Thorpe upsets Lehighton, the league would end in a three-way tie for first place if Blue Mountain (8-1, 7-1 AFL) defeats Schuylkill Haven (5-4, 4-4 AFL).
Lehighton quarterback Tyler Cann was under pressure on most passing attempts, but still completed 13-of-22 passes for 166 yards and two first-half touchdowns. His 25-yard touchdown pass to Cody Scherer capped an 11-play, 72-yard drive with 4:18 left in the first quarter.
After holding the Blue Raiders (4-5, 3-5 AFL) on downs early in the second quarter, it took just two plays for the Indians to cover 53 yards and take a 20-0 lead on a 42-yard pass from Cann to Nick Chambers. Moments later, Tanner Haydt returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown to give Lehighton a 26-0 lead.
“Our kids really came out jacked up tonight and understand what’s on the line,” Lehighton coach Tom McCarroll said. “We weren’t taking Tamaqua for granted because we knew how well they had played against some very good teams.
“I know it’s a cliche, but we really aren’t looking past anyone, so I wasn’t worried about our team looking past Tamaqua to the game against Jim Thorpe. This game tonight is all that mattered, and it was good to work so many people into the offense.”
Tamaqua used a six-play, 68-yard drive to score on its first possession of the second half, getting a 45-yard touchdown pass from Thad Zuber to Zeke Wassell on fourth-and-12. That drive was the only time the Raiders moved the ball as their running game was held in check until freshman Nick Breiner broke loose for 82 of his 83 yards on the final drive.
“Lehighton is an outstanding team and they have a lot of athletes,” Tamaqua coach Sam Bonner said. “We gave up some big plays, but we played tough. Nothing matters now except getting ready for Marian.”
Following the scoring drive by Tamaqua, the Indians showed their depth in the running game by getting touchdown runs by Tegan Durishin of 7 yards and Mike Mayernik of 15 yards in the third quarter. Durishin kicked a 23-yard field goal with 8:16 left in the fourth quarter to put the game into the mercy rule with a running clock.
Leading rusher Bud Moyer was limited to 40 yards on 22 carries for the Raiders, but played a strong defensive game at linebacker.
Game Summary
Tam (4-5, 3-5) 0 0 7 0 — 7
Leh (9-0, 8-0) 13 13 14 3 — 43
L — Clements 68 run (Cordova kick)
L — Scherer 25 pass from Cann (kick failed)
L — Chambers 42 pass from Cann (Cordova kick)
L — Haydt 38 interception return (kick blocked)
T — Wassell 45 pass from Zuber (Devlin kick)
L — Durishin 7 run (Durishin kick)
L — Mayernik 15 run (Durishin kick)
L — FG Durishin 23
Tam Leh
First Downs 6 19
Rushes-Yards 37-116 37-217
Passes 6-13-1 13-22-0
Passing Yards 87 166
Total Yards 203 383
Fumbles-Lost 3-3 1-1
Penalties 3-35 3-15
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Tamaqua — Breiner 10-83, Moyer 22-40, Dannenfelser 2-2, Zuber 3-(-9). Lehighton — Clements 12-164, Mayernik 7-45, Scherer 3-23, Durishin 1-7, E. Skrinkosky 1-4, Whiteman 1-2, Christman 1-0, Troxell 2-0, Shupp 1-(-2), Cann 8-(-26).
PASSING: Tamaqua — Zuber 6-13-1, 87. Lehighton — Cann 13-22-0, 166.
RECEIVING: Tamaqua — Titus 2-37, Moyer 2-4, Wassell 1-45, Dannenfelser 1-1. Lehighton — Durishin 6-49, Scherer 2-43, E. Skrinkosky 2-23, Chambers 1-42, Strubinger 1-11, Clements 1-(-2).
INTERCEPTIONS: Lehighton — Haydt.