LEHIGHTON — Tom McCarroll said Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it any better.
The final game in the 75-year history of Lehighton Stadium will be for a championship.
McCarroll’s Indians will play their final game in the current stadium Saturday when they host Colonial League champion Saucon Valley for the District 11 Class AAA championship at 7:05 p.m.
Lehighton, the Anthracite Football League champ, is looking to win its first outright district crown since beating Easton 12-0 in 1987.
“It’s kind of special,” McCarroll said. “We’ve talked to the kids about it. This place has had so much tradition and so much history, it’s kind of neat that it’s able to host a championship game for its last game, no matter what happens.
“We’ve talked to the kids about embracing that and trying to leave a lasting mark.”
Lehighton will move to a new, artificial turf stadium located next to the current high school for the 2016 season. That stadium is not quite finished, as the fieldhouse building is not completed, the scoreboard is not installed, parking lots must be paved and landscaping around the facility still needs to be done.
The current facility, located about three blocks away at the corner of Beaver Run Road and Mahoning Street, is cramped and cozy. There’s limited seating and no track, with the fans basically standing right on top of the field.
For the Indians’ 13 seniors, that’s OK. The atmosphere they got to experience in Saturday’s 27-7, semifinal victory over Blue Mountain was one they’ll never forget.
“It’s crazy,” senior tackle/linebacker Connor Frey said. “There’s nothing like being able to run out (of the locker room), slapping your fans’ hands. If you score a touchdown or make a play, there’s nothing like seeing your friends and your family right there. That’s something that’s going to be missed down at the new field.
“It’s going to be real electric. Hopefully this week we can get two or three deep (around the field). When you make a big hit, the whole place erupts. There’s not a better feeling.”
Lehighton’s last District 11 title was in 2001, when the Indians shared the crown with Blue Mountain after both schools lost in different subregional finals.
Lehighton also hosted the 1991 District 11 Class AAA championship game, losing 36-26 to Allentown Central Catholic.
To send out Lehighton Stadium in grand style, the Indians are going to have to beat a Saucon Valley squad that has rolled to an 11-0 record, outscoring its opponents 486-154.
Behind the running of senior Evan Culver, who has rushed for 2,125 yards and 34 touchdowns, the Panthers have notched wins over playoff qualifiers Salisbury (39-15), Southern Lehigh (49-30), Northwestern Lehigh (27-21), Notre Dame-Green Pond (42-35) and Palisades (49-7).
Senior quarterback Zach Thatcher provides balance to the offense, completing 50-of-76 passes for 973 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for 832 yards and 14 scores.
Culver rushed for 164 yards and a 68-yard touchdown in Saturday’s 14-6 semifinal victory over Bethlehem Catholic, while Thatcher had a 9-yard scoring strike to Alstan Wolfe.
The Panthers lost 49-7 to Bethlehem Catholic in last year’s District 11 final. Their only district crown came in 2004 when they reached the Class AA subregional final and lost to Lansdale Catholic.
“I’m super impressed with them. They’re kind of old-school,” McCarroll said of Saucon Valley. “They go I backs, tight end, two receivers, quarterback under center and they come at you. They don’t throw the ball too often, but when they do they’re pretty effective with it.”
Saucon Valley is also big and experienced up front.
All five Saucon Valley linemen — tackles Cody Zrinski (6-4, 300) and Trey Polak (6-2, 250), guards Christian Carvis (6-0, 185) and Ryan Myers (6-2, 250), and center Stephen Good (5-8, 200) — earned All-Colonial League honors.
“They’re going to try to establish the line of scrimmage and pound it down our throat,” McCarroll said. “But we’ve had a couple of teams this year that are similar, in the same ballpark.
“Blue Mountain up front is pretty close in terms of size. Governor Mifflin is pretty close to (Saucon) in terms of size and style. It’s nice at least for us to see that kind of team and have some success against it.”
Lehighton will counter Saucon Valley’s potent offense with an opportunistic defense that has forced 27 turnovers — 15 interceptions, 12 fumbles — and a safety. Five of the Indians’ interceptions have been returned for touchdowns, including one by Wyatt Clements in Saturday’s win over Blue Mountain.
“Turnovers are huge for us,” Frey said. “One of the things our coach preaches is that you can’t play tentative. You have to take chances, you have to go hard all the time. You can’t play tentative, or you won’t cause turnovers. We’re always looking to make a play.”
Offensively, the Indians are led by the running of Clements (1,546 yards, 22 TDs) and the passing of Tyler Cann, who has completed 103-of-156 passes for 1,572 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Cann threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns against the Eagles, throwing key TD passes to Tegan Durishin and Cody Scherer. He’s part of a senior class that is 25-8 over the past three seasons with three straight District 11 playoff appearances.
He’s hoping to send out Lehighton Stadium in style.
“I remember coming here since I was little,” Cann said. “I was a water boy when my cousins played, and it’s been a lot of fun playing here. What a better way to send it out than by winning a district championship.”
Frey, who will wrestle next fall at NCAA Division I Old Dominion, echoed those remarks.
“The tradition here is unreal,” Frey said. “If we win a district championship here, this will be a team that’s never forgotten. We’ll be that last team that’s won a district championship on that field.
“We owe it to all the alumni who have come through here to leave the field on a winning note and retire it in a good way.”
Game Preview
District 11 AAA Final
Saucon Valley (11-0)
at Lehighton (11-0)
Players to Watch: Saucon Valley — RB Evan Culver; Lehighton — RB/LB Wyatt Clements
Storyline: A matchup of two unbeaten league champions with potent offenses and strong defenses in the final game at Lehighton’s old stadium. The team that controls the line of scrimmage and wins the turnover battle will prevail.
Up Next: Winner faces the District 2 champion, either Scranton Prep or Berwick, in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs next Friday at a District 2 site.