The playoffs haven't officially started but don't tell that to Lehighton.

For the Indians, the postseason began weeks ago.Knowing they'd have to string a bunch of wins together to defintely play in Week 11, the Tribe have come out with added intensity the past month.Friday night was no different as Tom McCarroll's club gained a lead in the second quarter, expanded it in the third and put the contest away in the fourth. Fueled by their explosive playmakers, Lehighton cruised to a 48-6 win over host Tamaqua."This game tonight wasn't going to get us in the playoffs but if we lost it, it would probably take that chance away," said McCarroll, whose club has now won four straight games. "So, we've been coaching and playing with a playoff mentality since the Marian game (back on Oct. 3) and our kids have responded. I'm so proud of our effort and if we continue to play this way we're going to be a tough team to beat."Our playmakers have been making plays when we need them to ... If we're in a tough spot, we need our playmakers to come up big in those situations."Two of the biggest plays, both on fourth down, came near intermission one right before the half and the other right after it.With the Indians (7-2) clinging to a 12-6 lead and faced with a fourth-and-four, Cann fired a strike to Tom Ruzicka. The senior receiver grabbed the pass, made a cut and broke away for a 43-yard touchdown that extended the advantage just 52 seconds before halftime."It was just a little out pattern that we thought Tommy could beat his guy to the edge," said McCarroll. "We knew as long as (Tyler) Cann threw a good ball we'd at least get a first down. We didn't know he'd break it but he's had the ball the past few weeks and everytime he touches it he's pretty dangerous."Despite giving up the score, the Blue Raiders (5-4) weren't in terrible position and were hoping for a spark at the start of the third quarter. They got it by recovering an onsides kick. Unfortunately for Tamaqua, the drive stalled quickly when the Indian defense made a stop on fourth-and three from the Tribe's 36-yard line."After we got the onsides kick to start the second half, we made a couple of mistakes with a fumbled snap and some missteps," said Raider mentor Sam Bonner. "I thought that series was a key to the game. If we go in and score after that, it could've been a different game.""I was extremely pleased with our defense," said McCarroll. "I thought they were going to try that (onsides kick) ... and take momentum away. Our defense stepped up on the fourth down play and then to go down and score off of that, I think that changed the momentum of the game."Like McCarroll said, the Indian offense took possession after the stop and moved down the field. A 30-yard toss to Tyler Crum helped set up Cann's one-yard scoring run that pushed the margin to 28-6.Crum wasn't done making big plays as the senior tacked on two touchdowns in the final frame. Catching a pass in stride from Cann, Crum raced away from the secondary for a 90-yard score. He also added a pick-six late in the contest to close out the scoring."We were worried about (their playmakers)," said Bonner. "We knew Crum was a big-time player and Ruzicka was a big-time player. I thought we were solid against the run, but the big plays killed us.""I started off a little shaky overthrowing my guys," said Cann, who finished with 218 passing yards. "I just had to get our guys the ball and let them make plays for us. It's great knowing I can throw it to any of the guys and they'll make a play. It makes my job a lot easier."The Raiders' biggest playmaker, Bud Moyer who had Tamaqua's lone score on a seven-yard run late in the first quarter was forced to the sideline with an injury to further hurt the home team's chances."Obviously that affected us," said Bonner. "He's been our workhorse all year. Him out of the game made us have to adjust to a lot of things. We thought we could have hung with them, and I don't think the score reflects how tough our kids played. But in the end, it's still 48-6."