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Indians meet Golden Hawks in D-11 rematch

Lehighton and Bethlehem Catholic will meet in the PIAA Disctrict 11 AAA semifinals for the second consecutive year.

Last year Bechai (9-1) convincingly defeated the Indians, 34-6. The youth of Lehighton (8-2) showed as the young team had a few blunders which put them at a 14-point deficit within the opening minutes."I think the overall level of maturity is completely different than last year," said Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll. "When the same core of kids come back a year older, it should allow them to handle the 'big moment' better. The kids have really taken a strong grasp of the offense since last year and our playbook is much more wide open with different things we can now do.""It gave us a taste of what it's like compared to the regular season," said Lehighton tailback Wyatt Clements. "The atmosphere and intensity is on a whole different level and we know we have to be prepared for the physicality of the game ahead."Between last year's district playoff experience and a better understanding of the offense, the Indians didn't show much difficulty transitioning into its first season in the Anthracite Football League. McCarroll's squad averaged 35 points per game and 335 yards of offense per game.The Golden Hawks have an explsoive offensive of their own which compiled 445 points in 2014. Freddie Simmons is a dynamic threat on the outside and any high school football team in the country would be fortunate to have him. The Rutgers recruit has compiled 503 receiving yards and nine touchdowns this season. Containing Simmons will be a high priority for the Indians' defense, which has allowed just 13 points per game this season."The mistakes really hurt us last year," said McCarroll. "If there was an intimidation factor or an 'awe-strucken' feeling, that should be gone now. We're more equip to run the ball this year. If we can control the ball a little bit more and the line of scrimmage, we're going to be in a better position to compete."The Indians have a host of ball carriers who can contribute. They include Clements, Tyler Cann, and Tom Ruzicka not to mention Tyler Crum on the outside who leads the Times News coverage area in receiving yards."Mentally, the kids are a lot better off going into it," said McCarroll, whose team is 5-0 on the road this year. "We have an opponent that we're somewhat familiar with. They aren't doing anything different and the kids are able to recognize and remember a lot of it on film we've watched. Our kids are a little more comfortable this year."Bechai's only loss was a home game against Stroudsburg, 23-19.