FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - Has Lehighton's time finally arrived?

Are the Indians talented enough to make a run at the Anthracite Football League Championship?Well if Friday night's outcome here against the two-time defending AFL kings is an indicator the questions are about to be solved.Riding the legs of running back Wyatt Clements, the crafty quarterbacking of Tyler Cann and a bullish offensive line, the Indians laid a 33-13 number on North Schuylkill in what seemed like relative ease to run their season log to 3-0, all in conference play."We have a lot of confidence in what we're doing right now," Clements said. "Our line play on both sides of the ball is great; we just seemed to have a great feel for each other."Surely the outcome was expected, but the margin of victory; well that is an afterthought."One thing we've had is great defense and the ability to control the line of scrimmage," Tom McCarroll the head coach said. "You can't ask for a better effort from our line on defense and offense. A lot of our guys go both ways."As much as the offense is ballyhooed, this defense stacks up with a lot of ability. McCarroll pointed that out, as well. "They're an explosive offense, their quarterback (Bobby Grigas) is hobbled around, and he still made some nice plays. They've got a big tall wide receiver (Tevin Murray) and he hurt us in the first half, but we made some adjustments."The tell-tale sign came at the onset of the second half. The Indians were clutching a 14-13 lead, and kicked off to open the third quarter. The short kick left the Spartans' big-play offense at the 50, but in a twist of fate, Lehighton turned up the defensive pressure, never letting North Schuylkill to get on track.Two series later, Lehighton was about to take control and turn the tables engaging a 15-play drive, traversing 75 yards to paydirt with Cann zipping the final six yards for a 20-13 lead. The drive featured four pass completions for 35 yards."We remember (the loss) from last year," said Clements. "We felt they were going to be physical and without a doubt we had to bring our best effort."That was evident throughout the second half. But the opening half was just as important. Lehighton took a 7-0 lead polishing off a four-play, 50-yard march with Clements bouncing into the end zone. However North Schuylkill (1-2) methodically answered when Murray and Grigas hooked up with a 10-yard touchdown pass to culminate a 15-play, 84-yard drive.But the Indians were determined to break the 7-7 tie and when Tegan Durishin hauled in a 12-yard pass from Cann that was the topper to this 85-yard drive and a 14-7 lead. The Spartans rallied on the ensuing series with Murray latching onto a 15-yard TD pass from Grigas to make it 14-13 at the half."They did a lot of running down hill on us in the second half," said North Schuylkill mentor Wally Hall. "They controlled the ball in the second half, and when you don't have the ball you can't get into a flow."That flow was all about the Indians, including a nifty 51-yard scoring pass from Cann to Durishin that upped the lead to 27-13. That was the backbreaker and when Cann added a 1-yard run to cap the final scoring, it was one step closer to a title."We're a long way off, but we've put ourselves into a good position with this way," McCarroll said.HIGHS AND LOW ... Two standout linebackers were leading their respective teams. Clements had double-digit tackles for the Indians, and North Schuylkill's Major Jordan had 16 solos.GANGING UP… Talk about getting to the ball, the Indians interior line play was very strong, swarming to the ball, and the few times the defense failed to make a play, that was because the Spartans blocked better.INSIDE TRACK … Clements isn't letting his team rest on its laurels after this strong start. "We get to think about this until (Saturday), then we have to get ready to play at home with Blue Mountain."BEST STAT NIGHT … Lehighton QB Cann was uncanny (no pun). The senior QB completed 15 passes on 16 tries, for a superb 205 yards.