Tamaqua hasn’t had to deal with much adversity until Schuylkill League Division 1 play opened up.

Last week, against North Schuylkill, Tamaqua trailed for the first time in any contest this year.

But the Blue Raiders bunkered down and prevailed.

On Friday against Lehighton (4-4), the Tribe took the opening kickoff and marched right down the field on a 13-play drive for an early lead. Would the Raiders respond?

Yes.

Tamaqua (8-0) rolled by the Tribe with 49 unanswered points en route to a 49-13 victory over the Indians.

“They (Lehighton) had a real nice first drive,” said Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner. “They were picking at us a little bit, I thought they did a great job coaching-wise, they came out and were prepared.”

Everyone seemed to contribute for Tamaqua in the team-oriented victory.

And despite what the forecast said, there was a ton of “thunder and lightning” in Tamaqua.

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Raiders’ senior tailback Nick Breiner amassed 65 yards on their first possession, which was capped off by a Nate Boyle 5-yard plunge. Breiner ripped off 179 yards on just nine carries in the contest, and scored on a booming 50-yard run in the second quarter.

“We stick together when something breaks down. We come as a unit and we gave it back to them next drive,” Breiner said of the Raiders immediately answering the call. “It felt good, that’s what teams do.”

And then, the “lightning”.

Boyle’s game-tying score in the opening period would be his first of five trips to the end zone.

In the second quarter, Boyle sprinted down the sideline and hauled in a beautiful ball from quarterback Brayden Knoblauch for an electric 57-yard score. In the third period, he scampered 30 yards for another big play. He tallied 145 total yards.

“I didn’t break stride at all,” Boyle said in regard to his long receiving score. “He (Knoblauch) kept his eyes downfield and hit me in stride, it was a good pass. It’s amazing he keeps his eyes downfield and finds every open receiver.”

The Indians compiled 16 first downs and moved the ball from time-to-time throughout the course of the game. Zach Crum continued his strong season, adding six more catches and 70 yards to his resume. Crum scooped a 20-yard TD pass from Lucas Sangiuliano in the fourth quarter. However, turnovers were the Achilles’ heal for Lehighton, as the Tribe tossed four interceptions. Pierce Demetriades, Patrick Burns, Breiner, and Boyle each had interceptions for the “Flock”.

“I thought our pass rush was there and the secondary did a great job,” Bonner said. “Special teams were solid and I thought our kick-off teams did a great job of bringing it.”

MAKING HISTORY … Not only did Breiner crack the 1,000-yard mark for the season, he became the Raiders’ all-time rushing leader. “The kid has been playing since his freshman year … One thing that I think is great this year, he’s still the same running back, he’s better and stronger,” Bonner said. “But he’s also playing a very good linebacker for us as well. He is a good all-around football player.”

PRECISION … Knoblauch completed 9-of-10 passes for 127 yards, with the highlight being his perfect pass to Boyle on the 57-yard connection. “We did a four-vert-switch, he got him in stride,” Bonner said about the big play. “We showed that we can throw the long ball, and it’s nice to do that aside from running.”

UP NEXT … Tamaqua will travel to Jim Thorpe (7-1), and Lehighton will travel to North Schuylkill (7-1). “It’s a great feeling, but we’re not done,” said Breiner. “We have a big game next week against Thorpe. We’re not done until the clock strikes zero.”