Culture can often reflect a team’s identity both on and off the field.

For Lehighton football, this has certainly proven to be the case.

The Indians enter the 2025 campaign with head coach Tom McCarroll starting his 14th season leading the Tribe. Despite only finishing last season with a 5-7 record, the back half of the season featured a change in mentality that saw Lehighton pull out crucial wins against Tamaqua, Jim Thorpe — and most noticeably — Blue Mountain in the opening round of the District 11 playoffs.

“That was a huge momentum shifter for the program as a whole,” said McCarroll. “We got to the point in the season where we knew that a change needed to be made. We made a very conscious effort to change our approach, attitude, and practice, and I think you saw the results on the field. All the credit really goes to the kids. They really bought in, and they’re the ones that made the change.”

With this new shift in culture, Lehighton has high hopes for success this season — especially with an experienced group of skill players returning.

Last season’s quarterback — Jayse Lawrence — leads from the front. He has a great arm and downfield vision when passing the ball. However, after being given the green light to run the ball more often, it was revealed that he provides more of a dual-threat than originally expected.

“I think we really evolved throughout the course of the season in terms of how we were able to utilize him,” said McCarroll. “He’s always been a very good quarterback in terms of where he can throw the ball, how he can throw the ball, and he makes all the throws that we need him to make, but to make him a dual threat really kind of opened up our entire offense.”

With the departure of Jacob Ferguson, the running game features Lukas Croizier who not only succeeded but excelled in an elevated role as a sophomore. Now as a junior, he ran the ball 146 times for 702 yards and four touchdowns last year, and there is definitely the potential for him to become better.

“Croizier coming back at running back is a huge, huge get,” McCarroll said. “He was only a sophomore last year. I thought he did a tremendous job kind of carrying the load for his first year.”

Two seniors, Equan Warner and Austin Green, will also be important members of the running game. Warner in particular was new last year and took time to learn the system, but now he’s ready to jump in with no hesitations.

The Indians can take comfort in having well-experienced and talented receivers to compliment Lawrence’s passing. Leading the charge down the field is two veteran seniors, 6-4 Blake Roberts and 5-11 Caden Meek.

“We have some depth behind them, but they’re certainly going to get the bulk of our passes,” said McCarroll.

For receiving depth, junior Kyden Hauser makes his return, while sophomore Ty Nansteel and senior Hunter Kintz will most likely round things out. Kintz and Nansteel primarily played in defensive roles as tight ends, and while they will return to this role, McCarroll hopes to expand it and give them more opportunities as receivers.

The offensive and defensive lines are still in the works of being finalized, but expect to see Marc Macias return at center or defensive tackle, with Parker Rodgers as a guard. With the loss of three key linemen in Joey Hauser, Yadiel Acosta-Rodriguez, and Brock Gower, many players are fighting for the chance to step in and fill those roles. Whoever earns the remaining positions, coach McCarroll already has high hopes for them.

“There’s some youth there that are fighting out these spots, but I’ll tell you right now, I like all of them,” he said. “Whoever wins those battles, I’m excited about what all of them can do.”

Players fighting for these roles include sophomores Chase Keller, Nick Blose and Dominic Lawrence, and freshman. Junior Jonathan Mayers, with sophomore Lucas Voorhees, are likely to play on both lines.

The remainder of the Indians’ defense features more experience to a team that is already full of experience offensively. The linebacking roles will be filled by Kintz and junior Preston Degrazia on the inside, while Roberts comes back to his usual outside spot alongside Nansteel and sophomore Carl Lingham, which makes a team strength even stronger and deeper.

For the secondary spots, McCarroll wasn’t quite sure how much depth he had in this area until last year’s game against Jim Thorpe.

“We had three of our starting defensive backs hurt and didn’t play in that game. Three new guys stepped in and they didn’t miss a beat. So that developed a ton of depth for us.”

Crozier will return as the primary safety along with Jayse Lawrence, who has also proven how beneficial he can be in the back. At the corners, expect to see a mixture of Makai Breiner, Cash White, Austin Green and Caden Meek, who also has safety experience too.

The atmosphere around the Indian squad is one of both excited anticipation for the season to begin while also understanding exactly what’s expected from them this year.

Coach McCarroll can’t help but express how positive this offseason has been working with this group of players and how this hopefully translates to success on the field.

“The offseason has been fun so far; preseason has been fun,” he said. “This group has a very unique personality, and we like it because sometimes as coaches, we have to dictate the energy. With a team like this, we don’t have to do it every single day.

“So, we’ve got kids with great personalities and great work ethics. They keep it light when they can, but they’re serious when they need to be. So I really like this group and what they’re bringing to the table.”

POSITION BREAKDOWN

QUARTERBACKS

Lehighton’s offense often goes how senior Jayse Lawrence goes. His greatest strength has been his passing abilities, but he proved last year how successful he can be running the ball. Having him as a dual-threat allows the Indians to expand their offensive possibilities. His backup is junior Owen Eckhart.

RUNNING BACKS

Junior Lukas Croizier leads the way after having a standout performance last season, rushing for 703 yards. He will be complemented by two seniors, Austin Green and Equan Warner, who are also expected to make big plays.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Coach McCarroll refers to seniors Blake Robers and Caden Meek as a “quarterback’s dream” with how reliable they are as receivers. He also values the importance of junior Kyden Hauser in this role. Others expected to see time are senior Hunter Kintz, who primarily played defense last year, and sophomore Ty Nansteel, who impressed the staff with his offseason work ethic.

OFFENSIVE LINE

With only two returnees up front in junior Marc Macias at center and sophomore Parker Rodgers at right guard, the other spots are still up for grabs. Possible names to fill these roles include junior Jonathan Mayers, and sophomores Chase Keller, Nick Blose, Dominic Lawrence and Lucas Voorhees. Kintz and Nansteel will solidify the tight end position.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Similar to the offense, the defensive line is open for competition. Macias and Rodgers return here too, but expect to see Mayers and Voorhees earn most of the playing time up front. In addition, freshman Zaden Martinez will likely be one of the Indians’ main edge rushers after impressing the staff with his offseason preparations.

LINEBACKERS

Kintz and junior Preston Degrazia return with significant experience inside. On the outside, Roberts also returns and will be complimented by either Nansteel or sophomore Carl Lingham.

SECONDARY

Another position with experience as Crozier leads the way as the top safety with Lawrence supporting in the back as well. Makai Breiner, Austin Green, and Cash White provide depth at the corners, and Meek can play a combo of both.