Records don’t mean much when Jim Thorpe and Lehighton meet.

Despite entering Wednesday’s boys soccer matchup with just four combined victories, the longtime rivals delivered a dramatic finish worthy of the Route 209 rivalry.

With the score tied late in the second half, freshman goalkeeper Austin Warren made a crucial save to keep Jim Thorpe even. Then, with just 49 seconds remaining, his older brother, junior Colin Warren, headed home the winning goal to give the Olympians a 2-1 victory on senior night.

“This definitely was a shining light in a very dark season for sure,” Jim Thorpe head coach Mike Dudak said. “Any time we play Lehighton, it’s a grudge match no matter what either of our records are. This is about bragging rights; the 209 bragging rights.”

Both teams came out aggressively, battling for possession and creating scoring opportunities from distance and close range.

The Olympians struck first in unconventional fashion with just over 10 minutes remaining in the opening half.

Maddox Day lofted a throw-in toward a crowd of players, where Blaze Flyzik redirected the ball underneath Lehighton goalkeeper Peyton Ginder to give Jim Thorpe a 1-0 lead it carried into halftime.

The goal appeared to take some of the energy out of the Indians, who struggled to regain their footing before the break.

But Lehighton emerged with a more aggressive attack in the second half, putting Jim Thorpe on its heels.

The pressure paid off just over five minutes into the half when the Indians earned a free kick. Senior Sawyer Hoffman drove the ball into the net to tie the game at 1-1.

Lehighton continued to press, controlling much of the second-half action and creating opportunities to take the lead.

With about eight minutes remaining, Ivan Leupold broke through on a partial breakaway, but Austin Warren turned away his shot to preserve the tie.

It was one of 10 saves for the freshman goalkeeper.

“He’s only a freshman, but all season, it doesn’t show on our record, but he’s made some incredible saves,” Dudak said about his goalie. “He’s grown a little bit with confidence, and I think going forward, he’s going to be something to be reckoned with.”

Jim Thorpe’s defense held firm, giving the Olympians an opportunity for one final push.

Following a throw-in, Flyzik carried the ball into the far corner and delivered a cross to Colin Warren, who headed it into the net with 49 seconds left.

The dramatic finish sent the Olympians’ bench and fans into a frenzy.

“It was amazing just getting that in last second,” Colin said about his goal. “If that doesn’t go in, then we probably don’t have another shot, and it was just amazing getting that great cross from Blaze. I scored it, but everybody else contributed to that too. Blaze crossed it, the defense built that drive out of the back. Everybody just worked together in the end and just got it done.”

While Jim Thorpe celebrated, Lehighton was left to reflect on a strong second-half effort that ultimately came up short.

Indians head coach Mike Bridy hopes his team’s response to adversity will help it moving forward.

“Sometimes you have to learn how to win by losing, and we’ve definitely had our fair share of losses this year,” Bridy said. “But I’m hoping that all this turmoil that we’ve gone through this year kind of can help us correct some things. They responded big in the second-half, had a good run of play throughout the whole second-half. Of course the ending wasn’t what we wanted, but I am proud of the way they fought back going down 1-0.”

SENIOR NIGHT ... Prior to the game, Jim Thorpe honored its six seniors: Reggie Jones, Chase Matejik, Andrew Schlosman, Ryan Bubar, Connor Koch and Zac Grosse.

POSTSEASON POSSIBILITIES ... Lehighton finished its regular season in sixth place in the District 11 Class 3A power rankings, narrowly ahead of seventh-place Saucon Valley. The Indians have a rating of .308645, compared to Saucon Valley’s .304379.

With Saucon Valley scheduled to close its regular season Saturday against Faith Christian Academy, Lehighton will have to wait to learn whether it holds on to the final district playoff berth.

Jim Thorpe 2, Lehighton 1

Lehighton 0 1 — 1

Jim Thorpe 1 1 — 2

Goals: Lehighton — Sawyer Hoffman 1; Jim Thorpe — Blaze Flyzik 1, Colin Warren 1. Assists: Lehighton — None; Jim Thorpe — Maddox Day 1, Blaze Flyzik 1. Saves: Lehighton — Peyton Ginder 5; Jim Thorpe — Austin Warren 10. Shots: Lehighton 11, Jim Thorpe 10. Corner kicks: Lehighton 5, Jim Thorpe 4.

Records: Lehighton 2-14-2 (1-12-1 Colonial League); Jim Thorpe 3-14-1 (2-12 Colonial League).