Jim Thorpe’s game‑winning 71‑yard drive last week, which lifted the Olympians to a 21‑20 victory over Lehighton and reclaimed the Route 209 Trophy, will long be remembered in JT football history simply as “the drive.”

Taking over at their own 29-yard line with just under six minutes to play, the Olympians marched 71 yards in 14 plays. Thorpe quarterback Tyler Hoherchak capped the dramatic march with a 3-yard naked‑boot run to the left, crossing the goal line for six. Blaze Flyzik then converted the point after for the win.

Hoherchak finished the night with 200 passing yards and 47 rushing yards, adding two rushing touchdowns — a poised performance that has earned him Times News Player of the Week honors.

A junior, Hoherchak is a first-year starter for the Olympians and has gotten better each and every week.

“Tyler’s growth from not only camp, but from Week One or even Two to now has been tremendous,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger. “The game has really slowed down for him. The players trust him to lead, and you can see his confidence is growing every time he steps onto the football field.

“And what really impressed me last week was his poise in the big moments throughout the game. He made a ton of plays with his feet, buying extra time, especially on that last drive, and then he trusted his teammates to make plays.”

On “the drive,” Hoherchak was outstanding, delivering one clutch play after another. The first came on a fourth‑and‑two at the 38, where he lowered his shoulder and powered ahead to keep the march alive.

Later, after a costly 12‑men‑on‑the‑field penalty pushed Jim Thorpe back to a first‑and‑25 at the 37, he responded with two crucial completions, setting up a manageable fourth‑and‑seven. A defensive holding call on that play extended the drive.

On the very next snap, Hoherchak again used his legs to buy time and found Bobby Levins wide open for a 27‑yard gain, moving the Olympians to the Lehighton 11. Four plays later, Hoherchak ran in the game‑tying touchdown.

“Honestly, looking back on it, we all believed in each other and we never had a doubt. We knew in order to win the game, we had to go down and score on that drive,” said Hoherchak. “That was our only option. I knew my teammates trusted me to get it done, and I trusted them to make plays as well.

“I was able to make a few plays with my legs to extend plays and get it into our playmakers hands. All 11 guys did their job on every single play. And then when we scored, it was such a great feeling. I’ve been a JT football fan my whole life and I always dreamed of playing in that game.”

Friday night’s impressive performance wasn’t Hoherchak’s coming‑out party. Even before the Lehighton game, he had been quietly putting together a strong season statistically. To this point, Hoherchak has thrown for 927 yards and six TDs, while also rushing for 337 yards and five scores.

His ability to run with power between the tackles within Thorpe’s spread rushing attack adds a dimension that makes the JT offense especially difficult to defend.

“Tyler is a true dual-threat. He runs really hard and he has good vision. He isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder and pick up the gritty three and four-yard gains because he knows later on that will turn into a bigger gain,” said Rosenberger. “He’s just a really tough kid, and he’s willing to do whatever we ask him to help the team win.

“We usually don’t play our quarterback on defense, but he plays a lot of defense for us and he was involved in seven or eight tackles last week. He also plays special teams as well. He’s really just taken that leadership role for us and he’s ran with it.”