Lehighton already won at one end of Route 61 last week.

Now, the Indians can create a traffic jam on the other side.

Fresh off a 28-14 comeback win at Pottsville in the District 11 Class 4A quarterfinals, Lehighton (8-3) travels to Blue Mountain (10-1) for a semifinal Saturday at 6:10 p.m.

The Eagles and Crimson Tide are heated rivals separated by just one highway, but the Indians and Eagles have built a pretty good rivalry of their own, too, meeting in the postseason for the third straight year.

“I know they’re from Schuylkill County and we’re Carbon County,” Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll said. “But at the end of the day, you have two really good teams going at it Saturday.”

Lehighton surely earned its ticket to Orwigsburg.

After trailing 14-7 at halftime last week, Lehighton scored 21 unanswered points in the second half, and Lukas Croizier carried the load behind a veteran offensive line, running for 280 yards and four touchdowns.

It was a perfect example of resilience built over months of work most people never see, McCarroll said.

“We ask so much of our kids throughout the entire year,” he said. “We start our workouts in January and go until the beginning of August, then we give them a one-week break and go back at it for the preseason. You prepare so much for so few competitions.

“That’s what makes it so special, because you only have so many, so you have to really make it count.”

Croizier has made just about all of them count. The senior has 1,504 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns on 200 carries. Jack Lucykanish has thrown for 1,063 yards and 13 touchdowns, with Carl Lingham catching 42 passes for 519 yards and six scores.

Blue Mountain is a different animal.

The Eagles are ranked 31st in Pennsylvania by MaxPreps, and their lone loss came against state champion Southern Lehigh. They’ve scored at least 34 points in every game this season.

Senior Chase Guers, a West Virginia commit, averages 75 receiving yards per game with 13 receiving touchdowns and 15 total scores. Junior Kole Luckenbill averages 80 receiving yards per game with 12 touchdown catches, while junior Brody Foose averages nearly 100 rushing yards per game.

“Their team speed is just unique to anything we’ve really seen,” McCarroll said. “Their backs can run. They have three receivers who can really stretch the field. They have big, strong kids up front, and they have a quarterback who’s extremely composed.”

McCarroll said a fast start is a must, and Lehighton has done it before. The Indians scored the first two touchdowns when they beat the Eagles in the playoffs two years ago.

He also likes how his defense has limited explosive plays, even in losses to Southern Lehigh and Northwestern Lehigh.

“As great as Blue Mountain is, I think our kids shouldn’t be overwhelmed by the level of competition that’s going to be right in front of us on Saturday,” McCarroll said.

The scary part? He doesn’t think Lehighton has hit its ceiling.

“We haven’t played our best football yet,” he said. “We’re playing really solid, we’re on our way there, but I think we can still elevate to another level.”