With storms swirling around the Lehighton sports stadium Wednesday evening, the real thunder was being supplied by the Tamaqua boys’ soccer team.

Using their quick-strike scoring ability, the Blue Raiders continued to motor toward postseason playoff contention after piling on a 6-1 victory against the Indians.

The Schuylkill Boys’ Soccer League Division I leaders tore through the Lehighton defense in the opening half, zooming to a 3-0 lead in the first 12 minutes.

“I told (our players) we had to get on them early due to the weather,” said Tamaqua coach Greg Scheeler. “I thought it could be called at halftime so we couldn’t take any chances.

“We wanted that early lead, and we went out and got it. Our team is very exciting to watch. We’ve got a lot of talent, and we’re a fun bunch.”

Without hesitation, the Raiders hit the scoring column just 3:41 into the opening half when Tyler Steigerwalt nailed a shot assisted by Derian Stianche.

Less than four minutes later at the 7:15 mark, Jacob Rudy and Stianche hooked up for a goal and an assist.

When Ian Davis scored the third goal at the 11:16 mark, there was never any doubt about how energized Tamaqua was. The quick start was especially impressive when you consider that these two teams met Tuesday evening in a tight-fisted 2-1 Tamaqua victory.

“Not taking anything away from Tamaqua, we just didn’t play well in that first 20-some minutes,” said veteran Lehighton coach Yob.

Yob thought the rain delay (at the 18:39 mark) helped his team.

“We came out with much more desire and intensity,” said Yob referencing his team’s only goal on a penalty kick from Connor Hanley at 24:05. “But after they scored that fourth goal, we started to make the same mistakes.”

The back-breaking fourth Tamaqua goal was scored by Stianche at the 56:46 mark. The Raiders final two goals came from Michael Shlanta and Nathaniel Noftz.

Despite the offensive fireworks, the real deal in the win centered around the Tamaqua defenders.

“We got great defensive play,” said Scheeler. “I can’t say enough about all four of our defensive guys. They’re phenomenal ... take your pick from Wyatt Zeigler, Greg Davis, Khalid Holland and Alexander Barron. They just don’t clear the ball, they look up the field. They just play so well together.”

MAKING IT WORK

… The Raiders (6-1, 8-1) clicked right from the start. Their only misstep came on the penalty kick. Scheeler admitted the foul was correct, and said his team needs to maintain its composure in that situation.

FROM THE STAT DEPARTMENT

… Tamaqua had a huge 16-6 edge in shots. Corner kicks were 11-5 in favor of Tamaqua. The Raiders used a pair of keepers as Luke Verta started and Reese Szabo finished. Verta had four saves, while Szabo added one. Zach Andrews suffered the loss in goal for the Indians with seven saves and six goals allowed.

HOME BUT AWAY

… Tamaqua was the home team because the Raiders’ field was unplayable and Lehighton has turf. No JV game was played. The game had a total of a 40-minute delay — the mandatory PIAA 30-minute wait after lightning, and then a 10-minute warmup.