Lehighton left little doubt about its fight Friday night.

The Indians stood toe to toe with defending District 11 Class 4A champion Southern Lehigh, trading blows in a thrilling 21-20 setback that wasn’t decided until the final minutes.

Southern Lehigh (3-0), which had outscored its first two opponents 63-14, was pushed for four quarters by Lehighton (1-2). The Indians had a chance to go in front late, but a two-point try with 4:31 to play was stopped. The Spartans then converted on third down inside the final two minutes to hold on.

“This is what I believed this team is,” Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll said. “We have kids who want to compete, who love the game, who want to be physical and play football the way it’s supposed to be played. I think you saw that tonight.”

Lehighton drew first blood late in the opening quarter after its defense came up with a fourth-down stop near midfield. The Indians converted twice on third down during the drive, which Blake Roberts capped with a 1-yard touchdown run for a 6-0 lead with 2:57 remaining after the extra point was blocked.

Southern Lehigh responded instantly. On the very next snap from scrimmage, quarterback Colton Sams hit Luke Kawczenski in stride for a 65-yard touchdown. Vasilis Tantaros added the extra point for a 7-6 Spartan advantage with 2:48 to play in the first.

The Indians regained momentum midway through the second quarter with another methodical march. Lukas Croizier kept the chains moving with a tough third-down run near midfield, and Austin Green finished the drive five plays later when he powered into the end zone from 8 yards out. Jayse Lawrence connected with Caden Meek for the two-point try to make it 14-7 with 5:30 left in the half.

But just as they had done earlier, the Spartans answered. Steckert broke free on an 18-yard touchdown run on third down to tie the game at 14-14 on the next series. Southern Lehigh also converted a fourth-and-5 earlier in the drive, with Sams finding Darius Roman to keep the chains moving.

Lehighton nearly reclaimed the lead before halftime after a 43-yard kickoff return by Green gave the Indians the ball at midfield. Lawrence guided the offense to the Spartan 26, but the drive stalled in the closing seconds of the half.

The Spartans carried the momentum into the third quarter. On their first possession of the half, Steckert struck again, this time from 36 yards out on third-and-2 to cap a 67-yard drive. That touchdown gave Southern Lehigh a 21-14 lead with 8:56 left in the period.

Lehighton mounted a determined response. Starting from their own 28, the Indians ran 16 plays and controlled more than eight minutes of clock, marching down to the Spartan 1-yard line. But Southern Lehigh’s defense dug in, stopping four straight runs the 4-, 6-, and 2-yard lines, with the last top coming on fourth-and-goal from the 1.

“They’re going to try to run downhill, best on best, hat on hat,” Spartan coach Phil Sams said. “For our guys to step up and stop that was huge. That’s something we preach all the time — when your back’s against the wall, respond. We worked nine months for moments like that.”

The Indians didn’t fold. They forced a punt early in the fourth quarter, then answered with another long drive. Lawrence kept the series alive with two third-down scrambles, and also hit Meek on third down to move the chains. Croizier eventually capped the march with a 6-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 21-20 with 4:31 left. The two-point conversion to take the lead was denied, but the effort only underscored Lehighton’s resilience.

Southern Lehigh again had the final answer. Facing third-and-12 from the Lehighton 34, Sams looked away from Kawczenski — who had already scored earlier — and found Tanner Traub for 21 yards and a game-clinching first down.

“We had some key guys out tonight, and others stepped up,” Sams said. “It was punch for punch, back and forth all night. Lehighton played extremely physical, and credit to Coach McCarroll and his staff. That’s a very good football team, and we had to earn everything we got.”

Despite the outcome, McCarroll said the takeaway was all about his players.

“They went toe to toe with a state-ranked program, and I’m so proud of our kids’ effort,” he said. “They answered the bell and represented the Lehighton community the right way. All the credit goes to them. They’re tough, they’re physical, and they battled for four quarters. Our kids didn’t care about rankings, about size, about offers. They battled. And I’ll hang my hat on that effort all year.”

STAT LINE … Croizier finished with 24 carries for 137 yards and a touchdown to lead the Indians. Lawrence completed 11 of 19 passes for 104 yards and also rushed seven times for 52 yards. Roberts and Green added rushing scores.

Steckert carried 21 times for 149 yards and two touchdowns to pace Southern Lehigh. Sams went 11-for-19 for 152 yards, with Kawczenski catching four passes for 77 yards and a score.

UP NEXT … Lehighton travels to Palmerton next Friday, while Southern Lehigh visits North Schuylkill.

Southern Lehigh 21, Lehighton 20

So. Lehigh 7 7 7 0 - 21

Lehighton 6 8 0 6 - 20

L - Roberts 1 run (kick failed)

SL - Kawczenski 65 pass from Sams (Tantaros kick)

L - Green 8 run (Meek pass from Lawrence)

SL - Steckert 18 run (Tantaros kick)

SL - Steckert 36 run (Tantaros kick)

L - Croizier 6 run (pass failed)