The battle in the trenches are a game within the game and can often make the difference in winning or losing.

For Lehighton, this may prove to be its greatest strength.

Indians head coach Tom McCarroll, in his 15th season, has been impressed with his team’s offseason work. His players have maintained a positive culture that has made showing up to practices and workouts an enjoyable experience.

“We couldn’t be more excited about the prospect of the season, and I’m excited for these kids to get ready to go,” said McCarroll. “These guys have really made it a point to change the feel of what goes on in the locker room, what goes on in the weight room, and then ultimately, the effort and the product that’s put out on the field.

“They have fun with each other. That’s one of the things you can kind of tell when teams are having fun doing what they’re doing, even though it’s not always the easiest type of work.”

A positive atmosphere, and a determined work ethic, have been instrumental in Lehighton’s ability to smoothly transition from one wave of athletes to another.

This year will be no exception, as many of the Indians’ skill positions will need to be replaced.

The departure of two-year starting quarterback Jayse Lawrence creates the largest void after he threw for 1,470 yards last season. An ongoing fight for the starting QB between junior Jack Lucykanish and sophomore Brock Atwood is yet to be won. Lucykanish may be seen as the current frontrunner, but both he and Atwood possess unique skill sets that could make them both effective runners.

“Jack ... I see probably a little bit more of a running threat on the edge, whereas Brock, maybe not quite as quick, but he certainly is a tough downhill runner,” said McCarroll. “Both of those guys have done a great job. Watching a two-year starter ahead of them ... I think they really were students of the game, and I think they understand exactly what we’re going to ask of our quarterbacks in our offense.”

One position Lehighton will not need to replace is running back, as senior Lukas Croizier returns to lead the charge. His 1,129 rushing yards last year easily led the Indians. There is plenty of quality support behind Croizier, senior Jose Rodriguez in particular.

Lehighton is without receivers Caden Meek and Blake Roberts, who combined for 928 reception yards last year, opening the door for a number of players.

Junior Carl Lingham will move from defense to offense as a receiving option, while classmates Cash White and Connor Loy have both emerged from the JV level and look to transition to varsity. Others fighting for spots include senior Tommy Blair, and sophomores Aiden McCarroll and Landen Steigerwalt.

Most of the team’s returning experience is on the offensive and defensive lines, and the Indians will lean on them to bring along the younger players.

Junior Ty Nansteel returns at tight end, while senior Preston DiGrazia moves to the position. Four-year starter Marc Macias is back at center along with junior guards Chase Keller and Parker Rogers. Junior Dom Lawrence fills the left tackle spot for the second straight year, while the right side is between senior Jonathan Mayers and junior Nick Blose.

While many of the above will also play defense, the Indians have two defense-only linemen in juniors Zayden Martinez and Lucas Voorhees.

“Schools our size don’t always have that luxury to have one-way guys,” McCarroll said. “So to have not only all that experience coming back on the offensive line who will play defensive line, but also to have a set of one-way guys that are going to be huge contributors is going to be a tremendous advantage for us.”

DiGrazia brings back vital leadership at the inside linebacker role, while Lingham also returns. The outside spots are still undetermined, with Atwood, Mayers, Nansteel, Ryder Croizier and sophomore Vinnie Hill all in the mix.

With the exception of Croizier returning as the team’s main safety, the rest of the secondary needs to be replaced. While nothing has been solidified, a group including White, Rodriguez, Loy, Blair, McCarroll, Steigerwalt, and Lucykanish all form a list gunning for playing time.

Lastly, the Indians will look to senior Sawyer Hoffman to handle all kicking situations.

Coach McCarroll doesn’t believe the change in schedule, combined with the separation of the Colonial and Schuylkill leagues, will have any impact on how his team performs.

“As cliche as it might be, we are solely focused on Week 1, and the reason for that is because we haven’t won a Week 1 game since 2020,” he said. “That Week 1 can be so crucial to momentum. The fact that we haven’t been successful, I think it can really set you back a little bit.

“I think our kids have been there. They’re not looking ahead ... and they just want to go one week at a time and just kind of press the reset button no matter what the result is. Every single week, whoever our opponent is that week, let’s be hyper-focused on that (team), not look ahead, not look behind.”

POSITION BREAKDOWN

QUARTERBACKS

With Jayse Lawrence graduating, the QB role will be between Jack Lucykanish and Brock Atwood. Coach McCarroll sees both as reliable running options, with Lucykanish being a quicker threat along the outside and Atwood as a bigger and more downhill runner.

RUNNING BACKS

Lukas Croizier leads the charge after having an impressive season last year, rushing for 1129 yards. He is expected to be complimented by two seniors, Jose Rodriguez and Peyton McLean, who are expected to provide depth.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Carl Lingham transitions from defense to a primary receiving option along with other juniors Cash White and Connor Loy. The staff is hopeful the experience White and Loy got at the JV level last year translates into varsity success. Ty Nansteel and Preston DiGrazia will be the tight ends.

OFFENSIVE LINE

There’s a plethora of experienced players coming back, starting with Marc Macias as a four-year starter at center along with Chase Keller and Parker Rogers as guards. The left tackle will be Dom Lawrence once again, while the right tackle is expected to be whoever wins out between Jonathan Mayers and Nick Blose.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Most of the defensive side of the line will remain the same as those on the OL, but expect to see Zayden Martinez and Lucas Voorhees specialize as one-way starters. This gives Lehighton an advantage that many other schools its size and smaller don’t have.

LINEBACKERS

Coach McCarroll refers to DiGrazia as the team’s “quarterback on defense” with the leadership he provides getting the defense ready to go each play. Lingham also returns looking to have a more consistent year, while Atwood, Mayers and Vinnie Hill fight for the other inside spots. Ryder Croizier and Nansteel come back for another year on the outside spots.

SECONDARY

Lukas Croizier is the only returning member as the team’s primary safety, while the remaining spots are all in need of being filled. Expect to see a mixture of Blair, Loy, Lucykanish, McCarroll, Rodriguez, Steigerwalt and White all get playing time.