POCONO SUMMIT — The first half took two days.

Lehighton needed only seven seconds to put an exclamation point on it.

Facing fourth-and-3 from the Pocono Mountain West 5 with seven seconds remaining Friday morning, quarterback Jack Lucykanish connected with Carl Lingham, who pitched the ball to Lukas Croizier. The senior finished off the hook-and-lateral in the end zone as the clock expired.

The touchdown made it 27-0 at halftime, and the Indians scored again on their opening possession of the second half to trigger the mercy rule on their way to a 35-0 victory over the Panthers (1-1).

The game began Thursday night before lightning forced play to be suspended with Lehighton leading 21-0 and 6:57 remaining in the second quarter.

“These are unique circumstances. I’ve never been a part of this,” Lehighton coach Tom McCarroll said. “Our message to them even last night was, ‘Stay focused, get rest, do the things that you’re supposed to do.’ This is one thing about this group — they have personality, but they also have focus.

“We were a little bit out of rhythm in the beginning, but they settled in and then we were able to do what we wanted to do and finish the job.”

Lehighton (2-0) had already established control Thursday.

Lucykanish threw touchdown passes to Preston DiGrazia and Lingham, while Croizier added a 5-yard scoring run. Lucykanish was 7-of-9 passing for 64 yards and two scores when play was stopped.

The Indians initially struggled to regain their rhythm Friday, turning the ball over on downs at the West 23 with 4:27 left in the second quarter.

It didn’t last.

DiGrazia intercepted a pass on the Panthers’ ensuing possession, giving Lehighton the ball at the West 12 with 1:42 remaining.

The Indians eventually faced fourth down at the 5.

That’s when McCarroll reached deep into the playbook.

“We haven’t pulled that out for probably six or seven years,” he said of the hook-and-lateral. “Even if they stop us, they’ve got to go the length of the field. So it was, ‘All right, let’s throw caution to the wind and get a little momentum on our side.’ ”

The gamble paid off.

“It was pretty beautiful, I can’t lie,” Lucykanish said. “That was definitely a game-changing play.”

Lehighton carried that momentum into the second half.

On third-and-8 from the West 32, Lucykanish dropped a perfectly placed pass down the sideline to Aiden McCarroll near the pylon, with the sophomore showing tremendous hands, footwork and body control to bring in the touchdown.

Croizier got the ball to Lucykanish for the two-point conversion, making it 35-0 with 8:55 left in the third quarter.

For McCarroll, the sequence showcased the number of players contributing to Lehighton’s fast start.

“We have a couple splash kids, I call them, that make the big, big plays, and then you’ve got some of those blue-collar kids who just make the little plays, but they make them all the time,” he said. “You talk about a team playing like a team — we’re there right now.”

Lucykanish spent the previous two seasons playing JV before taking over the starting quarterback role this fall.

“His offseason was more than any coach can ask for,” McCarroll said. “He put time in. He built confidence. He’s built an understanding of our offense.”

Lehighton’s defense made sure the Panthers never found the end zone.

West drove to the Indians’ 19 late in the third quarter before Croizier intercepted a pass in the end zone to preserve the shutout.

“Our kids buckled in,” McCarroll said. “They played with a lot of pride.”

By then, the outcome had long since been decided.

That didn’t mean there was nothing left for Lehighton to celebrate.

Backed up near its own goal line early in the fourth quarter, senior Peyton McLean took a handoff from the 15 and kept his legs churning, carrying a pile of defenders with him for much of a 16-yard surge to the 31.

The Lehighton sideline erupted.

“He’s a senior. He’s a kid that has just put his time in,” McCarroll said. “He’s a great scout kid for us. To have a run like that — you heard the sideline erupt. It was awesome. Team kid, program kid.

“The kids rally around him. They have each other’s back. This is really a neat chemistry that we have with this team.”

Lehighton eventually drove to the West 10 before taking two knees to finish the shutout.

Adding another twist to the unusual matchup, McCarroll coached against his uncle, Pocono Mountain West head coach Jim McCarroll.

For the 4A Indians, the road victory over a 6A opponent added another layer to an encouraging start.

“We played really well last week, and we just carried the momentum into this week,” Croizier said. “I felt mentally we’ve done a really good job staying prepared and doing a lot of stuff as a team.”

Lehighton faces Wilson and Saucon Valley next before a Sept. 25 matchup with defending PIAA Class 4A champion Southern Lehigh.

“We want to be 4-0,” Croizier said. “We know Southern Lehigh is a good team, and I think that’s a game we’re excited to play.”

Two games in, the Indians have plenty of momentum.

Lehighton 35, PM West 0

Lehighton 14 13 8 0 - 35

PM West 0 0 0 0 - 0

L - DiGrazia 7 pass from Lucykanish

L - Croizier 5 run (White 2 point conversion)

L - Lingham 10 pass from Lucykanish (Hoffman kick)

L - Croizier 5 run (kick blocked)

L - McCarroll 32 pass from Lucykanish (Lucykanish pass from Croizier)