PINE GROVE - Things were a little too close for comfort for the defending Schuylkill League Boys Soccer champions Wednesday evening.

Lehighton fell in to a lull early even though it had scored the first goal of the semifinal matchup with Schuylkill Haven. The Indians never looked as dominating as they have been this season.With the Hurricanes honing in on a potential upset, suddenly things took a turn for the good for Lehighton - thanks mostly to senior Joe Marks.In a flash, Marks scored two second half goals within the span of two minutes and the Indians' defense stayed the course on the way to an impressive come-from-behind 3-2 victory.That win propels the Indians into their second straight league championship game Saturday against familiar rival Blue Mountain at Tri-Valley High School at 7 p.m.."I tell our kids never take an opponent for granted," Lehighton coach Dave Yob said. "We had a scrimmage with Schuylkill Haven and they beat us 2-1 in the preseason. So I knew they weren't going to be easy."Marks was definitely the star, but the way his teammates kept the ball away from a quick-attacking Hurricane team figured into the outcome as well.The tenor of the game was low key for the Indians when they lost goalkeeper Tyler Dietz. Dietz separated his shoulder as he was leaving the field after pregame warmups. According to the Lehighton staff, it was the fourth such recurring injury for Dietz."It's all about our team," Marks offered. "We didn't come out and do a good job early on. We were down when we lost Tyler and our mindset wasn't really that good."The speedy Indians like to kick and run, but Schuylkill Haven had been able to divert that attack for the better part of the first half. Lehighton took a 1-0 lead at the 36:18 mark of the first half, when Patrick Lawler buried a shot in the left corner of the net. Seven minutes later, the Hurricanes got the equalizer thanks to Dawson Evitts. He picked off an error pass then quickly made a shot from 30 yards.It stayed tied until there was 31:14 showing in the contest. Schuylkill Haven, which had just two shots in the second half, made good on one of them when Owen Pothering connected to make it 2-1."We needed to play our game," Yob allowed. "When we got the tying goal, I really felt that we were going to get another quick one."Indeed Yob was right in his thinking. Marks' second goal sealed the win, even though there was one free kick by the Hurricanes in the closing 90 seconds, which was defended perfectly."I'm just happy with this win," Yob said. "Whatever happens, as long as the ball goes into the net that's all I care about?"BACK-TO-BACK … Lehighton will look to defend its title meeting Blue Mountain in what will be a rubber match. The teams split in their two games this year. The Indians lost 5-3 on the road and won 4-0 at home. Blue Mountain defeated Nativity 5-1 in Wednesday's other semifinal.MARKS ON THE MARK… Marks' two scores were milestones. He surpassed Ben Millen for goals in a season with 33. Marks is the all-time career scorer at the school as well.HOT SHOTS … The Indians had 13 shots on goal in the second half and pressured the Hurricanes very hard before finally cracking through with their two goals.SOLID FOLLOWING … The doubleheader had a strong following from fans. Indian loyalists had the longest trek, and were vocal throughout the contest.