Despite Lehighton's 35-13 loos to Governor Mifflin last night, Indian coach Tom McCarroll's post game remarks were not what you might expect to hear after a loss.

"We were excited about playing a 4A power like Mifflin who is poised to make another playoff run," said McCarroll. "We want to play teams like this to help us get better." Then he added, "I thought we battled them tough and matched their physicality. They are a great team, but we were certainly not intimidated."It took the Mustangs only five plays on their opening drive to take a quick 7-0 lead. Quarterback Jay Johnson, committed to play at Division 1 Akron next year, made the big play with an option-keep around the left side for a 37-yard gain to the Indian five-yard line. After a loss of one on the next play, Wilson Fontanez broke off tackle for a six-yard score.Lehighton then went three and out, but a 58-yard punt into the end zone set up Mifflin on their own 20. Ten plays later the Mustangs scored their second TD on Johnson's one-yard sneak. Once again the drive's biggest play was Johnson's 48-yard option keep around the left end.Down 14-0 with 2:32 to go in the first quarter, Lehighton drove from their own 34 to the Mustang 35-yard line when Tyler Cann's pass over the middle was tipped and picked off by Evan Pollock. It would be the first of four interceptions in the game that halted Indian drives in Mifflin territory.Lehighton got a break, however, on the next Mustang possession when they recovered a fumble near midfield. On the running of Cann and Wyatt Clements, the Indians got to the Mifflin six-yard line, where on a fourth and goal, an option pass by Tyler Crum was intercepted in the back of the end zone by Eliseo Ortiz."We certainly moved the ball well," said McCarroll, "but execution and penalties hurt us when we had opportunities to score."Mifflin then went up by three scores at the half on an 80-yard drive that was highlighted by an option pitch 32-yard scamper by Ortiz and a 10-yard TD blast off the right tackle by Johnson."We knew they would be a good, scrappy team," said Mifflin coach Dominic Vecchio. "And we also believed they would come out ready make it a game in the second half."That's exactly what the Indians did. On their first possession of the second half, they went to a no-huddle offense to "keep their defense on their heels," as McCarroll said. On a third and 11 from their own 48, Cann's pass found Tegan Durishin in the left flat. With two cutbacks to side step Mustang tacklers, the junior wide receiver crossed the goal line on a 52-yard pass and run play for Lehighton's first score of the game.On the ensuing kickoff, however, Mifflin's Pollock broke free down the left sideline for an 85-yard scoring run."No doubt that was a momentum shift," said Vecchio."It really hurt us," said McCarroll. "We are going to stress improving our special teams this week."Lehighton fought to get back the momentum and with a 41-yard screen pass connection from Cann to Tom Ruzicka, the Indians were back in business. Then at the Mustang 26 yard line, Cann's pass into the end zone was again intercepted by Ortiz.Johnson, who had a 70 yard punt earlier, hit a 40-yarder setting up Lehighton's offense at the GM 45 yard line. Penalties stalled the Indians' drive, but Cann tried to hit Crum in the corner of the end zone from 33 yards out, but this time it was Johnson who was awarded the pick when it appeared that both he and Crum came down together with the ball.After a 1-yard Johnson TD, Lehighton finished the scoring on the night with a late 52-yard run by sophomore Mike Mayernik.