BETHLEHEM — Play after play. Pound for pound.

The Lehighton football team went toe-to-toe and conquered everyone in its path this season.

Not many people outside of the Indians’ football program saw this type of season coming.

But nobody’s opinion mattered to them and the Tribe kept trucking straight into the District 11 Class 3A championship game against Palisades — and it was clear that the two best teams in 3A were matched after a cold and rainy battle on Frank Banko Field at Bethlehem School District Stadium.

Lehighton found itself down by 20 to the undefeated Pirates from the Colonial League in the second quarter. But once again, it didn’t matter.

The Indians answered the call when the phone rang and gave Palisades a run for its money right down to the final second.

Lehighton left it all out on the field, but the Pirates made one more play and earned a 48-42 victory.

“Our kids responded to almost every punch that was thrown,” said Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll. “And we said that’s what this night was going to be like. It was going to be like a heavyweight fight. They just landed a few more punches than we did. The way our kids battled is just special, but that’s been the way it’s been all year.”

Things could have spiraled out of control for the Indians in the second quarter.

The Tribe couldn’t convert on fourth down deep in Pirates’ territory. On the very next play, Palisades’ Trey Gretzinger made a highlight-type run 73 yards to the house.

Cody Scherer fumbled on the ensuing Tribe drive, and Palisades’ Jared Colletti took a 20-yard scamper to the house, which made the score 20-8. Zach Crum fumbled on the next drive for the Tribe, and the Pirates punched in another score after Ethan Brader connected with Andrew Nickles to make the game 28-8.

But in case you haven’t learned, never count out the Indians.

“These kids play with a confidence and they never truly feel like they’re out of anything,” said McCarroll. “That’s what you want from true competitors. I just can’t say enough about how proud I am of them.”

On the ensuing drive after falling behind by 20 , Scherer dazzled with a 59-yard run and then TaQuan Bradley-Chambers capped off the quick drive with an 8-yard plunge. On the next Pirates’ drive, Scherer got some redemption with a fumble recovery to get the ball back for his offense with :59 left in the first half.

Taking over in Pirates’ territory, Scherer eventually scrambled for a 30-yard score and it was a brand-new game at halftime with Palisades holding a 28-20 lead.

“Next thing you know, in the last two minutes there right back in it,” said Palisades coach Kevin Ronalds. “And it was a dogfight until the end.”

Palisades made a risky call on the first play of the fourth quarter facing a third-and-14 and clinging to 34-28 lead against the surging Indians.

The Pirates dialed up a gutsy halfback pass, and tailback Jared Colletti threw a perfect ball to a wide-open Matt McGrath that put the Pirates up 41-28. Colletti ended with 267 total yards.

But punch-for-punch, Lehighton landed an immediate right hook when Scherer tossed a 26-yard touchdown to Colin Troxell with just over nine minutes left. Scherer finished with a whopping 347 total yards and four scores.

The Indians knocked on the door the entire game but could never kick it down.

Bradley-Chambers pulled Lehighton to within 48-42 with 5:30 left in the game.

But the Pirates landed the final knockout when they took over on offense.

With 3:32 left to play on their own 31-yardline, Palisades faced a fourth-and-1.

It gambled and went for it and Colletti bulldozed for a dozen yards — which proved to be the back-breaker for Lehighton as the Pirates were then able to run out the clock.

“We didn’t play defense all night,” said Ronalds. “I didn’t care if they had the ball over here or down there, we didn’t’ feel good about it. We felt good about how our Offensive line was playing. There was no question that we were going for it.”

SPEED KILLS … It wasn’t only Colletti doing damage, but Gretzinger ended with 221 yards on just 10 carries. He had a few huge plays using his lateral vision and speed, cutting all the way back across the field for splash plays. “It’s a combination of things,” said McCarroll. “A little over-pursuit and a few missed tackles. But credit goes to them, they’re a great team and obviously we did the same thing to teams up to this point. When you get to this point, everybody is good.”

OOPS … There were a ton of penalties in the game. In fact, Palisades had three touchdowns called back due to laundry on the field.

NEXT MAN UP … Facing a critical third down late in the fourth quarter, Chris Whiteman had to play quarterback for one play, as Scherer was forced to miss a snap due to an injury on the previous play. Whiteman broke a few tackles and sped down the sideline for a 16-yard first down. He prolonged the drive that Chambers scored on to cut the Pirates’ lead to six. . “It didn’t surprise me that he came in and made a play,” said McCarroll. “He does it on defense all the time. Our leaders don’t always come from our seniors. We have them in every single class and he’s going to be counted on next season.”