POTTSVILLE - A Crimson Tide tidal wave overwhelmed Lehighton on Friday night.

Pottsville turned six first-half possessions into six touchdowns and nearly 400 yards of total offense on its way to a 43-8 mercy rule victory over the Indians.

“They are so explosive and have so many weapons,” said Lehighton coach Tom McCarroll. “It’s very hard to slow them down. We didn’t have any answers for their big plays in the first half.

“(Travontai) Davis and (Amari) Dunn are two dynamic running backs, their quarterback is a dual threat kid, and they have some excellent receivers.”

How explosive was the Tide?

Their six first-half TD drives took just 21 plays, but produced 394 yards - an average of 3.5 plays per drive and 18.8 yards per play.

“It’s obviously a good night offensively when you can score on your first six possessions,” said Pottsville coach Tom McGeoy. “We have some great athletes who made a bunch of great plays.”

In a first half filled with offensive stars and big plays, no star was brighter or came up bigger than the Tide’s Davis. The senior carried the ball just seven times, but his touches produced 207 yards and three touchdowns. Dunn, his backfield mate, carried just four times but gained 40 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns.

“Travontai had a great game for us,” said McGeoy. “He showed great vision on a couple of the touchdown runs, by cutting back and finding holes. Then he showed great footwork to turn the corner and stay inbounds on his 90-some yard touchdown.

“Amari also had a couple of nice touchdowns, including one where he ran over a number of tacklers. Both of those guys have a chance to score any time they touch the ball and they showed that tonight.”

Pottsville’s first possession featured a pair of third-down conversions, including a 38-yard Davis TD run on a third-and-two play.

“We had the chance to get off the field on that first drive,” said McCarroll. “But that’s the way it’s been going lately. We made a couple of nice plays, but then a breakdown here or a missed tackle there and it’s a big play for the other team.”

The next two touchdowns for Pottsville (4-1) came in lightning quick fashion as a Dunn 25-yard run capped a two-play 60-yard drive, and a Davis 55-yard run capped a two-play 66-yard drive, making it 21-0 with 1:42 still left in the opening quarter.

Dunn and Davis both added second quarter scores - Davis’ coming on a sensational 91-yard burst down the sideline.

Lehighton (1-4) got on the board with just 1:11 left in the half. The touchdown came when quarterback Brady O’Donnell hit Luke Blauch with a 7-yard pass for a first down. As Blauch was trying to get free, the ball was knocked into the air where Ian Rarick pulled it down and went the final 32 yards for a TD to make it 35-8.

The scoring play capped a 6-play, 75-yard drive. It was the second consecutive strong possession by the Indian offense, which ran 13 plays and moved the ball inside the Tide 10-yard line before stalling the previous time it had the ball.

“We did some nice things offensively right before the half,” said McCarroll. “I like the way we kept fighting.

“We are playing a lot of young kids. We just have to stay positive and keep believing there are better days ahead.”

MERCY RULE ... Lehighton’s score appeared as if it was going to get the game to halftime without it being a mercy rule situation. But on the first play following the Indian TD, Pottsville quarterback Jayce Carabello-Snowell tossed a perfect strike to Raeff DiCello for a 56-yard score. Carabello-Snowell then ran for the conversion with :54 left in the half to once again restore the 35-point lead.

NO SCORES ... Neither team scored in a quickly played second half that featured a running clock.

OUT ... Lehighton was without big-play threat Hunter Crum, who missed the game with an injury.

BIZARRE NUMBERS ... Despite trailing 43-8 at halftime, Lehighton had a 37-21 advantage in offensive snaps, and a 15:59-8:01 edge in time of possession.