The outcome of Friday night’s Lehighton at Tamaqua game was determined by experience.

With four returning offensive linemen in the trenches for the Indians and the Raiders starting four sophomores and a junior, Lehighton’s rushing attack was the difference in a 28-6 win the Indians.

Lehighton’s offensive line opened holes for senior running back Dylan Moyer who gained 114 yards, mostly between the tackles while quarterback Brady O’Donnell added another 86 on option fakes into the line and runs that often got him outside Tamaqua’s perimeter for big gains.

“We challenged our guys up front to dominate the line of scrimmage and we think they did just that,” Lehighton coach Tom McCarroll said. “They answered the bell for sure.”

Lehighton started the contest fast in a no-huddle five play drive capped by O’Donnell’s scamper around the left end.

The Raiders answered on an exceptional fourth down play by quarterback Luke Kane. Chased from the pocket to his left, Kane fired a deep ball to Jacob Hehn who got behind the secondary coverage for a 45 yard touchdown with just over six minutes to go in the first quarter.

Tamaqua didn’t score again and got into the red zone just twice the rest of the game, losing possession once on a fumble and a second time when the Indians stopped a fourth and one from their own six- yard line.

Lehighton scored twice in the second quarter to take a 15-point lead at the intermission. Moyer finished a 63-yard drive with a 3-yard plunge and with 1:11 left in the half; he also scored on a 10-yard run.

“We’re not good enough to recover from mistakes,” Tamaqua coach Sam Bonner said. “The fumble killed one drive and then we couldn’t get the yard on their six yard line.”

In the second half, the Raiders (0-2) failed to sustain any scoring drives as the Tribe’s defense stiffened and put constant pressure on Kane.

“Penalties hurt us in the second half,” Bonner said. “The good news is that our very young line got another game’s experience under their belts so we look for improvement going forward.”

A late fourth quarter scoring drive sealed the win for Lehighton (1-1).

Freshman running back Lukas Croizier used his fresh legs to move the chains on a five-minute drive that was highlighted by O’Donnell’s second touchdown of the game, a 3-yard run.

McCarroll praised O’Donnell for his leadership in the victory.

“Brady is a senior and he’s gained valuable confidence through the years,” McCarroll said. “He did a nice job running the ball as well as controlling the tempo of play.”

McCarroll added, “Motivation is a big key toward performance and tonight we remained focused and motivated throughout the game.”

BIG ‘D’ ... After giving up 54 points last week, Lehighton’s defense allowed only one touchdown.

165 AND 97 ... Tamaqua’s heralded 165 member marching band performed for their 97th year to delight the fans before the game.

NO PITCH CLOCK IN FOOTBALL ... The game took over three hours to play largely because of several injuries and 12 penalties, mostly in the second half.