Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll knew it was just a matter of time before quarterback Jayse Lawrence had a breakout game.

Fortunately for him and his Indian squad, that time came last Friday.

Lawrence completed 13 of 15 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns against the Blue Bombers, leading to a 61-17 victory.

That effort not only moved Lehighton to 2-2 on the season, but it also earned Lawrence the Times News Football Player of the Week award.

“We’ve been kind of waiting for that with him,” said McCarroll. “We knew he had it in him. I think it was just a matter of putting things all together.

“He’s really a well-rounded quarterback. He has the potential to throw the ball deep, while also checking down when we need to. That just allows us as coaches to be able to do a lot of different things.”

Lawrence’s versatility was on full display against Palmerton. He was able to connect on the short passes while also throwing downfield. And if nothing was open, he was able to pick up some yardage running the ball.

“I think the short passing game is very nice for me because I can get it out quick and let my wide receivers do what they do best,” said Lawrence, a junior. “Our skilled wide receivers are very fast so when they come off the line they can beat anyone, I believe, and I just have to get the ball out there, and let them go grab it.

“It’s always fun throwing a deep ball. You can see it going through the air and there’s a chance your guy comes down with it, and then all the guys on the sidelines get excited.”

There were plenty of times on Friday that the sidelines — and the Lehighton faithful — had chances to be excited.

After Palmerton jumped out to an early 14-7 lead, Lawrence and his teammates responded with a flurry of scores. Lawrence threw scoring passes of 57 and 19 yards to Joe Roth, and a 7-yarder to Logan Kent to give the home team a 36-14 halftime advantage.

Lawrence opened the second half with his fourth TD pass, hitting Roth for a third time on a 50-yard tally.

“We started slow,” said Lawrence, who leads the area in passing yards with 536. “And then we figured it out ... Joe Roth had a very good game. Obviously, he was my main target the whole time. I just try to see what the defense gives me, and if I see someone open I just let it rip.”

Lawrence managed to see some playing time in both his freshman and sophomore seasons, but things have changed since then.

A year older and wiser has made him not only a much better player, but also a leader.

“His growth has been great,” said McCarroll. “His football IQ is super high. I think he has a great grasp on what we’re asking our quarterbacks to do, and quite honestly we ask our quarterbacks to do quite a bit. I think it kind of speaks volumes if you look at his numbers, and not just sheer yards or touchdowns, but just the fact he’s not turning the ball over ... I think he’s doing a great job of taking what the defense gives him, tucking the ball and running when he has to. He’s really finding a nice balance of how to run our offense.

“As a quarterback, he’s a natural leader in that position, but ... his body language and demeanor is completely different than a year ago, and you can tell that. In that huddle, he’s way more vocal, way more positive, and I think he’s taken the leadership role on and made it very personal for him.”

Also personal for Lawrence was the win against Palmerton.

After three straight years of losing to the Bombers — including twice during Lawrence’s varsity years — defeating one of their rivals was a welcomed sight.

“The past two years they’ve been a powerhouse team and beat us both times. Coming into this game, we knew we had to play hard and stay true to each other. That’s what we did, and we came out and got a nice win.”

Lawrence is hoping to get more wins, especially when the postseason rolls around.

While that won’t be easy with the opponents left on their schedule, the Indians’ signal-caller isn’t phased by facing quality teams.

“My goal for this season is for us to get past the first round of districts,” said Lawrence. “The schedule’s pretty tough. But I don’t think any differently (about the opponent we face). We just need to come out hard and play physical, and if we do that I think we’re good to go.”