It wasn’t the start Lehighton’s defense wanted.

But they more than made up for it the rest of the way.

After allowing a touchdown to visiting Fleetwood on the season’s opening drive, the Indians’ D settled in and kept its opponent out of the end zone over the final three-plus quarters.

That defensive showing, along with some big plays from the offense, helped Lehighton pull out a 20-13 victory.

“Going into the season, we really thought that our defense was going to be our strength,” said Indian mentor Tom McCarroll. “I know offensively, we put them in some tough spots tonight.

“We didn’t really change anything (after the first score). Early on, it was just a feeling-out process. There were a lot of new kids in a lot of new spots, and they weren’t used to game speed and game physicality. So we really didn’t change scheme too much. There were a few minor tweaks at halftime, but overall we just challenged our kids to play a little more physical.”

Ben Leister and the Tigers showed off their physicality early on. The junior running back bulled his was for good yardage a few times and then capped a 60-yard opening drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.

“We knew that we had to step it up after that,” said Lehighton senior lineman Dakota Hiester. “We’re usually a second-half team, so the defense just had to keep it up.

“We toughened up after that first score ... (When they had good field position a few times, we) wanted to bend but not break in those situations. We just had to wear them out and play our game ... and we did that.”

Fleetwood managed a second-quarter field goal from Wes Seaman to take a 10-6 halftime advantage, but after the break Lehighton gave up just 67 yards on 26 plays. It forced four punts, caused a turnover, and held on a fourth-down call.

“The defense rose to the occasion a handful of times,” said McCarroll. “There’s no doubt about it, those guys came through.

“The offense also made some plays when it needed to.”

Senior quarterback Chris Whiteman was able to connect with classmate Zack Crum a number of times during the contest to give the Indians just enough firepower.

The two hooked up for an 18-yard score following Fleetwood’s opening tally to get on the board. Early in the second half, Whiteman found Crum again down the sideline for a 38-yard pick-up that led to a 1-yard touchdown run and a 12-10 lead.

Later in the third frame, after the defense recovered a fumble, Crum snared a crossing pass and took it the distance for a 71-yard tally and a 20-10 advantage.

“I think we have a lot of big-play potential,” said McCarroll. “I think we have a great core of playmakers moving forward and we’ll see more big plays from us.

“I think tonight was a breaking-in process with a lot of positions and a lot of new kids ... It was an eye-opener for a lot of the kids and the experience is going to be one we can build on. At the end of the day, I’ll take an ugly win over a pretty loss. That’s how we’re going to spin this one and learn and get better from this.”

BACKFIELD DUO ... JJ McDowell and Shane Williams split time in the backfield for the Indians. McDowell had some solid runs in the second half and finished with 61 yards.

MORE DEFENSIVE NUMBERS ... The Indians registered nine tackles for loss, including a key hit by Zack Hunsicker that resulted in a 7-yard loss on first down late in the game.

UP NEXT ... Lehighton hosts Schuylkill Haven on Friday before traveling to Central Columbia the following week.