“Big-time players make big-time plays in big games.”

That quote, made famous by former Miami Hurricanes and NFL wide receiver Santana Moss, usually refers to the kind of game-breaking plays you see from quarterbacks, running backs and receivers.

The 2017 District 11 3A Championship game Saturday night between Lehighton and Palisades will feature plenty of players capable of doing just that. Both the Indians and Pirates have several ultra-talented skill players that have the ability to take over a game.

But as good as the backs and receivers for both teams are, this game could in fact be won or lost by literally the biggest players on the field.

The trenches are where both team’s biggest players will have to make the game’s biggest plays in what is each team’s biggest game of the season.

The offensive line of both the Colonial League champion Pirates (12-0) and the Schuylkill League Division 1 champion Indians (12-0) have been the catalysts to their successes. Each squad has been able to dominate the opposition up front, and there’s no better indicator of that than in their rushing statistics.

Lehighton has rushed for 329.8 yards per game and 7.96 yards per carry. The Indians bell cow running back has been senior TaQuan Bradley-Chambers, who has put together one of the most impressive Times News area rushing seasons of all time. Bradley-Chambers has rushed for 2,097 yards and 21 scores, averaging 9.4 yards per carry.

It’s no secret that the Tribe goes as their chief dictates, and Cody Scherer has been the leader of this unit for the past two seasons. Scherer has also been stellar in the running game, rushing for 1,386 yards and averaging 9.18 yards per carry, while matching Bradley-Chambers with 21 touchdowns.

The “wow” plays have all been there throughout the season for the Indians, but the long runs and spectacular touchdowns don’t happen without the play of the offensive line.

“When you have some of the skill guys that we have, that have put up the numbers they have, you can understand why our offensive line has kind of flown under the radar this season,” said Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll. “To be quite honest though, they’re the true strength of our team. We knew coming in that this was going to be a good group with all five guys returning, and they haven’t disappointed.

“The football I.Q., communication skills, and work ethic has been great all offseason and of course during the season, and I think that shows week-in-and-week-out with what we’ve been able to do offensively.”

Palisades’ bread-and-butter on the season has also been its rushing attack, and nobody up to this point has been able to stop it.

The Pirates have rushed for 301.8 yards per game and 7.79 yards per carry. They have a three-headed, hard-hitting, rushing attack led by Jared Colletti, who has rushed for 1,026 yards and 15 scores. Trey Gretzinger is right on the heels of Colletti with 999 yards and 16 touchdowns, and fullback TJ Rakowsky, who will be playing football at Army next season, has rushed for 519 yards and six scores. Both Gretzinger and Rakowsky are averaging over 10 yards per carry.

“Our offensive line is the group that makes us go, and that’s the way it’s always been here,” said Palisades head coach Kevin Ronalds. “In the offseason we always challenge that group and put the burden on them, so they know we’re not going anywhere without them playing well.

“This group has loved that and has embraced that, and I think that’s evident in their play this season.”

The Indians are giving up just over 150 yards per game on the ground. While the play of the Indians’ offensive line will be important, it’s the play of the Tribe’s defensive front that could be the difference between walking out of Bethlehem School District Stadium with a gold or a silver medal.

“I think the game really comes down to how we play up front on the defensive side of the ball,” said McCarroll. “I don’t think we need to be in their backfield every play because that’s going to be challenging, but we need to stand our ground and get off blocks at the line of scrimmage

“I think what helps us there is our rotation. We’ve been able to rotate six or seven guys up front, so having fresh legs throughout the game will be important.”

Palisades is arguably as good on the defensive line as it is on the offensive line, and the statistics back it up. The Pirates have been especially impressive at stopping the run, as they’re give up just 61.75 yards per game on the ground. An even more staggering stat is that Palisades has given up just four rushing touchdowns the entire season, as teams have only been able to muster 2.5 yards per carry.

“We had seven All-Colonial League first team guys on defense and three second team guys, so we’re really proud of that group and what they’ve been able to do,” said Ronalds. “I think what impresses me most about those guys is how fast they are. We have great team speed on defense, and they do a great job for running downhill.

“We’re going to have to continue to do that this week. We really have to be perfect in our pursuit of the football. You can defend a play 75 percent right against Lehighton’s running back or quarterback, but if you leave a seam they will make you pay. It’s up to us to solve an issue that no one else really has been able to do in stopping their run game.”

Early in the season, the Indians were somewhat regarded as a finesse team. But in their sixth game of the season against North Schuylkill, they competed in a physical, hard-hitting game and walked away with a “W” in Fountain Springs. Lehighton’s physicality hasn’t been questioned since then, and has even been elevated after its last two performances against a Jim Thorpe defense that was widely regarded as the most physical defense in the Schuylkill League.

Still, McCarroll knows this week his team is facing an opponent that uses physicality as its mission statement.

“The first word I think about when I think about this game is physicality. We need to match their physicality, and then we need to execute what we do. If we’re able to do that, I’m confident that the rest will take care of itself,” said McCarroll. “We haven’t seen a team as physical as them yet, and I don’t think they’ve seen a team as talented as us yet. So I think it will be a really good football game and I know we’re really looking forward to the challenge.”