It could have been a momentum-changer.

Instead, it validated the dominance of North Schuylkill's defense.After Lehighton's offense struggled and was held scoreless in the first half of Friday's Schuylkill League contest, the Indians opened the third quarter by recovering a loose ball on the kickoff.Two plays netted minus-two yards, and the third resulted in an interception that turned the ball back over to the Spartans.For Lehighton, that's the kind of evening it was, as it dropped a tough 7-0 decision on Homecoming."I really think the turning point for us was the second half when we got that kickoff and couldn't punch it in," Indian head coach Tom McCarroll said. "That was crucial. We needed to take advantage of that."I also need to do a better job ... Maybe at times I over thought some things offensively, instead of sticking with the simple plays that we're consistently solid with. Again, that falls on my shoulders. Any time we score zero points, that's on me."While McCarroll took the blame for his team being shut out, North Schuylkill's defense also had something to do with the blanking."That could have been a big momentum swing, but once again (the defense) accepted the challenge," Spartan mentor Wally Hall said."Lehighton's very powerful and has a very scary offense. They have speed and run the ball extremely well. And they certainly have the ability to pass the ball well ... They're a tough team to stop, but our defense came through."While North Schuylkill (4-2; 1-0) had plenty of heroes on the defensive side, probably the biggest was Bobby Wagner.The senior, who was the player that muffed the second-half kickoff and came up with the pick moments later, had two sacks and another tackle for loss."That was really hard to come back from," said Wagner of his turnover. "But you have to move on. Everybody makes mistakes. Even guys in the NFL fumble on kickoffs. I can't beat myself up too badly. I had to come back, and pick myself right up."Lehighton (4-2; 0-1) tried to rebound from its missed opportunity, but came up empty on its other two second-half possessions.The Indians moved 60 yards on one drive, but gave the ball up on downs once it reached North Schuylkill's 20-yard line. After the defense forced a turnover to stop a Spartan threat, another interception - this one by Brandon Rockwell with 1:51 to play - sealed the contst."If you tell me anytime we hold anyone to seven points, I expect to win," McCarroll said. "And again, that's why I take full responsibility."Our kids battled, but give them credit. They had a game plan, and stuck with it."That game plan was keeping the ball on the ground. North Schuylkill ran 52 plays and didn't throw once. Its scoring drive came late in the second quarter on a 10-play, 56-yard march. The Spartans converted a key fourth down inside the 10 before quarterback Rich Zahodnic scored on a 1-yard keeper 35 seconds before halftime."It's a big league win," Hall said. "Lehighton was playing really good football. They're a team that never bows down and usually finds a way to win. So for us, it's a big win."STREAK SNAPPED ... Lehighton had not been shut out in 45 straight games. The last time the Indians were blanked was Sept. 21, 2012 when they were blasted 54-0 by Pleasant Valley.INDIAN MISTAKES ... Lehighton only had three penalties, but they were all crucial. The first came on a fake punt where the Indians would have picked up a first down. The second came on a late hit during North Schuylkill's scoring drive. The last one turned what would have been a Spartan fourth-and-long into a first down. "One thing that hurt us were some untimely penalties," McCarroll said. "That's going to kill you. When you're struggling offensively, and the defense is doing a helluva job, you can't put yourself in that position. It was a combination of things tonight, and that was one of them."TOUGH 'D' ... The Indians didn't give up a first down on North Schuylkill's first three possessions. The first time the Spartans moved the chains was on Zack Chowansky's 19-yard run during their scoring drive.