Pleasant Valley entered the third week of the season last year with a 2-0 record heading to East Stroudsburg South’s Memorial Stadium.

The Bears were caught off guard when South began the game with an onside kick. The Cavaliers took the momentum early and never looked back in a 36-14 victory.

Pleasant Valley is hoping to flip the script this season.

The Bears will get a chance when they host East Stroudsburg South Friday night in the Times News Game of the Week.

“Last year, our first shot at a good team, we had the chance and I just didn’t think we were quite ready,” said Pleasant Valley head coach Blaec Saeger. “I think that loss is going to help us. A lot of seniors are back who experienced it, and I think they’ll be a lot more prepared to play a big-time game like this.

“You got to learn how to win and learn how to take losses like that. They are a very good football team, and it’s going to be a tough one. It’s going to be a very good game, and obviously, a big upgrade, best team we’ve seen all year and we’re looking forward to it.”

The Bears are in a similar spot as last season, entering the game with a 2-0 record

The Cavaliers trounced Allen 43-3 in Week 1, and downed Dieruff 28-0 in the second week.

Pleasant Valley is coming off a 42-13 win over Allen in the team’s home opener last week, and rushed for 312 yards in the victory.

“We did a nice job,” Saeger said about the Allen game. “There was some ups-and-downs. It was a very tight game in the first half. We just didn’t run the ball very well and didn’t get a lot of possessions. The defense was giving up some chunk yards that I was a little surprised about. Coach (Brian) Miller (defensive coordinator) made one adjustment and shut everything down. It was a tremendous coaching move by him to make that adjustment. The kids responded and executed perfectly. The touchdown we had at the end of the half by Jarod (Moore) was just an unbelievable run to go up 21-3.

“I think that took a lot of wind from their sails. In the second half, we were able to get done what we wanted to do on both sides of the ball.”

The win came after the Bears rolled to a 62-0 win over East Stroudsburg North in Week 1.

Saeger has been pleased with how his junior quarterback, Valentino-Byers Robinson, has run the triple-option offense this season. Robinson and senior running backs Jarod Moore and Fela Olaniyan all shared carries against the Canaries, and face a tough task in East Stroudsburg South this week.

“We ran for three-something; it’s always the mark I like to hit,” Saeger said. “Limited possessions in the first half, but we did score all three times we had it, but that will happen sometimes. I was pleased. Val (Byers-Robinson) ran very well and was ready to go, so I was happy he got some carries as well.

“In this offense, you never really know who is going to get the ball. It all kind of varies.”

The triple-option offense has been working for Pleasant Valley, and East Stroudsburg South will have to try to shut down the Bears run game.

This year’s Cavaliers team lost a lot of players to graduation, including quarterback Bobby McClosky, running backs Ron Blake and Gary Welge and also wide receivers Colin Burdian and Dylan Osorio.

McClosky had a field day with PV in last year’s game by beginning the contest with an onside kick to recover the ball, and later found Osorio to put South on the board.

Welge also ran for three of the team’s four rushing touchdowns. Blake didn’t get many carries during last year’s game due to injuries.

Don’t be fooled by East Stroudsburg South losing key players. The program tends to be tough to beat every year, and 2022 is no different.

But it’s a test the Bears are ready to take.