SHILLINGTON – It’s always great to close the season with a win.

It can be a shot-in-the-arm or a springboard, if you will, to next fall.

Pleasant Valley was hoping to earn its sixth win in the Eastern Conference 5A/6A at Governor Mifflin Friday evening. Both schools entered the contest 5-5, but you would never have known that.

The way things started for the Bears wasn’t a good omen. The energy level was a little blase’ to say the least. It seemed like PV was just going through the motions.

But suddenly, things took an about face. And it was much to the liking of Pleasant Valley.

A fire was lit just before the end of the first half thanks to the running of bruising senior Alex Ecker.

Ecker literally carried his team up and down the field, like a general on a mission. The 6-2, 225-pounder rumbled and tumbled over the Mustangs defense, scoring all four touchdowns for his team to rally the club to an impressive 28-19 win. He finished with 194 yards rushing on 20 carries.

That spark the Bears were yearning for came right before intermission. The Mustangs had torn through the PV defense with ease, scoring three first-half touchdowns and building a 19-0 lead.

Mifflin tight end Derek Dinatale gathered in a 40-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Javien Jones before the hosts upped the score to 12-0 when Brandon Jones flew into the end zone on a 7-yard run, capping an 83-yard march. Before the Bears were awoken from their slumber, the Mustangs rode the legs of Jones for another score on a 46-yard run to paydirt.

At that point, PV looked dead in the water with nowhere to turn.

But then Ecker provided a spark. He led his team to its first touchdown, doing just about everything in the drive. First, he raced 56 yards to the 4-yard line, and then on the next play he hit the end zone. Zachary Pandolfo added the PAT and the Bears were revived at the respite.

“Coach (Blaec Seager) got on us at halftime, and told us that we needed to start doing our jobs,” Ecker said. “He said to start playing the way we’re capable.”

Those words sure didn’t fall on deaf ears.

Pleasant Valley came up with a superbly executed 99-yard drive that probably was the turning point in the victory.

The Bears were pinned down on the 1-yard line after a Mustangs punt. Then, methodically Pleasant Valley begin a picture-perfect drive. And Ecker was the go-to guy.

His number was called six times - the last which was a classic showcase of brute power and speed. Ecker rolled over the Governor Mifflin secondary, then sprinted 41 yards to paydirt. After Pandolfo booted his second PAT, PV was smelling a comeback.

“We just showed how good we can be,” Seager said about the rally. “Yeah, we only had five wins, but our kids are sure winners. They played a tough schedule.”

And they played with determination in the second half.

The Bears’ defense came up big in the second half, plugging holes, and shutting down the Mustangs.

With Pleasant Valley now in positive mode, Ecker once again led the charge. He put his team on top for good with a 25-yard touchdown run with 4:12 to play. And their only completed pass of the night set up the score.

Quarterback Valentino Byers-Robinson hit Aaron Hayden with a perfectly-thrown pass, and the wide receiver sped past the Mustangs’ secondary for a 49-yard completion. Ecker scored moments later to put the Bears up 20-19, while a two-point conversation by Ecker increased the margin to three points.

“Our team has had ups and downs all season,” senior cornerback Dakoda Lucas said.

Late in the game, Lucas forced an interception - which Ecker picked off and dashed to the GM 13.

“Our coaches got us ready and all I did was read my keys,” Lucas said.

After the pick, it took just one play for Ecker to add the game’s final points and secure the win.

“We’ve been down in the past,” two-way lineman Angelo Syracuse said. “We know what it takes to come back, so we had confidence.”

LAST HOORAH … Bears will lose 19 seniors to graduation.

BIG RALLY … The last time PV came back from that large a deficit was Oct. 3, 2014 when it trailed ES South 23-0 before rallying for a 33-30 win.