ALLENTOWN — Blaec Saeger saw the struggles in Week 1.

Saeger could clearly identify the progress his Pleasant Valley football team had made just eight days later.

After being shut out in their season opener, the Bears showed the strides the program had made in a short period of time.

It was a process that continued for Pleasant Valley Saturday night in a 40-26 loss to a rising Dieruff team.

The Bears took a 19-6 lead in the second quarter, but the Huskies ripped off 27 straight points to seize momentum and move to 2-0 for the first time since 2002.

“Last week we were like a deer in headlights,” Saeger said of a 35-0 loss to Governor Mifflin. “We had 21 new faces playing varsity football against a smash-you-in-the-face good team, and it was just like, ‘Whoa, this is different.’

“This week we played football. We were calm, when we had to be calm, we were energized, when we had to be energized, we looked like a football team. We looked like a young, sloppy football team with four turnovers, and we struggled to tackle, and they had some athletes that are difficult to tackle. But we showed a lot of promise, and a lot to build on. And if we can continue to make strides like that, this year it is what it is. We’ve been playing a lot of young guys, talented young guys. So I wasn’t quite sure how it would pan out, but a lot of growing pains. You’ve been with us since the beginning. You know how it was at the beginning. We’re kind of, in some ways starting over a little bit.”

Pleasant Valley answered the bell after Dieruff scored on its opening drive. Quinn Kauffman recovered a muffed punt, and the Bears (0-2) went 24 yards in five plays, with first-year starting QB Jaxson Haines capping the drive with a 1-yard TD to tie it at 6-6 with 5:09 left in the opening quarter. The junior had a nice spinning 18-yard scamper on the drive to move the ball to the Huskies’ 5-yard line.

Sophomore Christopher Ward gave Pleasant Valley a spark on Dieruff’s next drive, picking off a pass and speeding 51 yards for a score to make it 12-6 with 2:07 left in the opening frame.

The Bears forced a punt on the next Dieruff drive, and needed just six plays to go 80 yards, with Haines hitting Kauffman for a 30-yard TD on a contested ball in the end zone, and Russell Berger adding the extra point to push the lead to 19-6 with 8:38 left in the first half. Kauffman, a senior, also had a 32-yard run on a nice read during the drive with the Bears at their own 25-yard line.

Dieruff answered with a touchdown on its next drive to make it a one score game, but the Bears got a 44-yard return from Ward on the ensuing kickoff. With Pleasant Valley facing third and one from the Huskies’ 21-yard line, Dieruff forced a fumble and Riyell Wann returned it to the Bears’ 20-yard line.

Quarterback Jack Herter found Alphy Deris in the end zone for an 18-yard score on fourth and eight, and added the extra point to put Dieruff up 20-19 with 1:50 left in the first half.

“The Dieruff teams in the past, when it was 19-6, would have absolutely folded,” said Huskies’ head coach Dave Lutte. “These guys decided to fight. They’re a bunch of fighters; they play hard, and they play hard for each other.”

Dieruff recovered a fumble on PV’s first play of the second half, with Herter hitting Jayden Gonzalez for a 16-yard TD on fourth and goal to cap a 70-yard drive and make it 26-19.

The Bears drove to the Huskies’ 2-yard line on their next possession but fumbled into the end zone on first and goal, which was recovered by Dieruff for a touchback.

Kauffman stopped the Huskies’ next drive with a pick. But the Dieruff defense made a stand on fourth and two with the Bears at their 24-yard line, as senior Ameer Pineda came up with a tackle for a loss on the first play of the fourth quarter with the Huskies still leading 26-19.

They turned the stop into a touchdown to extend their lead to 33-19 with 8:35 to play. A bad snap on a punt attempt gave Pleasant Valley the ball at the Dieruff 12-yard line, and Ward needed just one play to go in from 12 yards out to make it a one-score game at 33-26 with 5:48 to play.

But Dieruff recovered an onside kick attempt, and punched in an insurance score with 2:03 left to seal the win.

“I’m just so proud of the massive improvements, and the heart and character they showed tonight to not give up,” said Saeger.

BEARS DEN ... Haines threw for 71 yards and rushed for 70, while Kauffman had three grabs for 41 yards. The Bears finished with 176 yards rushing.

LEADER OF THE PACK ... Juan Manzano rushed for 133 yards and two scores, and Dieruff rolled up 253 yards and four TDs on the ground. Herter had 108 yards passing.

UP NEXT ... PV hosts Exeter Township (2-0) Friday in its home opener.

Dieruff 40, Pleasant Vy. 26

Pleasant Vy. 12 7 0 7 - 26

Dieruff 6 14 6 14 - 40

Scoring summary

D - Manzano 39 run (pass failed)

PV - Haines 1 run (kick failed)

PV - Ward 51 interception return (run failed)

PV - Kauffman 30 pass from Haines (Berger kick)

D - Manzano 8 run (Herter kick)

D - Deris 18 pass from Herter (Herter kick)

D - Gonzalez 16 pass from Herter (kick failed)

D - Wann 12 run (Herter kick)

PV - Ward 12 run (Berger kick)

D - Baron 15 run (Herter kick)