Pleasant Valley will meet a familiar foe in the District 11 Class 5A football semifinals on Thursday at 6 p.m.

The fourth-seeded Bears will travel to rival and top seed East Stroudsburg South for the semifinal contest.

The Cavaliers (8-2) claimed a 54-20 victory over Pleasant Valley in Week 5 on Sept. 20. After a 40-14 setback against Freedom the following week, ES South closed the regular season with four straight victories, outscoring opponents 176-66 during the stretch.

The Cavaliers are led by junior quarterback Ivan Laubach, who has completed 108-of-201 pass attempts for 1,738 yards and 19 scores with just four interceptions.

Senior running back Charles Capers has carried the ball 152 times for 1,446 yards and 23 scores.

Laubach’s top target in the passing game has been senior Xzavier Pusateri, who has 53 catches for 975 yards and 12 touchdowns. Pusateri also leads the team with three interceptions, including two for touchdowns. In their meeting during the regular season, sophomore Chris Ward gave the Bears (0-10) a 7-0 first-quarter lead with an 88-yard touchdown run. Ward had a big night for Pleasant Valley, carrying the ball 20 times for 199 yards and a score. He also added a 53-yard run on his first carry of the second half.

The sophomore has carried the ball 94 times for 651 yards (6.93 ypc) this season, which ranks sixth among area players.

Jaxson Haines added a 10-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Berger in the third quarter for the Bears, and Quinn Kauffman also came up with a pick in the second half.

While the Bears are run-heavy with their option attack, Haines has completed 34-of-68 passes for 391 yards this season.

Capers led the Cavaliers on the ground in the first meeting, carrying the ball 17 times for 130 yards and four touchdowns. Laubach was 16-of-22 for 221 yards and three TDs, while Pusateri had six catches for 140 yards and two scores.

The Class 5A championship game will take place Thursday, Nov. 7 at a time and location to be determined. The other 5A semifinal on Thursday features No. 3 Pocono Mountain East at No. 2 Whitehall, which also kicks off at 6 p.m.

East Stroudsburg South claimed a 38-7 win over Whitehall in Week 3, and a 67-27 victory against PM East on Oct. 4.

Pleasant Valley did not face Whitehall during the regular season. The Bears suffered a 10-7 setback against the Cardinals in Week 8.