Pleasant Valley is still building.

Matt Kosciolek has spent the first months of his tenure as the Bears’ football coach laying the groundwork for the program’s future.

While Kosciolek knows there will be growing pains this season, as evidenced in Pleasant Valley’s 42-0 season opening loss to Liberty Friday night, he saw the team take another step in forming the foundation he’s seeking.

“We are still trying to develop chemistry,” Kosciolek said afterward. “In the spring, and in the summer, it’s all 7-on-7 kind of stuff, so once we suit up and play football, it’s a different story.

“We’ve got enough talent on the team, I’m not worried about that. We just have to clean up and stop shooting ourselves in the foot, and we’ll be able to hang in these games.”

The Hurricanes set the tone early, forcing a safety on the Bears’ first play from scrimmage.

Forced to start from its own 2-yardline after a punt, Liberty’s defense swarmed Pleasant Valley tailback Nasai Moon in the end zone for a 2-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.

Rushing scores from Nasir Legree (120 yards) and Roberto Rivera on their next two possessions gave the Hurricanes a 16-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

“They’re big and physical,” Kosciolek said. “They just come out and they punch you, and they keep punching you.

“They’re a good team, and they’re gonna win a lot of games. That physical football was exactly what I was expecting, so the fact that our kids stepped up and, they did a great job in that first half defensively. Offensively we couldn’t sustain drives, and they’re physical. They are who we thought they were.”

Rivera and Legree finished with two rushing touchdowns apiece. Rivera added his second on a 4-yard plunge late in the second quarter to give Liberty a 22-0 lead at the intermission.

Legree got his second score midway through the third quarter, a 39-yard scamper that made it 35-0 and put the mercy rule into effect.

The Hurricanes added an insurance touchdown when backup quarterback Dallas Holmes hit Jason Estrella for a 58-yard strike on the first play of the fourth quarter to set the final tally.

Pleasant Valley struggled to find consistency through the air or on the ground, something Kosciolek attributed to Liberty’s aggressive defense.

“It was an uphill battle all night,” said Kosciolek. “They get after you on the edge, collapse the pocket. Up front, they do a good job just clogging up where you’re trying to go. The linebackers flow and fill the open gaps.

“It was a hard time for us just trying to fit our run scheme in. And those ends crash, it’s hard to get outside, and they do a good job plugging the middle. There’s really not a lot you can do. When you’re trying to throw the ball, they’re in your face again. They do a good job being physical with your wide receivers, so they’re just a big, physical team, and it’s a lot to handle.”

UP NEXT

… Pleasant Valley travels to Allen next Friday.

BLOCK!

… Zaire Mitchell got Liberty on the board early in the third quarter. After the Hurricanes forced a three-and-out, Mitchell blocked the Bears’ ensuing punt, and returned it for a score to make it 29-0 with 10:04 to play in the third.

HE’S GOING THE DISTANCE

… Legree grabbed headlines a year ago, rushing for 1,912 yards. He entered Friday’s game needing just 19 yards to eclipse 3,000 for his career.