Fundamentals are key in any sport, but they're especially important in the sport of football.

Fundamentally being sound on offense, defense, and special teams can make the difference between winning or losing a game, regardless of the talent on the roster.The Pleasant Valley football team found that out the hard way on Friday as the Bears made many fundamental mistakes en-route to dropping an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference contest to Whitehall by a score of 45-29.The final score might be a little deceiving in this one as Pleasant Valley actually looked to be the team to beat early on. The Bears got out to a fast start, leading the Zephyrs 19-11 with 3:44 left in the second quarter.Everything looked to be going the Bears' way as they forced three Gianni Sinatore interceptions in the first half.However, the big play bailed out the Zephyrs many times throughout the night and it started in the second quarter. A 63 yard dash by Sinatore and a blocked field goal returned 57 yards for a score by Devin Martinez gave Whitehall a 25-19 lead at the half."Fundamentally, we just need to get better," said PV head coach Dave Pacchioni. "That's what's been killing us the last two, three weeks. It's not our scheme; it's not our game plan; it's just that we have to be better fundamentally."As noted, Whitehall used the big play to make up for the fact that it committed five turnovers on the night.An 80-yard hookup between wide receiver Desmond Boykin and Sinatore and another big play on defense by Martinez where he intercepted a Mike Brown pass and returned it 52 yards for a score were the type of plays that allowed Whitehall to get the victory.Big plays can be demoralizing to the opposition and Whitehall head coach Brian Gilbert was thrilled that his ball club was able to do just that."Our big plays tonight were what saved us," said Gilbert. "We were lucky to score 45 points, while turning the ball over five times. We have to clean that up as the season goes on."For the Bears, it's all about getting better and it starts on the practice field."I have to do a better job at practice and so do our players," said Pacchioni."We had too many penalties tonight, we missed too many tackles, and we just made mistakes that can't happen when you're playing a team like Whitehall."CAPTURE THE FLAG...It wasn't the prettiest game on either side in the penalty department on the night. Pleasant Valley was penalized 12 times for 96 yards, while the Zephyrs were penalized nine times for 50 yards.TURNOVER TOWN...All in all there were a combined nine turnovers between the Bears and Zephyrs. Whitehall turned it over five times with three interceptions and two fumbles, while the Bears were intercepted twice and lost two fumbles. At one point in the ball game during an approximately a 30 second stretch Sinatore threw an interception, Brown fumbled, and Sinatore threw another pick.READING THE DEFENSE...Gianni Sinatore might have had some issues in the passing game, but he sure made up for running the football. Sinatore did a fantastic job in the zone read offense, rushing for 157 yards on just 10 carries, scoring three touchdowns.BIG BOOT...Not only did PV kicker/punter Dean Krcic kick the ball into the end zone on almost all of his kickoff attempts, but he was also magnificent in the punting game. Krcic punted seven times for an average of 46 yards per punt, including punts of 53 and 61 yards, respectively.