All Brandon Keyes needed was an opportunity.

After starting the year as Pleasant Valley's backup quarterback to fellow sophomore Mikey Brown, Keyes patiently waited for his chance.That opportunity has come in the second half of the season, and Keyes has responded, adding another dimension to the Bears' offense and playing a large role in the team's six-game winning streak.Keyes looked more comfortable than ever in his role as Pleasant Valley's signal caller during last Friday's 63-20 triumph over rival Pocono Mountain East, completing 9-of-14 passes for 243 yards and four touchdowns. The performance helped lead the Bears to their seventh straight victory in the 55th iteration of the "Battle for the Ol' Oaken Bucket," and also allowed Keyes to secure Times News Player of the Week honors.Even though it was his first official start of the season, the strong showing didn't come as a surprise to Pleasant Valley head coach Dave Pacchioni, who has watched Keyes throw for 531 yards and seven scores while completing 20 of his 30 pass attempts over the last three weeks."He's been progressing for the last three games," Pacchioni explained. "For him to be able to stepup like he has, after not starting and only playing intermittently over the first five or six weeks, I'm very pleased with his performance and the way he's handled the pressure and commanded our offense."While his statistics have been impressive, it's the way Keyes handled his time on the sideline that has stood out to Pacchioni the most."It takes great poise," the coach said of Keyes' demeanor. "To sit there, and maybe be thinking in the back of your head that, 'You're the guy.' Or, 'You should be the guy.' He hasn't done that. He's taken his role as a backup very seriously and prepared each week that, if he had to go in, he would be ready to do so."He's done a great job with that, and finally he got his shot and he's been doing a great deal of things that have benefited us and made us better."The Bears (6-3) are already flush with playmakers in the backfield, with running backs Austyn Borre (117 carries, 938 yards, 13 rushing touchdowns) and Trent Thomas (80 rushes, 558 yards, 8 rushing touchdowns) leading the way.The high-powered rushing attack typically means defenses are going to stack the box to bottle up Borre and Thomas. And that's just what the Cardinals did last Friday, giving Keyes plenty of room to push the ball down the field."When we were watching film, we thought that running the ball was going to be great because it seemed that they played their safeties and corners deeper," Keyes said of Pocono Mountain East's defense. "So it seemed like we were going to be able to run the ball more."But then they started the game and they were really filling the box with people, so we started throwing the ball more."If Keyes has the hot hand once again this Friday when Pleasant Valley takes on rival Stroudsburg, there's a good chance the Bears will be able to clinch a District 11 Class AAAA playoff spot with a victory over the Mounties (7-2).But Keyes knows it won't be easy."It's going to have to be a full team effort," he said. "We're going to have to go in there with a great attitude and be prepared and ready to face a tough opponent."