The ability to run the football, chew up clock, and wear an opposing team down up front are all attributes of a good playoff football team. On Friday night against Pleasant Valley, Easton showed it's exactly that kind of football team.

The Red Rovers were able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball en route to a 27-13 District 11 6A quarterfinal-round victory over the Bears.Easton showed early that it was going to make running the football its No. 1 priority on the evening. After forcing Pleasant Valley to turn it over on downs on its opening possession, the Rovers marched 69 yards on eight plays and did so by playing physical. They finished off their drive with a nifty 16-yard run by quarterback Ben Nimeh and got out to a 7-0 advantage.The Rovers again turned to the run game for their second score of the night in the second quarter.Two possessions after their initial scoring drive, Easton used runs of 13 yards and 28 yards by bowling ball back Harold Reynolds to position the team in scoring position. Reynolds was tough to bring down all night and led the Rovers in rushing with 138 yards. His tough running set up a 1-yard plunge by teammate Israel Selassie, which gave the Rovers a two-score advantage. Selassie also had a nice night on the ground, rushing for 133 yards and three scores."Our two running backs, if you can believe it, it's their first year playing varsity football, and they're playing tough and running hard," said Easton head coach Steve Schiffert. "The big guys up front are a big reason why those kids had lanes to run through too, so you have to give them credit as well. It was a great overall effort for us in the run game tonight."Pleasant Valley got back into the game right before halftime with an impressive drive of its own. The Bears went 91 yards in 10 plays to get within a score. Inside the Rovers 40, a late hit out of bounds on a Brandon Keyes connection to Brent Beck set up a 26-yard pitch and catch between Keyes and Brendan Gilleece. After a missed extra-point, the Bears trailed by eight heading into intermission.Unfortunately for Pleasant Valley, it couldn't use the momentum generated from its late first half score to put some point sup in the third. The main reason for that was the Easton defense, which seemed to be in Keyes' face all night long. In fact, that was exactly the case as the Rovers sacked Keyes a total of six times for a loss of 37 yards. The Rovers forced the Bears to turn it over on downs three times and also on a punt in the second half."They were able to best us up front tonight and for the most part, they didn't send a lot of guys, They were just able to generate pressure with their defensive front," said Pleasant Valley head coach Mark Versuk. "I think there were times when we could've got rid of the ball a little quicker, but there's no doubt Brandon (Keyes) was under pressure all night and I definitely think that was the key to their victory."The third was scoreless for the Rovers, as well, but they picked it up in the fourth by grinding the football. A six-play, 63-yard scoring drive and a three-play, 11-yard scoring drive put the game away with Easton not throwing a single pass in either of those possessions.The Bears were able to get on the board once more as time expired with a Matthew Buonforte 10-yard dash to end the game 27-12.MISSED OPPORTUNITIES ... The Bears defense was able to generate turnovers on the night, but on the offensive side of the ball Pleasant Valley just couldn't take advantage. The Bears had an interception, a fumble recovery, and blocked a 25-yard field goal attempt, which the Bears recovered in the third quarter. Easton also fumbled the kickoff inside its own 35-yard line after the Bears initial score, but the Bears weren't able to come up with the ball.WEIRD PLAY ... At the 9:18 mark in the second quarter a very weird play occurred and nobody, even the referees, knew what to make of it at first. A Nimeh pass from the PV 34-yard line was off target when he tried to hit one of his players down the seam. The ball hit off the goal post and shot straight up into the air. Pleasant Valley safety Michael Brown caught the ball off the ricochet and started to return the football after no whistle blew the play dead. After Brown was tackled, the play was eventually ruled an incomplete pass, but it made for a fun football moment.