NAZARETH - From odds-on-favorite to outside looking in, Nazareth endured a precarious postseason position.

Undefeated during an abbreviated regular season, the Blue Eagles looked like a lock to defend their District 11 Class 6A title before COVID-19 concerns forced the top seed to withdraw from the tournament Friday before ever taking the field.

They were given new life 24 hours later.

Back in the tournament on Saturday, Nazareth made the most of its opportunity with a 56-10 victory over Pleasant Valley in Monday’s rescheduled quarterfinal contest.

“I appreciate what our administration did here at Nazareth and doing their homework and talking to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and doing the contact tracing, and Mr. (Ray) Ramella (Athletic Director) leading that charge,” said Blue Eagles’ head coach Tom Falzone. “They put us in this situation to play tonight.

“And also, I’m grateful to PV, who could have said no. They had the advance and they just said no way, we’re going to let you guys play this one out.”

Nazareth (7-0) didn’t let it go to waste.

The Blue Eagles needed just 14 plays in the first half to put up 35 points. They found the end zone on eight of their 10 offensive possessions in the game.

Quarterback Matt Bugbee was 7-of-8 passing for 144 yards and three touchdowns. The senior added three carries for 56 yards and a touchdown.

Pleasant Valley (1-3) tried to combat Nazareth’s quick-strike offense with long, sustained drives using its triple-option attack.

The eighth-seeded Bears put together a 16-play, 75-yard drive on their first series of the night, with quarterback Robert Papaleo going in from a yard out to tie it at 7-7 with 2:40 to play in the first quarter.

But the momentum was short-lived.

A 73-yard return by Nolan Lobb on the ensuing kick put Nazareth at the Bears’ 1. Tyler Rohn cashed in on the first offensive play of the series to kick off a run of 21 unanswered points.

The Bears fumbled on their next two drives and the Blue Eagles cashed in both turnovers for scores.

Joe Capobianco spun his way into the end zone from 23 yards out, and Bugbee added a 49-yard scamper to make it 28-7 midway through the second quarter.

“That was our goal, to keep their defense on the field,” said Pleasant Valley head coach Blaec Saeger. “We wanted to try to control the clock, and we were able to do it in the first half.

“We knew once their offense gets the ball, look out. They’re just on a different level right now, and that’s where we want to get to. They weren’t always like that. Tom Falzone built it, and we’re looking to do the same thing.”

Jack Kaye booted a 22-yard field goal to cut Nazareth’s lead to 28-10 late in the second quarter. The drive included a 46-yard pass from Papaleo to Ryan Blass, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to move the Bears to the 10.

But the Eagles needed just three plays for Bugbee to hit Andrew Wells for a 47-yard score to make it 35-10 at halftime.

Wells added his second touchdown on a 30-yard strike from Bugbee on the Blue Eagles first drive of the second half to make it 42-10. Nazareth’s reserves added two more touchdowns to close out the scoring.

While Nazareth’s position in the postseason was never in question, Pleasant Valley’s presence might have come earlier than expected.

The Bears have amassed just three victories since going 8-3 in 2016. They were 0-10 last season.

But Saeger is looking long-term. The second-year head coach has liked what he’s seen so far, but he knows the work is just getting started.

“A lot of people told me this is a big, couple year project just to get it back to respectability,” said Saeger. “And respectability isn’t where we want to be, but if you want to win a championship you have to get to respectability first.

“We’re going to continue to try to get there. It’s going to be with heart and toughness, and those are the type of kids I got. I don’t know how far we brought it up yet, but I think we’re at least climbing up.”

MOVING ON … Nazareth will face No. 4 Stroudsburg in the semifinals. The Mounties advanced after fifth-seeded Parkland was forced to withdraw.

MOVE THE STICKS … The Bears grabbed chunks of yards with their option attack, piling up 12 first downs in the first half. But they had just two after halftime.

UP NEXT … With Pocono Mountain East still alive in the Class 5A bracket, Pleasant Valley has rescheduled its bucket game against the Cardinals for Nov. 20.