Worth the wait.

Pleasant Valley’s season was delayed in Week 1 due to COVID-19 issues. But the Bears, who were only able to play a handful of games last season due to the pandemic as well, came out ready to play on Saturday night.

PV looked strong up front on both sides of the ball, dominating in the trenches, for a 54-0 victory over East Stroudsburg North.

From the opening kickoff, the Bears (1-0) established their dominance on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, especially along the line of scrimmage.

Pleasant Valley’s Wing-T offense was clicking from the onset and produced three rushing touchdowns, helping it get out to a 26-0 advantage after one quarter of play.

Quarterback Robert Papaleo rushed for scores of 25 and 30 yards, fullback Oluwafeola Olaniyan plunged in from six, and wide receiver Ryan Blass and Papaleo were able to hook up for an 18-yard pitch-and-catch to give the Bears a commanding lead.

The common theme early on was the dominant blocking on the edges that gave the Pleasant Valley rushers plenty of room to gain yardage downfield.

“Our offensive system is a system I believe and trust in, and we’ve been working hard at it,” said Pleasant Valley head coach Blaec Saeger. “Perimeter blocking is huge for us. Our wide receivers know that if you’re not going to go out there and block, then you’re not going to play.

“Our guys did a great job of that tonight. In general, I thought we were able to get a push. The toss play, inside stuff, we were able to have some success. We definitely still have some things to work on and get better at, but it was great to get back out there and play football.”

The Bears continued their dominance in the second quarter to put the game out of reach heading into intermission.

Rushing scores from John Brennan and Jacob Gethen, and another hookup between Blass and Papaleo - this time from 26 yards out - upped the PV lead to 45-0.

A safety right before the half made it 47-0 after a botched punt from the Timberwolves.

Pleasant Valley then added another score late in the fourth when backup quarterback Valentino Byers-Robinson was able to get in from one yard out.

“This a great group of kids that has worked so hard to get better,” said Saeger. “I love coming to work with them everyday.

“Two years ago, we were 0-10. Last year, we improved on that and this year, we’re looking to get even better.”

DOMINANT DEFENSE ... The Bears defense was after it early and often. They forced four turnovers, allowed minus-12 yards of total offense and gave up just one first down.

FIELD POSITION ... Pleasant Valley scored eight touchdowns on the evening, with just two of those drives starting in their own territory.

SURPRISE ONSIDE ... The Bears set the tone early, successfully executing an onside kick after their first score, which led to a two-touchdown lead at the 8:37 mark of the first quarter.