Pleasant Valley capped off the regular season with a 14-10 win over Stroudsburg last Friday to lock the No. 7 seed in the District 11 6A playoffs.

It was a win-and-in, lose-and-go-home scenario, and the Bears rose to the occasion.

“It was a huge win for our program and for these kids,” Pleasant Valley coach Blaec Saeger said. “They really deserved it, and they are very excited to get into the tournament, very excited to have another shot at Northampton.

“It was a quick and easy turnaround. We’ve had a really good week of practice, and we’re going to be ready.”

The Bears (5-4) face No. 2 seed and undefeated Northampton.

As Saeger mentioned, this will be the second time the two teams have met this season. PV stayed with Northampton for most of the game until the Konkrete Kids blew things open in the fourth quarter of a 35-12 win in Week 7.

“We competed for three-and-a-half quarters and fell a little bit apart at the end,” Saeger said of that game. “I think their size and strength eventually wore us down. We have to execute a little better, and have to be able to play an entire four quarters. That’s not an easy assignment with as big as they are.”

Northampton brings a 10-0 record into the game after completing the undefeated regular season with a 7-0 win over rival Whitehall in the final week. However, Parkland (8-1) edged Northampton by percentage points to lock up the No. 1 seed.

“They’re a big, strong physical team,” Saeger said of the Konkrete Kids. “I’m sure they’ll have something up their sleeve for us. But they have a lot of success, and I don’t expect to see too much different from what they been relying on all year. Their lineup is going to be bigger and stronger than us, and they’ll try to run the ball and control the clock.

“They’re going to try to beat us up front. Defensively, they are extremely big and strong and very disciplined. I’m not expecting too many major differences, but this is a very good football team that we’re going to have our hands full with.”

Pleasant Valley’s start to the 2021 football season came to a screeching halt in Week 1 when COVID concerns canceled the Parkland opener. The Bears then routed East Stroudsburg North (54-0) and Allen (42-2) to begin the year 2-0. They also posted wins over Dieruff, Pocono Mountain East and Stroudsburg

“Coming off a loss or big a win, you wouldn’t even know it,” Saeger said about his players. “They’re ready for the next one, and excited to play Northampton.”

Pleasant Valley quarterback Robert Papaleo rushed for 938 yards in nine regular season games and can eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark with a good performance against the Konkrete Kids. Papaleo was able to punch it in the end zone once against Northampton on Oct. 8, but the senior was held to 67 rushing yards in the game.