DINGMANS FERRY - Blaec Saeger couldn’t have asked for a better start.

An overpowering offense and a dominant defense helped Pleasant Valley open the season with a 62-0 Eastern Pennsylvania Conference win over East Stroudsburg North on Friday,

The Bears looked to be in midseason form, holding a commanding 48-0 lead at halftime, with the running clock starting at the beginning of the third quarter,

“We did what we had to do,” Saeger said. “It was a full team effort. Every coach, every assistant coach, every player, from top to bottom; the JVs went out there and held the shutout and put one on them as well, so I was very, very happy. It was the culmination of a lot of hard work, starting back in January. A lot of weightlifting, a lot of commitment by these kids. We had a great summer camp, a great week of practice. These kids worked hard, and they have a goal in mind and a dream, and they’re working for it.”

Jarod Moore and Fela Olaniyan each had a pair of scores in the first half.

Moore had hit the century mark on eight carries in the first two quarters, while Olaniyan picked up 53 yards on the ground on eight carries.

The duo dominated the North defense.

“Blocking for Jarod, that’s one of my favorite things,” Olaniyan said with a smile. “Right behind running the ball; I love blocking. I tell him just to stay on my tail and follow me.”

“That’s what I did, too,” added Moore.

Moore finished with three touchdowns and 108 yards on 10 carries; Olaniyan totaled 78 yards and two scores on 10 rushes.

First-year starting quarterback Valentino Byers-Robinson and junior Blake Walters also rushed for scores in the opening half.

Byers-Robinson was masterful running the offense, something that didn’t surprise Saeger.

“We’re a little different. The offense is still what it is, but it is run a tad differently,” said Saeger. “It’s run through these two (Moore and Olaniyan) a little bit more than the quarterback, but Val (Byers-Robinson) is the guy who puts the ball in the hands of the right person, and that is so important.”

The defense did its part, allowing just one first down and forcing three North fumbles in the first half.

The Timberwolves didn’t pick up a first down until their sixth drive of the game, and recorded just 13 yards of offense in the first two quarters. They finished with just 77 yards of offense.

“Those guys are relentless,” Saeger said of his defense. “Coach (Brian) Miller (defensive coordinator), he’s the best in the business. He puts them in amazing spots. We’re small, we’re undersized, but we are feisty, we are tough, we are disciplined, we are well coached and they come out and do the job.”

With ES North going for it on fourth down rather than punting, Pleasant Valley took advantage of favorable field position throughout the first half. The Bears longest drive of the game came when they started the game at midfield.

The Bears started their ensuing drives of the first half at the North 14-, 22-, 25-, 30-, 19- and 37-yard line. Their final drive ended at the Timberwolves’ 5-yard line when the clock expired before they could run another play.

Moore added his third score of the game on PV’s first drive of the third quarter, going in from nine yards out, with Rory Robinson’s extra point making it 55-0.

After an ES North fumble on the next drive, Hunter Scheffner raced in from 20 yards out and Robinson added another extra point to make it 62-0 with 9:08 to play in the fourth quarter. Scheffner added a 17 yard run, and Aaron Rehrig delivered a 25-yard scamper to put the Bears’ at the 20, and ripped off a 40-yard blast on the final play from scrimmage.

RUN, RUN, RUN

.... Pleasant Valley didn’t attempt a pass, running the ball 37 times for a total of 341 yards. It’s a formula that has worked well for the Bears with Saeger at the helm, and this year doesn’t look like it will be any different. “The offense is very unselfish,” Saeger said. “They all have to be able to block for each other, and they accept that, they enjoy it, and they enjoy getting their own, but they also enjoy blocking for their buddy.”

DE-FENSE!

... The Bears’ defense was relentless, forcing four turnovers in the game. In the second quarter, PV’s pressure got to North QB Wayne King, who fumbled the ball into the endzone, where Nicholas Marsh recovered it for a score to make it 48-0.