Speed can be a decisive advantage in the game of football.

On Friday night, Freedom showed it has speed and a plethora of it. The Patriots were too much for Pleasant Valley, winning 49-0.

From the start, the Patriots (6-2) looked to attack Pleasant Valley on the edge and out in space. After the Bears gave Freedom a short field at the PV 25-yard line after losing a fumble on their first possession, the Patriots scored in just three plays for a 7-0 lead. Two wide receiver bubble screens that each went for 10 yards setup a Jalen Fletcher five-yard score.

A few minutes later, after forcing Pleasant Valley to turn the ball over on downs, Freedom cashed in again, going 43 yards in four plays capped off by an 11-yard Ethan Neidig quarterback run to lead 14-0 after the first quarter.

The Patriots’ speed was again on display in the second, as they tacked on two more scores with Fletcher showcasing his quickness and elusiveness in the open field. Fletcher’s first score in the second came around the 9:30 mark on a screen pass that he took 31 yards to the end zone after making five or six Bears miss. His second score at 7:12 was even more impressive as he took a handoff from the PV 10-yard line cutting to the left sideline, stepping through numerous Pleasant Valley defenders and then accelerating for the touchdown. Freedom led 28-0 at halftime.

“We only threw the ball twice last week. We have talented guys on the outside with speed and a talented quarterback, and if we are going to get to where we want to be, we have to be able to throw the ball, and that’s something I believe we can do,” said Freedom head coach Jason Roeder. “We don’t want to be a one-trick pony, so we came in here with a game plan to get our passing game going early and to get the ball to our guys on the outside and we were able to execute that tonight.”

After receiving the second half kickoff, Freedom put the game into mercy rule with a five-play 51-yard drive that ended with a Kyle Johnson three-yard plunge. The Patriots tacked on another score before the end of the third and midway through the fourth to get to 49.

“That’s a very good football team. They are fast, very strong and very big,” said Pleasant Valley head coach Blaec Saeger. “That’s a team that is certainly going to compete for a 6A title and maybe even more. I’m proud of our kids though; they really hung in there tonight and played hard and played physical. We have tough kids and now we just move on and move forward. We had a tough stretch there against some really good teams from the Lehigh Valley. We got out of this one healthy, so we just move on to a big one next week against Pocono Mountain West.”

GAUNTLET

... The Bears are now through their midseason gauntlet that consisted of Lehigh Valley teams in Parkland, Northampton and Freedom. The Bears are 5-3 and ranked No. 3 in the District 11 5A power ratings with important division battles left with Pocono Mountain West and Stroudsburg.