“I’m not happy and I’m not satisfied, but I do know one thing. We got ourselves a football team here.”

Those were the words of Pleasant Valley coach Blaec Saeger following the Bears’ 35-20 loss to Governor Mifflin on Friday night.

The home team jumped in front early in the first quarter after McGregor Edward recovered a Mustang fumble at the PV 43-yard line. On third-and-3, quarterback Jaxson Haines fired a slant pass across the middle to William Breuer for a 19-yard gain to the Mifflin 30. After Haines ran to the 20 for a first down, Chris Ward took a pitch to the right and scampered 20 yards for a 7-0 lead with five minutes gone in the game.

The lead lasted just nine seconds. On the ensuing kickoff, Mifflin’s Patrick Steuer broke into open space and raced 85 yards for the tying score.

“That was a big play against us,” Saeger said. “And then our touchdown was called back.”

He was referring to a 74-yard first-quarter touchdown run that was nullified by a Bears holding penalty.

For the rest of the first half, the Mustangs threatened to make the contest a rout. Their much bigger offensive line methodically began to open holes for their bevy of running backs. Early in the second quarter, quarterback Lebron Leaf led a 10-play, 52-yard scoring drive that consumed six minutes and ended with his own 5-yard touchdown run. Nick Kalis and Steuer fueled the drive along with Leaf.

On the following possession, the Bears drove 41 yards to the Mustang 39 before coming up short on fourth down. Leaf then directed an 11-play scoring march, with 10 of those plays on the ground. With 19 seconds left in the half, Steuer broke through the middle and rumbled 11 yards to the end zone, giving his team a 21-7 lead at halftime.

The visitors came out of the locker room and completed a six-play drive with a 7-yard touchdown run by Kalis, but the 28-7 advantage did not diminish Pleasant Valley’s spirit.

The Bears rallied with a big play on third-and-16 from their own 43. Ward, who rushed for 110 yards in the game, took a handoff on a misdirection play and busted free for a 57-yard touchdown.

Momentum swung further on Governor Mifflin’s next possession when PV’s Ajani Wheeler recovered a fumble. From their own 33 yard line, Haines found Marcelus Solt for nine yards. Ward and Isaac Westerman carried the ball to the Mustang 28, and Haines then handed to Niko Payan, who sliced through the line and made a cutback en route to a 28-yard touchdown. With 1:26 left in the third quarter, the Bears trailed 28-20.

After the game, an animated Saeger praised his team’s comeback effort.

“What I saw tonight makes me promise you that we will turn this thing around,” he said, “and we’ll start doing that on Thursday against Dieruff.”

Leaf scored the final touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter, but Saeger’s optimism never wavered despite his team coming off a winless campaign a year ago.

“We came out with no injuries. Our players are older, more mature and experienced,” he said. “They are battle tested from last year and ready to put it all together this season.”

Haines, Pleasant Valley’s senior quarterback, was 7-for-11 for 104 yards. Solt was his leading receiver with three catches for 53 yards.

SENIOR BOWL … Forty-nine seniors filled both rosters, with the Bears listing 23 compared to 16 for the Mustangs.

MUSCLEMANIA … Several times in the second half the game was stopped due to players from both teams cramping. The late-summer temperature was 77 degrees, with the sun baking the turf for most of the first half.

UP NEXT … The Bears have a short week to prepare for Dieruff, which visits Brodheadsville on Thursday night at 7.

Governor Mifflin 35,

Pleasant Valley 20

Governor Mifflin 7 14 7 7 - 35

Pleasant Valley 7 0 13 0 - 20

PV- Ward 20 run (Duran kick)

GM – Steuer 85 KO return (Koenig kick)

GM – Leaf 5 run (Koenig kick)

GM – Steuer 11 run (Koenig kick)

GM – Kalis 7 run (Koenig kick)

PV- Ward 57 run (Duran kick)

PV- Payan 28 run (kick failed)

GM- Leaf 1 run (Koenig kick)