For one quarter Friday night, Pleasant Valley was still trying to find its footing.

The Bears needed just one play to change that.

After a scoreless opening quarter, Pleasant Valley struck on the first play of the second and again on the final play before halftime, two timely touchdowns that helped propel the Bears to a 41-7 season-opening victory over Saucon Valley.

A couple days removed from the win, Pleasant Valley head coach Blaec Saeger could point to those early moments as part of the process of a team settling into a new season.

“No matter what, it’s always good to be 1-0,” Saeger said. “Week One is always tricky. You’re never quite sure what you’re going to get, and we were very sloppy early on.

“A lot of kids were playing in their first-ever varsity action, and Friday night lights got to us a little bit. I think we all just needed to settle down a little bit, coaching staff included. Once we settled in and took a breath, from there on we played pretty well.”

William Breuer helped the Bears exhale.

On the first play of the second quarter, Chris Ward connected with Breuer for a 63-yard touchdown that broke the scoreless tie.

Pleasant Valley didn’t score again until the closing seconds of the half, but its defense made sure the 7-0 advantage held up in between.

The Bears kept Saucon off the scoreboard, repeatedly giving the offense opportunities while it worked through its early struggles.

Pleasant Valley finally capitalized again just before halftime.

After reaching the Saucon 1-yard line, a penalty pushed the Bears back to the 6 with eight seconds remaining. Ward erased the mistake on the next snap, racing into the end zone with three seconds left to send PV into the locker room with a 14-0 advantage.

“That was a huge play,” Saeger said. “That was a bit of a backbreaker for them, I think. We were on the 1-yard line and jumped offsides, so we were back to the 6. There were eight seconds to go, and we had time for probably two plays. Chris ran it in on the first one.”

Those two touchdowns provided the bookends to the second quarter.

What happened in between — and throughout much of the night — might have been just as encouraging to Saeger.

Pleasant Valley leaned on a physical running game and a defense that allowed only 198 total yards, the same formula the Bears have built their identity around.

But the opener also offered a glimpse at the different ways this year’s group can attack.

“We are who we are,” Saeger said. “We’re gonna run the ball, we’re gonna play defense. That’s the Pleasant Valley way.

“We are able to do some more things this year, but we are a defensive-first mentality, which is a little old school in today’s football. I get it, but I still believe that’s how you win football games. We want to be physical, we want to be tough and we want to play defense.”

Ward’s performance was a prime example of that added versatility.

After rushing for 577 yards and eight touchdowns last season, the senior opened 2026 by impacting the game in several ways. Ward led the Bears with 97 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, completed 3-of-4 passes for 82 yards and a score, and added two receptions.

He was part of an attack that piled up 309 rushing yards and 415 yards overall. Sean Cobb Jr. added 81 yards and a touchdown on seven carries, while Jacob George ran 14 times for 75 yards and another score. Breuer turned his two receptions into 73 yards and a touchdown.

The variety gave Pleasant Valley different options without getting away from what it wants to be.

“We got a lot of people involved,” Saeger said. “You’re not getting every touch. Jake George led us with 14 carries, and we try to spread the ball around as much as we can.

“When it’s your turn, you’ve got to be able to make the play that’s at hand for you. Early on we struggled with that for a little bit, but once we calmed down and just started playing football again, I was very happy with the way we stepped up and played.”

The defense helped give them that opportunity.

Saucon managed just 82 yards rushing and went 0-for-4 on fourth down and 4-for-11 on third down. When PV’s offense stumbled early, the Bears continually kept the Panthers from taking advantage.

“Every time early on that the offense kind of stumbled, the defense was there to pick us up and keep them off the board,” Saeger said. “It was only 14-0 at halftime. We feel it could have been a lot worse, but it could have been the other way as well if our defense wasn’t able to do what they were.”

By the second half, Pleasant Valley had found its rhythm on both sides of the ball.

Ward’s 18-yard touchdown run stretched the advantage to 21-0 before Saucon finally answered on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Chris Chaffier to Braden Rohn.

If there was an opportunity for the Panthers to seize some momentum, it lasted all of one play.

On PV’s first snap after the Saucon touchdown, Cobb took an option pitch and broke free for a 51-yard score.

“Another backbreaker,” Saeger said. “A very impactful play to kind of spoil their momentum. I’m not going to say it ended it, but it made big strides to end it.

“We ran an option, pitched it out to Sean, and he did the rest.”

George added a 4-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter after a drive that leaned heavily on the senior, and Cameron Ward capped the scoring with a 13-yard TD after the Bears began working their reserves into the game.

It completed a night in which four different Pleasant Valley players rushed for touchdowns and the Bears averaged more than seven yards per carry.

There were mistakes. There were early nerves. And there will be things to clean up before Pleasant Valley travels to face 0-1 Dieruff on Thursday.

But after needing a quarter to settle in Friday, the Bears also showed plenty of the qualities they hope will carry them through the season.

“Our core is gonna be to play defense and be more physical than you,” Saeger said. “That’s where we’re gonna win games.

“Obviously, we’ve got to be able to put the ball in the end zone and utilize the talents we have, and we did a good job of that.”

Pleasant Vy. 41, Saucon Vy. 7

Pleasant Valley 0 14 14 13 - 41

Saucon Valley 0 0 7 0 - 7

PV - Breuer 63 pass from Ch. Ward (Duran kick)

PV - Ch. Ward 6 run (Duran kick)

PV - Ch. Ward 18 run (Duran kick)

SV - B. Rohn 27 pass from Chaffier (kick)

PV - Cobb 51 run (Duran kick)

PV - George 4 run (kick failed)

PV - Ca. Ward 13 run (Duran kick)