Pleasant Valley has been here before.

The last two years, the Bears earned a spot in the District 11 Class AAAA playoffs, only to be bounced in the first round.Those losses came to Parkland and Whitehall, two teams from the now-defunct Lehigh Valley Conference.This season, No. 8 Pleasant Valley draws top seed Easton in the AAAA bracket, another team formerly of the LVC.But the opponent is a familiar one for the Bears, who opened their inaugural campaign in the newly formed Eastern Pennsylvania Conference with a 49-14 loss to the Red Rovers in Week 1.Despite that result, Pleasant Valley head coach Dave Pacchioni feels his team has a chance for a different outcome this Friday."I think this game will be totally different," Pacchioni said. "We have an identity now that we didn't have during the first week of the season. We realize what we're capable of and what we can do."But so do they, and they're a very good football team."The Red Rovers have shown what they're capable of throughout the season en route to posting a 10-0 record while defeating opponents by an average score of 43-16.A catalyst for the vaunted Easton offense has been tailback Shane Simpson, who has rushed for 1,528 yards and 26 touchdowns this season on 158 carries.Simpson racked up 108 yards on the ground and three scores in the Red Rovers' Week 1 victory over the Bears.Pacchioni knows containing Simpson and controlling the line of scrimmage will be critical once again in this meeting."This game will be won in the trenches," he said. "Over the last few weeks, both our offensive and defensive lines have been playing extremely well, and that's played a key role in our success. That's going to have to continue if we're going to have a shot this week."That stellar play on both sides of the ball helped Pleasant Valley (6-4) finish the season 6-1 after an 0-3 start.During a six-game winning streak, which ended after last week's 35-32 loss to undefeated Stroudsburg, the Bears averaged 39 points per game.The output has been especially impressive in recent weeks, as Pleasant Valley has played without leading rusher Austyn Borre and receiver Nyiem Nevarez.Last week's performance aside, quarterback Brandon Kuehner, in his first season as a starter, has been impressive under center. Prior to last week's game against the Mounties, the senior had averaged over 200 yards passing and nearly three scores in the previous two games against East Stroudsburg North and Pocono Mountain East.And with Borre down, Eric Marbury has proven to be a more than capable replacement out of the backfield and when Kuehner targets him in the passing game. Marbury has averaged 145 yards rushing and receiving over the last three games, and the senior scored four touchdowns last week against Stroudsburg.With the offense clicking and the defense coming together, the Bears are sure to give the Red Rovers their best shot this Friday."We know it won't be easy," Pacchioni said, "but I think the kids are looking forward to the challenge. This is a great opportunity for our team."