ALLENTOWN – Kyle Beller circled back, making sure he found Matt Kosciolek.

“You’re doing a great job. Stay positive,” the Dieruff head coach said before he left the field at J. Birney Crum Stadium.

Beller’s words carried a great deal of weight for Kosciolek.

In his seventh year leading the Huskies’ football program, Beller, who amassed a 19-40 record heading into 2018, has remained optimistic throughout the ups and downs.

Though winless in his first four games, Kosciolek has kept the same energy in his first season at Pleasant Valley.

And the Bears have become a mirror image of their coach.

Dieruff topped Pleasant Valley 27-15 on Saturday to earn its first victory of the season.

But Kosciolek – and his team – never wavered.

“This was the team that I’ve been waiting for, in terms of attitude,” Kosciolek said. “Nobody quit. We were punching back. We did everything we needed to do, mentally, we just didn’t put it together (with the) X’s and O’s.”

Huge games from Ejau Collazo and Jessiah Woods helped the Huskies (1-4) overcome five turnovers in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference contest. Collazo and Woods connected for two touchdowns through the air and added one rushing score apiece.

“For us, the key word is opportunity,” said Kosciolek. “Dieruff took advantage of opportunities, and we did not. We couldn’t capitalize.”

Collazo hit Woods on pass plays of 62 and 45 yards. Collazo scored on a 12-yard run in the first quarter, and Woods added a four-yard touchdown that gave Dieruff a 27-9 lead with 7:11 to play in the fourth.

Woods’ biggest play might have come on the other side of the ball, when the senior picked Bears’ (0-5) quarterback Jack Stephens on first-down at the Huskies’ 16-yardline with 3:51 to play in the fourth quarter with the Huskies holding on to a two-score lead.

Pleasant Valley cut it to 27-15 when Stephens hit Doug Haines for a 15-yard score with 5:06 to play in the fourth quarter.

The Bears forced a fumble on Dieruff’s next possession and moved into scoring position when Stephens hit Johnny Mitchell on a 42-yard pass play before Woods came up with the interception on the next play to end the drive.

“What I love most about today, was that our kids didn’t quit,” said Kosciolek. “We just didn’t execute. And that’s kind of what’s been happening. We talk about our season; we’re there, but we’re not executing. One of these days, it’s gonna click. We’re almost there. Hats off to Dieruff, they took advantage of opportunities, and we didn’t.”

After Nasai Moon (108 yards rushing) was tackled in the end zone for a safety, the Huskies cashed in following the free kick when Collazo’s 12-yard score capped a 62-yard drive to give the Huskies a 9-0 lead at the 7:54 mark of the first.

Jack Kaye’s field goal as time expired in the first half cut Dieruff’s lead to 9-3. The drive started after Moon came up with a fumble recovery.

Woods went 62 yards on a screen pass on third-and-five for his first score of the game to push the Huskies’ advantage to 15-3 midway through the third quarter.

Pleasant Valley answered on its next drive, as Moon raced 63 yards to make it 15-9 with 4:45 remaining in the third period. But the Bears were unable to capitalize after Moon picked Collazo on the ensuing possession, getting stopped near midfield on a fake punt attempt.

Dieruff took advantage of the good field position, as Collazo hit Woods for 45 yards on the first play of drive to make it 21-9 with 2:29 left in the third.

NUMBERS ... The Huskies’ Collazo finished with 219 yards passing and 73 yards on the ground. Teammate Woods racked up 109 yards rushing and 150 receiving.

BIG ONE … Pleasant Valley will host Pocono Mountain East (1-4) Friday. It’s a rivalry Kosciolek is eager to get his first taste of. “We have the “Bucket Game” coming up, which is good. This is a tough loss. But being able to have the “Bucket Game” on the horizon, there shouldn’t be any kind of letdown.”