Pleasant Valley and Pocono Mountain East look for their first win in the Oaken Bucket

BRODHEADSVILLE — Friday night will witness the latest installment of one of the Poconos' greatest rivalries as Pleasant Valley will take on Pocono Mountain East for the 64th battle for the Old Oaken Bucket.

The annual meeting between the two schools is always met with anticipation, although there's a little less wind in the sails this year as the Bears, who are a young and rebuilding team, and the Cardinals, who have a first-year coach, are both 0-7 heading into the matchup. But that also makes rivalry games special - records don't matter. And even if both teams are doing poorly, whoever comes out victorious on Friday could say, "Hey, at least we beat them. "

"This is our Super Bowl, and I'm sure it's theirs right now," Pleasant Valley coach Blaec Saeger said. "So we're putting everything we have into it. There's a little extra excitement, a little something different in the air when it's East week, you know? We've had that thing for 3-4 years now, and we're gonna do everything we can to keep it."

Saeger lost the first Bucket game he coached in 2019, but he and the Bears brought it back to Pleasant Valley in 2020, where it's remained ever since. East already had the bucket when the Cardinals won in 2019, so as Saeger put it, "I don't know the feeling of having to give it up, and I'm not trying to find out."

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Friday night will be Dustin Thomas' first Bucket game as East's head coach, but he's heard about it from teachers and staff who are alumni of Pocono Mountain East, which is the original "Pocono Mountain High School" before it split into East and West, hence why the game is played between East and Pleasant Valley. As his team prepares for the game, he's painted a more sobering picture for what possibly waits for his team.

"Both teams are 0-7, so not to make light of it, but I told them, 'It's the toilet bowl. You don't want to win the toilet bowl,'" Thomas said. "So they're either bringing home a bucket trophy or a piece of toilet paper."

The Cardinals have progressed over the season, but there is a growing exhaustion of seeing progress without results in the win column. That's especially true for the seniors, who haven't won the Bucket during their entire tenure at East.

Beating the Bears will give Thomas his first-career win and the Cardinals their first win in 2024, but it'll also serve as a moment the class of 2024 can be proud of as their high school careers come to an end.

"Honestly, it would feel great. If we can accomplish something like that, I would love to be a part of it," senior running back Stephon Bethea said. "Even though our senior year hasn't gone the way we wanted, if we can come out with the Bucket and possibly more with our remaining games, that'd be a good way to end the year for sure."

Pleasant Valley's class of 2025 hasn't lost a Bucket game, a mark they hope to solidify by beating the Cardinals. But they aren't underestimating their longtime rivals, who've improved greatly this season.

"We're focused, trying to prove to all the people that came before us that they worked hard, and we're trying to work as hard as them to keep the bucket at PV," lineman Brady Cerrone said. "It's not the East team we've known before; they're improving. We just have to stay focused, practice what we're taught and go get it."

Rivalry aside, this game has significant playoff implications. East and Pleasant Valley will make the playoffs regardless of their record because only four teams are in the 5A bracket. Whoever wins will all but surely be the 3-seed, which means a semifinal matchup against a struggling Whitehall team. The loser will be the 4-seed and face East Stroudsburg South, who's putting together a historically good offensive season in program history. Neither path is favorable, but one is much more challenging than the other.

Another note is the players to watch. For East, senior quarterback Rocco DelGiudice is 50 passing yards away from 1,000 for the season, the first time East will have a 1,000-yard passer in almost a decade. F

or Pleasant Valley, sophomore Chris Ward has proven to be a building block for the Bears at running back. Saeger has begun to lean on the young player in the last few games, and he could be poised for a productive game on Friday.

"We've known there's a lot of talent there, and it was just a matter of when we felt he was ready to handle that burden at 14 or 15 years old," Saeger said. "I can't guarantee he'll lead the team in carries again, but he's a kid we try to get the ball to."

Ward, who also is a key player for the lacrosse team, is playing varsity for the first time, but has quickly found his rhythm in the option offense.

"The varsity level is a little faster, and the kids are bigger," Ward said. "I just have to learn and get used to it. I shoulder a lot of responsibility for lacrosse, so that's helped me handle the load in football."

Pocono Week 8 Football Preview

Fri., Oct. 11

East Stroudsburg South (5-2) @ Pocono Mountain West (1-6)

The Cavaliers' offense is one of two that average 40 points per game in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. Ivan Laubach and Charles Capers have already joined the 1,000-yard club as a passer and rusher, respectively, and receiver Xzavier Pusateri is 1-2 games away from reaching 1,000 yards too.

West's loss to Stroudsburg essentially eliminated the Panthers from playoff contention. Still, it'll be an opportunity for its defensive players to perform well against the best offense on the mountain and one of the best in District 11. Senior Demetrius Artis is one of the league leaders in interceptions, while junior Brady Behr continues to perform at safety. Offensively, it's about the development of its younger players, including first-year starting quarterback Jerel Simms and freshman running back Christian Stiehler, who's been a nice bright spot for Jim McCarroll.

Stroudsburg (4-3) @ East Stroudsburg North (3-4)

The Mounties continued its trend of winning big as Stroudsburg defeated West 37-7 in Week 7 to keep pace in the 6A District 11 power rankings . Kamari Coleman has produced as Stroudsburg's top receiver, but Ethan Dudsak has done well as one of the better receivers in the EPC. Jim Miller's squad still can't afford a loss, however, as Dieruff is right behind them with an identical record but a lower rating.

North escaped an upset from Pleasant Valley by the skin of its teeth to maintain its fourth-place position in the 4A power rankings. The Timberwolves have relied heavily on the offensive duo of Wayne King and Zach Deresky-Martinez to carry the offense as they scrap their way to a potential playoff berth. The secondary will be tested against the Mounties' passing offense.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Pleasant Valley and Pocono Mountain East look for their first win in the Oaken Bucket