Northampton didn’t quickly dispose of Pleasant Valley in the same fashion as they did their previous six opponents. The Konkrete Kids entered the game by outscoring their last five opponents, 250-6, having posted four straight shutouts.

However, it didn’t take long for the Kids to get into gear, as they responded with 42 consecutive points for a 42-6 victory, raising their record to 6-1.

The Kids will travel to Pocono Mountain West Friday for a key showdown. The Cardinals have won four straight and raised their record to 5-2.

As far as Pleasant Valley, Kids’ head coach John Toman wasn’t surprised with their approach. He also knew it was a matter of time with his team. The Kids held the Bears to 61 total yards, all of them on the ground.

“Pleasant Valley did a nice job milking the clock,” he said. “I’m not sure it’s a great philosophy, but that’s what they do.

“Once we got settled in, we got in going. It was nice to face a little adversity. With all they did to keep the ball put of our hands, they only gained a total of 61 yards.”

Senior running back Caden Henritzy, who ran for 77 yards on 17 carries, shared his coach’s outlook.

“We started slowly because they run the triple option,” said Henritzy. “The style of offense they run is meant to chew clock. They had the ball the majority of the first quarter.

“Once we were able to get the ball, we were able to get rolling. They played us tough.”

Toman saw positives from Henritzy and sophomore quarterback Gavin Taff. His team also dealt with their share of injuries. Taff completed eight of 10 for 91 yards and pair of touchdown passes.

“We had a couple of kids get banged up, so we relied on Henritzy, and he had a solid game both running and receiving,” added Toman. “Taff did force a ball on his pick, but he did a nice job otherwise. He is still learning on the job.”

Toman understands that his team may face its most difficult hurdle this season. Pocono Mountain West (PMW) is on their heels for the East Penn Conference (EPC) North crown.

“Pocono Mountain West will be a challenge going on the road,” he said. “They do a nice job on both sides of the ball. It should be a good one.

“PMW is having a good season,” added Henritzy. “They have athletes. They are going to come and try and beat us. We will be ready for them.”

PREDICTION (Overall record 6-1): Kids have won the last three meetings, 50-8 in 2022, 33-6 in 2021, and 42-28 in 2019. They did not meet in 2020... Kids’ A.J. Slivka added 61 yards rushing ... Michael Coleman had three receptions for 23 yards ... Colby Reph had a team-high eight tackles, and Jake Biery added five stops ... PMW downed East Stroudsburg North, 38-13, last week. They are led by quarterback Ryder Brady and running backs Karter Nuss and Jalen Drummond. Brady Behr and Brandon Evans have been their primary targets, but Evans left last week’s game with a knee injury and is questionable ... In the past, PMW was a pushover for the Kids, but head coach Jim McCarroll has helped them turn the corner. This will be closer than any of the Kids’ games in the past, except for their opening 17-16 loss to Allentown Central Catholic. They did elect to go for a two-point conversion there instead of trying to tie the game ... Kids will look to keep it rolling here, and Taff could be a factor as PMW will look to shut down the run ... Kids will make the long trip north, and assistant coach Kevin Ronalds can ask the bus driver to stop at Dough Boys on Route 512 on the bus ride home to pick up a cheesesteak and a small Greek salad for me ... K-KIDS, 24-13.