When the Zephyrs entertain Pleasant Valley High School this Friday to begin District XI play, the emphasis will be moving some of their granite blocks at the line of scrimmage.

Head coach Brian Gilbert said that the Bears feature a number of lineman who are "really big," with one player who stands 6-5 and weighs 280 lbs. With that much girth to contend with, he said it's imperative to counter that with a strong running attack.

"We need to get some movement on some of their size in the run game," said Gilbert.

That task falls to Fouad Haddad, Edgardo Rivera, Shawn Glosek, Joseph Mark, Jacob Kerchner and Jeffrey Cordon. That group has been able to make holes all season, enabling the Zephs to gain 2,041 yards on the ground this season.

The Bears finished 7-3 on the season and 6-2 in the Mountain Valley Conference. That earned them third place behind East Stroudsburg South and Stroudsburg High Schools.

They scored 265 points this year and allowed 148 points. They're coming off a big loss to Stroudsburg, falling 42-15 to the Mounties last Friday.

They feature quarterback Brandon Leap who threw for 1,604 yards this season. Toting the rock is back Austyn Borre who gained 1,072 yards, while wide out Kevin Cruz was tops in receiving with 554 yards.

It's an offense that can score, and Gilbert said they can hurt you via the pass and the run.

"They like to spread it around," said Gilbert.

Even with that size, the Bears tilted a little more to the pass, and the Zephs secondary of Bonshak, Chad Rex, Barkley, Darius Young and Tyler Williams should be prepared for a busy night.

The Zephs put up 313 points this year and allowed 158. They'll pound the Bears with Saquon Barkley (1,236 yards), Ryan Bonshak (480 yards), Jacob Buskirk (127 yards), and Jeffrey Charles (119 yards).

Charles can also do some damage through the air. The senior threw for 1,453 yards this season, completing a little over 55 percent of his passes. Conor Sullivan led the team with 480 receiving yards, while Barkley was second with 313.

Defensively, the Bears are led by Antonio Santana who had 70 tackles during the regular season. They also have their pro-size lineman that will pose problems along the D-line, and they'll need to be able to win those battles up front.

Gilbert said that another point of emphasis is getting to know the Bears. Most of that will come on film, so they'll watch their tendencies and construct a game plan.

"It's a matter of preparing for an opponent we haven't seen that much of," said Gilbert.

The two teams shared a common opponent, with the Bears opening their season against Nazareth Area High School. The Blue Eagles won 31-9, while the Zephs defeated Nazareth 27-7 earlier this season.

The ability to play a home game is special, said Gilbert. Sharing the experience with their home fans at Zephyr Stadium is the byproduct of their successful season.

"It's great," said Gilbert. "It's a reward for all the hard work that we did this year."

And he wants that reward to continue.