Old Oaken Bucket Night: East Hosts Pleasant Valley

The Old Oaken Bucket is on the line tonight (Fri., Oct. 16) when Pleasant Valley visits Pocono Mountain East in Swiftwater for the 66th edition of the rivalry. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

East is 5-2 and is going for a third straight Bucket win, which the Cardinals have not done since 2016 to 2018, according to the Pocono Record. Pleasant Valley is 3-4 but comes in off a 60-0 win over East Stroudsburg North. East and Pleasant Valley are ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the District 11 5A power rankings, so the Record calls it a possible preview of a district semifinal.

Players to watch. East senior quarterback Ceejay Serfass has thrown just two interceptions this season after 14 last year, and junior receiver Prince Albino leads the Cardinals with 34 catches for 472 yards and four touchdowns. Pleasant Valley will lean on coach Blaec Saeger’s triple option, with senior Chris Ward and junior Sean Cobb Jr. carrying the load.

Also tonight at 7 p.m. Pocono Mountain West visits East Stroudsburg South. West is 4-3 and likely needs a win to stay in the District 11 6A playoff race. East Stroudsburg North hosts Stroudsburg, where Mounties quarterback Jackson Mitchell has 1,253 passing yards and is on pace to break his own program record of 1,567, set last year.

Saturday. The ESU Warriors (5-1, 2-0 in the PSAC) have back-to-back shutouts and play at Shippensburg at 1 p.m. If you need a place to watch the games, this week’s Five Best of Monroe is below.