The Clairton football team are kings of Pennsylvania Class A football again. But Bears coach Wayne Wade and his team understood the warning signs that could have derailed such an event.

For as excellent as the Bears' defense was -- Clairton limited Bishop Guilfoyle to minus-1 rushing yards during a 35-3 win over the Marauders in the Class A final Thursday at Cumberland Valley High School -- a few lapses could have sunk the season. Of all the results, the one that stands out the most is Clairton's 38-33 WPIAL quarterfinal win over Jeanette Nov. 7 at Franklin Regional High School.

The Jayhawks made the Bears work. It showed signs that Clairton would have a few brawls on its way to lifting any hardware. The Bears hadn't allowed any points to be scored against them since Aug. 31, during a 19-12 loss to Imani Christian. 

But after recording nine consecutive shutouts, Jeannette found ways to score points. Clairton, which had beat the Jayhawks 57-0 during the regular season, needed some luck to survive during a 38-33 victory in the playoffs. Jeannette was the only team to score more than 22 points against the Bears.

"If you look at the last few weeks, the Jeannette game, I think that was a letdown for us," Wade said following the Bears' 8-6 win over Laurel in the WPIAL title game. "We had beaten them 57-0 in the regular season and we kind of had a lull that week. I told the kids after that game we have to be laser-sharp with our focus."

The locomotive wouldn't truly get back to full speed until the Bears' 57-0 win over District 10 champion Greenville in the PIAA semifinals. In the WPIAL semifinals, Bishop Canevin had its moments, being only the second team to crack 20 points against Clairton. The Bears ultimately prevailed 42-22.

"The Bishop Canevin game, we gave them 14 points," Wade said. "There were a lot of penalties in that game. There were pass interference calls and stuff to help them move the ball. Our defense got back on track."

Clairton's defense was able to save its skin in the WPIAL championship game. Against a game Laurel team, the Bears had to force a fumble late in the fourth quarter to escape with an 8-6 win. Brandon Murphy forced the fumble and Donte Wright fell on it to seal the victory.

Once the Bears got into the state tournament, Clairton had no issues wrapping up its fifth state title. Deon Lovelace-Pompey gave the defense a splash play in the state title game by returning an interception 24 yards for a touchdown right after halftime.

The Bears' defense deserves its spot in history among the great all-time WPIAL defenses. The imperfections it smoothed out along the way help give it some character.

The Clairton Bears got back on track offensively after a minor speed bump during the WPIAL Class A championship last Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. The Bears beat up District 10 champion Greenville Friday night at Ellwood City  to clinch a spot in the state championship game with Bishop Guilfoyle.

This will be the third meeting between the Bears and Marauders in the PIAA final. Bishop Guilfoyle won the two previous meetings. The Bears (14-1) never let Greenville get any ideas about springing an upset. After being limited to six points by Laurel last week, the Bears scored six first-half touchdowns.

Brandon Murphy returned two punts for touchdowns against the Trojans. Deon Lovelace-Pompey ran for 109 yards for Clairton.

Avonworth will get familiar foe
The Antelopes improved to 14-0 by sliding by Penn Cambria 41-15 in a Class 3A semifinal. Avonworth will now get to face off against Nothwestern Lehigh, which knocked off the Antelopes 36-33 in the championship game last season. Avonworth beat Penn Cambria despite playing without running back Dimitri Velisaris, who was out with a bruised leg.

Avonworth quarterback Carson Bellinger passed for 258 yards and two touchdowns.

Quips come up just short
Twin Valley will know that it deserved its opportunity to play in its first-ever PIAA Class 4A final. The Raiders built a 28-6 lead at halftime, but allowed Aliquippa to score three unanswered touchdowns in the second half of what ended up being a four-point victory.

The Quips rallied in the second half behind two touchdown passes from Yale commit Marques Council Jr. He threw touchdown passes to Qa'Lille Goode and Antonio Reddic. Akiva Woods also returned an interception for a touchdown for the Quips. Aliquippa, which finished 10-4, wrapped up an improbable WPIAL title with a memorable playoff run.

PITTSBURGH - Wayne Wade didn't need to worry about the Clairton football team tuning him out about their being more meat on the bone after winning the WPIAL Class A football championship Saturday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium.

The Bears needed all of their mettle to trip up fourth-seeded Laurel, 8-6. Clairton (13-1) now has 15 WPIAL championships to its name, but Wade would like to see this Bears squad be the first one not led by Tyler Boyd to win a state championship. Boyd, who went on to play in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans, was on the sidelines and spoke to the team after the game.

The Bears won four consecutive PIAA titles during Boyd's career.

​"Tyler was just telling the kids in the locker room, it's not over," said Wade, who has led Clairton to five WPIAL titles in 12 seasons as coach. "He was saying that we did this four times and we had this (WPIAL championship), but the big one is in two weeks."

The Bears will try to return to the final by knocking off District 10 champion Greenville in the semifinals next weekend. Clairton has made the state finals seven times, winning four times between 2009-12. The Bears lost to Steelton-Highspire in 2008 and Bishop Guilfyole in 2014 and 2016.

This current group of players hasn't experience the type of that some of their previous classes had. Clairton's win over Laurel gave the Bears first WPIAL championship since 2019. After losing by one point to Fort Cherry in the final last season, everyone was feeling the pain.

Clairton senior quarterback Jeff Thompson found Brandon Murphy for a 12-yard touchdown right before halftime to give the Bears their only points against Laurel. Last season, Thompson had injured his shoulder during the playoffs and couldn't throw in the championship game.

"I feel like I let the city down last year," Thompson said. "I wasn't healthy. I couldn't throw the ball, like there was just nothing I could do. But I still stayed out there and ran the offense, but we came out short. It feel good to be back out there throwing the ball and just being myself, man. I got my guys here with me and they help me out too."

Wade said this championship started with all of the players getting in the weight room back in February. The Bears have chipped away at the things that caused their close calls in the past to fall short.

Wade also said he was encouraged with a lot of the things that has happened for Clairton off the field. The Bears have received a few shots in the arm.

Money was raised to renovate Neil C. Brown Stadium, a total of $10 million through donations and a taxpayer bond, which has been rechristened Tyler Boyd Field. Recently, Pittsburgh Steelers minority owner Thomas Tull announced that $2 million was being donated through the Tull Family Foundation to help out schools in the Pittsburgh area with high school athletics.

The Bears received $100,000.

"We've had a lot of adversity," Wade said. "We stood here as runners up last year and this group of seniors decided since Feb. 5 that they were going to help us win a championship and they did it. I don't know I can even name everyone who truly helped us get here this year."

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

Jack Miles first role with the Laurel football program was as an eager observer. Jack's grandfather, George, led the Spartans from 1982 to 2003 and compiled a record of 201-128-4.

George led Laurel to its only WPIAL title in 1980. Jack used to go and sit and watch practice when he was 3-years-old.

"I have been around football my entire life," said Jack, who rushed for 109 yards in the Spartans' upset win over Fort Cherry last Friday. "I have always been passionate about football, so there wasn't really a time or age I wasn't interested. I would always talk to my dad and grandfather about how I wanted to be as big or as good as the football players."

Jack and his Laurel teammates will have an opportunity to leave a new chapter in the program's legacy when it takes on No. 2 seed Clairton at 11 a.m. Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. George and Jack's dad, Ryan, are assistant coaches for the Spartans.

Making trips to Pittsburgh's North Shore to play for titles has been a tradition for his family.

In 1989, Laurel and Clairton met at Three Rivers Stadium for the Class A crown. Ryan, played for George in that game. The Bears came away with a 27-20 win. Clairton was quarterbacked that day by Wayne Wade, who is now the Bears long-time head coach.

George's lone WPIAL title win also came against Clairton in 1980, but the Spartans' 14-12 win was played at Mt. Lebanon High School. 

"It's was a blessing to be able to have my family as coaches," Jack said. "Not just for them to see my become successful, but also for them to push me even farther to be this successful."

The Spartans earned their spot with a balanced offensive effort in a 24-14 semifinal win over the two-time defending WPIAL champion Rangers. Laurel didn't have any negative plays and used all of their backs to move the ball methodically down the field.

​Jack, who recovered a fumble in addition to scoring on a 33-yard rush in the third quarter, said Laurel didn't go overboard in celebrating an upset win. Fort Cherry had won 40 consecutive games against WPIAL opponents.

"I didn't do anything special after the game because the job is not done," Jack said. "Our goal was to win the WPIAL championship and Fort Cherry was a boulder we had to climb. I look forward to the community coming and watching such a big game."

Clairton (12-1) is another boulder in a similar size to Fort Cherry. The Bears made the WPIAL final last year and lost a one-point heartbreaker. Clairton has the second-most championships in the district's history with 14, but haven't raised a trophy since 2019.

The Bears' defense is led by sophomore linebacker Brandon Murphy, who has drawn Division I interest. Clairton (12-1) lost its season opener to Imani Christian before shutting out its next nine opponents. The Bears' defense hasn't looked quite so invincible in the WPIAL playoffs.

In the quarterfinals and semifinals, the Bears allowed 33 and 22 points, respectively. Clairton only conceded 19 points in the regular season.

Jack is excited for the challenge ahead. There is still work left to be done.

"When it comes to playing for Laurel, I think of it like repaying the people that helped me throughout my life," Miles said.

Seton La Salle, Steel Valley eager to get back on top
The Rebels had one of the most difficult offseasons in recent memory. Seton LaSalle thought Southmoreland transfer Anthony Smith may start at quarterback. Then his eligibility was denied.

The Rebels were set to have Khalil Taylor and Trey Littlejohn return at wide receiver. They transferred to Pine-Richland and Penn Hills, respectively. After losing its season opener to North Catholic, the Rebels haven't lost since, displaying an explosive offense.

Steel Valley is led by Pitt recruit Da'Ron Barksdale. Read about the game in my preview for the Tribune Review.

Can the Avonworth train be derailed?
The Antelopes have a strong argument to be in the top five pound-for-pound teams in the WPIAL. There is a thought that Avonworth, which came close to winning the state title last season, may be capable of making another run to Mechanicsburg.

The Antelopes (12-0) have been outscoring opponents by an average margin of 42-10. Avonworth went on the road and beat WPIAL Class 4A champion Aliquippa and has another win over perennial power Thomas Jefferson. Antelopes quarterback Carson Bellinger threw for 1,934 yards and and 26 touchdowns.

Dimitri Velisaris has been the Antelopes' top running back, picking up 1,449 yards on the ground. The Antelopes will seek their fourth WPIAL crown and to go back-to-back for the first time in program history against Imani Christian.

The Saints (12-0) were undefeated last season when Avonworth knocked them out in the WPIAL semifinals. Imani should be a worth challenger. The Saints have outscored their opponents by an average margin of 49-7. Gabe Jenkins, who decommitted from Penn State after James Franklin was let go, has passed for 1,646 yards and thrown for 29 touchdowns against five interceptions.

Jenkins has also rushed for 1,357 yards. David Davis, another player who has drawn Division I interest, has 515 receiving yards.

Pine-Richland, Peters Township set to square off again
There is a real argument to be made that Class 5A has been the most balanced division in the WPIAL since the PIAA chose to expand to six classes in 2016. But Pine-Richland and Peters Township have risen to the top of the heap. This will be the third consecutive year the two programs meet in the finals and the fourth time overall.

Pine-Richland won last year's matchup 20-9. The Rams also beat the Indians in 2020 and 2022. Peters Township is 1-3 in in the 5A title games, with their lone win coming in a 43-17 win over Pine-Richland in 2023.

The Rams are 11-1 this season, with their lone defeat coming at the hands of 6A state title contender Pittsburgh Central Catholic. The Indians (12-0) are undefeated. Pine-Richland is loaded with stars, including Jay Timmons, the son of former Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons, who recently committed to Ohio State.

Taylor is one of the top-recruited juniors in the country. Pine-Richland quarterback Aaron "Oobi" Strader has also put up good numbers.

Peters Township is led by quarterback Nolan DiLucia, who has passed for 2,449 yards and 22 touchdowns. Cole Neupaver has rushed for 1,314 yards. The Indians defense is led by Pitt commit Reston Lehman. This should be a worthy nightcap for the four-game Saturday slate.

Josh Rizzo is the editor of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

Clairton should be in contention for the WPIAL Class 1A title. Can the Bears find a way to climb back on top? Clairton's defense is as dominant as ever.

Read about the Bears' win over Riverview Saturday in the Tribune Review.

 Clairton's football team appeared set to return to the WPIAL Class A summit last season. But the Bears had an injury to quarterback Jeffrey Thompson in the postseason. He wasn't able to throw the ball in the WPIAL Championship game, which played a key role in Clairton's loss to a talented Fort Cherry team.

The Bears will christen Tyler Boyd Stadium this Friday at 7 p.m. against Imani Christian. Clairton coach Wayne Wade said the new turf should make the Bears faster. Imani Christian, which also has its eyes set on WPIAL and PIAA gold, will be an excellent first test for both sides.

The Saints won their first 11 games last season before falling to eventual WPIAL champion Avonworth in the Class 3A finals. Imani brings back plenty of Division I talent in junior defensive back Gabe Jenkins, who is a four-star recruit and defensive back. Senior athlete David Davis has committed to Penn State.

Clairton, which finished 13-1 last season, shut out 10 of its 14 opponents last season. Sophomore linebacker Brandon Murphy has already drawn plenty of Division I interest. The Bears also return Thompson under center.

Here's a look at a few other games worth keeping an eye on for Week Zero:

Vikings Ready for Tough Test
La Salle College is seen as one of the handful of teams with a chance to knock St. Joseph's Prep off its perch as the PIAA's top team in Class 6A. Pittsburgh Central Catholic would like to throw its hat in that ring. The Vikings reached the 6A final before falling to St. Joseph's Prep last season.

The Vikings have plenty of beef returning up front. Matt Bowers, who is 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds, Jimmy Kalis (6-7, 280) and Jon Sassic (6-6, 280) will provide protection up front. The Vikings have won a state title since 2015 when they beat St. Joseph's Prep in a Class 4A game to claim their fourth crown.

The Explorers turned heads last season by beating St. Joe's in the regular season. However, St. Joe's upended La Salle in the district playoffs. Explorers quarterback Gavin Sidwar will test Central Catholic's resolve. The Mizzou commit passed for 2,747 yards and 31 touchdowns last season.

Jeannette, Mt. Pleasant ready for rematch
The Jayhawks fought off a three-game slide toward the end of the regular season to reach the WPIAL Class A semifinals. Jeannette started last season with a bang. The Jayhawks erased a late deficit to stun Mt. Pleasant, 28-27, on a 74-yard touchdown catch by Jayce Powell with 3 minutes,15 seconds remaining.

Jeanette will bring back quarterback Kymone Brown and running back Eli Jones. Mt. Pleasant saw its roster swell to 60 players and is hoping to make a splash in Class 3A. The Vikings saw a major exodus in the backfield. Quarterback Cole Chatfield graduated and the Vikings lost three players from the program.

The two Westmoreland County rivals should produce another interesting contest.

Can Gateway get its groove back?
The Gators missed the playoffs last season, which was the first time in Don Holl's nine seasons leading the program. Gateway finished 3-7, but the Gators also were able to get freshman Elvis Koutsakis a year of experience under center. Koutsakis threw for 1,587 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The Gators will hit the road to take on State College, which won District 6 and reached the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals. The Little Lions are getting a boost this season as running back D'Ante Sheffey, who spent the last two seasons with Harrisburg returns to the program. Sheffey ran for 1,725 yards and scored 24 touchdowns as a freshman for the Little Lions.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshrizzo.