Column: Clairton football team overcame nervy moments during otherwise dominant season to clinch fifth state title

Rheyjon Williams returns an interception for a touchdown during Clairton's win over Riverview in the regular season. File photo

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.