Clairton, Lovelace-Pompey Demolish Bishop Guilfoyle for Fifth PIAA State Title
MECHANICSBURG, Pa.— The Clairton Bears won their fifth-ever PIAA state title on Thursday, Dec. 4, defeating Bishop Guilfoyle 35-3 in the 1A championship game behind three touchdowns from Deon Lovelace-Pompey. The senior, who plays both running back and linebacker, put up a hat trick with two touchdown runs and a 24-yard pick six that killed the Marauders’ chance at momentum out of the half.
The win brings Clairton (15-1) into a three-way tie with Aliquippa and Thomas Jefferson for the most-ever state championships from a WPIAL team. This marks their first state championship win over Bishop Guilfoyle, who defeated the Bears in the title game in 2014 and 2016.
Although they took a 14-0 lead less than one minute into the second quarter, the Bears still started slow, giving up the football on a dropped lateral and avoiding disaster as they managed to recover two bad snaps, one in their own territory and one in the red zone. Defense helped the Bears through those early miscues: Bishop Guilfoyle didn’t manage a first down until early in the second quarter, already in a 14-0 hole they never climbed out of.
Clairton Cashes In
Sophomore receiver/linebacker Brandon Murphy, who holds offers from Pitt, West Virginia, Penn State and more than a dozen other Division I programs, made his presence felt early with a pair of fourth down catches, high-pointing a 34-yard deep shot before cashing in for a 14-yard touchdown off a swing pass.
Defense set up Clairton’s next touchdown, with a fourth down strip sack from Tahvaz Armstrong setting up a 29-yard touchdown run out of Lovelace-Pompey.
The Marauders followed that up with their lone scoring drive, a 15 play, 66-yard behemoth that burned more than eight minutes off the clock and picked up two first downs via penalty. Quarterback Justin Wheeler gave Bishop Guilfoyle first-and-goal from the 3-yard line after backpedaling out of a sack long enough to throw the ball away and draw a facemask call, but the Bears managed to defend their end zone, forcing a 28-yard field goal.
Clairton piled on with three touchdowns in the third quarter, Lovelace-Pompey contributing his pick-six and a 7-yard score; fellow running back Taris Wooding cashed in on a 20-yard tote. Donte Wright, who found the end zone on a two-point conversion run in the second quarter, intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter. Armstrong picked up another fourth down sack to seal the win.
