Defense Powers 1A State Champ Clairton: 'If They Can't Score, We Can't Lose'

The Clairton Bears entered a three-way tie with Aliquippa and Thomas Jefferson for the most PIAA football state championships in WPIAL history on Thursday, Dec. 4, blowing out Bishop Guilfoyle 35-3 for their fifth-ever title.

After taking a 14-0 lead, Clairton allowed a drive that lasted more than eight minutes and culminated in a field goal after a Marauders’ fumble pushed them away from the goal line. While Bears head coach Wayne Wade Jr. said his team adjusted to Bishop Guilfoyle’s attack at halftime, he acknowledged that the fumble helped his team maintain a two-score lead, especially with the Marauders set to receive the second half kickoff.

“They were able to hit us with some flat routes, quick slant routes,” Wade said. “We were playing kind of a man defense, getting there late, but then to get the one fumble was huge.”

Clairton seized momentum on the opening drive of the second half, with senior linebacker Deon Lovelace-Pompey intercepting a pass and returning it 24 yards for a touchdown. Although the play came just 52 seconds into the third quarter, Lovelace-Pompey, who ran for two more touchdowns, said his pick six deflated the Marauders and won the game.

“I think that ended the game right there. They were done after that. They had nothing that was left,” Lovelace-Pompey said. “I was reading his eyes, I saw the ball thrown, put my hands up, it bounced a little bit, [but I] came down with it and scored.”

Leaning on the Defense

Offensive miscues plagued Clairton early, with a bad snap on the second play from scrimmage that quarterback Jeff Thompson barely managed to recover and throw away. Later in the drive, a missed connection on a lateral pass turned into a Marauders’ fumble recovery. Leaning on their defense came naturally to the Bears, who shut out ten of their 15 opponents this season.

“We talk about it all the time. If the [other] team can’t score, we can’t lose,” said Wade Jr., who got his start with the Bears as a defensive coordinator and has imparted that mentality onto his players. Senior defensive end Tahvaz Armstrong, who killed two Marauders’ drives with fourth down sacks, said that defense is his favorite part of football. Playing in his final high school game, he knew he had to leave every ounce of effort on the field.

“I love being a defensive player, that’s just what I do. I love making plays, making a nice tackle, getting up and celebrating with my teammates,” Armstrong said. “Just executing and having a good time with my teammates.”

Lovelace-Pompey, for his part, said the Bears take pride in their mentality as ‘headhunters’. Sophomore receiver/linebacker Brandon Murphy — owner of 16 Division I offers less than halfway through his high school career — helped seal the win with a bone crushing tackle for loss late in the fourth quarter. After the game, he relished in the reaction his hit drew from the crowd, knowing victory was just a few minutes away.

“Hearing the crowd go “ooooh,” it just gave me chills,” Murphy said.

Fourth Down Phenoms

Clairton also made big fourth down plays on the other side of the ball, with Murphy coming up with a pair of fourth down catches to open the scoring. First, Murphy highpointed the ball on a 34-yard deep shot, ripping it out of the arms of his defender.

“He had it for like a second, but I just showed my greed and took it off of him,” Murphy said. “I came up with the ball and it felt great.”

Another bad snap, this one in the red zone, backed the Bears up to fourth-and-10, but Murphy caught a swing pass and followed his blockers to the end zone, making sure to highlight the teammates who paved the way.

“Amazing man, it felt really good… I had some really great blocks by Avaugh Pompey and Kasch Hammonds,” Murphy said. “I thank them so much for that. And then I see the end zone: once I see the end zone, I’m getting in.”