The standard never changes at Clairton: Bet against the 13-time WPIAL champion at your own peril.
“Our expectations don’t change,” Clairton coach Wayne Wade said. “The same expectations were here coming into this year. We were a little younger, starting the season this year, but a lot of our young kids have grown up. A lot of our returning seniors are taking control of the team. Things are kind of lining themselves up for us, and hopefully we can continue to play well.”
Clairton (6-5), the No. 9 seed in WPIAL Class 1A, will face top-seeded Bishop Canevin (10-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Dormont Stadium.
“Repetition is the key,” Wade said. “The kids understand what they should be doing. We have seen enough formations and plays. So, now all we need to do is prepare for what Canevin does. So we just want to focus in and get ready to play Friday.”
Senior Capone Jones, a dual-threat quarterback, has led the Bears’ offense. He has completed 58 of 96 passes for 806 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for 425 yards on 78 carries.
Wade also pointed out freshman Michael Ruffin, sophomore Drahcir Jones and freshman Donte Wright have really evolved over the season to power the rushing attack for Clairton.
“Those kids are playing well for us,” Wade said. “I can’t complain, the kids are ready to go, and hopefully we have a great week of preparation. Usually when we do, we play well on Friday night.”
The 6-5 record might have some people thinking the Bears are not the same team from seasons past, but that might be a mistake, Wade said.
“I don’t think anyone has played a tougher schedule than us,” he said.
The Bears kicked off the season with Westinghouse and Washington, two top teams in Class 2A.
“We played a veteran OLSH team who was in the championship last year and didn’t lose much from that team,” Wade said. “We had a tough Rochester team down. We turned the ball over I don’t know how many times. We learned from that. Rochester just showed how good they are against Greensburg. So with all that, what we had this year and the schedule we had, if we prepare well, we can compete against any Single-A team.”
The Bears have won three in a row including avenging their earlier loss to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart with a resounding 54-19 victory in the first round of the playoffs.
“It is playoff time, so it is win or go home,” Wade said. “The kids know what to expect. We are just looking to play another football game.”
Saul works in sports for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Reach him at saulbt2009@gmail.com.