After a 7-1 showing in the WPIAL football semifinals, this prognosticator enters the WPIAL championships Saturday at Heinz Field with a healthy 47-9 record and a .839 win percentage.
Class AAAA championship
Gateway over Bethel Park
Class AAA championship
Thomas Jefferson over Blackhawk
Class AA championship
Beaver Falls over Aliquippa
Class A championship
Monaca over Clairton
Anyone else disappointed that FSN Pittsburgh is breaking up its live coverage of the four titles games to broadcast the Pens game? This blogger sure is.
The Class AA game between Beaver Falls and Aliquippa will not air until 11 p.m. on FSN. I know the station is obligated to bring Pens coverage, but how many times a year are the WPIAL football championships played? The break between the Class A and Class AAA games takes a little luster off the entire package for those of us not attending Heinz Field.
82 comments:
i love the pick in single A
What Mike, are you just going to keep picking against Clairton in the hopes that they lose?
Thats ok...they'll prove you and the rest of your readers wrong again. No one wants to see the bears win...including the WPIAL and the refs.
7-1 last week. Which game was that one loss? Oh yeah, thats right, CLAIRTON. Picking against them again huh? Thats ok, 3-1 isnt bad.
so i guess the fact that every starter on Clairton's team has championship game experience, every starter on Clairton's team has won a WPIAL title in 2006, none of the kids on Monaca's team have ever been this far before, Monaca does nothing but run the football and they are going up against the best run defense in the state in their respective class doesnt weigh in on your decision making?
Thats ok Mike, dont let let those measley facts get in the way of making an educated pick.
I hope Clairton wins.
I hope Bethel Park wins as well. Gateway gets too much hype. I hope Gateway goes out there and lays an egg. (I have a grudge with Gateway. They gave me a concussion a few years back on a late hit penalty.)
I hope TJ loses, but they will not. Blackhawk is not as good as the experts think. TJ might score 50.
i love the fact that 3 hardcore clairton fans posted within 20 minutes of each other....
the first two were me...forgot to add my name the second time.
Clairton has every reason to win tomorrow. They have elite players and are much more talented than Monaca. The best game of the day figures to come from AA where we get a rivalry rematch of Aliquippa and Beaver Falls. Those that pick Aliquippa in the tourney bracket every year have been rewarded many times, but I do think Beaver Falls can beat them again. Todd Thomas is a stud and Cody Cook isn't too shabby either. Add in a big, physical O-Line and the Tigers are poised to do something that has never been done before- beat the Quip twice in the same season.
My predictions:
Gateway over BP
TJ over Blackhawk
Beaver Falls over Aliquippa
Clairton over Monaca
hey anon,
the CM baseball team never made it to states before...i guess their season turned out alright. experience is overrated
I think Mike is entitled to his opinion. Good luck to all of these boys. The teams that make is this far are a small group. Anyone should be proud to be playing in the WPIAL championships.
This reader knows that the game played will produce the winner.
Give me a freakin' break. Let the guy make his picks without jumping down his throat because you live, breathe, drink, and obsess over Clairton football. I think last week's game proved they are beatable...if a team can pull it off. A solid Rochester team got 5 turnovers off them, and hung within 8 pts til the end. Mind you, Monaca whooped on Rochy pretty good 17-0 a few weeks back... ever think that went into Mr. Kovak's prediction.
I'm sick of the hype...
Monaca 17 Clairton 13
dude come on Mr. anonymous. Da' Bears have 1 lackluster game all season long and now they are overhyped? They still held them boys to under 90 yds of offense. Youre just a hater of the best team in our class. We played them twice. Let me tell you, they are the real deal. Im sure you are not a player otherwise you wouldnt be callin them boys overhyped. I didnt see Monaca this year, but no one is touchin da'bears, especially if all them boys do is run.
I think people forget that I was the first person to rank Clairton No. 1 in Class A.
I still think they are the team to beat. I also think the best team does not always win the championship.
Maybe if monaca merged with center today they might have a chance.I myself being a clairton grad will be sporting orange and black tomorrow as will b.falls and b.park fans.
for the record, that last anon post is not me...Im not the only Clairton grad out here...
haha anon i didnt even realize that 3 teams are wearing orange and black.
clairton commits too many penalties. i think they'll fall to steelton-highspire in piaa championship
Penalties and overconfidence were the reasons I picked Monaca over Clairton.
The Bears, however, overcame all those penalties and a couple other mental errors and put in one tremendous defensive effort. Monaca could do nothing in the air, particularly when it needed to.
I don't think it's a stretch to say Steelton-Highspire will win the PIAA championship but if Clairton can put aside all those mistakes for one game, it could be an interesting state championship.
I also wanted to add that Clairton's backup QB did an excellent job in the championship game. Another obstacle the Bears cleared.
Anyone got a score from the Class AA championship?
Mike,
So far you are taking the O-fer after losing the A and AA games. The Quip got a safety in the 4th quarter and beat B.F. 8-6.
Meg Bulger makes Trenni look like Edward R. Murrow.
This message is for everyone out there except for Mike and Keith Taylor.
It must make all of you absolutley SICK to your stomach that the two most hated teams on this blog...the CLAIRTON BEARS and the THOMAS JEFFERSON JAGUARS, schools that are 5 miles apart and are neighboring districts, both brought the hardware back to southern Allegheny County.
WAY TO GO BEARS AND JAGS!!!!!!!
Bethel just played an amazing game.
Who has the Bethel-Gateway details? I saw the final. Unreal.
Looks like I went 1-3 today.
Who needs in depth sideline reporting at the WPIAL championships Brant? I'll take Meg B. any day.
Basically Gateway made turnovers the whole game, and Bethel, for the most part was mistake free. Bethel wasn't able to capitalize on all of the turnovers, but that is what lost the game for Gateway.
Gateways offense never found rhythm. Too many turnovers and penalties that took away first downs. Bethel didn't play great, but they didn't give Gateway opportunities to take over. I thought the Gateway play calling was pretty suspect, especially in the second half. That team has a ton of athletes and they did little to get them the ball in space.
Clairton Alum... I think you just demonstrated why a lot of the people on here dislike your Alma Mater. No one here is sick to their stomach that Clairton/TJ won. They were both pretty heavy #1 seeds, and few expected them to lose. They are two great teams with a ton of tradition and i've never knocked either, but you ask for a lot of the hate that is given. You shove it in everyones faces like we don't read newspapers or watch the news. Be happy they won, but please stop acting like you contributed in anyway to the success of either of those two programs.
I'm happy that Bethel beat Gateway. They really didn't get any recognition from anyone. They weren't even in the National top 100 on yahoo til last week. I played for Coach Matheny over the summer for the Prograss North-South game, and he was a great coach. He deserved this win along with his team.
well said brian
Forgive me if I had the wrong idea about this blog...i thought this was a blog to discuss highschool sports. I thought everyone had the freedom to voice their opinion and support their team here. Brian, never once did i say i played any role whatsoever in any of those two teams success. As a FAN, i believe i have the right to be happy. Why did i bring the Clairton hatred on myself? Because i am a fan? a grad? am proud of my school? talking them up when i get a chance? writing facts and opinions that support my team? Its not like i downgraded any other team or spoke badly of anyone else. So if that is what brought hatred against me and the bears then so be it, i could care less if i aggrevated all of you. However, if you go back through a lot of these threads, the hatred showed towards TJ for absolutley no reason other than being one of the best teams in the state is ridiculous. I dont believe there were too many, if any, TJ fans on here. You people just dislike them for being good.
so again, congrats to TJ, CLAIRTON and now BETHEL PARK for bringing the Championships back to our area.
kudos brian. finally someone else got sick of the crap Clairton alum was spewing. He disrespects the Wash county schools on a wash/greene county dominated blog... and does rub Clairton's success in everyone's faces... heaven forbid someone pick against his Bears or we get 2 page diatribes on the matter.
Did anyone else read in the P-G how Todd Thomas' mom of Beaver Falls stormed the sideline and almost fought the BF coach after their loss to the quips?? Unreal. Coaches don't make enough to deal with that crap.
anonymous (brave of you to post that way by the way...im sure your either Brian or Billy or one of the other professional wash co bloggers), i could care less what you or anyone else thinks. Pull me one quote out of everything i have said where i disrespected any wash co team.
The fact of the matter is you guys are upset at the fact that Clairton and TJ are more successful than any team you have in washington/greene county. And even when you have a good program (CM Baseball) you people have to stir problems up...talking about how cecil kids get disrespected or the coaches are bad or whatever. Its a joke.
Say what you want, i could care less...i love sitting back and watching you people get all worked up.
And if you people are that tired of reading my entries then i have a real simple answer for all of you...STOP READING THEM. You are adults (i think), this isnt china, no one is holding you hostage with your eyelids taped open making you read this stuff.
You people are funny...
Brian,
Why are you drinking the Barnhardt haterade? Didn't you play for him in high school? I think you and he need to take a trip to Ryan's and the Clairton Alum and you can sit down and have a nice friendly meal.
Anon,
That Thomas story was disgusting! I know of several coaches that have been attacked like that over the years and it always makes me sick. Hopefully some parents and fans read that article and then think twice before they decide to act like that in the future.
Clairton Alum,
First off, I really don't care if i offend you, and if i did I would do it on my name. Also, you said, "Say what you want, i could care less...i love sitting back and watching you people get all worked up." This is after the fact that you spent two paragraphs criticizing people, myself included, and telling us how superior your Clairton and TJ are so much better. In my opinion, it really sounds like Brian does bug you enough to go on another one of your short story posts, but if you say you could care less I'll take your word for it. Enjoy your WPIAL Title. :)
PSU,
There is a Ryan's about 5-6 minutes from Blacksburg... I'm in if you are. JB
Claire Bear,
ya, you caught me postin anonymously about myself...
Way to call someone out for posting the same way that you do. Wow. There's no difference in posting anon. or Clairton alum or joe schmoe. But hey, you're "sure" it was me or billy...
For the past two months all you have done is talk about how no one in the history of football at all levels could step on the field with the classy, financially secure, safe, holy, and intellectual Clairton Bears. Almost everyone here agreed, that yes Clairton is the best in A(just not holy). You didn't stop. Every thread imaginable, whether it was relevant or not, you took the time to post a few fun facts about the Bears' dominance... And no one cared. It got to the point where just about everyone in here wanted the Bears to lose just so you would go hibernate. I personally never thought Clairton(or TJ) would lose, and i don't think many people in here thought that either. However, as soon as they won, you went running to the local library to get on the internet and rub it in everyone else faces like we were totally in awe. I mean seriously man, you didn't just predict the Powerball numbers.
And please don't say you never talked about anyone or any schools. You trash wash. co every chance you get. You also love talking about "your county" Or "your area" and how it is so superior.
You try to play the innocence card and ask "oh dear what have i done?"
But as you have said before, "you love to stir things up." Or "you love to sit back and watch people get mad." But hey, you never say anything that would get someone annoyed.
btw, who would be the "you people" that you are referring to?
Hahahaha... nice post (above). Finally Clairton alum is called out on his BS. Could it really be Chad Johnson in disguise? (we know he's had some time off...) Or maybe TO? Nah, he was busy today puttin' up 200+.
I especially like those who say they don't care what others say and then spend 500 words attacking/defending...
Now go look up some more awesome stats on Clairton's D or O... hey here's an idea, do the over/under on Turnovers they'll have in their first round state game and how badly they'll lose. And you'll still be the ONLY one that cares.
If it was Chad Johnson he would have already changed his legal name to Clairton Alum.
Its a shame that you ca't even come on here and voice your opinion for what i thought was a blog site? hmm....sorry for the misunderstanding. Why are you all jumping down clairton alum throat when all he is is proud of his city and football team i mean come on they just won the WPIAL Class A championship and all you can do is talk trash because he's proud.Its also ashame too anon,that clairton just won a championship and already your rooting for them to lose it the first round playoff game I hope clairton proves you all wrong just for being a hater basically....Its a Shame but im gonna root for clairton on their battle for the state title just because on this site they seem to the underdog hmm...I wonder why?
I'm guessing this is the same person as greyhound baller? If not, my apologies.
Nevertheless...
I suspect you haven't been around here that long. Everyone knows Clairton is great. Everyone should voice their opinion. I would like all four WPIAL teams to win state(Clairton included). I like chocolate covered pretzels too. And bologna sandwiches.
Clairton Alum i'm confused... are you ken barna? I can't imagine ken saying some of things that you have or acting like you have if you are ken.
Ken Barna graduated in '52
He was all-state football, baseball, and wrestling
ha ha ha...
I am not Ken Barna nor have I ever professed to be Ken Barna.
Hey Brian, lets go to Ryan's (im not even sure what or where Ryan's is)...Ill buy you dinner...we can talk, I'll shake your hand and we can bury the hatchet...lol. Apparently I've ruffled your feathers along with some other people. I apologize. I was just having some fun going back and forth with all of you.
Clairton wont win the state title. Turnovers and penalties will eventually cost them...If not in the first two rounds definitely in Hershey against either Steelton (more than likely), Riverside or Schuylkill Haven.
Brian and Clairton Alum...
I recently watched a great movie with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels and in the movie, Jim Carrey suggests to "Sea Bass" that they bury the hatchet over a couple of Boilermakers. So that is my suggestion to you guys- have a couple Boilermakers. I think some of us here in blog world will buy.
Also,
Congrats to Mike Hull on his verbal commitment to Penn State. Although I am no fan of that particular school and have on more than one occasion referred to it as "State Penn" I know that Mike Hull is capable of turning around that perception on his own. He is a great kid, a humble superstar (rare these days), and I fully expect him to exhibit tons of class up in State College. Way to go Mike- you and your family should be very proud!
Brian and Clairton Alum... I know in my last post I made reference to Dumb and Dumber, but I only did so b/c of the Boilermakers. I in no way was trying to indicate that you guys were dumb and dumber. Just wanted to clear the air b/f trouble brews.
thats ok Lloyd...I've been called worse.
Um, Sea Bass and the fellas offered
to pick up our check. They said just
add this to their tab... They're very nice...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUvV0BOiE6E
As for Mike Hulk(or Hull)... PSU just got a great football player and a great kid. I expect that he very well could be the next great LB to put on the blue and white at state college. Total package.
Oh yeah...
Clairton Alum,
Ryan's is a fine establishment that CM baseball hits up on their trip to South Carolina. It is also a personal favorite of Derek Zofchak, Matt Pierpont, and Timmy Mills. I'd be delighted to share a meal with you there. Closest one i know of is about 4 1/2 hours south of here tho.
Timmy Mills let me down when he vetoed a trip to Ryan's last year. Apparently he wasn't satisfied with the fish.
I think Timmy Mills' reason for the no-go on Ryan's was that B.D. Phil told him that he ran out of $hatter juice
Im flexible Brian...Noochie's still open? There's always kings...
you inspired me to create an account Brian...
Brian, in your expert opinion, who do you think the 5 best football teams are in western PA, regardless of classification?
My top 5 of the WPIAL:
1. Bethel Park
2. Gateway
3. TJ
4. McKeesport
5. Penn Hills
im not brian btw but this was an interesting question. i have to rank Bethel above Gateway because they beat Gateway. TJ has to be #3. They're a AAA team that plays in the next level.. McKeesport and TJ could go either way. McKeesport played Gateway and Bethel close but i think TJ would beat McKeesport b/c McKeesport has no passing attack and TJ would dominate in the trenches.. Number 5 was a tough call because there are no other great AAA teams, and AA and A are out of the question. so i had to say penn hills for the fact they were the other team in WPIAL AAAA semifinals.. what does everyone else think?
That's kinda how i felt about the top 5. If this were last year i would have been inclined to throw Jeanette in there as 5th, but like you said, TJ is the only non-AAAA team that can be recognized.
Brian in your expert opinion, who are the top 5 football coaches in the Wpial regardless of classification?
Honestly I'd be tempted to put TJ #2...MAYBE on a reach even tied with BP for #1. TJ tried scheduling Gateway and one other AAAA team for this season and none of them wanted to play Cherp's boys...As a result they ended up playing Glenville.
that would be interesting an interesting game if TJ played Gateway, but i don't think TJ would beat Gateway. Gateway would have a size advantage and a speed advantage. I would agree to it being a close game. But I just cannot picture it. Then again, not many outside of Bethel Park pictured Bethel topping Gateway. If Gateway played without turning the ball over against TJ, they would win.. If Gateway played like they did when they demolished Penn Hills in week 1, I couldnt see them losing, but the beauty of it is you never know.
im not sure how much more of a size advantage you can have over TJ's line...have you seen their kids?
ya but i beleive Gateways line may be a little bigger. Bethel proved that doesn't mean much tho considering they had a RB go for 100 yards
Dorian Bell is going to be a bust. He is the most over rated player i have ever seen. There is also no way he weighs 226 lbs. He looks more like 190lbs.
Gateway was very over rated. All hype. Bethel Park was hands down alot better.
now that bethel has won WPIAL, do you think they will win states?
Say what ever you want bears alum thats what blogs are for.I feel that after the wpial championships are over its time for hoops.Why should they take games off bballers so football season keeps going?What about that kid who only plays hoops why should he be punished.Hang up the spikes and move on to the hard wood.
Brian, in your expert opinion which is better: turkey or stuffing?
it was remotely funny the first time anon... give it a rest
Yeah that is one of the brightest ideas I have ever heard around here anon, "Hang up the spikes and move on to the hard wood." Throw out all the work you put into the entire football season, and forget chasing after the state title because the kid that only plays one sport is waiting for you to start basketball season.
I would hope the basketball players would have enough respect for their football teammates and allow them to finish out their run in the state playoffs. So you miss some of the first games, so what? You still have the rest of the season to make up for it.
What about the kids that only play football? Their teammates would be abandoning them in the middle of the state playoffs to go play basketball. Bottom line: You don't start something without finishing it.
JD, this could all be solved by starting the "games" portion of the basketball season 2 weeks later. If they started the basketball games the first full week after the State Football games were over, then all would be happy. I know some people will say, but how in the world will basketball cram in all of their games? My response, is that baseball usually has 3 games a week scheduled and they have to navigate through weather issues. It would be easy for basketball to play Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. They could still play a full schedule of games and also participate in some tournaments. Coaches might have different opinions, but the fun part for players is the games, so I'm sure they'd rather play M,W,F instead of practicing one extra day a week. Also, the Girls basketball schedule could remain the same, since all of their sports are over by mid-November. Eventually the boys games would catch up on the 2 week head start of the girls and the playoffs for boys and girls could go on at the same time.
Guys I have to say that after checking out the scores from tonight's PIAA Quarterfinals, the Semi-Final game that jumps out at me is Clairton vs Farrell. As many of you know, Farrell used to be a member of the Wpial and was a perennial single-A power (think single A's Aliquippa or TJ). Just because the Farrell Steelers left the Wpial, it does not mean that they lost their passion for football or the talented athletes that call Farrell home. Clairton is an excellent team, but this could be the first time all year that they have a matchup with a team that is just as athletically gifted. Both areas (Farrell and Clairton) have similar demographics and sprouted up from the steel industry. Needless to say, I am very excited to see these teams go to battle next week.
Turk, I like the way you think
ill keep it short because i know no one wants to hear anything from me.
This is Clairton's first game this season against a team that matches up evenly with their athleticism. Skill and athletic ability alone will not will them to victory against Farrell. This will be the game that penalties and turnovers kill the bears. Expect an 8-6, 12-8 type of game. Clairton's season will end this week.
Clairton Alum,
If you have further thoughts, I would like to read them. As I have already mentioned, the Clairton-Farrell game has piqued my interest and any information you may have is much appreciated. Do you by chance know if Currington will be back at QB this week?
Rochester was going to beat them monaca was going to beat them now farrel is going to beat them give us a break all unz do is hate the bears.Get over it your teams play soccer n baseball we don`t talk them down.wash county teams neverplay in december get over it.....orange n black rules
I dont believe Drew will be back. I hate to question a kid having an injury, and i know he does have a toe injury, but some of the circumstances surrounding it are a little puzzling. He was cleared by the team doctor to play but waited until the night before the Monaca game to seek a second opinion. His second opinion told him he needed to rest 5 weeks. He tried to go against Monaca and on 3 plays had a fumble and two runs for 0 yards. He did not suit up against Windber and I doubt he will against Farrell.
Troy Webb is definitely a competent back up. Speed they are equal, arm strength they are equal...the only thing Troy lacks in comparison to Drew is his decision making ability. Troy has a tendency to hold onto the ball too long. Troy also isnt real good with check downs, it takes him too long to make his check down...he constantly looks to throw the ball deep instead of hitting his man over the middle in the 5-15 yd range.
QB isnt whats going to cost them the game. Penalties and turnovers are going to cost them. Stupid penalties at that. Diving into the endzone on TD's with no one around (excessive celebration), holding, offside, false starts, blocks in the back (even though of the 20 block in the back penalties we've received this year only 3...maybe 4 have actually been legitamate blocks in the back). Im starting to wonder if these officalis actually know what a block in the back penalty looks like. Clairton lacks discipline at times. That is the coaches fault. They have a good game plan with the talent they have but the discipline isnt there. Ultimately its going to cost them.
Anon...as many of the readers here can attest to, I talk the bears up so much people are sick of hearing me. But I've always been honest in my thoughts. This time is no different. I hate to say it because this is my team...I really think Clairton will lose this game. I hope Im wrong and can take the trip to Hershey...but i dont see it happening.
its the no calls against the bears that hurt them.Hienz field was a joke all these teams and only the bears get called for that many flags.So what if he jumps in the endzone thats not rubbing it in thats just the way it is.
umm.. flipping into the endzone, yea im pretty sure that is rubbing it in. and will get flagged every time. i remember watching a state championship a few years back where some kid from landsdale had 300+ yards rushing and got flagged for sticking his finger to the sky right before he scored so dont think only clairton gets flagged for those kinds of penalties
Clairton Alum,
Where do you think the Weatherspoon kid will ultimately decide to play college football? Pitt? Penn State? Also, from what you know is he a good kid or is he a Todd Thomas type kid?
i know his parents and there good people he`s a good kid does well in school but trouble isnt hard to find hopefully the community will keep him strait
Turk, he is a pretty good kid. he has his head on straight and his work ethic is really strong. The only negative I'll say about Kevin is that I wish someone would pull him aside and put him in a public speaking course real quick. i kind of cringe just a tad when they interview him...he could represent himself a little better if he had better diction and got rid of the slang talk. As for colleges...i wish he would take a look at Penn State (just because i'd like to see him in blue and white), but he'll probably end up at Pitt with Manny Williams who is a redshirt this year from Clairton.
The kid that no one talks about very much though is Deontae Howard (running back, #4). This kid is tremendous. He has a 4.0 in school, is fast, is a great speaker, has his head on straight...just an all around great kid...maybe one of the best all around kids Clairton has produced in a long time. If he could grow a little bit and just get a little bigger he would definitely be one to watch out for.
i totally agree with clairton alum about the slang talk. and yes, when they interviewed howard, he seemed to be a very well spoken kid. but i hope weatherspoon drops the slang during college, especially when reporters interview him after games. because the reporters would surely chew him up for that
You know its crazy how the bears, the CLAIRTON BEARS at that are going to HERSHEY when it seemed like everyone , i mean eveyryone had us picked to lose on this blog site. Im glad te bears proved you all wrong and overcame every adversity that was put on them, that showed that the bears have heart and that is something that alot of people can not be accounted for. Anyways Im proud of the bears for all their accomplishments this year and will be there to see them take on steel-high, and what do you know were the underdog again.....Let's Go Bears!!!!...WE KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!!
Probably one of the best high school games I have ever seen. The media didn't do it justice. A great game. Clairton did a great job...they played disciplined, smart football. They finally played a smart football game and just in time...anything less would have resulted in a loss. Webb, weatherspoon and howard were phenominal. Great game guys...tough one next week...
ahahaha discipline?!?! thats why they were flagged for throwing their helmets after they fell behind to farrell with a minute left. discipline. right.
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