Thoughts on the first Friday night of high school football as I wipe egg off my face ...
Clairton's 41-0 win at Wash High was the most physically dominating and brutal performance I've witnessed in any sport. I watched it and I'm still not sure it's sunk in that Wash High failed to get a first down or generate positive yards.
Wash High could literally do nothing. Every play was swarmed by Clairton's suffocating defense.
Amazing. And a first in my career.
* Desimon Green, Clairton's excellent quarterback/defensive end and a Pitt recruit, expressed his genuine surprise after the game at the tilted results but, as he put it, "We may only have 30 guys and they probably have 60, but, out on the field, it's our 11 against their 11."
Even a few Clairton people who spoke with my colleague Josh Yohe of the McKeesport Daily News were a bit stunned at the lopsided victory.
* If Clairton did this to Washington, what's that mean for the Black Hills Conference?
Prediction? Pain.
Before Clairton goes all Clubber Lang on the rest of its regular season schedule, it's time to consider something one anonymous poster typed this morning.
Someone suggested Clairton might not give up a point during the regular season. Unbeaten and unscored upon has only happened a handful of times in WPIAL history (if memory serves, I believe Wash High did so back in the 1920s or 1930s, historians help me out here).
There's no reason to think Clairton doesn't have a chance to accomplish this rare feat, no matter how difficult it will be.
I just don't see how any Class A team in the Western side of Pennsylvania has a chance against Clairton.
* After the opening week, time to temper expectations for three teams - Peters Township, Washington and Fort Cherry.
* I didn't cover Trinity as much last year as I have in previous seasons but I can't remember hearing Mike Cleveland's name until basketball season.
After Cleveland tore through Canon-McMillan with a brilliant offensive/defensive/special teams performance, anyone else wondering how this 6-6 senior wasn't a featured player before?
* Speaking of the Hillers, if this truly is Ed Dalton's last season as coach, something Dalton has said on the record because he believes he'll be fired, expect Trinity to have a blast.
Dalton has his share of detractors but the vast majority of his players, past and present, are fiercely loyal. When I interviewed Ohio State linebacker Andrew Sweat last week, he mentioned how he'll continue to show up for any Dalton rallies if needed and called the coach "a second father figure."
Following Trinity's win at Canon-Mac, the Hillers ran over and rang the bell at Memorial Stadium. Dalton, the rare head coach who has earned the label of "go-to guy" in the media, joined in on the jog to the bell.
* Go-to guys are the ones reporters always look to talk to after a game or for a story. Dalton follows in the tradition of people like former Steelers safety Lee Flowers. You just never know what's going to be said and chance are it's going to be honest and funny.
* Three of the area's top players - South Fayette's Christian Brumbaugh, Ringgold's Derrick Fiore and Beth-Center's Jeff Tarley - got off to fantastic starts.
* Nice last-minute wins for Burgettstown and McGuffey. Not sure how either team will fare moving up in classification this year but there's plenty of reason to celebrate in both communities this weekend.
29 comments:
After what happened to Wash High by Clairton in their first game, was it necessary for Mike Novak to write such a long report on how bad it was for Washington? Was it really necessary to report the names of 15 year old Prexie players that had 0 yards passing and 4 yards rushing? How many papers does the O-R sell in Clairton? Games like this should be reported in the "Roundup" section near the bottom of the page! The Prexies are a young team and will do fine as the season plays out.
Good Morning Mike:
Honestly, I am not sure what to say about last night. I have listened to folks like Mike White and Don Rebel and Rod Frisco and others say that Clairton may not be as good as last year but they should still make it to Heinz Field. I had to chuckle to myself when I heard this or read this because I knew not only was this team just as good as last year, but they may actually be better. Watching that game last night confirmed by suspicions.
Now, that said, its still one game and no one really knows how good Washington is...but I do know that they are deeper than just about every Class A team in the area, they are bigger than most every Class A team, and they have more athletes than most.
I know some cant see it happening, but there will be a time this year when someone scores on Clairton. A fumble, an interception, a broken play, a lack of focus for one play...it will happen...but I dont think its going to happen often, especially if Clairton continues to play like that.
Sure I am impressed with the Clairton passing game (although I would have liked to have seen more of it), the Clairton running game, and of course the Clairton defense...but let me tell you what impresses me the most as a Clairton fan. 7 penalties for 30 yards. 0 personal fouls. 0 unsportsmanlike penalties. No fights. No stupidity. They showed up, they played football, and they went home. That is what I want to see. I also saw a few times where a clairton player would pull a teammate away if words started or there was a little pushing/shoving. If this team stays disciplined, they are unbeatable. The only team that beat Clairton last year was Clairton. I really liked what I saw last night.
Zach Barnes held to 0 yards. No first downs. -22 or -26 yards total on the night depending on who you read. Mercy rule at Wash High. 34-0 halftime. Probably 6-12 sacks. Just a physically dominating performance.
I just really dont know what else to say. I thought Clairton would win, maybe keep Washington under 10 points...but I dont know that I thought this. I dont know if anyone did. Wow.
Two more things:
MSA Sports goes back to 1999 in their archive online. That 41-0 loss is the second worst loss since 1999 at home for Wash High. The worst loss was 50-0 in 2008 against GCC. Any idea where that 41-0 loss ranks all time at home? Also, where does the -22 yards of total offense rank in offensive production for a single game?
You have to feel for Mike Caputo and West Allegheny. That is a tough break (no pun intended). One play can change the entire landscape and overall picture of things. In high school football, you have to wonder how many teams would figuratively see their season end with a single injury to a star player.
They had no right no ring the bell at canon macs stadium. They need to learn how to show some class.
I asked Kevin Jacobsen, who covered the Trinity at C-M game, is the Big Macs took offense to the bell ringing. He told me most of them got off the field quickly and didn't see it.
I couldn't find a Mike Novak story anywhere on the Clairton-Wash High game.
Rich Carlson, it is mike KOVAK's job to report on local sports as they happen. You would be the first one on here screaming that Mike didnt cover Wash High or give them enough credit or enough press if they would have beaten Clairton. Take the good with the bad...
Is it just me, or is anyone else getting tired of all the "Clairton is the Greatest" postings? They played a great game against an average at best young double A team. There are very few good quality teams this year in WPIAL class Single A. A good Double A team(Greensburg CC) or a Triple A team would smash the Bears. So lets return to reality a little.
Even if the players didn't see Trinity ringing the bell the fans sure did and found it extremely disrespectful. The fact that Dalton went over with them to ring it just shows how much class Trinity as a whole doesn't have and will probably never get.
Anon 5:13, I didn't mean to insinuate what Trinity did was respectful because the players did not see it.
offense is horrible, play calling horrible, play makers sitting on the sideline, no misdirection plays. no shotgun. this was predictable. dont blame the kids, coaches, for everything. kids need encouragment and praise keep it positive. only one game good game bears.
Mike dont you think that, what the Hillers did was sorta needed in a way?? I feel like the Big Mac Hiller ravlry is declining slowly and "Just Ringing a Bell" might be the spark to get it going again... Im a CM fan and I dont find that disrespectful at all these types of things are suppose to happen between rivlry schools or the rivlry would be no fun.. They just went over and rang the bell, the worlds not coming to an end get over yourself Anon 5:13..
Great point CM Fan. For a rivalry to be great, you've got to have something to play for. ... I did hear the stadium was packed, which it should be for a Trinity and Canon-Mac football game.
It was nice to see a packed house at Wash High Stadium too. Hopefully those fans keep coming back.
If Dalton and Trinity wanted to be disrespectful, they could've tried scoring again in the final seconds of the game when they had the ball at the C-M 4 yard line. Instead they didn't even break the huddle, letting the clock expire.
trinity needs to learn how to win, they havent beat cm in the 3 previous games and in all of them cm walked off the field with class, something dalton will never have. He deserved to lose his AD job.
anon at 9/4 @ 1:46,
I am not a clairton fan, but i watched that game friday night and i watched their scrimmage against yough. would they beat a top level quad A team or a top triple A team...probably not. they are not deep and they only have about 29 or 30 players. that said, their starting 11 could line up against ANYONE'S starting 11 in the WPIAL and hold their own if not win. #7 would start for any team in the WPIAL. So would #65, #2, #4, #8 and maybe one or two others. yes washington is probably an average team, but you cannot discount clairton. clairton is a really good football team.
Hey mike, Im just a western pa football fan, and I'm wondering if you think wash high and peters will still be able to make the playoffs after their performances on Friday night.
I was at the Wolverina yesterday and I watched Cocoa basically dismantle TJ. No one is going to believe me...but im saying it. Clairton would beat TJ. Call me crazy, tell me Im stupid, but the fact is Cocoa's team reminded me a lot of Clairton. Clairton wouldnt beat TJ 43-7, but they would beat them. Everyone thinks Class A teams cant compete with "the big boys", but do you realize Class A teams from across the state make a habit of playing AA, AAA, and AAAA teams weekly? Not everywhere around the state has as many teams as D-7. Last year, Southern Columbia (class A) lost to Selinsgrove (class AAA undefeated state champion) 35-28. That was Selinsgrove's closest game of the year. Bishop McCort (PIAA runner up to clairton) beat mulitple teams who played in AA and AAA. I have no doubt clairton would make the playoffs in AA, in AAA, and quite honestly probably in AAAA. Some of you people have no idea how good this clairton team is.
Maybe you CM people should worry more about the fact that you guys just lost to AAA Trinity who hasnt had a season ending record above .500 since 2007 than the Trinity players ringing a bell. Just a thought...
Anon 2:57
Peters Township and Wash High still have playoff opportunities. It's not going to be as easy as I thought for both before the season started but there is a lot of season left.
PT just needs to win two conference games. I know, easier said than done after losing to Penn-Trafford.
Let's put South Fayette and Keystone Oaks at the top of the Century Conference. After those two teams, it should be a wide open race.
Are their any teams or players in Greene county worth covering? I think If you gathered all of the top talent down their they still couldn't get 1 first down against Clairton.
Anonymous September 5, 2010 1:00 AM, The Big Macs don't just walk off the field, there entire fan base comes running onto the field and laughs in the faces of Trinity players believe me I was one of those players a couple years ago.. At the game the friday night Trinity's Hiller Hooligans came running onto the field to do the same but unlike the coaches of CM the Trinity coaches made all of the fans get off the field... They only rang a bell stop being sore losers
Mike,
I know this is a O-R board but to give perspective from another area...Steel Valley is going to be very good in the Century Conference. South Fayette and K-O are the tops in that conference, but SV will be tough. I teach there and they are athletic, big, fast, and experienced. I'm looking forward to seeing how they do against South Fayette in week 3.
Remember people who are discarding Clairton success, they have to pick from a pool of 113 young men. Mr. Anonymous the schools you speak of have a pool of 186 at minimum (AA)AAA 350, AAAA 400 young men. I think you need to change your argument.
So when are they going to move Clairton to another conference so they can play people more their equal? What a joke to have them compete where they are.
anon Sept 9 3:32
Where do you propose Clairton play? The Bears don't have the OL Depth to play 2A football on a consistant basis. Clairton dresses what 7-8 lineman. Plus Clairton only has 30 kids on its roster. I believe that Clairton can beat some mid level 4A and 3A schools and some very good 2A schools. But how bout the Fort Cherry's, Chartiers Houston's, Serra's play better football. Class A 10 years ago was 8-10 teams deep. Now its Clairton then Rochester then everybody else. Look Clairton's run isn't going to last forever. The talent pool will dry up for a few years and pick back up again. Not too long ago Fort Cherry was playing for a WPIAL Championship. So Fort Cherry can pick up their game again.
Clairton is a very good football team. Don't blame the other teams in the Ohio Valley for Clairton's ability to win games. The only other team in Class A that can even play with them for a whole game is Rochester and MAYBE Sto rox. They just dismanteled a good AA school. You can't blame Class A schools for not being able to hang with them.
By the Hiller Football Team ringing CanonMacs Bell, It was all done "in having Fun with Rivals". It keeps the rivalry alive , no disrespect was meant by that. We love to play CanonMac, and beat them. We hadn't beat them since 2006. Our 2007 Team couldn't even beat them, with all our Big 10 Recruits. It was sweet to finally win, and CanonMac is a hard team to beat, in alot of sports. So lets let the kids and coaches have some fun still!
Sure I can blame other schools for not keeping up with Clairton. Look Fort Cherry was in 2 WPIAL Title Games the past 10 years and has beaten Clairton. Char Houston also beat the Bears within the past 10 years. Clairton is a smaller school than the Blackhills/Ohio Valley schools. If Rochy and Clairton go up to 2A, that totally erases any true state contenders. From where i'm from that's what is about. Chartiers-Houston needs a new HC. That offense he runs is basic for a spread. There is so much he could be doing out of that formation. Coach Garry of FC seems to lose the games for Fort Cherry the night before the game. I watched Fort Cherry several times last season. They passed the ball out of the shotgun formation on a regular basis. Hell Coach Bosnic of Washington never adjusted his schemes. Your schools in the past was able to compete with the Clairton's and Rochester's of the WPIAL. Why can't you now? Its really not like Clairton's offense is this big time juggarnuat when Avonworth holds Clairton to 24, Rochy holds Clairton to 14, Farrell holds Clairton to 12, and Bishop McCort holds Clairton to 15, and even Laurel held Clairton to 6. Its evident to me that the Blackhills minus Clairton is no better than the Tri County South. Step ya game up.
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