If one word can describe Monessen's 20-6 victory over Beth-Center Friday night, gutsy fits the bill.
The Greyhounds' performance was one of the gutsiest I've seen.
Jalen Madison moved from fullback to guard during the game. Brett Crenshaw went from tailback to tackle. Both players gave up size to Beth-Center's defensive front but size doesn't matter when a team with talent wants to win as badly as Monessen did.
Madison and Crenshaw weren't the only ones sacrificing personal statistics to put Monessen atop the Tri-County South Conference. Defensive backs moved the linebacker. Tight ends offered to move further inside the line to help an injury-depleted team dominate the previously unbeaten Bulldogs, 20-6.
Gutsy. Tough. Unselfish. Maybe even improbable considering the circumstances and how thoroughly Monessen dominated the second half, particularly on defense.
Beth-Center averaged 48.8 points coming into the game. Monessen allowed 80 yards.
* Beth-Center's Jeff Tarley practiced throughout the week according to Bulldogs coach Ed Woods but Tarley did not play against Monessen.
* Monessen played like a team in its biggest game of the year, which it was. Beth-Center failed to show similar emotion.
* Borrowing a call from the Bill Belichick school of coaching, Beth-Center went for it on a fourth-and-five from its own 25 with just under six minutes left and only trailing, 12-6. The Greyhounds put the game away a few plays later.
* After covering the Fort Cherry at Brentwood game last week, Brentwood's defense looked vulnerable against run plays through the middle. Chartiers-Houston must have noticed too when watching game tape.
Quarterback Daniel Lis rushed for 207 yards in the Bucs' 21-7 win.
The Bucs are a surprising 5-1 and if they can beat Fort Cherry in the regular season finale (which is anything but a sure thing), C-H will finish second in the Black Hills Conference.
* Due to the success of South Fayette and Seton-La Salle, it's easy to perceive the Century Conference as a pass-happy league, but some of the best runners in the WPIAL call the conference home.
Steel Valley's Delrece Williams went 259 yards and six touchdowns - six TDs! - against Washington.
Seton-La Salle's Kevin Hart is a scoring machine and wears down a defense, much like Williams.
South Fayette's Jeff Davis, who could be a slot receiver in college, celebrated his 18th birthday last night by rushing for 109 yards and totaling 177 yards in a critical win over Keystone Oaks.
Speaking of the Golden Eagles, Matt McCann and Jordan Maddox combined to rush for nearly 300 yards against the Lions.
* Losing to Steel Valley pretty much ends Washington's slim playoff hopes but the Prexies showed some life by giving the Ironmen a good game in a 48-33 loss. Wash High led 27-21 at halftime and 21-7 at one point.
The Prexies' schedule gets easier the final three weeks and it will be interesting to see if some of the younger players can build momentum and confidence heading toward 2011.
* The University of Tennessee has shown interest in Trinity senior Mike Cleveland, an athletic 6-6 multiple-position player who happens to have the strongest kicking leg I've seen on a high school player.
* Nice bounce-back win for Fort Cherry after a heartbreaking overtime loss at Brentwood the previous week.
79 comments:
I have a question. I know you all hate Clairton...blah blah blah. Ok, whatever. At the half, the score was 54-0 Clairton leading Bentworth. They came out to begin the 2nd half and took a knee on their first two plays. Lou Rood calls a timeout and shouts at Nola and the Bears, saying they are being disrespectful. However, anytime we ran the football Bentworth couldnt stop us. Earlier in the season, with the score 48-0, we were running plays and passing against Chartiers Houston and we were told we were running up the score and being disrespectful. So I have to ask...which is it? WHAT IS A TEAM SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN THEY ARE BLOWING ANOTHER TEAM OUT? We cant take a knee, we cant run, we cant pass...what would you people like us to do? Please tell me.
My mercy rule etiquette is simple. As long as the back ups are in then its game on. I wouldn't want to see the winning teams starters playing against the losing teams backups. I have no problem with the backup QB throwing the ball all over the place. Remember the backup QB is only one play away from being the starting QB, he needs work too. Honestly I find kneeling the ball more disrespectful than keeping in the starters and throwing bombs. The losing coach wants his team to improve too and kneeling doesn't help out his team. I understand your frustrations on this anon issue 12:25. But this time I side w/ the Bentworth coach.
Mike-I would like to say that Monessen played their hearts out. This is a unselfish team that got each others back. They are close knit group of boys on and off the field. We have no more attitude on the field and no me...me...me!
I wish them the best of luck throughout the season and hope their efforts reward them. Go Hounds!!!!
Completely agree with Joey on the taking a knee.
No matter how bad the score was, I'm sure Coach Rood at Bentworth wants his kids at least to try to tackle, fight off blocks and continue to play as hard as they can.
My question is how did Laurel Highlands give Greensburg-Salem a run for their money, just to get stomped by Ringgold the next week? Is Ringgold an "elite" team if they play mistake free football?
I wonder why the WPIAL hasn't thought of pushing Clairton up a level. I go to college in Minnesota, and there is a high school here called Totino-Grace that demolished every team in their path, so the MSHSL decided to move them up a class. They still frequently win state championships, but the games are much more competitive.
Anon 7:56,
I'd love to see Clairton playing in the Century against South Fayette, KO, SLS, and Steel Valley. But in reality the 2011 season Clairton is going to drop off a little. We'll be returning alot of the skill guys but losing Green and Norris are going to be big losses on the DL and OL.
And with all due respect but i'm sure the Eastern Conference teams would be able to hang with Clairton much longer than the Blackhills teams. Canevin, N. Catholic, Avonworth, and Springdale are better than CH, FC, and Brentwood by a mile. I'd be very surprised if any Blackhills team but Clairton gets passed the first round of the playoffs. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a 3 way tie for 2nd place in the Blackhills. I respect what FC did to Serra this past week. Serra is starting to look like the Serra I remember growing up. I think FC and CH have solid cores for the 2011 season and should give Clairton a solid fight then. I think 2011 Class A will be very competitive in all of the conferences with Rochy probably being the favorite to win it all.
I agree that its puzzling that Laurel Highlands could give Greensburg Salem a close call but gets stomped at Ringgold...7 turnovers certainly paved the way for Ringgold to put up 61 points and they totally dominated the Mustangs. At times, it appeared that several LH players wanted to be anywhere but at Joe Montana Stadium. Im not ready to say that the Rams are elite but they certainly have surprassed my expectations and are on their way to their best season in ten+ years. Lets see what they do in two weeks when they host Franklin Regional - winner likely to win the Keystone.
Clairton is a good football team, no doubt about it. I appreciate their coaches actions to try and not score on bentworth but can totally see bentworths side too. As to the question of Moving Clairton up because they are winning too much is absurd. Clairton has some great talent but to put those kids up against a AA schedule wouldn't be fair. Clairton is not deep on the sidelines and a long grind of a AA schedule would take its toll.
Clairton is really in a nice run of athletes but it can't last much longer. It has happened in the past, like the Farrell teams in the 90's and the Rochester teams shortly after.
You can't force a team to play up but you can elect to play up. Can Clairton compete at AA? Yes just as Aliquippa and Jeannette have for years. As a matter of fact, there are alot of teams in A that could compete in AA. The elite AA teams will still be elite but many A schools would be just as successful in AA. In fact, many teams from up north like Shenango, Laurel, etc elected to play in AA a few years ago because they couldn't make the playoffs in the class A Big 7 conference.
Joey:
Dont count out the black hills being worse than the Eastern at this point.
FC scrimmaged Avonworth and beat them pretty good in week 2. CH scrimmaged Springdale even who pounded Canevin 35-0 last week and brentwood es even with those two teams.
I was worried early on when watching the Ringgold-LH game. I had the premise that LH was a team that put up 31 on what I thought to be a good Greensburg-Salem defense.
Despite the score, LH was not as bad as the score indicated. Ringgold took advantage of every mistake. When LH got down by 3 touchdowns, the team quit.
Joey, the comment about the eastern conference makes me ponder everything you say now. To say that the teams in the eastern conference are better than the blackhills by A MILE is ridiculous to even consider. Anon 10:41 is correct on his resources. Chartiers was dead even with one of the top dogs of the Eastern Conference Springdale, Fort Cherry beat Avonworth even without their starting tailback in the game. Mike I'd love to hear your opinion on this because I personally believe that Joeys comment was blatant to say the least.
Brentwood's OOC... struggled to beat 4-2 Deer Lakes 3-0 and 0-6 SS Beaver 13-0, CH beat average at best 2-4 Union 20-14 and 2-4 Shenengo 21-20 FC lost to an ok 3-3 W. Beaver 21-7 and got destroyed by a pretty good Rochester team 46-0. Scrimmages are a glorified practice to prepare schools for the regular season. Heck Clairton beat Laurel in a 1 half scrimmage 60 something to nothing. Does that mean Clairton would route GCC. I doubt it. Heck Monessen who should win the Tri County lost to N. Catholic, even if it was by a point. Whichever #1 or #2 team that has to play the #3 or #4 out of the Eastern is going to have some problems. Out of the 3 schools mentioned I think FC is the better of the 3. Tanner Ganner is getting healthy. The 2011 season i'd rate the Blackhills as the toughest conference in Class A. I think Monessen and Beth Center make a decent paring for the Tri County come playoff time. How the WPIAL seeds Class A should be interesting.
I think using scrimmages as a barometer for competition is bad gauge.
Right now, I'd say the Eastern in better than the Black Hills. By a mile? We'll find out in the first round of the playoffs.
I know the competition in the black hills over the past 4 years has been insane. Fort Cherry's teams the past 4 years have been good, Serra Catholic over those 4 years were good, Chartiers Houston for 4 years was good and then Clairton...I think the competition now in the Black Hills is a lot different than then. But it is still very tough
I disagree Joey, Shanengo, Union, SSB, Deer Lakes, Western Beaver. Not one of those teams are even in the Eastern Conference so I dont see what you were getting at there. Yeah, Shenengo beat Avella 37-21. Fort Cherry was 42-0 with Avella at the half. Everything you mentioned was obsolete.
Listen, its pretty simple. With the exception of Rochester and Clairton, every other team in every other conference is interchangeable. I mean, honestly, can anyone REALLY tell me who is better than the other out of the following teams:
Springdale
Bishop Canevin
Avonworth
North Catholic
Chartiers Houston
Brentwood
Beth Center
Monessen
Sto Rox
Those are your second tier teams behind Clairton and Rochy...and the gap is fairly wide. Sto Rox may be the only team that doesnt deserve to be listed there...but they lost to Rochester and had some relatively close games with some not so good teams...the jury is still out on them. And, quite honestly, after only beating Western Beaver 34-18 after seeing Clairton beat that same Western Beaver team 55-6, I have some questions about Rochy as well.
I know Deer Lakes and etc aren't Eastern Conference teams. The point is Blackhills teams struggled outside of the conference. N. Catholic will most likely be the 4th team out of the Eastern and they beat Monessen. I say Blackhills teams are improving as the season is progressing. But i'm this point i'm sticking to my guns and saying that the Eastern is better by a mile.
Mike,
Is Tennessee the only D-1 school showing interest in Mike Cleveland? If yes, that would be a little odd - an SEC power school recruiting him but no other D-1 schools?
F.Y.I to all you Clairton haters... Dont expect a drop off for at least another three years.. The current soph class were the midget champions in the toughest league around, the allegheny county midget football league... you all can thank the mon valley midget league for kicking us out and creating a monster.
Please if you watch the FC vs Avonworth scrimmage it was not a blowout. Avonworth was using it just as they should, to see where kids fit in best. To say they would loose in a real game I really doubt. I would say Avonworth is best by far in their conference and a contender again this year. They lost to BC but they had the wrong players at the wrong positions that game but figured it out after. Avonworth has given up 24 points total this year and that includes 2nd string in there for the blowouts. And that is playing springdale, riverview, and NC, Their only conf games left are northgate and olsh so they should be fine till playoffs.
In response to Anonymous from Clairton...Have the school petition the WPIAL to place you in a conference where you can play competitively. Or ask to play up....oh, but then you might lose... Knowing you are going to win every time before you even play doesn't make any sense at all.
I'll say this again. The financial benefits of moving up to 2A should be worth while for Clairton. South Fayette, Steel Valley, Keystone Oaks, Seton LaSelle would pack the house at Neil C. Brown Stadium. But at the end of the day playing Class A ball gives the Bears the best chance of winning a state championship. And at the end of the day that is what its all about. Lets face the facts. Clairton is a top level program and FC and Char Houston are at the end of a down cycle. The 2000 FC and Char Houston teams would mercy rule the current editions. Char Houston's defense that year beat Clairton and kept within striking distance of eventual champ Rochester. Fort Cherry during the Vernillo and Ivery years was a state level program. The current FC team has alot of talent but haven't put things together yet. With that said the Blackhills schools struggled to beat teams that aren't even going to the playoffs. W. Beaver(who should be #4 out of the Big 7) beat Fort Cherry(who I think is the 2nd best team out of the Blackhills).
Not sure Sword.
There's a difference between showing interest and recruiting. When it comes to kickers, I can't think of too many that are offered full athletic scholarships out of high school. I'm sure it happens but they often have to prove their worth before getting a scholarship.
If you get a chance to see Cleveland kick, you'll probably think what I and a lot of other think - he can kick at the DI level.
Joey:
They lost to Western after their qb went out in the first quarter. Just saying.
why do you guys hate Clairton So much? Heck we are the only Western Pa Program Bringing back State Championships. And Coaches want to cry about us putting up big numbers every week. We are just better than everyone by far. In life sometimes you have teams that are just better, and those other teams cant compete against them. at all and to joey man listen like i always say. YOU CAN ONLY PUT 11 PLAYERS ON THE FIELD AT A TIME. WE WOULD STILL BEAT TEAMS IN (AA) (AAA) and (AAAA). What are they gonna do sub a whole (O-line and D- line) in by the time they did that the score would be out of hand. And the game would be over who can say we can't play with any of those bigger schools. What other Class A high school or High school Period has D-1 Talent year after year. "The Clairton Bears" year before last (Manny Williams,) last year (Kevin Weatherspoon), this year (Desimon Green) Next year (Trenton Coles). come on with that Clairton cant play up bull none of these schools even put out the players we have. So just stop hating please Mike i had to get that off my chest i hope you post this thankyou Very much Very Much.
And For A Kid Coming Out Of A Single A Program Do You Know How Hard It Is To Go (D-1) Come On Show Some Respect To The Clairton Kids Please.
I don't understand the hating on clariton either. My kids are avonworth, got beat pretty good last year in the playoffs. If Clariton is a A school then that is where they should be. If they are too good then oh well, If avonworth got too good then oh well too. That's just life. If they get reclassified thats one thing but to say they are too good is another.
Anon, 2:50
I may be wrong, but I believe in 1 year, Gateway had 10 D1 athletes. Clairton could probably hold their own against AA schools, and some AAA schools. But I just can't see Clairton hanging with AAAA schools. I know how only 11 players can play at once, but depth does a lot for a team. The starting 11 might be even in talent, but it just won't happen. For example, during the 2008 season, Ringgold gave TJ everything they had for the first half, and it was a 13-7 game. However, the depth took over, and TJ blew the game open.
First, let me thank the Clairton defenders.
I know some of you dont want to hear this, but a big reason why these Washington County teams hate Clairton so much is a direct result of the Mon Valley Midget league in 2004...when these same teams threw Clairton out of the league. And lets call a spade a spade, they threw them out because no one could beat them. You can blame it on a "fight" that happened outside of one of the games between kids from Monessen and Clairton, but if that was the real reason you people would have thrown Monessen out as well, and you didnt. You can also blame it on running up the score, but the fact is Clairton put their second and third strings (as the rules called for) in and they were still unable to stop them.
Fast forward 5 and 6 years. It started last year. Now, these same kids are playing against one another again, this time in highschool. Unfortunately for the Wash Co teams, they cant throw Clairton out of the WPIAL...now they have to deal with them...and, quite frankly, they cant. These Clairton kids and the Clairton coaches havent forgotten about that.
But here is the kicker...by banishing Clairton's midgets...and making them play in the Pittsburgh City League...you helped them out more than you could have ever imagined. You are seeing the result of a football PROGRAM (because Clairton football is a program from the midget teams all the way through the highschool, its a feeder program) playing against stiffer competition in the fundamental years of football instruction. Had we stayed in the Mon Valley league, I dont believe these kids would have been as good as they are right now. They got challenged at a young age and you are seeing the results of that.
So now lets look at where Clairton is. They lead the STATE in points scored with 329 and they lead the STATE in points allowed with 12. They dont lead the WPIAL, they dont lead just Class A, they lead the entire PIAA in all classes. And they are doing this with their starters playing only a HALF of football each and every week.
I worry that when its time for Clairtons starters to have to play a complete game they may wear out a little. I have a solution for that however. I say for these last three weeks...Brentwood, Fort Cherry, and Serra...Clairton leave all of their starters in and play football for the entire game. Start to finish. I dont care if the score is 90-0. Lou Rood was mad when Clairton started taking a knee to begin the 2nd half because Nola felt bad and showed mercy. Coach Rood came out and yelled at Nola to play football. I say lets show these last three teams just how Clairton can play football and for an entire game.
You guys want it, I say give it to them. No mercy.
Ok Steel High, Southern Columbia have beaten 4A schools when they was the top 1A team in the state in years past and I have no doubt in my mind Clairton could do the same.
As for tiers in the Class A I think it goes a little like this.
Tier 1 Clairton Tier 2 Rochester, Sto Rox Tier 3 Canevin, Avonworth, Springdale Tier 4 Cornell, W. Beaver, N. Catholic, Monessen, Beth Center, Brentwood, Char Houston, Fort Cherry
Actually, Clairton was beatable in the MVMFL. Finleyvilee, 1/3 of Ringgold, beat Clairton in a championship. During the regular season when the 2 played, Finley manhandled Clairton so bad that the coaches made the players do pushups during the game. Also, a different year, during a championship game California beat Clairton by around 36? Has nothing to do with high school, but Clairton was not perfect in the MVMFL
Clairton Alum i agree with you man. Show no mercy to Brentwood Fort Cherry And Serra. Run it up way up please nola. Stop being so nice and feeling bad for these horrible football teams. Nola was about to cry on friday because rood wouldn't shake his hand. Do you know how many people wish they had nola's problem. To blow everyone out in a half. Every week and none of your starters get hurt. Because they only play a half. Come on coach nola please show no mercy i hope Rood really pissed you off.
Nobody wants to talk about the giant purple elephant in the room. Its real simple why chartiers houston, fort cherry, and bentworth dont like clairton. clairton has a different "demographic" when it comes to their community and their football team. case closed.
Anon oct, 11 @ 2:50pm, People don't like Clairton because frankly, they trash talk too much! For example: people like yourself are in here posting week in and week out about Clairton. "why don't Clairton get their respect, Why are people hatin?" and so on.. Who's not giving them their respect? What is it that people like yourself are looking for? They are winning, are they not? It seems that you are trying to plead Clairton's case to get people to like them. If people don't accept them, it's their choice. My point here is that it's all about how the fans, families and players carry themselves. When Upper St. Clair or TJ roll over teams non-stop you don't see them (players, families of players and fans) trash talking at games against far lesser opponents that they knew they were going to beat! NEVER HAPPENS! It doesn't matter how good a team is, if they don't have class and tact then it doesn't matter what they accomplish, people WILL NOT accept them.
To the Clairton Alum who thanked Clairton defenders...
No doubt your guys are good, and accolades to them! However, I beg to differ that your second and third stringers are put into the game. Sometimes maybe, but not always...so come on tell the truth.
As to why Clairton is hated so much....well partly because the fans want to RUB IT IN! When things like a penalty get called on the Bears, the fans get upset and scream that they have been done wrong. What.. Clairton doesn't make mistakes. They all scream to get another touchdown and humiliate the other team. Why? Because they can? Does this mentality come from that midget football you were talking about?
Sure your guys may be good....but what a poor excuse for sportsmanship!!! And the WPIAL needs to recognize this.
Are you serious anon to the last comment about Clairton not showing good sportsmanship. Come on first of all we took a knee to start the second half. We coulda put up A 120 points on bentworth. I think Josh Yohe of the Tribune Review said we scored 54 points in 11 minutes. So come on guy with all that clairton has no class are fans rub it in other teams faces. When You say the name ("CLAIRTON") winning tradition is all in that name. championships are in that name. D1 Football players are in that name. so whatever bad things you wanna keep saying about ("CLAIRTON"). Keep them coming because we are gonna win, and win and win somemore. Hey watch us on TV NOV 27,2010 at 10:00am at Heinz Field for the Single A Championship And in December the 17th at 1:00pm for The State Championship (IN HERSHEY) yeah we will still be playing football then and everyone else will just be watching. ORANGE AND BLACK ON THERE TV SCREENS.
Mike, I gotta ask you since I tested your judgement and you're spot on pretty much with the teams: Will Trinity give TJ a run for their money this Friday?
Ostara you make a great point. In the games I've witnessed TJ demolish teams, they've been classy about it. No taunting. Just a "we go out, handle business, and be good sports about it" attitude.
Are you serious?! The only reason people don't like clairton is because of their "demographics"? You are so full of it that its laughable. If you want to consider the way the players, coaches, and fans act "demographics" then i guess you're right.
Ostara, I've entered the think tank with a focus on Trinity at Thomas Jefferson. While I'm sold on a winner, I haven't figured out the competitive nature of the game yet.
Mike, I would imagine you have TJ over THS as most would pick. I would be happy if THS can hang in there with them and make it interesting. I think that alone would do wonders for THS football program. TJ is a class act, perennial juggernaut and they are always well prepared. I really wish this was a home game for the Hillers though!
If you people think, FOR ONE SECOND, that TJ and their fans are upstanding and would never trash talk you have obviously NEVER been to a TJ/EF game or a TJ/West Mifflin game. You are fooling yourself.
QUOTE...
YOU CAN ONLY PUT 11 PLAYERS ON THE FIELD AT A TIME. WE WOULD STILL BEAT TEAMS IN (AA) (AAA) and (AAAA). What are they gonna do sub a whole (O-line and D- line) in by the time they did that the score would be out of hand. And the game would be over who can say we can't play with any of those bigger schools.
OK....c'mon, let's just settle down a little bit.
Clairton is very good, but they can’t beat the top tier AAA and AAAA teams on a regular basis. (UGH, this argument seems to come up every year!)
Clairton isn't beating TJ (for example), on a regular basis. TJ has had more than their fair share of Division 1 players too – so what? Consistency makes a quality program and Clairton has been pretty consistent; but they’re just not going to beat the top AAA and AAAA schools on a regular basis. There probably are some AAA and AAAA schools that Clairton would fair pretty well against from year to year, but schools are placed in these classifications for a reason.
I like the Bears, my family is from Clairton and I'm proud of how successful they've been - but realistically, they might beat a team like TJ 2 out of ten times, if that. Depth is only a part of that – like you say, there can only be 11 on the field at a time. The problem for Clairton when you talk about playing up is that these bigger schools usually have just as much size and speed as Clairton does; and in many cases they also have better facilities and sometimes even better coaching on top of that.
TJ; for example, is invited to a 7 on 7 passing camp every summer down in Alabama. It's an invitation only camp; (you have to have a proven track record of success to be invited to this camp.) They've been going to it for more than 10 years now. Their kids play against top level SEC talent every summer from places like Hoover High in Alabama; and actually do pretty well from what I understand. How is Clairton going to be able to match an experience like that? They can't. Clairton has a fantastic team and Bears fans should be very proud of them – (I am!), but some of you just need to be a little more realistic.
By the way - TJ's depth didn't beat Ringgold a few years ago...that still makes me laugh. Cherpak only subs when he's well in the lead anyway. It was 13-7 at the half in 2008 because the TJ kids played like they weren't very interested to that point. It’s not like TJ made wholesale line-up changes in the second half; (that’s what having better depth means right?). They just decided to start playing – the final margin of victory was 34 points. That 2008 TJ team would have blown the doors off that same Ringgold team had they met again in the playoffs. Depth had nothing to do with the outcome of that game.
By the way - Ringgold actually looks really good this year. I'm looking forward to see how they fare against Franklin Regional in a few weeks. Good luck to them the rest of the way.
Yes i am serious about Clairton having no sportsmanship....and Ostara said it too...they trash talk too much.
And the knee was in ONE game....what about all the rest???
And the alum that said show no mercy to those other teams and run the score up on them......that's exactly the trash talk i am talking about....it shows NO CLASS AT ALL. But what do you expect from Clairton but no class at all.
That Clairton alum seems to have said it all about his Bears...and who would no better than a bears fan himself.
Ringgold would beat TJ this year. Hopefully we get to see this.
Not only does Ringgold have some of the fastest kids in the WPIAL with Fiore and Lewis but pound for pound I am certain they have 3 of the strongest (if not the strongest) kids playing in the WPIAL. I recall hearing that that they demolished the competition in a weight lifting exhibition earlier this year. Speed, Athleticism, Strength, and some depth. Look for a deep run through the playoffs by the Rams and don't be shocked if Blue and Gold decorates Heinz in late November.
Ok last comment from anon. Im the one that posted that Clairton can play in a bigger class, And beat those teams, and i know they can im not gonna sit on here and bash TJ. Because foreal Clairton And TJ should be one school. It's so close in distance to each other it's dumb for it not to be one school. But "Racial" Factors are still heavily involved in this merger. But since you got on my Clairton kids lets state facts about MIGHTY TJ. This year they got destroyed by Cocoa (FL) 43 to 7 yea i said 43 to 7, and that great (2008) team you talked about got killed by Glenville (OH) 34-14. It's not our fault we are a Single A school that doesn't have much money to travel around the country. To get invited to nike camps in Alabama, and Florida (BUT I CAN TELL YOU WHEN YOU HAVE SEASON OPENERS LIKE THE ONES YOU GUYS HAVE THOSE SEC CAMPS SHOULD PREPARE YOU GUYS BETTER AND PLAYING A LITTLE BETTER DONT YOU THINK ? YEA I KNOW YOU CANT ANSWER THAT.)
Yeah...my favorite TJ moment is when we went there to watch a West Mifflin/TJ football game and their fans and students were waving white garbage bags at us from across the field to signify West Mifflin being "white trash". Yeah...real classy fans.
Anon at 7:13,
It is laughable that you would try to compare TJ losing to Top 10 teams in the NATION as a reason the Bears could beat them. C'mon man, be a little bit realistic. Clairton's our neighbors so I root for them to do well but...That Glenville team would have beaten the 08 Bears something like 56 to 7. And not that it matters but that Great 08 TJ team was very competitive throught that game and twice was inside the 10 yard line but didn't score. I'm sure your bears could hang with the jags this yr but in the end I believe TJ would prevail by 2-3 TD's. In fact, I don't believe you guys would even beat baldwin, just too much difference in overall strength and physicality.
No Bears Fan...
I, along with everyone else in our town, have reached our limit with whining coaches who want to play the bad sportsmen/disrespectful/running up the score card each and every week. We havent taken a knee in just one week...we do it weekly in the 4th quarter of football games. We do it weekly in the second half on extra point attempts. NO ONE has seen what Clairton can do...NO ONE. My point is simple. If taking a knee is disrespectful lets play ball. Lets put our starters in the entire game and run our offense and our defense the ENTIRE game. You boys want to play with us? Lets play. We could EASILY...and I mean EASILY have three games over 100 points this season. Our starters play no more than a half usually. And to the poster who said you "doubt" we play our second and third string, come out and watch a game. Our back up QB is in typically by late in the 2nd quarter and our 3rd string QB is in during the 4th. We have played our 9th and 10th graders only in the 4th quarter the last few weeks.
Maybe the problem is our 3rd string is better than the first string of most black hills conference teams...
Anon Please Please tell me your Reasons why TJ would beat CLAIRTON BY 2 OR 3 TD'S? Please i am ready and waiting for your response. So i can just get back on here and tell you how much better are athletes are than TJ's. Seriously now you come on man be realistic how bout that.
STATE TRACK CHAMPION AND WPIAL TRACK CHAMPION :(TRENTON COLES)
(#5) PLAYER IN PENNSYLVANIA BY
ESPN.COM AND SCOUT.COM : (DESIMON GREEN)
The complete lack of sportsmanship is the reason people dislike Clairton. It's one thing to beat a team. It's another to rub their noses in it. Win with class, don't show your lack of it.
And, I might add, Clairton was running reverses on punt returns for touchdowns late in the second quarter against Bentworth. Yeah, that's called for.
You play to win the game. But once the game has been decided, you don't run gadgets.
any truth to the Bentworth players getting their ipods and cell phones ripped off at clairton last week in the locker room during the game?
To anon @ 7:13 am, Let's not talk about TJ's loss to Cocoa Beach. I live in Fort Lauderdale Miami area and believe me when I tell you.. Clairton would be a mismatch down here! Don't get me wrong, i love the WPIAL and that's why I'm here, It's where I am from. But Clairton would not just get beat, they would get steamrolled by South Florida teams. Remember a few years ago, Gateway was ranked 7 in the country in quad A? Opening game of the season they came down and Played Lakeland and got hammered 42-0 if my memory serves me right. And it's no secret. That's why Florida is a hotbed for recrruiters. Chances are that you will see a player from Florida on just about all college rosters. So a loss or even a big loss to a Florida team does not mean much, that is, unless you have no clue about how far more talented the South Florida teams are. St. Thomas Aquinas is among the best teams PERIOD in the country! My point is that Clairton would have had similar fate playing a South Florida Juggernaut.
To Anon that talked about TJ with the trashbags at the West Mifflin game: If they did it they it's unnacceptable just like when Clairton does what they do. However, this is the first I hear of TJ doing something wrong and you are the first to say something about it. Clairton's issues are not what you would called "isolated". All teams have their moments but my point is, someone that wins so much should have more tact. Clairton has been talked about week in and week out or their obnoxious and unacceptable behavior. You would not expect that on an ongoing basis from a team that wins in such a dominant manner. It shows no class, kinda like your winning for the first time and have no clue of how to carry yourself.. you know what I mean?
For All My "Clairton Lovers" On This Blog Site we can't win. They will find something bad to say about us. So im done with this blog people are some haters period. Yea we celebrate Clairton blowouts and yeah we do it every week, and we have the longest winning streak in PA. We are just good just find us a team to play that can last 3 quarters. I didn't even ask for 4. I just want 3 quarters of some good. (WPIAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL. PLEASE FIND US A GOOD TEAM TO PLAY) Even if you got to put our all Blackhills conference 1st team against us. Wait a minute they would all be from Clairton So that wouldn't work hey you guys think of something.
1. Not sure if I agree that Ringgold might be celebrating at Heinz Field come Thanksgiving weekend. I follow this team – seen all their games – not sure if I know how good they are. They are playing well but need to play a team that is equal to them and Franklin Reg is that team. Lets talk after OCt 22.
2. Clairton – to those who think that they are looked down upon because of demographics (i.e. race), show me where that issue is being used against you? I am not a fan of the Bears and it is soley based on the player’s behavior, the fans behavior, and the coaches decisions. From doing pushups near an opponent’s post-game huddle to the fans wanting more points when the mercy rule is in effect, to taking a knee at the beginning of the 2nd half or reverses on punts when the outcome has been determined, these events have not been deemed to be false and it is these facts that cause me to look down upon this team.
There is such a thing as winning with grace and dignity and also allowing your opponent to lose with dignity. Clairton is guilty on all of these charges. When Clairton supporters believe that this is unfair or unfounded, then that is the root of the issue when its so apparent to everyone else outside of the Clairton bubbl if you cant recognize this behavior as over the line.
I See Those "Clairton Guys" Must Have Gotten Under Some (TJ Jaguars SKIN). Now they Have Went Outside Of (Pa) For Backup, And Are Callin On The Big Time "Florida Schools". To Beat Clairton, Because They Can't. Now That's Very Very Sad Guys. The Clairton Alum's Never Said They Could Beat Everyone in The United States. Just All The (Pa Teams) That's All Don't Get Mad Just Get Better Ok.
any disciplined quad a, and most triple a teams could beat clairton...and I mean any...USC, Lebo, tj...good teams that play with discipline would win, no doubt.. if they got down by 2 scores, they'd all be arguing amongst themselves
What perfect timing for an article to be written about this very subject regarding Clairton. Its not available on line unless you have a subscription, but today in the daily news written by Josh Yohe is an article about the Bears. The article backs up EVERYTHING that all of the Clairton fans have been saying for the last few weeks now. Despite popular opinion, Clairton has been the good guy this year. Four of the six games played have been played without a personal foul or unsportsmanlike penalty against Clairton. There have been no pregame antics or post game push ups. Josh Yohe, a sportswriter, is calling for the bears to quit playing nice and score 100 on these next three teams. Pick up the daily news and read it for yourself.
what makes you people think that Clairton couldnt beat a good triple A or quad A team? I want you detractors to do me a favor. Go look up the schedules and scores for Southern Columbia, Steel High, Bishop McCort, and Farrell from the last few years. These are all Class A teams. I want you to see who these teams play...especially Southern, Steel High, and BM. Week in and week out its AA, AAA, and occasionally a AAAA team. They not only hold their own but win those games. SOUTHERN GAVE SELINSGROVE, THE UNDEFEATED AAA CHAMPION THERE CLOSEST GAME OF THE YEAR AT 35-28 AND SOUTHERN DIDNT EVEN MAKE IT TO CLASS A STATE SEMI'S. Clairton won the State Championship last year in Class A. They were better than BM, better than southern, better than these teams that play higher classed competition week in and week out. I guess we'll never know if Clairton can beat AAA and AAAA teams because, quite frankly, I think those teams are afraid to play and schedule Clairton. Yeah, I said it.
Spoke with the guys over at the Daily News today.
Yohe's column centers more around Clairton taking it easy and still scoring 60 points on teams, a dangerous habit that could bite them in a competitive postseason game.
He is not encouraging Clairton to score 100 points and rub it in.
How bout them Ringgold Rams?
How bout them South Fayette Lions?
hey mike what happened to pt? I was at the south fayette game, but I heard they were losing 21-2 at half? I kinda thought they were better
Yohe's exact quote from the article:
"...Regardless, the second Rood called a timeout and yelled at Nola, the Clairton coach should have told each of his players they were suspended for the next week if they didnt put up 100 points"
later in the article:
"Clairton plays against a decent Brentwood team this week. Green and the rest of Clairton's starters should stay on the field for the entire game. if they score 100, whats the big deal? They embarrass every opponent they play, regardless of the score. If people want to be critical of Clairton in a season when Nola refuses to run up the score, this presents the perfect opportunity for Nola to get his revenge."
I dont know Mike...take it however you want...but those were quotes word for word from the article.
Didn't read the article Alum, just going by what I was told.
And, btw people, this conversation needs to get a whole lot more constructive soon and a whole lot less repetitive or I'm putting my two cents in before ending the thing.
If some of you can't get the answers to the non-stop questions you continually ask in these responses, you are obviously not reading them.
Getting tired. Getting very tired.
@anon 7:21 p.m.
Didn't cover the PT-USC game but it sounds like PT help beat themselves, which never works against USC.
PT should make the playoffs but it's looking more like the Indians will be on the road in the first round.
there really isnt much left to say. They hate us, we dont like them much either. case closed.
Here's my final thoughts. I think we all need to be real with ourselves for a minute. The only out of state power I think Clairton could hang with is Cocoa and that's because its a school that is similar makeup to Clairton. About the same size of a roster, speed all over the place, and decent size. There's a reason why the Bears don't play 4A or 3A ball. Its doubtful that we make the playoffs playing Peters Townships schedule. With that said on a given Friday we could give USC, Woody High problems. The Bears speed on the edges would give any 4A school problems in a one or 2 games series. But the grind of a 4A or 3A schedule would eventually overwhelm the Bears. It shouldn't be debatable. Pittsburgh Courier ranked Clairton as the best team in the WPIAL FWIW. 1A football is where the Bears belong. What I wished the WPIAL did was have multiclass conferences like the rest of the state. That allows schools like Clairton to play some bigger schools and smaller schools which would help Clairton for the state playoff grind.
Mike, I have another question about Trinity. Do you think it's a sure bet that Dalton is gone after this season? If so, do you think it will negatively effect the program and to what extent? Thanks.
How about that Central Valley!?!?! They seem to have made a heck of a smooth transition to the Triple A class after the schools joining! Everyone is calling Montour the team to beat in AAA and Central Valley gave them about all they could handle.
I do believe this is Dalton's last year.
As for the impact, it depends on the hire. As with many situations where a coach has been in a certain situation for an extended period like Dalton at Trinity,there tends to be a drop-off at first.
Trinity should be careful what it wished for in regards to its football coaching situation.
Bottom line is Clairton is the team to beat. No one likes the team to beat. I wish Clairton the best of luck the remainder of the season. Whatever personal reservations people have towards Clairton should just be dismissed. These are HS athletes trying to do something. Football is keeping some of these boys off the streets and other, well it is giving them an oppurtunity to go to college.
I do continually hear Clairton beat teams by sizable margins. Clairton cannot help that they are as good as they are.
So wih this said, GO RAMS.
@Keith..It is a good thing that football keeps the players off the streets; maybe an opportunity to go to college. The dislike for Clairton isnt about because they are the team to beat. TJ has been the team to beat for years in AAA and where is the venom for that program? There isnt any - at least from the players and coach perspective. Because Cherpak is old school and doesnt take crap from his players and teaches them discipline and respect and they in turn play that way.
Just because players might be low-income or lack a traditional family unit shouldnt give them a free pass when they arent respectful. When the team is doing pushups near an opponents team huddle (post game), for that I blame the coaches more than the kids. The adult coaches need to set the tone with respect and winning with class and that is lacking over the yrs at Clairton too.
Despite being a diehard Ringgold fan, I must say I am an Ed Dalton fan as well. He has pumped out some good players and runs a respectable program. Whatever is going on at Trinity is a mistake and I bet the Trinity football program will regress if Dalton leaves. People out there must not remember how bad Trinity used to be... With that said, GO RAMS.
I'm originally from Clairton now living in Jefferson and I've read many comments about how arrogant and unsportsmanlike the players and the fans are and I find it laughable for someone to make these comments who haven't walked a mile in our shoes. For too many years I've traveled to away games to have visiting fans make remarks about our ability to read and speak in sentences. Although I have a bachelors degree and am working towards my MBA they see only a black man wearing Clairton's colors. Sportsmanship extends beyond the playing field. Far too many times during the playoffs I've had to travel much further than the opposition's fans and sit on the visiting teams sideline although Clairton was the higher ranked team and considered the home team for a playoff game. Shame on you WPIAL. To comment on whether or not the Bears could play well against Triple A or Quad A teams, well they are all high school kids and the better football player will still be the better football player. The larger classifications may have an advantage in substitutions, platooning and not every kid having to play every special team. But I'd NEVER count against the 2009 or 2010 Bear teams. The talent and senior leadership of the 2009 team and the confidence and heart of the 2010 team give me good reason to feel that Clairton could play with anyone (in any State). I was at the game where we took a knee at the start of the 3rd Quarter and I was upset because it was the 3rd string quarterback in the game who needed some work. To address the comments that Clairton leaves the starters in all game, NO THEY DON"T. They do substitute in the 3rd and 4th quarters but keep in mind with only 35 players on the team they don't really have a full 3rd string. So although you may see some players in the 4th quarter that you saw at kick off it's only due to necessity. In conclusion THESE ARE KIDS. Let's, as adults, allow them to enjoy playing sports in high school. And be proud of them when they win and lift them up IF they lose.
Ok I read post after post about Clairton, about past prejudice and MVMFL and more. How good they are, how great, and then it comes back to the parents,fans and disrespect to others. Their right WPIAL can't stop that but maybe if nobody replies to the absurd commenting or just boycotts them they can really show how great their prejudice and disrespect for others can cost them championships. Oh and way was Nola the quarterback if the second string was in, just asking? In my eyes Clairton seems to never understand why cheating, lying and disrespect just has no place in FOOTBALL. Get the CLUE?
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