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Saturday, August 24, 2024 | 7:19 p.m.
Donte Wright of Clairton strides past Cay’son Simpkins of Steel Valley along the sideline on Saturday.
Brandon Murphy of Clairton battles Torian Barnett of Steel Valley on the sidelines on Saturday.
Steel Valley’s J’Von Barlow recovers a Clairton fumble on Saturday.
Clairton’s Tahvaz Armstrong sacks Steel Valley quarterback Jaden Cabbagestalk on Saturday.
Clairton’s Zaemear Correll throws a touchdown pass past Steel Valley’s Dejr’rion Hughley on Saturday.
Drahcir Jones of Clairton shakes off a tackle attempt by Kylee Goodwine of Steel Valley on Saturday.
Clairton’s Kylee Goodwine plows into the end zone against Steel Valley on Saturday.
Clairton’s Tahvaz Armstrong rushes into the end zone against Steel Valley on Saturday.
Clairton’s Zaemear Correll throws a touchdown pass past Steel Valley’s Dejr’rion Hughley on Saturday.
Paris Wooding of Clairton scores a 2-point conversion against Steel Valley on Saturday.
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Clairton defensive back Taris Wooding and the Bears’ stellar defense didn’t have much of a problem with the offense. With Wooding and his teammates guarding the secondary, Steel Valley’s offense couldn’t gain any territory.
The Ironmen were unable to score points on offense and allowed the Bears to survive three turnovers of their own to win 30-7 in the KDKA Kickoff Classic on Saturday afternoon at Wolvarena.
“I watched footage of them all week,” Wooding said. “Their passing game wasn’t great. I watched it anyway. I didn’t want to take them lightly. I didn’t want to sack anyone.”
The Bears made life difficult for Steel Valley quarterback Jaden Cabbagestalk, who finished the game 4 of 17 passing for 4 yards and three interceptions.
Clairton coach Wayne Wade said he could easily use any style because of the Bears’ talent in all areas of defense.
“We’re not afraid to play man. We’re not afraid to fill the box. We’re not afraid to leave a player on an island,” Wade said. “These guys can play. They play well with the ball. They play great coverage. We’ve done very well in 7-on-7 this year. We expect big things from our secondary.”
Clairton’s offense seemed headed for a good day. When Steel Valley’s first drive stalled, the Bears took control when Brandon Murphy Jr. blocked the Ironmen’s punt. Clairton was at the Ironmen’s 32-yard line and after a false start, Jeffrey Thompson threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Zaemear Correll that gave the Bears a 6-0 lead with 8 minutes, 27 seconds left in the first quarter.
Clairton was happy to get off to a faster start on offense this season. The Bears, who finished 10-3 last season, kept a clean sheet in their first two games to start last season.
On the drive to Clairton’s first point, Wooding caught the first of his two interceptions.
“If the quarterback throws the ball into my zone, I’m going to catch it,” Wooding said. “I know the cornerback on the other side is going to do the same thing.”
Clairton failed to capitalize on Wooding’s first pick. Four plays later, the Bears fumbled. Steel Valley defensive back Donald Barksdale picked up the ball and ran 38 yards for a touchdown, giving the Ironmen their only lead of the game, 7-6.
Steel Valley finished with 49 yards of offense.
“They beat us up front,” said Ironmen coach Ray Braszo. “I guess we still have a lot of work to do. It’s still early in the year. We need to continue to develop our line.”
Clairton’s offense didn’t come alive until their second drive of the second quarter. The Bears drove 84 yards in eight plays, setting up an 8-yard touchdown run by Deon Pompey. After a 2-point conversion pass from Thompson to Correll, Clairton took a 14-7 lead with 3:52 left in the first half.
The Bears scored another touchdown with four seconds left in the first half when Pompey scored on a 2-yard run. Pompey finished with three touchdowns. Thompson threw for 213 passing yards for Clairton.
The Bears’ defense was the highlight of the game, and Clairton wants to maintain that strength going forward.
“If we stay away from the nonsense and focus on football, we might have a long season,” Wade said.
Tags: Clairton, Steel Valley
