Led by Kenlein Ogletree, Clairton knocks OLSH off Class A throne

By: Dean Dellamalva Jr.
Friday, November 1, 2019 | 11:43 PM

Previous Next

There will be a new WPIAL Class A champion in 2019.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart came out with a strong start, driving deep inside Clairton territory on its first two possessions but had nothing to show for it. The Bears scored five times in just over six minutes in the second quarter and advanced easily over the defending champs, 41-0, Friday night at West Mifflin.

Clairton (9-2) used several big plays to build a huge lead early. Kenlein Ogletree had a game to remember, intercepting three passes and scoring two first-half touchdowns on catches of 34 and 61 yards. Quarterback Brendan Parsons had a 66-yard touchdown run and Dontae Sanders scored from 10 yards out.

“We have a great football team. I’m not taking anything away from OLSH, but we have some skilled kids,” coach Wayne Wade said. “We’re big up front, and our guys want it.”

The vaunted Bears defense allowed OLSH into the red zone twice in the first half but tightened up and forced the Chargers off the field on downs. From there, OLSH turned the ball over several times and shot itself in the foot with penalties.

“They say defense wins championships. We’ve kind of been built that way for a long time. That is why we have championships,” Wade said. “I think we have one of those defenses again this year. Once we settled down, we started getting after them.”

Despite not being able to cash in on opportunities, the Chargers were in the game. They forced a punt following their second failed trip to the red zone. OLSH quarterback Jaymar Pearson attempted a deep pass down the numbers on the left side. Ogletree read the pass and came across the field to intercept. He proceeded to head upfield and ran 71 yards to the end zone.

That score gave Clairton a 14-0 advantage with 7 minutes, 36 seconds to go in the second quarter. The Bears defense forced a three-and-out on the Chargers next possession. From there, Sanders hit the OLSH defense with a 12- and then a 43-yard gain on successive plays. Berry took the next handoff and stretched the ball over the goal line for a 21-0 lead.

It was Parsons’ turn on Clairton’s next possession, as he took a snap and bolted 66 yards to the end zone. Like that, it was 28-0 with 3:40 to go in the half.

The Bears were not done, however.

Ogletree made his second pick of the game on the next play. Two plays after that, Parsons tossed a jump ball to the end zone that Ogletree snared out of the air.

Three plays into OLSH’s next drive, Ogletree intercepted sophomore quarterback Jaymar Pearson for the third time. Two plays later, Parsons and Ogletree connected again on a 61-yard scoring strike to cap the scoring at 41-0.

The duo of Parsons and Ogletree were motivated on this night, perhaps due to the Chargers eliminating Clairton from the playoffs a year ago. Both players had huge games.

“I understand that we can’t get back at those guys from last year,” Wade said to his team before the game. “But these kids are still representing OLSH.”

Clairton will meet Cornell in the Class A quarterfinals next week at a site to be determined.

“Whoever wins, it does not matter,” Wade said. “We’ll prepare for whoever wins and prepare ourselves for next Friday.”

Tags: Clairton, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart