Clairton batters Leechburg, extends streak to 6

By: Ed Troup
Friday, October 10, 2025 | 10:13 PM

Previous Next

After giving up 19 points in their opening game of the 2025 season, the Clairton Bears are on a historic run. The Bears have not given up a point since, with six straight shutouts on the way to outscoring their opponents 350-0 and each of those games going to mercy rule.

That was again the narrative Friday night from Tyler Boyd Stadium in Clairton as the Bears rolled over Leechburg, 48-0, in a Class A Eastern Conference game.

“We are extremely talented. Last year we fell short, but this year we had all of those kids returning, and they started working last February, not August,” Clairton coach Wayne Wade said. “You see them now, and the results are from all of them working so hard.”

The Bears led 41-0 at halftime and never looked back. Clairton (6-1, 5-0) got things going in the opening quarter with 5:06 left as Michael Ruffin scored on a 76-yard touchdown run and Deon Lovelace-Pompey adding the 2-point run.

The Bears extended their lead on the next drive with quarterback Jeff Thompson scoring on a 9-yard run and Thompson hitting Lovelace-Pompey on the 2-point conversion pass with 1:24 left in the first quarter. The Bears had complete control with a 16-0 lead heading into the second quarter.

“We have speed, and I don’t think you see that as well on film as you do when it’s live in a game,” Wade said. “We probably have six or seven kids just on our defense that can run a 40 (yard dash) in 4.5 seconds, they are that fast.”

Thompson started the second quarter scoring, connecting with Donte Wright on a 33-yard touchdown pass. The Bears missed the conversion after and led 22-0 with 9:41 remaining.

The Bears defense kept up its dominance, handing Leechburg (5-2, 3-1) three-and-out possessions multiple times in the first half. The Blue Devils moved the chains for first downs only twice, both times on Clairton penalties.

The Clairton offense took full advantage of their defense keeping the Blue Devils off the field, and with 5:57 before halftime, Lovelace-Pompey broke out for an exciting 92-yard touchdown run, and the Bears led 28-0.

On the next Bears possession, Jaece Booker broke a 35-yard touchdown, with kicker Rheyjon Williams hitting the extra point. Clairton had a 35-0 lead with 2:47 left in the second quarter.

The Bears were not done yet: After forcing the Leechburg offense off the field again and just 20 seconds before halftime, Thompson hit Taris Wooding on a 29-yard touchdown pass to give the Bears a 41-0 lead.

With the mercy rule in effect in the second half, the Blue Devils offense stalled multiple times, and the Bears’ Brandon Murphy intercepted Leechburg quarterback Jaxon Vargo with 2:03 in the third quarter. The only score was when senior lineman Chad Carpenter lined up at fullback and scored on a 1-yard run, Williams hit the extra point and Clairton led 48-0 with 5:10 left in the game.

Thompson led all passers, completing seven of 11 passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Lovelace-Pompey had five carries for 150 yards and a touchdown, while receiver Taris Wooding added three catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.

The Leechburg offense had only two first downs, none of them in the second half. The Blue Devils had only 28 total offense yards on the night. Leechburg had won five straight games before the loss after an season-opening defeat at Apollo-Ridge.

The Bears have now won six straight with shutouts in all six.

“We just need to stay focused. Our motto on offense is that we want to execute each week and also need to cut down on the penalties,” Wade said. “And on defense, we want to dominate. As long as we keep that focus and win every down, hopefully we will be standing in December.”

Clairton will hit the road for the final two weeks of the season and travel for a week eight game at Riverview before finishing up the regular season at Brentwood. Leechburg will return home next week when it hosts Brentwood before traveling to Greensburg Central Catholic in week nine.

Tags: Clairton, Leechburg