Clairton rides defense to convincing win over Steel Valley

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, August 24, 2024 | 7:19 PM

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Clairton defensive back Taris Wooding and the Bears’ crushing defense didn’t worry much about the offense. With Wooding and his teammates patrolling the secondary, Steel Valley’s offense wasn’t gaining any territory.

The Ironmen didn’t score any points on offense, allowing the Bears to survive three turnovers of their own for a 30-7 win during the KDKA Kickoff Classic Saturday afternoon at the Wolvarena.

“I watched film on them all week,” Wooding said. “Their passing game wasn’t all that. I still watched it. I didn’t want to take them lightly. I didn’t want to downsize nobody.”

The Bears made life miserable for Steel Valley quarterback Jaden Cabbagestalk. He finished 4-of-17 passing for 4 yards with three interceptions.

Clairton coach Wayne Wade said the Bears’ talent across the board on defense makes him comfortable to employ any style.

“We’re not afraid to go man. We’re not afraid to load the box. We aren’t afraid to leave a guy on an island,” Wade said. “Those kids can play. They play the ball well. They play great coverage. We did very well this year in 7-on-7. We’re looking for big things from our secondary.”

Clairton’s offense appeared to be headed for a good day. When Steel Valley’s first drive stalled, the Bears grabbed control when Brandon Murphy Jr. blocked the Ironmen’s punt. Clairton was set up at the Ironmen 32, and after a false start, Jeffrey Thompson threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Zaemear Correll to put the Bears ahead 6-0 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, were shut out during their first two games to open last season.

On the drive following Clairton’s first score, Wooding grabbed the first of his two interceptions.

“If the quarterback lobs the ball in my area, I’m going to get it,” Wooding said. “I know the corner on the other side is going to do the same thing.”

Clairton wouldn’t capitalize on Wooding’s first pick. The Bears fumbled four plays later. Steel Valley defensive back Donald Barksdale picked up the ball and ran 38 yards for the score to give the Ironmen their only lead, 7-6.

Steel Valley finished with 49 yards of total offense.

“They beat us up front,” Ironmen coach Ray Braszo said. “I guess we have a lot of work to do with our line. It’s early in the year. We have to keep developing our line.”

Clairton’s offense didn’t wake back up until its second drive of the second quarter. The Bears went 84 yards in eight plays to set up an 8-yard touchdown run by Deon Pompey. Following a 2-point conversion pass from Thompson to Correll, Clairton went ahead for good 14-7 with 3:52 left in the first half.

The Bears added another touchdown with four seconds left in the half when Pompey scored on a 2-yard run. Pompey finished with three touchdowns. Thompson finished with 213 passing yards for Clairton.

The Bears defense stole the show. Clairton would like to maintain that toughness going forward.

“If we can stay away from the goofy stuff and keep our heads on football, we may have a long season,” Wade said.

Tags: Clairton, Steel Valley