Clairton runs past Riverview for first win

By: George Guido
Saturday, September 17, 2022 | 7:36 PM

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Clairton, with its first 0-3 start in more than 40 years, finally entered the victory column Saturday in a big way.

In the Eastern Conference opener, the Bears scored on each possession and rolled to a 54-0 victory over Riverview.

Twelve players touched the ball as Clairton shared the load.

“Now it’s conference play and it counts,” Bears coach Wayne Wade said. “Not to take anything away from Riverview, but we played three very good football teams the first three weeks. We have a young team that’s getting better each week.”

Clairton’s first three opponents were Westinghouse, the City League’s top team, Washington, the No. 4 team in TribHSSN’s Class 2A rankings, and OLSH, No. 1 in Class A.

Content to run the ball on all but four plays, the Bears scored seven touchdowns in 27 plays from scrimmage.

Freshman Michael Ruffing took a 12-yard swing pass from senior quarterback Capone Jones to get the scoring underway midway through the first quarter.

Riverview then drove to the Clairton nine, only to be stopped on downs with a pass to the end zone intended for Alex Schultheis broken up by the Bears secondary.

Clairton then drove 85 yards in five plays with freshman Donte Wright carrying the ball the final eight yards.

Riverview (1-3, 0-1) again was stopped on downs, with an illegal procedure penalty on fourth down eventually causing the Raiders to come short of the sticks.

“We played hard, and our young kids got a lot of playing time,” Raiders coach Trevor George said. “Kudos to Clairton. It’s a great program. They played three extremely tough teams the first three weeks, and they’re the best 1-3 team you could face.”

“When you face a team on fourth down, you have to get off the field,” Wade said. “We look to play for three downs, and the other team usually punts. Our motto is three downs and off the field. I think it took a little spirit out of them not being able to convert those.”

Ruffing’s jet sweep from seven yards out accounted for the third Clairton touchdown, giving the Bears a 24-0 lead at halftime.

A 51-yard pass to Keith Wright propelled Clairton’s 53-yard, four-play scoring drive to open the second half. Sincere Linnen recovered a Riverview fumble at the six as the Bears gave Raiders quarterback Rocco Cecere a rough time.

Jones scored on the following play for the only Clairton touchdown scored by a senior Saturday. Junior Michael Wright tallied on a 24-yard run, and freshman Teon Goodrum on a 17-yard run.

George has a rule for the players to dwell on a game only for 24 hours. But he changed the rule to 24 seconds after an extensive talk among players and coaches in the locker room after the game.

“We’re already thinking about the trip to Frazier Friday,” George said. “We’ve already forgot about this one. It’s over, and we’re moving on.”

The injuries continue to mount for Riverview. Last week, junior Jack Loughren suffered a broken leg and underwent surgery Saturday. Sophomore David Bradley appeared to suffer a serious knee injury in the fourth quarter Saturday, while several other starters were sidelined.

Tags: Clairton, Riverview