Clairton’s Historic Run Continues With 42-6 Rout of Sto-Rox in WPIAL Class A Finals

By: Bruce Markey
Saturday, November 26, 2011 | 2:28 PM

When Clairton coach Tom Nola said before the season Tyler Boyd could be the best player he ever coached, it did raise a few eyebrows, especially considering the school’s storied gridiron history.
Now that the 6 feet, 1 inch junior’s talents were on display on the grand stage of the WPIAL Class A championship game at Heinz Field, that claim may be moving closer to being true.
Boyd carried the ball 12 times for 141 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead Clairton to a convincing 42-6 win over previously undefeated Sto-Rox. The victory gives the Bears their fourth straight WPIAL championship, fifth in the last six years. That’s the most successive titles since Braddock won five straight from 1955-1959. The Bears have now won 44 consecutive games.
Clairton actually started slowly, being turned away on its first possession after a first and goal just two yards from the end zone.
But in the second quarter, Clairton – specifically Boyd – exploded to take command of the game.
Just 19 seconds into the frame, Boyd sprinted 55 yards for a score, then trotted into the end zone for a two-point conversion to give the Bears (13-0) an 8-0 lead.
Any chance Sto-Rox may have had to get into the contest, may have been taken from it when Clairton picked off two successive  passes by sophomore quarterback Lenny Williams. One of the interceptions came on a fine diving catch  by Boyd (there’s that name again).
Five plays after a Terrish Webb interception,  Boyd ran six yards for a touchdown. His subsequent two-point jaunt gave the Bears a 16-0 lead,
That lead grew to 24-0 when Capri Thompson hooked up with Terrish Webb on a 10-yard touchdown pass and combined again on the two-point conversion.
Sto-Rox did get on the board with 31 seconds left in the first half on a 54-yard scoring strike from Williams to Marzett Geter – the University of Pittsburgh recruit. However, Geter was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct on the touchdown, forcing Sto-Rox into a rather lengthy try for the extra point, which failed on an intercepted pass.
The second half saw the scoreboard remain tilted in the favor of the Bears, scoring a seemingly effortless 47-yard sprint by Boyd, a 20-yard run by Devante Gardlock and a 14-yard ramble by Bryon Clifford.
Clairton picked up 232 yards of total offense to just 99 for Sto-Rox.
Thompson completed 4 of 6 passes for 49 yards. Webb had two receptions for 36 yards.
Leading Sto-Rox (12-1) on the ground was Geter with just 8 yards rushing on only two carries. Joshua Beverly, who entered the game with 1,342 yards on the season, gained just three yards on eight carries. Dontez Ford had four receptions for 46 yards.
Williams completed 12 passes in 20 attempts for 127 yards, but was picked off four times. The Vikings also lost a fumble and amassed 176 yards on 11 penalties
With three touchdowns and 22 points Boyd’s season totals improved to 39 touchdowns and 262 points. His rushing totals increase to 1,861 yards on just 144 carries.
As for Clairton in general, the Bears have now outscored the opposition by an eye-popping 596-51 on the season, holding a Sto-Rox team that was averaging 42.6 points a game to just 6.   
The Bears now commence their quest for their third straight PIAA title with a game against North Star, which captured the District 5 championship Nov. 18 with a 28-14 victory over Windber.

Score by Quarters:

Clairton        0      24      6      12      – 42

Sto-Rox       0        6      0        0      –   6

Scoring Summary:

Clairton:  Tyler Boyd 55 run (Tyler Boyd run)  11:41 2nd Qtr

Clairton:  Boyd 6 run (Boyd run)  3:21 2nd

Clairton:  Terrish Webb 10 yard pass from Capri Thompson (Webb pass from Thompson)  :57 2nd

Sto-Rox:  Marzett Geter 54 pass from Lenny Williams (pass failed)  :31 2nd

Clairton:  Boyd 47 run (pass failed)  9:49 3rd

Clairton:  Devante Gardlock 20 run (run failed)  4:37 4th

Clairton:  Bryan Clifford 14 run (run failed)  4:08 4th