Semifinal upset sets up WPIAL Class A final between familiar foes Laurel, Clairton

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 | 6:43 PM

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Laurel and Clairton have developed a unique rivalry over the last 45 years.

The teams have never been in the same conference and rarely play each other outside of the postseason.

However, the Spartans and Bears will square off for the third time with district gold on the line in the Class A finals at Acrisure Stadium at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Laurel and Clairton have played each other eight times with half of those games taking place in the WPIAL playoffs.

The first time the programs met, in the 1980 Class A championship game, the Spartans, behind backup quarterback Rich Kunselman, stunned the Bears, 14-12.

Nine years later, they squared off again in the title game at Three Rivers Stadium with Clairton topping Laurel, 27-20.

In that game, the current head coaches played against each other with Wayne Wade and the Bears beating Brian Cooper and the Spartans.

The last time the programs met was in the 2023 Class A first round with Clairton cruising at home over Laurel, 44-7.

“We played them in the playoffs when our kids were in 10th grade, and it didn’t go well,” Cooper said. “We’re a little familiar with them, but at the same time, they bring a lot of speed to the table and have great size up front.”

It appears the line of scrimmage is where this battle will be won or lost as the Spartans and Bears have controlled the line on both sides of the ball in winning 12 of their 13 games this season.

“The games are won up front almost all the time,” Wade said. “Minus turnovers, if you win the battle in the trenches, you usually come out on top. It will be very important to win the battle up front.”

Cooper believes discipline up front, especially on defense, is also important.

“We’ve been pretty strong up front all year. We’ve been consistent, especially on defense. Our linebackers, Kolton Carlson and Jack Miles, along with our defensive line do a great job of taking those (running) lanes away. We preach all week it has to be a team effort. If you try to do more than your job, we’re going to be in trouble.”

Carlson leads the Spartans in rushing with 836 yards, although seven Laurel rushers have gained at least 140 yards on the ground.

Fellow senior running back Jack Miles has come on strong in the playoffs. After rushing for 99 yards and two touchdowns in the regular season, he has 177 yards and three touchdowns in the quarterfinals and semifinals for Laurel.

“Jack has really exploded the last couple of weeks running the football for us,” Cooper said.

Miles’ father is assistant coach Ryan Miles and his grandfather is former Laurel head coach and current assistant coach George Miles. George led the Spartans to their only WPIAL title in 1980.

While Laurel can run the ball effectively in their full house backfield and T-formation packages, they can also throw the ball with senior quarterback Luca Santini. He has thrown for 1,296 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.

“It’s nice to have that diversity, and we have to take advantage of what the defense is giving us,” Cooper said. “We don’t want to be a one-trick pony. We know it creates problems for the defense when we can change personnel and give them a bunch of different things they have to prepare for.”

The Bears know all about having success on the ground and through the air.

Senior running back Deon Lovelace-Pompey has been big in the postseason with 114 yards in the first round, 105 yards in the quarterfinals and 134 yards rushing in the semifinals, with a total of eight touchdowns in the three playoff wins.

All of this after gaining 517 yards on the ground in the regular season.

“Deon has played well all season long on both sides of the ball,” Wade said. “He hasn’t had many carries because of all the other weapons we have on offense and the way we were winning games, but Deon is an extremely talented runner. He is strong, fast and shifty.”

Clairton senior quarterback Jeff Thompson III has proven to be one of the top QBs in the district. He is is No. 9 in passing in the WPIAL, having completed 120 of his 152 pass attempts for 2,183 yards and 38 touchdowns.

The bully Bears pitched nine straight shutouts after an opening-season loss to Imani Christian. However, Clairton has yielded 33 and 22 points in its last two wins over Jeannette and Bishop Canevin.

Is that a concern for Wade?

“No worries,” he said “In both games, we gave up a few big plays, but we still dominated up front. Hopefully, we continue that and get all 11 guys to the ball every play.”

The Bears return to the district finals for a second straight season as they search for WPIAL championship No. 15, the second-most in league history behind Aliquippa.

Laurel only has the one gold medal in football from 45 years ago. However, the Spartans bring a ton of momentum into the game after stunning two-time defending PWIAL champion Fort Cherry in the semifinals last week.

“It was definitely a historic win and great for the program,” Cooper said. “I’m super excited for the kids and the opportunity they’ve created for themselves. We’ve had a lot of good teams in the last 10 years, a couple we thought could compete for a WPIAL championship, but we finally got over the hump. I feel blessed we have nine returners back and that senior leadership has meant a lot.”

Tags: Clairton, Laurel