Jeannette needs to overcome the ‘Clairton Curse’
Jayhawks facing a difficult hurdle; offense will be key
Call it Jeannette’s “Clairton curse.”
Clairton and Jeannette have played each other four consecutive seasons, as Jeannette moved from the Class 2A Interstate Conference to the Class 1A Eastern Conference in 2014. The Bears have beaten the Jayhawks six times since then, two of those wins coming in the past two WPIAL championships.
Jeannette lost by 20 in last year’s championship and 40 in the 2015 championship, and lost to Clairton 40-6 in the final game of the regular season. Ouch. But now, it’s annual rematch time. This go-around, though, it arrives one game early, in the Class 1A semifinals Friday. The Jayhawks will try to keep history from repeating itself, according to coach Roy Hall, who is in his ninth season with Jeannette.
“We were talking, the last time we played Clairton, the kids were talking about what it would be like to be the first senior class since we’ve been in [Class 1A] to beat Clairton,” Hall said. “Actually, I’m going to be perfectly honest with you, we think more of just winning the game against Clairton because it’s Clairton, than just winning it and making it to the finals. That’s the mindset right now.”
The Bears had hurdles of their own this season, including an uncharacteristic two-game slide. Clairton lost back-to-back midseason games, first to Imani Christian, 18-6, then to Aliquippa, 28-0.
For a team that has claimed nine of the past 11 Class 1A WPIAL titles and won four Class 1A PIAA titles in a row from 2009-2012, that’s unusual.
“We responded very well,” Clairton coach Wayne Wade said. “I don’t know when the last time when Clairton has lost two regular-season games. I think you’d have to go back to, I want to say 2002. It’s been quite some time. The buzz, I guess, in the community and the city was ‘Oh, does Clairton have it this year? Are they ready to defend the WPIAL and get back to the state?’ And all those types of things.”
In fact, the previous time Clairton lost more than one regular-season game was more than a decade ago in 2005. The Bears went 4-5 and lost their first three games in a row.
We’ll find out if the Bears are ready to defend their WPIAL title, but they’ll have to get there first. Clairton will get a boost as quarterback Brendan Parsons, returning from a knee injury, should be 100 percent, per Wade.
Jeannette will also be at full force, with quarterbacks Robert Kennedy and Seth Howard, who led the comeback against Rochester last week in the quarterfinals. The Jayhawks know the numbers — they’re 43-7 in four seasons.
Only one of those losses, a quarterfinal loss to Neshannock in 2014, came against a team not named Clairton.
“We’re just going to try some different wrinkles,” Hall said. “What do we have to lose? They’re definitely going to be the favorite, and they have six other games that they’ve won, so what do we have to lose?”
For Wade, there’s not much to facing a team twice in a season, as advantages and disadvantages to a rematch tend to balance out in the end. But they’re not taking this one lightly.
“There’s some pros and cons to it,” Wade said. “Similarities with what you want to do, what you try to do, how much do you change up. We know their personnel, they know our personnel. Just them being in our conference every year and having to see them a few weeks later poses a challenge for both teams. We’re looking to go out and play our brand of football and I’m pretty sure they’re going to try to do the same to win.”
Other semifinal
Prolific offense meets more prolific offense as undefeated California takes on two-loss Imani Christian in Friday’s 1A semifinal.
Both teams average more than 40 points per game on offense, and their previous meeting, California’s 41-26 win Sept. 16, was a high-scoring affair.
Imani Christian quarterback Tawan Lesley, receiver Sam Fairley and running back Asante Watkins will try to outpace California quarterback Collin Phillips and running back Jelani Stafford.