Clairton wins 14th WPIAL championship

By JEREMY SELLEW
jsellew@yourmvi.com
The connection between Clairton quarterback Brendan Parsons and receiver Kenlein Ogletree has been described a few different ways.
But now, a new adjective can be used.
It’s a championship connection.
Parsons and Ogletree hooked up for three touchdowns for Clairton as the Bears routed Sto-Rox, 41-19, in the WPIAL Class A championship game at Heinz Field Saturday.
Parsons finished with 295 all-purpose yards in the contest, finishing 8 of 14 through the air for 201 yards and gaining another 94 yards on the ground on 20 carries.
“Brendan’s been a three-year starter for us and we’ve changed offensive coordinators a few times. Starting off the season, it was a little slow with us getting accustomed to a new offense,” Clairton head coach Wayne Wade said. “He took to it well. Those big 2,500, 3,000 yards passing, he’s one of those kids that can do that. With all the talent we have, we can kind of spread it around.”
The Bears made a statement early, taking the opening drive 70 yards on nine plays. Parsons hooked up with Ogletree from 22 yards out for the score.
“The first drive was extremely important. I didn’t think they were going to kick off to us when they won the toss,” Wade said. “I thought with the style of offense they play, they would want to receive the ball and try to take it in first. That was huge. It gave us the momentum we needed.”
The Bears led 7-0 after one quarter and quickly added on just 33 seconds into the second when Parsons and Ogletree hooked up again from 17 yards out.
“It’s amazing having him out there with me,” Parsons said of Ogletree. “We came up together since we were little kids and I trust him a lot. Every time I throw him the ball, I think he’s coming up with it.”
Things got worse for the Vikings on their ensuing possession.
Wilson threw his first of three interceptions as Jonte Sanders caught the ball off a deflection, snatching it from a teammate and raced 69 yards for a touchdown to give the Bears a dominating 21-0 lead.
“We literally gave them first downs and killed ourselves with penalties,” Sto-Rox coach LaRoi Johnson said. “You can’t give good teams anything. Then we got into a position where we had to throw more.”
Wilson got into a little groove on the Vikings’ next drive and capped it off with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jaidon Berry. Aujore Nelson’s extra point made it 21-7.
The Bears’ running game accounted for the next score as Dontae Sanders scored on a 35-yard run, going off tackle on a fourth-and-1 play.
Clairton’s defense made a statement late in the second quarter behind big Dametrius Weatherspoon and Javon Melvin, who had back-to-back sacks as the Vikings were trying to get a score before the break as Clairton (11-2) carried a 28-7 lead into the half.
“Defensively, we were able to get pressure with only four, sometimes five guys,” Wade said. “We showed five or six, but it worked out. They couldn’t double team us up front.”
The Vikings cut the lead in half with 7:49 to go in the third quarter as Wilson hit Amahd Pack on a bubble screen and the speedster turned it into a 70-yard touchdown.
But the Bears offense continued to dominate the Sto-Rox defense.
Parsons ran three straight times for 28 yards before finding Wayne Wade III all alone for a 42-yard touchdown on a catch-and-run.
“That’s a proud moment for me as a dad,” Wayne Wade said. “He’s a part of the team, though, and I can’t show those emotions out there because I have to coach. But it’s a real proud moment for me and a proud moment for him to play with us this year.”
Isaiah Berry picked off Wilson in Bears’ territory to end the next Vikings’ drive, but the Bears weren’t able to cash in.
They led 35-13 at the end of the third.
A bad punt by the Bears’ gave the Vikings’ the ball at the Bears 21. On first down, Ogletree appeared to have an acrobatic interception in the end zone, but the officials ruled the pass incomplete. A replay after showed it should have counted.
It was no matter to the Bears, though, as Jonte Sanders intercepted Wilson to give the Clairton offense the ball back.
Five plays later, Parsons and Ogletree struck again. The receiver ran a perfect post and Parsons laid it right in his hands. Ogletree turned it into a 69-yard touchdown to make it 41-13.
The Vikings added a late score when Wilson connected with Pack for a 13-yard scoring strike with 1:58 to go.
Wilson finished the game only 12 of 41 for 266 yards with the three touchdowns and three picks in his final game.
“I wish I was a little more accurate today, but that’s a credit to their defense,” Wilson said. “I got a little antsy and had some happy feet. The pressure they brought, I had to throw at different angles. They made it really tough on me.”
The win gives Clairton their 14th WPIAL championship, trailing only Aliquippa all-time. They’ve won 10 straight championship games at Heinz Field and are 10-1 all-time at the Steelers’ home field.
“It’s always great to be back here and playing in this game,” Wade said.”It’s one of our goals every year. “We joke about this being a second home to us, but it really is. It’s been that way the last 12, 15 years. These kids have worked extremely hard to get back this year.”
Parsons, Ogletree and the rest of the seniors were just cubs when the Bears won their last title in 2016. There’s nothing they wanted more than to bring a championship back to their city.
“It feels really, really good to win this,” Parsons said. “Being able to bring another one to town feels so great.”
“My hats off to the kids, the coaching staff … we made some changes within the coaching staff. We changed the offensive coordinator, the offensive- and defensive-line coaches. Those guys were great this year installing what they wanted to do,” Wade said. “It’s not just me, I’m in charge of it and I’m the leader of it.
“I have to thank the community of Clairton and the administration, the teachers … all those folks back in Clairton. We started out a little slow this season with two losses. With their help and their support, we were able to turn it around and get things back on track. We truly appreciated them. It didn’t look good to start, but it’s been a great season this year, but we still have work to do.”