SOMERSET — Two inches of snow and ice covered the turf Friday night at Somerset High School.
But wintry conditions, cold temperatures and North Star, the District 5 champion, could not slow Clairton, the returning PIAA Class A champion.
Clairton scored on its first three possessions and rolled to a 52-0 victory in the PIAA quarterfinals. The Bears face Farrell, which defeated Curwensville last night, in the semifinals next week.
Three players scored two touchdowns apiece for Clairton, which posted its 10th shutout. North Star, which entered averaging more than 375 yards, was held to minus-5 yards, including a loss of 31 rushing. Clairton (14-0) rolled up 409 yards, including 313 on the ground.
"Defensively, we played well again," Clairton coach Tom Nola said. "Our main goal is to get the shutout. On offense, we ran the ball well."
This performance came after Nola said his team had a terrible week of practice. But Clairton was able to play well, despite the conditions.
"When we got here, the field was ice-covered," Nola said. "I walked on it and ran on it, and it seemed pretty decent. We slipped a few times, but it was no big deal."
North Star coach Stacy Schmitt said he was hoping for better conditions.
"We knew we had to be able to pass effectively to move the ball against these guys," he said. "We just had some miscues, missed snaps from center, and obviously it's hard to throw an icy ball. They hemmed (quarterback Max Straisser) in the second half."
Quarterback Capri Thompson started in place of Desimon Green, who sat out the first series and did not play defense. (Nola would not comment on the status of Green, who returned for the second series.) Thompson raced 30 yards for a touchdown on Clairton's second play; the score was set up by a 41-yard punt return by Deon Ellis.
Thompson rushed for a team-high 94 yards and ended the scoring in the fourth quarter by racing 47 yards.
The Cole brothers tacked on the next two scores. Karvonn scored on a 20-yard run late in the first quarter, and Trenton scored on a 4-yard dash to make it 24-0 at halftime.
North Star, aided by a few penalties, drove to the Clairton 4-yard line in the second quarter. But running back Dylan Friedline was stopped for a yard loss by linebacker Brandon Small. Clairton turned the game into a rout in the second half and ended up sacking Straisser six times.
Green tossed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Josh Page to make it 32-0, and the Cole brothers scored the next two to push the lead to 46-0. Karvonn scored on a 10-yard run, and Trenton returned a punt 34 yards for a TD.
Clairton played without starting tackle Marquis Norris, who was injured in the WPIAL championship game against Rochester.
Nola has a week to get his team ready for Farrell, which Clairton beat the past two years.
"It sort of like Rochester," Nola said. "We kind of knew we'd get them if we kept on winning."
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Clairton vs. North Star 12/03/2010
Clairton defeats North Star 52-0 in their PIAA A quarterfinal playoff contest in snowy Somerset.
