Steel’s Clairton Coke Works early Wednesday after a buildup of gases ignited at the plant The Allegheny County Health Department said in a statement the incident occurred at the “B” Battery at the plant The department said the accident occurred as a result of a “hydraulic failure in a switch of the battery which led to a buildup of combustible material” in one part of the battery The agency said an audible “boom” was heard around the plant and that some emissions leaked out of the facility Outdoor pollution levels rose around the plant after the explosion but they never exceeded federal short-term clean air standards The two injured workers needed first aid after getting material in their eyes and were sent to a nearby hospital and released They were later allowed to go back to work Steel has taken the battery offline while it investigates Clairton is the largest coke plant in the U.S U.S. Steel is Allegheny County’s single largest source of several pollutants like soot, benzene and sulfur pollution Frazier covers energy for The Allegheny Front His work has taken him as far away as Texas and Louisiana to report on the petrochemical industry and as close to home as Greene County His award-winning work has also aired on NPR Reid recently received a fellowship from MIT's Environmental Solutions Initiative TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need A Clairton man remains jailed after being charged with shooting someone early Sunday during St Patrick’s Day revelry in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood City camera footage showed Joseph Vance Brown fire multiple shots after running toward a gray Dodge Charger about 2:45 a.m. At least one bullet struck a man in the driver’s seat of the Dodge “denied knowing anything other than hearing gunfire before realizing he had been shot,” the complaint said A passenger inside the car was not injured Video footage obtained by TribLive showed a line of police officers early Sunday advancing through the East Carson Street business district from 17th Street toward throngs of partygoers near 18th Street Shots were fired minutes later near East Carson and 18th streets Police apprehended Brown after he tried to run away and threw a gun under a red SUV in a nearby Burger King parking lot Investigators matched the gun to what police said were six .40-caliber rounds recovered at the crime scene Brown was charged with two counts each of aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person Brown cannot legally carry a gun because he was adjudicated delinquent on a firearms charge when he was a minor He was taken to the Allegheny County Jail and faces a preliminary hearing on March 25 Justin Vellucci is a TribLive reporter covering crime and public safety in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. A longtime freelance journalist and former reporter for the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press, he worked as a general assignment reporter at the Trib from 2006 to 2009 and returned in 2022. He can be reached at jvellucci@triblive.com Stay up-to-date on important news from TribLIVE 1-800-909-8742 © 2025 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved About Us Advertise Career Opportunities Contact Advertising Contact Circulation Contact Newsroom Contact Us Feedback Request Correction Resource Center Scholarship Opportunities Send Letter to the Editor Send News Tip Subscribe Subscriber Services Blog eFeatures Email Newsletters eTrib Facebook Home Delivery Instagram LinkedIn Marketing Minute Store Locations TribLIVE App - App Store TribLIVE App - Google Play X (formerly Twitter) Arts & Entertainment Best of the Best Business Directory Circulars Contests Coronavirus Lifestyles Local News YaJagOff Obituaries Opinion Our Publications Photos Real Estate Sports Video Weather Cookie Settings Privacy Policy Terms of Service Steel workers gathered in the frigid cold at the Clairton Coke Works Thursday to rally support for the company’s sale to Japan-based Nippon Steel Hundreds more appeared via video screens at various U.S several leaders from the Mon Valley towns where U.S And one after another they called out the national politicians who they claimed were abandoning them West Mifflin’s Mayor Chris Kelly specifically mentioned Pennsylvania’s U.S Senators who have opposed the deal and were absent on Thursday Both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have also opposed the deal Federal regulators are expected to make a decision within the next week or two about whether the deal would pose a threat to national security While some earlier speakers called out Biden North Braddock Mayor Cletus Lee said that many of the workers at the rally had voted for Trump and suggested that Trump had abandoned them too He called on the president-elect to visit the towns and workers with an interest in the sale and rethink his opposition What you're going to do for these men and women who work here at the mill as well as these communities,” he said “Look at what you're getting ready to destroy.” Some speakers took aim at United Steelworkers union leaders who have maintained opposition to the deal USW president Dave McCall has continued to say that there aren’t enough guarantees in writing for the company’s union workers said that the hundreds of workers who showed up for the rally were the true voices of the company’s union workers He suggested that union leadership was overly focused on a separate less generous acquisition offer made by Cleveland Cliffs Steel “These are the men and the women that the leaders in Washington “They don't need to hear from the Cleveland Cliffs fan club on the 12th floor of the USW office.” Steel general manager Scott Buckiso made his final plea for sale listing off what he said were the deal’s many benefits: cutting-edge technology promises of billions in investments in the Mon Valley facilities a $5,000 bonus for all employees and a promise to keep the company’s headquarters in Pittsburgh the company wouldn’t be able to afford these changes “Our transaction with Nippon Steel is the last and unfortunately the best hope to preserve and grow our integrated steelmaking and union jobs — not just here in the Mon Valley but across our entire footprint,” Buckiso said a powerhouse coordinator at the Edgar Thomson Steel Works in Braddock said he’s worked for the company for 26 years He said he wanted the union leadership to come to the bargaining table because the company’s facilities are in need of major work “Our hot strip mill is in dire need of upgrades or a complete rebuild,” he said “Our blast furnaces … are also in need of many investments or — in the cases of the furnaces — a relining.” who saw firsthand the effects of steel closures in the region over the decades He was skeptical of the deal with Nippon at first “The investments and commitment to our facilities and our members are more than I ever thought we would ever see again.” Have a tip for the WESA newsroom? Email news@wesa.fm. While committing to Slippery Rock, Clairton scoring sensation Iyanna Wade is joined by, from left, father and Clairton coach Carlton Wade, mother Joy Wade and brother Lamont Wade. Clairton’s Iyanna Wade on Friday announced her decision to continue her academic and athletic career at Slippery Rock the University of Charleston and Valdosta State decided on The Rock due to their family atmosphere that will allow her to step in and have an instant impact “I can’t wait to step in and make my mark on Slippery Rock,” Wade said “I’m glad that this process is over because I was overwhelmed so now that I have a home and it’s all settled “It feels like everything (in college sports) is more of a business now but it wasn’t like that with Slippery Rock Wade will join coach Ryenn Micaletti and former WPIAL players in Hannah Pugliese from Penn Hills Avonworth’s Rebecca Goetz and Neshannock’s Mairan Haggerty Wade’s decision was announced in the Clairton gym where she made a name for herself over the last four years with family and friends there to support her She had her choice of staying at the school or looking to gain more notoriety on the recruiting trail by playing basketball elsewhere in her high-school career “That’s probably the main reason that I stayed at Clairton all four years because I take pride in having people around me that are willing to fight for me and want to see me win,” Wade said “It means a lot to me that they’re all supporting me it makes me go 10 times harder with them knowing what I’m capable of and holding me to that.” Wade’s success with the Bears was well-documented as she finished second in WPIAL history with 3,119 career points earning the 2025 Pennsylvania Class A Player of the Year award as a senior she was the state and WPIAL scoring leader and she is the only player in WPIAL girls basketball history to score over 50 points in two playoff games “Iyanna’s accomplishments are extensive and extend beyond basketball,” Clairton athletic director Alexis Trubiani said “She is a three-year member of the National Honor Society holds an impressive 4.019 GPA and is ranked third in the Class of 2025 She also gives back to our community through volunteer work in the elementary school and through the youth basketball programs.” In a school and city that has shaped its fair share of legendary athletes Wade is right up there with the best of them in terms of high-school production Her career is one that won’t be forgotten anytime soon in helping the girls basketball team flourish over the past few seasons But she’s also excited to move on to Slippery Rock to pursue a degree in either criminal justice or sports medicine saying that she wants to try to stay around sports as long as she can If Javascript is disabled browser, to place orders please visit the page where our photos are available to purchase This website is unavailable in your location It appears you are attempting to access this website from a country outside of the United States therefore access cannot be granted at this time Nicole Koontz expected her husband to pick her up from work at a Bethel Park bakery on Jan But she hadn’t heard from Anthony Koontz by the end of her shift When Koontz got to their house on Mendelssohn Avenue in Clairton around 1:30 p.m. and she couldn’t budge the front door to get inside “It wouldn’t open,” Koontz testified Monday Koontz finally managed to force open the door by a couple of inches A police officer who was one of the first to enter the house said it was the worst crime scene he’d ever witnessed Allegheny County Police charged Sabr Ellis who had been staying with the Koontzes for nearly a year and had a room in the basement His homicide trial began Monday before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Thomas E told the jury in a brief opening statement that he was young at the time and in the fight for his life that day He urged them to keep an open mind as the trial unfolds Investigators said in the criminal complaint against Ellis that they tracked Anthony Koontz’s 2019 white Ford Fusion to Rochester just a few blocks from the home of Ellis’ mother later that day they found a blood-soaked towel on the front passenger seat Detectives then learned that Ellis had been hospitalized in Rochester with multiple stab wounds Ellis told detectives Koontz had stabbed him earlier that day “Sabr stated that he was trying to defend himself against Anthony,” the complaint said Investigators noted that injuries to Ellis’ hands required stitches He also had cuts to the back of his neck and on the left side of his leg Ellis claimed Koontz tried to poison him the day before and then attacked him with a kitchen knife that morning Ellis told investigators he went to the kitchen grabbed another knife and used it to defend himself “Sabr stated that things got really crazy so he took Anthony’s car keys off the kitchen table and drove to Rochester the first witness called to testify in the case told the jury that when she found her husband’s body which was played for the jury Monday morning Nicole Koontz can be heard wailing in the background “What am I going to do?” she screamed repeatedly “What am I going to do without Tony?” Hill’s body camera captured him entering the house and announcing that police were inside The footage showed lots of blood throughout the home with overturned furnishings throughout the first floor Valentine’s Day decorations on the walls and heart-shaped pillows on the couch stood in stark contrast to the blood on the walls a retired Allegheny County homicide detective testified that he collected Ellis’ DNA for testing while Ellis was incarcerated prompting a request by the defense for a mistrial Deputy District Attorney Ryan Kiray suggested that the jury could be instructed to disregard the comment saying that referencing Ellis’ incarceration calls into question the defendant’s credibility “The jury instructions are bogus,” Sichko said “It’s doing nothing more that drawing their attention back to it.” But Kiray said jurors are presumed to follow the court’s instructions Flaherty said he would review the request for a mistrial Monday night and rule on the issue Tuesday when court resumes Paula Reed Ward is a TribLive reporter covering federal and Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2020 after spending nearly 17 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. She is the author of "Death by Cyanide." She can be reached at pward@triblive.com A young child is being helped by social services after a Clairton man was arrested on drug crimes and firearms violations following a raid at his home earlier this month law enforcement officials announced Tuesday was denied bail and remains lodged in the Allegheny County Jail He is charged with five counts of persons not to possess firearms three counts of possession of controlled substances three counts of possession with intent to deliver controlled substances two counts of altering or obliterating marks of identification of firearms and one count of tampering with physical evidence along with the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force and the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Narcotics Enforcement Team executed a search warrant at Hamlin’s home Friday according to a report from state Attorney General David W multiple firearms including what they said was a “ghost gun” and an illegal Glock switch untraceable firearms that do not have serial numbers A Glock switch enables a semi-automatic handgun to be fully automatic Officers seized 478 “bricks” of fentanyl nearly 24,000 doses stamped for street sales; more than 3 ounces of crack cocaine; three assault rifles including the ghost gun; two Taurus handguns including one with an obliterated serial number; the Glock switch; a large amount of ammunition and nearly $20,000 in cash Social services is assisting a young child that was found inside the home Authorities said Hamlin has prior drug-trafficking and firearms possession convictions that prohibit him from possessing firearms Michael DiVittorio is a TribLive reporter covering general news in Western Pennsylvania, with a penchant for festivals and food. He can be reached at mdivittorio@triblive.com This website is unavailable in your location.  It appears you are attempting to access this website from a country outside of the United States, therefore access cannot be granted at this time. Clairton’s Taris Wooding leaps past a California defender during their WPIAL Class A quarterfinal game Nov. 8, 2024, at Charleroi. Clairton’s Drahcir Jones runs against California during their WPIAL Class A quarterfinal game Nov. 8, 2024, at Charleroi. Clairton’s Drahcir Jones runs for a touchdown against California during their WPIAL Class A quarterfinal game Nov. 8, 2024, at Charleroi. Clairton’s Mike Ruffin throws against California during their WPIAL Class A quarterfinal game Nov. 8, 2024, at Charleroi. California’s Lee Qualk is brough down by Clairton’s Jontere Sanders during their WPIAL Class A quarterfinal game Nov. 8, 2024, at Charleroi. California’s Logan Hartley throws against Clairton during their WPIAL Class A quarterfinal game Nov. 8, 2024, at Charleroi. Clairton’s Donte Wright runs for a touchdown against California during their WPIAL Class A quarterfinal game Nov. 8, 2024, at Charleroi. Clairton’s defense was relentless from the first snap setting a painful tone and leaving the Trojans struggling to find momentum and halting any opportunity for them to establish their offense the Bears had no problem getting their offense going to the tune of a 54-0 win at Charleroi California’s first drive began with two fruitless runs followed by an interception snagged by Clairton’s Donte Wright Drahcir Jones pushed through California’s defense with a few short-yardage plays before exploding for a 25-yard touchdown run giving Clairton an early 6-0 lead after an unsuccessful 2-point attempt Clairton’s offense needed only one play for Mike Ruffin to burst free on a 38-yard run to the end zone The successful 2-point conversion brought the score to 14-0 But the Trojans’ woes were far from over As California tried to regroup on its next drive intercepting a pass and taking it 50 yards to the house for a pick-six stretching Clairton’s lead to 22-0 with just under four minutes left in the first quarter As California’s offense continued to sputter The Trojans’ fourth drive backed them up even further ending in another punt after losing significant yardage on consecutive plays taking Clairton’s first snap of the next possession 41 yards for a touchdown California’s next drive ended in another interception Jones punched it in on the next play for his third touchdown of the night Clairton failed on the 2-point attempt but extended its lead to 36-0 as the first quarter ended “A lot of these kids are returning from last year and they still have a sour taste in their mouth with the way the season ended,” Wade said “We felt like we had a good enough team to compete for a championship and we have goals that we set at the beginning of the season and we’re committed to achieving those goals.” California (8-3) fought to maintain composure amid a relentless Clairton defense that was proving nearly impenetrable who led the WPIAL in rushing yards this season “He’s a great player and he practices as hard as anyone He’s a very even-keeled guy when it comes to emotions He’s a leader at heart and a solid player all around,” said California coach Ed Woods “I’m proud of how far he’s come and I’m excited to see how far he’ll go.” Woods emphasized that reaching the playoffs had been a benchmark for California and a critical step in the program’s growth and we need to keep working on improving the program for the future,” he said “When players can see the success that we’re having it can motivate young guys to join the team and also motivate our players to come back even stronger next year California managed just one first down midway through the second quarter on a short pass to Qualk but the Trojans could not sustain momentum Ruffin added another touchdown on a 20-yard scramble right before the half bringing Clairton to a 42-0 lead at the break Clairton continued to control the pace and the game finishing the night with just 29 total yards unable to make a dent in Clairton’s defense Clairton added two more touchdowns — a 6-yard score from Wright and a 67-yard run from Brandon Murphy — sealing the 54-0 final score The Bears ended the game with 344 total yards demonstrating an efficient offense that complemented their stifling defense 3 seed Bishop Canevin in next week’s semifinal If Javascript is disabled browser, to place orders please visit the page where our photos are available to purchase. Clairton’s Iyanna Wade competes against Geibel on Dec. 16, 2024. 2 and 3 for several weeks now in WPIAL Class A girls basketball Clairton visits Geibel Catholic for first place in Section 2-A in a game on Trib HSSN The Bears are alone in first place with a section record of 6-0 and an overall mark of 8-2 The black and orange have won five straight games since losing to Class 5A power Thomas Jefferson Meanwhile the Gators are 7-1 in the section and 14-1 overall coming into the game on a seven-game winning streak since suffering its only loss of the season Dec This showdown also features the two leading scorers in WPIAL girls basketball Clairton senior guard Iyanna Wade is trying to win a third straight district scoring title She has 429 points and is averaging 42.9 points per game Geibel Catholic junior guard Emma Larkin has scored 323 points this season and is averaging 24.8 points per game Two district girls basketball teams have built up a two-game section lead heading into the final three weeks of the season while their closest section foe in the standings would like to narrow that gap Monday Laurel Highlands (11-4) will visit front running Elizabeth Forward (9-3) The Mustangs are 6-2 in the section and tied for second place with South Park (5-2 The Warriors lead the section with a perfect mark of 6-0 EF won a close game at Laurel Highlands last month Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (13-2) will host Beaver Falls (7-4) A victory would improve the Chargers to 9-0 in the section and give them a comfortable three-game cushion with only five section games remaining they would improve to 7-2 and be only one game out of first place one girls basketball game worth noting Monday is a battle between section leaders in different classifications when North Catholic (12-2) hosts Seneca Valley (10-4) The Trojans are on a 12-game winning streak after dropping their first two games of the season North Catholic is 7-0 and alone in first place in Section 1-4A The visiting Raiders have won five consecutive games and own wins in nine of their last 10 contests Seneca Valley is 5-0 and on top in Section 1-6A Union’s Miera Gunn scores over Clairton’s Denasah Rice during the WPIAL Class A championship game Friday at Petersen Events Center. Union celebrates after beating Clairton in the WPIAL Class A championship game Friday at Petersen Events Center. Union’s Kylie Fruehstrofer drives on Clairton’s Iyanna Wade during the WPIAL Class A championship game Friday at Petersen Events Center. Union’s Miera Gunn scores over Clairton’s Jamiya “JuJu” Childs during the WPIAL Class A championship game Friday at Petersen Events Center. Union’s Mia Preuhs pulls down a rebound in front of Clairton’s Kyzah Jamison during the WPIAL Class A championship game Friday at Petersen Events Center. Clairton’s Iyanna Wade scores past Union’s Miera Gunn during the WPIAL Class A championship game Friday at Petersen Events Center. Clairton’s Iyanna Wade scores past Union’s Kylie Fruehstrofer during the WPIAL Class A championship game Friday at Petersen Events Center. Union’s Mia Preuhs fights for a rebound with Clairton’s Karma Fuqua (12) and Kyzah Jamison during the WPIAL Class A championship game Friday at Petersen Events Center. Union’s Kylie Fruehstrofer scores over Clairton’s Reyonee Williams during the WPIAL Class A championship game Friday at Petersen Events Center. Union’s Kylie Fruehstrofer fights for a loose ball with Clairton’s Karma Fuqua during the WPIAL Class A championship game Friday at Petersen Events Center. a balanced offensive attack in which seven players scored at least five points and a tough zone defense was the difference as top-seeded Union captured a third straight WPIAL Class A title with a 51-40 victory over No 3 Clairton on Friday afternoon at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center “I feel like it’s a lot better for us because we’re seniors and we’re soaking it all in,” Union senior guard Kylie Fruehstrofer said “So this one means more to us.” Union’s victory marked the third time this century a school captured three straight Class A girls basketball crowns joining Vincentian Academy (five straight from 2012-16) and Rochester (2019-21) “I’m going to let them enjoy this,” Union coach Rob Nogay said “(This team) has given me everything they have It’s a bittersweet moment for me; I love the opportunity to get a third straight championship but know these seniors are leaving is going to be a little rough.” The first quarter was a rough start for the Scotties who were outscored by Clairton junior guard Jamiya “JuJu” Childs by two points as the Bears led 12-5 after one quarter Union was 2 of 12 from the field (16.7 %) and 0 of 8 from 3-point range “We missed a lot of wide-open shots and shooters gotta shoot and I tell them that every day in practice I’ll never yell at them for taking a shot hitting on only 28% of its shots from the field and making 1 of 10 shots from behind the arc Union started to click on offense once it began hammering the ball inside and taking shorter shots tallying eight of first 10 points in the second quarter in the second quarter as the teams went to the locker room tied 19-19 Union and Clairton also hoped to find their 3-point shooting touch at the break — they were a combined 2 for 32 from behind the arc in the first half One of those made 3’s was a bomb by Clairton senior guard Iyanna Wade from near the script P in the half court Pitt logo Wade was limited to 10 points in the first half thanks to Union playing a 3-2 zone with a few new wrinkles “I don’t think we saw a zone all year,” Iyanna Wade said we knew they played 3-2 against everybody so that threw us off and I definitely think it was a good game plan.” Union began the second half by hitting two 3-pointers from seniors Addison Nogay and Fruehstrofer and started the quarter on a 10-0 run to go ahead 29-19 the Bears and Iyanna Wade responded with a 12-2 run — she scored 10 of the points — to take a one-point lead before Joseph hit a 3-pointer in the final half-minute to put the Scotties up 34-32 after three quarters “Iyanna’s been doing this for the last four year,” said Clairton coach and Iyanna’s father Carlton Wade said I knew she had something up her sleeve.” The Bears took their final lead early in the fourth quarter on a lay in by sophomore Karma Fuqua to make the score 38-37 the Scotties took the lead back on a 3-pointer by sophomore Maggie Joseph and never looked back The final straw came with the Scotties leading by seven points with 2:02 remaining Fuqua picked up a fourth foul fighting for a rebound and when she slammed the ball to the floor she was called for a technical foul leading to her exit from the game Carlton Wade was not pleased with the officiating overall afterward I think the referees had a lot to do with how the game went,” Coach Wade said “I’m not the type of person (to complain) there were a lot of calls that were really suspect.” Union ended up making 14 of 20 free throws while Clairton was 4 for 4 from the line Wade came into the game averaging 41 points per game but was limited to a game-high 22 points “I think our game plan coming in was we knew we weren’t going to stop Wade we just wanted to contain her,” Nogay said “I thought they executed the game plan tremendously and we were not able to slow her down but we were able to slow her penetration down.” Childs ended up with 12 points for the Bears improving to 25-0 in winning district gold Fruehstrofer led the Scotties with 12 points and senior Hayden Strickler had 11 points Coach Wade felt the balanced attack for the defending champs was a key to their success “The impressive thing about them was that everyone who stepped on the court contributed,” he said and they were able to beat us down the court.” Both teams will be close to home for the first round of the state playoffs March 8 Union will host the fourth-place team out of District 6 while Clairton will play the third-place team from District 6 Pittsburgh Union Progress Iyanna Wade has produced some ridiculous statlines in her basketball career, perhaps the most eye-popping being the WPIAL-record 65 points she dropped in a game last season Wade put up numbers that were even more spectacular in the one game she played for Clairton’s girls flag football team last spring and four receiving touchdowns in a Clairton win Also not surprising considering her athletic ability and football genes Wade said she will play flag football for Clairton full-time this spring but before then she’s hoping to break some long-standing records on the basketball court lead the Bears to their first WPIAL title in 23 years that would complete my whole resume,” Wade said “especially since it’s been a long time since we last won a championship.” After leading the WPIAL in scoring her sophomore and junior seasons, this scoring queen has remained on her throne this season. Wade, a 5-foot-4 senior point guard who was a PUP All-Star first-team pick last season is averaging a WPIAL-best 40.8 points per game this after averaging 33 as a sophomore and 40 as a junior but she’s been good since her freshman year,” said Iyanna’s father “I’m honestly just proud of her because she made the decision to stay at Clairton when she could have gone to [a private school] Iyanna Wade, whose father said she was once again courted by private schools in the offseason She has pumped in 2,475 points in her career meaning she will more than likely reach 2,500 in Tuesday’s game against Avella Wade has passed the likes of Sacred Heart’s Shannon Davis and West Mifflin’s Tanisha Wright on the all-time WPIAL and City League career scoring list And in the upcoming weeks she should surpass several more legendary players who many consider to be the greatest player in WPIAL history Two of the biggest numbers Wade is taking aim at are 2,703 and 3,000 While Wade already ranks among the top 20 scorers locally all time a 2003 Clairton graduate who poured in 2,703 points a club Wade would like to join — Monessen’s Gina Naccarato (3,364) Monessen’s Charel Allen (3,110) and East Allegheny’s Brooke Stewart (3,055) Two years after Aquinas Academy’s Vinnie Cugini broke the WPIAL boys scoring record that had stood for 30 years Wade has a shot to break the girls mark that Naccarato set 29 years ago Wade knows that getting that record will be an uphill battle but it’s possible with how far we go,” Wade said “It’s not something we talk about much because it’s so far away The Bears have gotten off to a strong start as they are 6-2 overall and 4-0 in Section 2 Their only losses were to Thomas Jefferson which has one of the top teams in Class 5A and defending City League champion Allderdice Clairton’s stiffest competition in Class 1A figures to come from two-time defending champion Union the Scotties are one of only three unbeaten teams in the WPIAL “We really didn’t want to go down to Single-A We wanted to stay in 2A because we thought we could compete in 2A,” Carlton Wade said “She’s awesome,” Guillard said. “I graduated the same year as Kam Gissendanner. Watching [Wade] eclipse both of us has been pretty awesome. I talked to her dad a few times to encourage her. Coming from a smaller school, it’s hard to get the respect she deserves. But she never stops. Never quits.” Clairton averages a Class 1A-best 61.7 points per game, which means Wade accounts for two-thirds of the team’s scoring. In eight games, Wade has scored in the 40s three times and in the 50s twice. She tallied 56 against West Greene and 52 against Geibel Catholic. Wade breaking Gissendanner’s record would mean a lot to both. They have known each other for a long time and Wade said the two are “super close.” Wade used to attend Gissendanner’s basketball camps and even worked for Gissendanner the past two summers, helping to run the concession stand at Clairton Pool. “She does a lot of everything,” Gissendanner said of Wade, whom she calls “Ya Ya”. “She takes orders, cooks, cleans. She does whatever needs done.” Gissendanner is now a highly successful coach at La Roche. She has guided the La Roche women to eight league championships and NCAA tournament appearances in 12 seasons. Gissendanner remembers chasing the Clairton school record her senior season, a mark then held by 1999 graduate Kameico Robison (2,031 points). “I don’t mean to sound cliche, but records are meant to be broken,” Gissendanner said. “When I was about to break Kameico Robison’s record, she was just so graceful, so classy, so encouraging. She empowered me to break that record, so why wouldn’t I do the same for Ya Ya? Her breaking that record, that would mean everything.” “The past couple of years, she’s said she wants me to break it,” Wade said. “For her to say that, that means a lot to me. That’s a blessing.” Championships and records … Wade wants both this season. And, eventually, she’d like to pick a college, too. You would think someone as skilled as Wade who averages 40 points a game would have a long list of colleges to pick from. But her lack of size has made the recruitment process a frustrating one. She holds offers from Division I schools Central Connecticut State and Mount St. Mary’s. “It’s picking up,” Carlton Wade said. “A couple of schools are supposed to be offering. But we’ve heard that several times, and nothing has come through.” Gissendanner, a two-time WPIAL scoring champ who later played at Penn State before playing a few games in the WNBA, was 6 feet in her playing days, so “not being big enough” was never really a knock on her like it is with Wade. “She’s small in stature, but her heart is huge,” Gissendanner said. “Her competitive drive is just crazy. She just has intangibles other people don’t have. And, most importantly, she’s a dog. A lot of people are missing that these days.” Wade’s high school basketball playing career won’t wrap up until March, but she already knows how she wants to be remembered. “For the pride that I took in my city,” she said, “because I could have left and transferred. But the pride I have … I bleed orange and black. I want to be remembered for how much pride I have in being a role model for all of the younger kids coming up.” Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com. Clairton’s Iyanna Wade (right) tries to drive around St. Joseph’s Bella Bartolovic during a WPIAL Class A quarterfinal Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. St. Joseph’s Riley Wilbert is held up by Clairton’s Reyonee Williams (left) and Karma Fuqua during Thursday’s WPIAL Class A quarterfinal. St. Joseph’s Gia Richter tries to get past Clairton’s Iyanna Wade during a WPIAL Class A quarterfinal Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. Clairton’s Iyanna Wade goes to the basket past St. Joseph’s Bella Bartolovic during a WPIAL Class A quarterfinal Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. Clairton’s Iyanna Wade (left) is defended by St. Joseph’s Gia Richter during a WPIAL Class A quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. lower-seeded teams traveling on the road are looking to play spoiler while neutral fans might be supporting them 3 Clairton in WPIAL Class A quarterfinal girls basketball action Thursday night there was no upset to be had as the home Bears put together a total team performance in a 71-44 win Clairton (17-4) got 30 points and seven assists from Iyanna Wade 18 points and nine rebounds from Karma Fuqua 15 points from Jamiya “JuJu” Childs and eight more points from Reyonee Williams to punch its ticket to the district semifinals Monday against Geibel Catholic The site and time of that game is to be determined especially after being out for two weeks,” Clairton coach Carlton Wade said regarding his team’s bye in the first round of the playoffs and I was more than happy with the performance … It was huge that we spread the scoring because it wasn’t just three people guarding Iyanna You can’t cheat when they’re playing like that because Karma is playing well and JuJu is playing well and Reyonee is knocking down shots.” The Bears overcame the Spartans (16-7) as Gia Richter led the way with 17 points and freshman Bella Bartolovic added 12 “We’re a young team,” St “This is a game that we’ve spent the last week or so working on and hoping we were ready for Everybody talks about Iyanna and for good reason but it’s a good experience for us moving forward.” Wade and Richter opened the scoring with triples before Williams connected on her first of two shots from beyond the arc to give Clairton a 6-3 lead Joseph never tied the game again from that point on as the Bears worked out to an 8-5 advantage Wade and Bartolovic exchanged some points in the middle of the quarter before the Bears ended the first with the last seven points Wade found Fuqua for two layups and then nailed a triple to make the score 22-9 after the first quarter Joseph struggled on the offensive end in the second quarter managing four points from Richter and two more from Kasey Cienik over the eight minutes but they doubled up the Spartans as Wade and Fuqua did the majority of the scoring Joseph continued to battle in the second half but they were unable to overcome the scoring options of Clairton The game between the Bears and Geibel will be their third matchup of the year as both have won once Even after winning three WPIAL titles in a row, these undefeated Union Scotties insist the feeling never gets old. After outlasting No. 3 Clairton in a back-and-forth affair for a 51-40 win in the WPIAL Class 1A final at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center, the Scotties jumped into a dogpile at center court to celebrate their championship three-peat. Seniors Addie Nogay and Kylie Fruehstorfer cried tears of joy while jumping into the arms of their fathers, head coach Rob Nogay and assistant coach John Fruehstorfer. “It’s bittersweet,” Addie Nogay said about playing her last WPIAL championship game with her father as coach. “Obviously we bicker, but at the end of the day, we get along. And we’re not done yet. “The end is going to be sad, but it’s nice to celebrate right now.” It took a total team effort on both sides of the ball for Union (25-0), which had seven players score at least five points. Fruehstorfer led the Scotties with 12 points and 5 assists, while Hayden Strickler added 10 points and 7 rebounds in the win. “I think our kids have learned that we hang our hats on defense and that defense wins championships,” Rob Nogay said. “They have bought into that for years now. … When we’re doing well defensively, we feed off of that offensively.” Union’s top-ranked defense, which came into the game allowing just 28 points per game, held Clairton star Iyanna Wade to just 22 points — nearly 20 points below her scoring average for the season — while Jamiya Childs added 12 points in the defeat for the Bears (19-5). Wade now has 3,095 points for her career, putting her 15 points away from second place on the WPIAL’s all-time scoring list. “I don’t think we’ve seen a zone [defense] all year,” Wade said. “We knew that they played a 3-2 [zone] against everybody, so why would they stop? They’re 24-0. That definitely threw us off a little bit and got us out of our groove. … We could have executed better, but that’s on our end. “I know a lot of people wouldn’t even think that we would be here, so [it feels good] to just prove everyone wrong and see the growth of the team.” Clairton raced out to an early 6-0 lead — and to the surprise of everybody in the building, none of those six points were scored by Wade. Instead, Jamiya Childs started things off with back-to-back buckets for the Bears, followed by a layup by Karma Fuqua off a nice feed from Wade. A 3-pointer by Childs stretched Clairton’s lead to 9-3 late in the first quarter, then Wade finally got on the board with a tough and-one layup after missing her first seven shots, giving the Bears a 12-5 lead going into the second. “We knew we weren’t going to stop Wade. We just wanted to contain her,” Rob Nogay said. “She’s a good scorer and a great penetrator. I think a lot of her game is the penetration, and we were able to slow her down a lot there. Still, putting up 22 against us, that’s a pretty good feat for her. “She caused us a lot of long days the past three days to prepare for her.” The Scotties began chipping away at the deficit in the second quarter, as a long step-back jumper by Fruehstorfer made it a one-point game midway through the quarter. Wade then responded with a runner followed by a deep 3-pointer from NBA range to make it a 19-13 lead for Clairton. Just when it seemed like the Bears had regained control, Union closed out the half on a 6-0 run to tie things up, 19-19, going into the break. “I told the girls, ‘We’ve been in this situation before,'” Rob Nogay said. “These seniors have been here multiple times. They’ve played on the big stage. You can’t get down. … The game is not over after the first quarter. You’ve got to play four.” Union took its first lead of the game on a 3-pointer by Nogay early in the third quarter, then Strickler added to the advantage with a basket in the paint. A rainbow 3 by Fruehstorfer made it a 27-19, then another basket by Strickler capped off a 16-0 run for the Scotties before Wade finally stopped the bleeding with a driving layup. Finally coming to life midway through the third quarter, Wade knocked down a pair of free throws followed by an acrobatic and-one layup for a 3-point play. All of a sudden, Union’s lead was back down to three at 29-26. “Iyanna has been doing this for the last four years,” said Clairton coach Carlton Wade. “It’s nothing new to me. I knew she had something up her sleeve. But every time we would strike, there was a whistle blown. It slowed us down. Then it got into a couple of girls’ heads and it frustrated us, and we were pretty much out of the game.” The teams took turns trading the lead back-and-forth during a frenetic final quarter, starting with a game-tying bucket by Fuqua early in the fourth. Wade immediately followed with a steal and score to put Clairton back on top, 36-34, then Mia Preuhs answered with a 3-pointer to give the Scotties a one-point lead. After another basket by Fuqua gave the lead back to the Bears, Nogay knocked down a corner 3 to make it a 40-38 advantage for Union. After a layup attempt by Wade rattled in and out, Preuhs found Miera Gunn for a fastbreak layup to give the Scotties a six-point cushion with 2:26 to play. From there, Union closed out the game on a 14-2 run to wrap up its third consecutive WPIAL championship. Now, the Scotties will set their sights on the PIAA tournament as they begin their quest for a second state title in the past three seasons. “It’s great to even be here right now,” Fruehstorfer said. “I’m excited for the state run. I think we’re ready to play hard and hopefully get back to Hershey.” Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com. The Steelers teamed up with the National Football League today to surprise the Clairton Bears Varsity Football and Clairton Bears Girls Flag Football teams with a visit from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Hall of Fame running back and Pittsburgh native Curtis Martin. Meeting with the teams, Commissioner Goodell expressed his excitement to visit the western Pennsylvania football powerhouse, congratulated the varsity team on an undefeated season and recognized head coach Wayne Wade for being named Steelers Week 8 Coach of the Week. Coach Wade will be honored at tonight's Steelers game against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. The Commissioner also shared his vision for the growth of girls flag football, noting the milestone that was recently achieved when the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) officially sanctioned girls flag football as a high school sport in Pennsylvania – a designation that the Steelers have advocated for at the state level for some time. Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin also participated in the special moment. Speaking with young athletes from both teams, he shared his early football experiences playing at Taylor Allderdice High School and later at the University of Pittsburgh, and the role football has played in overcoming personal adversity. "The Steelers were honored to work with the NFL to organize today's visit to Clairton High School," said Dan Rooney, Steelers Director of Business Development & Strategy. "Clairton is an iconic football community where both the varsity football and girls flag football teams exemplify the true spirit and impact of western Pennsylvania football." The Steelers issued a statement from General Manager Omar Khan on Ryan Watts on Monday The Steelers released a statement from President Art Rooney II The partnership will enhance the fan experience at Steelers games and events The dates for the Steelers OTAs and minicamp have been announced Two iconic sports organizations unite through shared colors, industrial pasts & future collaboration The Steelers released a statement from Team President Art Rooney II on the passing of Craig Wolfley on Monday morning Everything you need to know about NFL free agency, including the salary cap number for 2025 Take a six-day, five-night adventure aboard the Norwegian Escape Ship with Steelers Legends The Steelers named Scott McCurley inside linebackers coach The Steelers have named Gerald Alexander defensive backs coach Historic game to be played in Dublin's iconic Croke Park The Steelers released a statement from Team President Art Rooney II on the passing of Virginia McCaskey on Thursday afternoon Emma Larkin led Geibel Catholic to a 65-62 overtime victory over Iyanna Wade and Clairton on Monday night including the go-ahead basket in the final minute of overtime Ava Henderson followed with 14 points and Mallory Clemmer added 10 for the Gators (15-1 Wade scored 39 points and Karma Fuqua had 11 for the Bears (9-3 who trailed by 10 points after the first quarter Wade and Henderson each hit four 3-pointers Nazareth Prep 11 – Ella Michalik scored 16 points to lead Beaver County Christian Yough 26 – Aubrey Brown scored 15 points to lead Belle Vernon (7-8 Evelyn Gates scored 10 points for Yough (8-7 Ambridge 14 – Aubree Hupp scored 17 points and Alivia Rabick added 13 to help Blackhawk (13-2 Bentworth 41 – Hayley Gibson scored 19 points to send California (6-4 Addison Gregory added 13 points and Olivia Gibson contributed 10 for the Trojans Lincoln Park 35 – Nyah Hayes scored 16 points and Dominique Douglas and Mia Dinello added 11 points apiece to lead Central Valley (9-5 Patty Wesolowski scored 11 points and Maddi Januzzi had 10 for Lincoln Park (3-10 Montour 39 – Ava Shazer scored 19 points and Rachel Boehm added 13 to lead Chartiers Valley (11-6 Zoe Woessner scored 11 points for Montour (6-9 South Allegheny 32 – Josie Farster scored 13 points Olivia Ryan had 12 and Anna Clark added 11 to lead Deer Lakes (11-5 Laurel Highlands 32 – Michelle Jellison scored nine points to help Elizabeth Forward (11-3 8-0) win a matchup of top teams in Section 3-4A Waynesburg 31 – Olivia Kemp scored 11 points and Gianna Bianchini added 10 to lead Fort Cherry (13-2) to a nonsection win over Waynesburg (8-6) Gateway 23 – Led by 16 points from Lyla Jablon 14 from Natalia Schaffer and 13 from Bella Urso McKeesport 36 – Regan Kerr scored 12 points Blessing Gantt added eight and Greensburg Salem (9-7 3-5) used a 17-6 run in the third quarter to take control in a Section 2-5A win Emily Eisenberg scored 11 points and Jessica Miller added 10 for McKeesport (4-11 Butler 47 – Allie Cervola scored 26 points and Hempfield (8-7) racked up 21 points in the first quarter of a nonsection victory Amelia McMichael led Butler (8-7) with 19 points Avery Maier added 11 and Malina McElroy had 10 for the Golden Tornado Hampton 20 – Caylee Sundy scored 12 points for Hopewell (5-10 3-4) in a Section 2-4A win over Hampton (8-6 McGuffey 34 – Laney Wagner scored 29 points to lead Keystone Oaks (12-1 Taylor Schumacher scored 11 points for McGuffey (10-6 Burrell 40 – Neah Ewing scored 17 points and Karlee Buterbaugh added 11 to lead Knoch (7-8 6-2) to a Section 1-4A victory to run its winning streak to three games McKenna Miller scored 14 and Casey Brancato had 11 for Burrell (9-6 Pine-Richland 31 – Vita Vargo scored 15 points hitting the 1,000-point mark for her career and Mars (9-6) picked up a nonsection win over Pine-Richland (4-11) New Brighton 5 – Gigi Pezzuolo scored 13 points and Reagan Magno and Makenna Stewart each added 11 as Mohawk (4-11 New Castle 29 – Jaedin Griggs scored 30 points to lead Moon (9-4 North Hills 33 – Payton Collins scored 20 points and Anessa Donoghue followed with 18 to help Mt Elizabeth Twyman chipped in 10 for the Blue Devils Gia Minton led all scorers with 23 points for North Hills (5-11) Seneca Valley 42 – Brady Wehner scored 19 points and Sam Weir followed with 14 as North Catholic (13-2) rallied from 11 points down in the third quarter for a nonsection win Gracie Cato scored 19 points and Natalie Hambly had 10 for Seneca Valley (10-5) Highlands 37 – Alayna Bivins scored 22 points to lead a balanced scoring effort for Oakland Catholic (11-2 Bella Bonnett had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Tyarah Woody added 13 points for Highlands (4-11 Madison Pullen and Makayla Canty each had eight points for the Eagles Beaver Falls 38 – Shae Trombetta scored 17 points and Claudia Ierullo and Lola Garner scored 10 each to lead OLSH (14-2 Taylor Pullen scored 27 points for Beaver Falls (7-5 Sto-Rox 19 – Mimi Thiero scored 29 points to reach the 1,000-point mark for her career and lead Quaker Valley (8-7 Ellwood City 37 – Gabriella Finch and Delana Fox scored 10 points apiece to push Riverside (11-6 Caitlin Kreitzer scored 11 points for Ellwood City (8-7 Bishop Canevin 33 – Bella Dumbroski led with 25 points Abby Jones followed with 15 and Nikki Sfanos added 10 to lead Serra Catholic (8-6 6-2) to Section 2-A win over Bishop Canevin (8-5 Clair 47 – Bayleigh Perez hit for 31 points and Reese Smetanka added 14 to push Shaler (14-2) past Upper St West Allegheny 34 – Haylie Lamonde led with 19 points Lailah Wright followed with 13 and Ryan Oldaker added 11 for South Fayette (14-1 Ella Smith scored 13 points for West Allegheny (9-6 Leechburg 22 – Gia Richter scored 25 points and Kasey Cienik and Bella Bartolovic added eight points apiece to lead St Adalyn Zanotto scored 11 points for Leechburg (0-12 Derry 37 – Janelle Norman scored 24 points and Trinity Ingram added 14 to lead Valley (2-13 Jane Huss scored 21 points and Kylee Metcalf contributed 10 for Derry (3-11 Chartiers-Houston 43 – DaShae Cochran scored 15 points Aleah Cooper had 13 and Alexis Bansah added 11 to lead Winchester Thurston (11-2) to a nonsection win Ava Kolovich scored 16 points and Ava Capozzoli had 10 for Chartiers-Houston (11-2) Mapletown 37 – Bryce Wright hit seven 3-pointers and finished with 25 points to pace Avella (8-7) in a nonsection win Lucas Stevenson scored 22 for Mapletown (0-14) Sto-Rox 55 – Brady Mayo went off for 35 points to lead Beaver (12-4) to a nonsection win Nick Krzeczowski added 19 and Junior Marino had 16 for the Bobcats LJ Washington scored 13 and Marcus Thomas chipped in 11 for Sto-Rox (2-11) Carmichaels 34 – Ayden Cunningham scored 21 points Wyatt Frazee finished with 13 and Mason Nemeth chipped in 10 to send McGuffey (12-4) to a nonsection win Robbie Wilson-Jones led Carmichaels (3-11) with eight points Western Beaver 30 – Tiernan McCullough scored 16 points and Austin Avsec added 11 to power OLSH (12-4 Brentwood 31 – Mamadou Kane scored 14 points and Lucas Grimsley had 13 for Sewickley Academy (12-2 Forrest Betz scored 15 points for Brentwood (6-9 Sewickley Academy 0 – Will Whittaker scored twice Alex Boone had a goal and three assists and Landon Garlick Tony Fleck and TJ Snyder each had a goal and an assist to lead Connellsville (9-4-2) past Sewickley Academy (0-14-1) in Division 2 Hayden Ferra and Dominic Casile scored and Trip Goehring and Liam Wiseman each had two assists to lead Fox Chapel (12-2) in Class 2A Ethan Cunningham scored and Ian Brown made 39 saves for Cathedral Prep (10-4) Trinity 2 – Connor Olson scored a hat trick CJ Evans had two goals and two assists and Beau Ritson collected a goal and three assists to lead Gateway (6-8-1) to a Division 2 win Zachary Jibits had a goal and an assist for Trinity (4-9-1) Blackhawk 0 – Robert Mahoney scored a hat trick and added an assist Jake Walls scored twice and Dougie Phillis had a goal and two assists to lead Meadville (7-8) to a Class A win Matthew Hofer made 40 saves for Blackhawk (8-7) Wilmington 3 – Cooper Cox collected four goals and three assists Jacob Hollander had two goals and four assists and John Dibartolomeo finished with two goals and three assists to lead Morgantown (15-1) to a Division 2 win Alex Rodgers had a goal and two assists for Wilmington (1-11-1) Gianni Lochiatto and Anthony Lucas scored to lead North Allegheny (8-5) to a Class 3A win Trevor Dalessandro and Jackson Stiley had goals for South Fayette (8-5-1) Wheeling Park 3 – Dillon Cobaugh’s second goal of the game broke a 3-3 tie with 4:45 to play lifting North Hills (8-7) to a Class A win Jonathan Trosky had two goals and an assist and Christopher Muschar had two assists for North Hills Luke Simonetti had a hat trick for Wheeling Park (8-3-1) Beaver 1 – Tyler Bresso had two goals Luca Lapiana and Nick Majors also scored and Noah Lander made 23 saves to lead Plum (10-6) in Class A Trevor Schmidt scored and Caden Canavesi made 36 saves for Beaver (4-10-1) Franklin Regional 4 – Eli Rankin and Luke Fisher each had two goals and Jackson Rose and Jackson Gostic also scored to lead Upper St Nick Matus had a goal and two assists and Ryan Crouse added a goal and an assist for Franklin Regional (6-7-1) Butler 0 – Austin Falick scored twice Carter Glasspool also scored and Derek Bradesku made 23 saves as West Allegheny (6-8) blanked Butler (3-9-3) in Class A The sun came out after a rainy and gloomy Wednesday morning to shine on Clairton City School District leaders elected officials and residents as they broke ground for the future Tyler Boyd Stadium It’s named for the Clairton football standout who went on to play at the University of Pittsburgh and now plays wide receiver for the National Football League’s Tennessee Titans School Board President Rikell Ford called the project a “significant milestone.” She said the 94-year-old stadium that has been the setting for many celebrations is beginning a much-needed renovation The two-phase $9 million Invest in Champions renovation and education initiative is “designed to level the field for students so they can compete academically and after graduation,” she continued The Clairton Bears football team played its final game at the stadium last month that included senior recognition for its players The team has played and will continue to play home games at Thomas Jefferson High School Stadium while the stadium project moves forward is ready for a major makeover and new name funded by a $4.6 million taxpayer bond issue will include a new synthetic turf field with drainage system Plans call for it all to be complete in 2025 which will be paid through a fundraising campaign will involve demolition of the concrete grandstand construction of a new field house with locker rooms A new stadium entrance will feature updated concession and restroom facilities Two academic initiatives also will be part of it Ford said the current after-school program is at capacity and a new entrepreneurship program will build on current successful efforts available to students The committee estimates the cost for phase two between $4 million and $5 million Taylen Boyd; and grandfather Milton Payne — were special guests at the ceremony. His former football coach Tom Nola attended so he sent a statement that Athletic Director and Communications Coordinator Alexis Trubiani read “The times I spent on this field with my teammates were some of the greatest,” it began and his family for helping him achieve success The decision to name the stadium after him is “truly a great honor and I will be there for the grand opening.” Until then set a WPIAL record with 117 career touchdowns and finished as the fifth-leading rusher in WPIAL annals with 5,755 yards the team won four WPIAL and four PIAA Class A titles according to a Clairton Middle/High School Facebook page post Boyd played in the Big 33 Football Classic and was named the game’s MVP helping lead the Bears to the WPIAL Class A title game and the PIAA playoffs as a senior Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio’s Alamodome where he announced his decision to attend the University of Pittsburgh After playing at Pitt for three seasons from 2013-15 the Cincinnati Bengals drafted him in the second round in 2016 Boyd is a member of the Clairton Hall of Fame and WPIAL Hall of Fame Clairton Mayor Rich Lattanzi called the initiative a “brand new start for the stadium and the football program.” It will also benefit others spurring them “to do what they love,” he said recalled being present for the project’s reveal last year Matt Gergely are committed to bringing state funds to help pay for it He said he grew up with Nola and recalled watching the CHS football team win a state championship; he has a helmet — signed by the team Ford said the project’s second phase is needed because the district’s current after-school program is at capacity and another 100 students need help to improve their proficiencies in math will help up to 150 students start their own enterprises and create products and services partnering with local companies and learning how to be successful in the workplace,” she said a longtime school board member who chairs the stadium renovation committee “Thanks to everyone who believed it would happen said he is pleased that the stadium is being named for the “greatest player to ever come out of Clairton.” he said the district will continue to update everyone on the progress of the stadium construction and the project The district will continue to work together as a team “to accomplish great things Helen is a copy editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette A Clairton man is suing his local police department claiming he was mauled by a police dog after being pulled over for going through a stop sign last year filed the lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday against Officer Fred L alleging battery and the use of excessive force Jackson also accused the officer of filing bogus charges against him taunting police animals and resisting arrest were later withdrawn by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office Jackson was driving in Clairton on May 20 when Hill pulled him over for allegedly running a stop sign The complaint claims Jackson was unarmed and that he immediately complied by putting his hands up upon getting out of his vehicle jumped on him and began biting him in the chest arms and torso The lawsuit alleges that Hill continued to command the dog to bite Jackson “The attack lasted for over two minutes before Hill finally pulled the dog off of Jackson who was bleeding profusely from the bite wounds,” the complaint said The lawsuit notes that Jackson had a colostomy bag at the time and Hill’s dog tore it off and bit the surgical opening in his abdomen Jackson was taken to an area hospital where he remained for three days for treatment The lawsuit seeks both compensatory and punitive damages A message left with Hill at the Clairton Police Department was not immediately returned Criminal court records show Jackson was charged with a range of counts stemming from that day The paperwork on the case says only that “in the interest of justice The DA’s office did not return a message Wednesday seeking comment The criminal complaint against Jackson alleged that he was driving a white Nissan SUV just before 5 p.m Hill claimed in the complaint that he saw both Jackson and a passenger in the car moving “frantically,” which he said raised suspicion that they were armed the passenger got out and ran away with a gun in his hand “I feared for my life that I was going to be shot,” Hill said in the criminal complaint “I exited the patrol car and yelled a K-9 command to stop or he would be dog bit.” Jackson then got out of the driver’s side wearing a fanny pack that Hill suspected might contain a gun he hit the automatic door opener to deploy his dog which took Jackson to the ground by his right bicep Hill said in the complaint that Jackson resisted for four minutes before he was taken into custody Jackson faces separate charges from January 2024 in which he is accused of carrying a firearm without a license That case is scheduled for a nonjury trial in April Clairton’s Tahvaz Armstrong (7) and Deon Pompey (10) bring down Bishop Canevin’s Kole Olszewski during a WPIAL Class A semifinal Nov. 15, 2024, at Peters Township. Clairton QB Jeff Thompson plays against Bishop Canevin during a WPIAL Class A semifinal Nov. 15, 2024, at Peters Township. Clairton’s Mike Ruffin runs past Bishop Canevin’s Aaryn Edwards during a WPIAL Class A semifinal Nov. 15, 2024, at Peters Township. Clairton’s Khalil Williams Patterson takes down Bishop Canevin’s Kole Olszewski during a WPIAL Class A semifinal Nov. 15, 2024, at Peters Township. Clairton’s Donte Wright runs against Bishop Canevin during a WPIAL Class A semifinal Nov. 15, 2024, at Peters Township. Bishop Canevin’s Jayden Lindsey runs against Clairton during a WPIAL Class A semifinal Nov. 15, 2024, at Peters Township. Bishop Canevin’s Kole Olszewski runs against Clairton during a WPIAL Class A semifinal Nov. 15, 2024, at Peters Township. the Clairton Bears added another chapter to their storied history Friday in a WPIAL Class A semifinal at Peters Township Clairton secured a berth to the WPIAL championship game against No The Bears’ defense set the tone early limiting Bishop Canevin’s offense in the first quarter and scoring on a safety on the Crusaders’ second drive of the game the Bears leaned on their versatile backfield which delivered a steady dose of explosive plays despite Bishop Canevin’s spirited defensive effort Senior standout Drahcir Jones scored the game’s first touchdown with a 32-yard touchdown run following the safety to give his team an 8-0 lead after a missed 2-point conversion recovering the ball at the 6-yard line and leading to Deon Pompey’s 1-yard touchdown run two plays later Pompey’s ability to step up in critical moments is a hallmark of Clairton’s team-first mentality “What we do on offense is get in formation and decide from there where the ball goes,” Clairton coach Wayne Wade said and that’s key to keeping guys ready and having fresh legs.” which seemed insurmountable with the way the Bears play defense Junior Mike Ruffin delivered the back-breaking play early in the second half taking a handoff and exploding through the line for a 66-yard touchdown run The play ignited the Clairton sideline and extended the Bears’ lead to 24-0 Ruffin finished with 98 rushing yards on just five carries proving once again to be a big-play threat when he touched the ball the night was a story of missed opportunities After an early interception gave the Crusaders the ball deep in Clairton territory penalties and negative plays stalled their progress A critical fumble on the Bears’ 1-yard line and failure to convert on back-to-back fourth-and-1s helped lead to their downfall who entered the game with more than 1,500 passing yards this season struggled to find a rhythm against Clairton’s relentless pass rush Olszewski was frequently forced out of the pocket and sacked multiple times in the game “That’s become our culture,” Wade said “We create that climate and make sure the kids understand how important it is to be ready week in and week out Clairton’s Iyanna Wade (right) tries to drive around St. Joseph’s Bella Bartolovic during a WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinal Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. On the air: Video livestream: NFHS Network WPIAL titles: Union 2 (2024, ‘23); Clairton 2 (2002, ‘01) How they got here: After a first-round bye, Union defeated No. 9 Bishop Canevin, 38-16, in the quarterfinals and No. 5 Aquinas Academy, 47-45, in the semifinals. 5, Jamiya “JuJu” Childs, 5-3, Jr., G How they got here: After a first-round bye, Clairton beat No. 6 St. Joseph, 71-44, in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Geibel Catholic, 52-32, in the semifinals. Fort Cherry celebrates with the trophy after beating Clairton in the WPIAL Class A championship game Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. Fort Cherry’s Matt Sieg avoids the tackle attempt by Clairton’s Drahcir Jones during the WPIAL Class A championship game Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. Clairton’s Mike Ruffin avoids the tackle attempt by Fort Cherry’s Evan Rogers on the way to a 79-yard touchdown run during the WPIAL Class A championship game Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. Fort Cherry’s Shane Cornali pulls in a first-quarter pass over Clairton’s Jaece Booker during the WPIAL Class A championship game Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. Clairton’s Jeff Thompson recovers a fumble ahead of Fort Cherry’s Matt Sieg during the WPIAL Class A championship game Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. Fort Cherry’s Ryan Huey beats Clairton’s Drahcir Jones during the WPIAL Class A championship game Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. Fort Cherry’s Matt Sieg with a first-down run on the winning drive against Clairton during the WPIAL Class A championship game Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. Clairton’s Drahcir Jones with a touchdown run against Fort Cherry during the WPIAL Class A championship game Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. Fort Cherry’s Ethan Weinbrenner dump water on coach Tanner Garry after beating Clairton in the WPIAL Class A championship game Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. Clairton’s Jaece Booker pulls in an interception against Fort Cherry during the WPIAL Class A championship game Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. The top-seeded Rangers (14-0), who struggled against Clairton’s defense in the second half, put together a 13-play, 82-yard game-winning drive utilizing two trick plays on fourth down. The winning score came with 2:34 left when quarterback Matt Sieg faked a reverse pitch to Shane Cornali, stopped and threw a pass back to running back Ryan Huey for a 13-yard score. It was like a play they used earlier in the drive when Cornali took the pitch and hit Huey for 20 yards on fourth-and-4 from the Clairton 49. “So that one is called, ‘Run around in a circle and then find someone,’” Fort Cherry coach Tanner Garry joked. “It was a bad call by me. Our idea was to try to give them a similar look to what we had just converted on fourth down. “Matt was supposed to keep that one and was supposed to fake the reverse. He had nowhere to go, turned around and just made a play. Ryan did a good job staying alive.” Clairton coach Wayne Wade said injuries caught up to his team, especially on that play. Defensive back Donte Wright was out with a collarbone injury and safety Mike Ruffin was dealing with cramps. “On the fourth-down touchdown, we just kind of lost the kid,” Wade said. “We were in cover zero. Our safety was supposed to have the first back out. He kind of just lost him. “His eyes were in the wrong place; that kind of stuff happens. We had to move some guys around because we were so banged up.” Clairton quarterback Jeff Thompson played, but because of an arm injury, the Bears were unable to throw the ball. “We had some talented players that we couldn’t get the ball to,” Wade said. “That was frustrating.” Clairton (13-1) couldn’t convert on its final possession as Thompson was stopped on a fourth-down run by Eli Salvini. Fort Cherry dominated the first half and led at halftime 14-6 before the second-seeded Bears rallied in the third quarter to grab a 20-14 lead. “No one thought we could win this game, and we told the players to take it personal,” Garry said. “We played in a strong conference between Canevin, Cornell and Monessen. We were ready to face the challenge.” Clairton senior Drahcir Jones scored on a 58-yard run with Ruffin adding the 2-point conversion to tie the score 14-14, and Ruffin scored his second touchdown of the game on a 3-yard run for the lead. “The way we played shows the heart of a champion,” Wade said. “I’m proud of them. The talk we had at halftime was about coming out and scoring getting the game back to 0-0 and then it would be anyone’s game and that’s what we did. We just fell short.” Clairton took a 6-0 lead when Ruffin, in the wildcat formation took off to his left, avoided a tackle by Sieg, cut back to his right and raced 79 yards for a touchdown. Ruffin finished with 162 yards rushing and Jones had 90. Fort Cherry, which found success through the air, quickly struck back to take a 7-6 lead. It was the first time since the season opener Aug. 24 against Steel Valley that the Bears trailed in a game. Sieg tossed a 39-yard pass to Evan Rogers, and two plays after Huey gained 13 to the Clairton 5, Sieg scored from the 4. Nik Massey’s right foot gave the Rangers the lead. Sieg completed 8 of 15 passes for 161 yards. He rushed for 87 yards. “It was frustrating not getting the big plays,” Sieg said. “Getting four yards on a carry is a win for us.” The Rangers increased their lead to 14-6 late in the first half as Sieg scored from the 1 to complete an eight-play 54-yard drive, all on the ground. A pass interference penalty aided the Rangers. Clairton was hurt by penalties. The Bears were penalized 11 times for 90 yards. A false start in the third quarter nullified a 34-yard touchdown run by Ruffin. Fort Cherry advances to the PIAA semifinals and will play Nov. 29 or 30 against District 9 champion Port Allegany. Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown (left), Markus McGowan (center) and Noah Sunder (right) He scored the first points of his high school career for the second-ranked Jayhawks in the final minute of their 60-45 WPIAL Section 1-2A victory over visiting Clairton moments after Jeannette coach Adrian Batts cleared his bench and inserted Clary into the team’s lineup to close out the game “My first varsity minutes,” Clary said his first points in a varsity basketball game “It was the happiest moment in 18 years Made me feel like a baby again,” Clary said with a wide smile and junior Kymon’e Brown added 14 as Jeannette (18-2 11-2) bounced back from a 58-48 loss to top-ranked Greensburg Central Catholic on Tuesday The Jayhawks close their regular-season schedule at 1:30 p.m With weather conditions expected to deteriorate into the evening Jeannette announced a change in the start time for the game “We’ve got to take the game seriously,” Jeannette coach Adrian Batts said We’re going to get out and get after it so we’re going to play them like it’s a playoff game already had qualified for the WPIAL playoffs but Bears coach Rashawd Hatten still was hoping for a better performance from his team “We don’t want to go to the playoffs limping,” he said “That was kind of the message today before this game we didn’t come out on the right side of this one.” Mikey Ruffin’s 11 points paced Clairton (8-10 which concludes its regular-season schedule at 7:30 p.m Tuesday with a nonsection game at Brentwood “We definitely want to take care of business because we’re playing for a seed,” Hatten said Jeannette led Clairton for nearly the entire time and established its first double-digit margin in the second quarter on a 3-point shot by McGowan They led by that same 10-point cushion at halftime (25-15) and after the third quarter (42-32) After Ruffin was fouled early in the fourth on a 3-point attempt he sank all three free throws to pull Clairton within 45-38 But Jeannette used a 12-2 run to stretch its lead to 56-40 the Jayhawks’ biggest advantage of the night Hatten called Jeannette a “solid” team after the Jayhawks defeated the Bears for a second time this season but he lamented about the difference in free throws Jeannette was 15 for 30 from the foul line He also was upset that officials ejected a group of Bears fans in the first quarter for allegedly voicing their displeasure over calls against their team “My frustration tonight was more so with the referees,” Hatten said “They ejected some of our fans early on in the game They shoot 30 free-throw attempts to our 10 We’re driving to the basket the same way they are Batts for the first time this season called Clary’s name with about 2 minutes left and the four-year starter on the Jayhawks soccer team answered the call with hustle and enthusiasm I love to play the game,” said Clary “It’s different from playing every single minute in soccer to sitting on the bench in basketball I tried out for the love of the sport.” His teammates looked for Clary on the game’s remaining possessions Clary took a pass under the hoop with time winding down and flipped in a reverse layup amid several Clairton defenders Hatten began to smile at the scene as Clary’s teammates mobbed him and the final seconds ticked away That’s a special moment for that kid He’ll never forget it,” Batts said “He said something to me that always sticks with us,” he said I’ll do whatever it takes to make the team.’ And look where he’s at today “It was a good way to top off the game.” Clairton’s Iyanna Wade plays against Geibel Catholic on Dec. 16, 2024. Joseph Academy in the first round of the PIAA Class A playoffs Saturday passing Monessen’s Charel Allen (3,110) Monessen’s Gina Naccarato (3,364) remains the all-time leader Naomi Crispin scored 20 points and Aubrey Yates added 14 to lead St Jamiya “Juju” Childs and Karma Fuqua each added 11 for the Bears (19-5) Baldwin 55 – Addie Biel and Seana Thrower scored 22 points each to lead District 10 champion Cathedral Prep (17-7) in the Class 5A first round Julianne Ott scored 22 points and Lynsey Bernotas added 18 for Baldwin (16-11) Indiana 34 – Bella Vent scored 16 points to lead District 6 champion Hollidaysburg (24-3) to a Class 5A first-round win Laken Kugler scored 14 points to lead Indiana (19-8) Penn-Trafford 50 – Jayla Koser scored 28 points to lead District 3 runner-up Middletown (23-3) to a Class 5A first-round win Torrie DeStefano scored 14 points for Penn-Trafford (25-2) which led by two points entering the fourth quarter Conrad Weiser 25 – Natalie Wetzel scored 16 points as WPIAL champion Peters Township (24-3) rolled past Conrad Weiser (17-10) in the Class 5A first round Bri Morreale added 11 points and Jordyn Welsh had 10 for Peters which broke the game open with a 26-7 second quarter Peters will face Thomas Jefferson in the second round Wednesday Lower Dauphin 21 – Ryan Oldaker scored 24 points to lead WPIAL runner-up South Fayette (25-2) to a Class 5A first-round win over Lower Dauphin (16-11) The Lions will meet West York in the second round Wednesday Susquehannock 37 – Kaylee DeAngelo scored 17 points and Maggie Spell added 16 to lead Thomas Jefferson (22-5) to a Class 5A first-round win Allie Wilson finished with 10 points for the Jaguars who took control with a 19-7 third quarter Elena Snyder led Susquehannock (16-10) with 15 points Thomas Jefferson will meet Peters Township in the second round Wednesday Mars 44 – Reagan Doll scored 17 points to lead West York (21-7) to a Class 5A first-round victory Cecilia Christy had 14 points to lead Mars (15-12) Bethel Park 34 – Natalie Hanisak scored 16 points to lead York Suburban (24-2) to a Class 5A first-round win Sadie Orie scored 12 points and Bella Coleman and Ella Sabatos each added nine for Bethel Park (12-15) Franklin 16 – Aubree Hupp scored 23 points and Grace Huston added 10 as Blackhawk (24-3) rolled past Franklin (16-10) in the Class 4A first round The Cougars will take on District 9 champion Clearfield in the second round Wednesday Laurel Highlands 55 – Sonny Diehl scored 24 points to lead District 9 champion Clearfield (19-5) to a Class 4A first-round win Taylor Irwin scored 15 points and Aierra Jenkins and Ayrianna Sumpter added 12 each for Laurel Highlands (19-7) Fairview 35 – Led by 15 points from Chloe Zombek and 10 from Kaelynn Settles Elizabeth Forward (20-7) picked up a Class 4A first-round win Breanna Heidt led Fairview (20-5) with 10 points The Warriors will face WPIAL champion Oakland Catholic in the second round Wednesday South Park 43 (OT) – Brooke Przybylski scored 22 points as District 10 champion Harbor Creek (22-4) pulled out an overtime win in the Class 4A first round Hayley Bennett scored 10 points to lead South Park (17-8) Penn Cambria 29 – Brady Wehner scored 13 points and Sam Weir added 12 as North Catholic (23-4) rolled to a Class 4A first-round win over Penn Cambria (12-12) Sarah Loughry chipped in 10 points for the Trojanettes who will meet District 10 champ Harbor Creek in the second round Wednesday Slippery Rock 29 – London Creach scored 20 points to lead WPIAL champion Oakland Catholic (24-3) past Slippery Rock (18-8) in the Class 4A first round Josie Fontana 12 and Zephania Troxler-Scott 11 for the Eagles who will face Elizabeth Forward in the second round Wednesday Fannett-Metal 22 – Tess Duer had 22 points as Aquinas Academy (17-8) downed Fannett-Metal (10-13) in the Class A first round Elliot Keverline chipped in 10 points for Aquinas Academy which will face Bishop Guilfoyle on Wednesday Geibel Catholic 45 – In the first round of the Class A playoffs Addie Bell and Carrie Drummond scored 17 points each as Otto-Eldred (23-5) beat Geibel Catholic (22-4) Rayel Hayes added 14 points for Otto Eldred while Emma Larkin scored a game-high 25 points for the Gators Union 33 – In the a Class A first-round matchup Leanna Royer had 18 points as Williamsburg (21-6) handed Union (24-1) its first loss of the season Kylie Fruehstorfer led the Scotties with nine points New Castle 49 – Nolan Buzalka scored 21 points as Cumberland Valley (22-5) rallied from a five-point halftime deficit to win in the Class 6A first round Kai Cox scored 18 points to lead WPIAL runner-up New Castle (21-5) Lebanon 54 – Andrew Galantuomo scored 22 points to lead Governor Mifflin (20-8) to a Class 6A first-round win Carter Gould added 14 and Jacob Zuber had 13 for Mt Central Catholic 40 – Quentin Thomas hit for 21 points and Kamden Kramer followed with 18 for McDowell (22-4) in a Class 6A first-round win Xxavier Thomas led Central Catholic (15-11) with 14 points Bishop Canevin 38 – District 6 runner-up Bishop Guilfoyle (23-4) defeated Bishop Canevin (15-11) and will face WPIAL champion South Allegheny in the second round Wednesday Keystone Oaks 58 – Dylan Stohon scored 22 points Brandon Gregovich added 18 and Koy McGough hit five 3-pointers as District 6 champion Forest Hills (24-2) defeated Keystone Oaks (18-9) in the Class 3A first round to set up a meeting with Mohawk in Wednesday’s second round Erond Jakupi scored 19 points and Ethan Spivak added 13 for the Golden Eagles Ellwood City 50 – Jayden Amos scored 13 points to lead five players in double figures for District 10 champion Mercer (14-11) in the Class 3A first round Chuckie Schweinsberg added 11 and Aaron Lake had 10 for Ellwood City (15-12) Chestnut Ridge 59 – Bobby Fadden scored 25 points to lead Mohawk (20-6) to the PIAA Class 3A first-round win over Chestnut Ridge (17-8) breaking the school record set by Tim Glass at 1,661 in 1975 Drew Wrona added 18 points and hit four 3-pointers for Mohawk while Joey Nail tallied 17 points Cole Nicodemus and Brody Halkovich scored 14 points each for Chestnut Ridge Mohawk will play Forest Hills in Wednesday’s second round North Star 44 – WPIAL fifth-place finisher Shady Side Academy (13-13) took care of District 5 champ North Star (20-6) in the Class 3A first round and will face District 3 champion Trinity Camp Hill in the second round Wednesday Cranberry 37 – Drew Cook scored 22 points and Cam Epps had 20 as WPIAL champion South Allegheny (24-3) cruised past District 9 champion Cranberry (18-8) in the Class 3A first round Josh Jackowski added 13 points for the Gladiators who will meet Bishop Guilfoyle in the second round Wednesday McConnellsburg 43 – Liam Gallagher scored 20 points and Brady O’Rourke finished with 14 for Greensburg Central Catholic (24-2) in a Class 2A first-round win who will face Neshannock in the second round Wednesday took over after trailing 23-19 at halftime Glenn Holt scored 17 points and Doug Jefferson added 14 for McConnellsburg (23-2) Chartiers-Houston 45 – Lucas Fagley scored 15 points and Evan Reiser added 11 to help District 10 champion Lakeview (21-5) to a win in the Class 2A first round Jake Perchinsky led Chartiers-Houston (20-7) with nine points Rocky Grove 39 – Tony Perrotta scored 18 points to lead Neshannock (22-4) to a Class 2A first-round win Matthew Sopko added 16 points and David Kwiat had 14 for the Lancers who will meet Greensburg Central Catholic in the second round Wednesday Landen Carter scored 19 points to lead Rocky Grove (21-5) Portage 69 – Kadenne Kemp scored the game-winning basket on a putback at the buzzer to lead Northgate (16-11) past District 6 champ Portage (21-6) in the Class 2A first round The Flames will take on Clarion in the second round Wednesday Redbank Valley 51 – Vann Kavals scored 22 points and Jake Johnson added 17 for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (20-7) in a Class 2A first-round win who will meet Union in Wednesday’s second round trailed by five after the first quarter but took over with a 20-10 scoring advantage in the second Kieran Fricko scored 19 and Braylon Wagner had 16 for Redbank Valley (20-6) Windber 36 – Lucas Grimsley scored 22 points as Sewickley Academy (21-5) defeated Windber (23-3) in the first round of the PIAA Class 2A playoffs Grady Klosky tallied 20 points in the loss Sewickley Academy plays Lakeview in the second round Wednesday Bishop McCort 49 – Lucas Stanley scored 35 points to lead Union (20-7) to a Class A first-round victory Jordyn Kelly added 12 points for the Scotties who will face OLSH in the second round Wednesday Nick Dressick scored 14 points to lead Bishop McCort (13-13) Cheswick Christian Academy 36 – Colin Coblentz scored 21 points as Gospel Haven Academy defeated Cheswick Christian Academy in a division final at the National Christian School Athletic Association tournament in Mount Vernon Caden Coblentz added 12 points and Shane Coblentz had 10 for Gospel Haven All-tournament team selections Joseph Rosio scored 17 points and Brady Rochkind added 12 for Cheswick Christian A Clairton man is behind bars after police said he sold 160 bricks of drugs to a confidential informant in West Newton and took $30,750 to settle drug debts is facing numerous drug and weapons violations in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties as well as a charge of dealing in proceeds of unlawful acts Penn Township and the state Attorney General’s Office worked together to make the arrest The confidential informant set up seven meetings between October and January with Hamlin in West Newton during which they either exchanged drugs or cash to settle a drug debt Police served a search warrant last week at Hamlin’s home and found hundreds of bricks of fentanyl according to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office Investigators said they seized a total of 478 bricks of fentanyl during the investigation which amounts to nearly 24,000 individual stamp bags He did not have an attorney listed in online court records Preliminary hearings are set for Tuesday in Allegheny and Feb Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com Clairton quarterback Jeffrey Thompson throws during the Willie Thrower quarterback camp in June. the Frazier preview will be published later in the week The program’s rich tradition and dominant runs over the last two decades have made it that way Clairton coach Wayne Wade has felt like those expectations haven’t quite been reached And the way the years have started has been a factor The Bears lost their first two games in 2023 doing so in blowout fashion — 28-0 to Westinghouse and 26-0 to Washington — before quickly turning around their season when Clairton started 0-3 before rebounding we’re usually able to get back on track and get to our winning ways,” said Wade I feel like it’ll look a little different even though we have some tough competition.” going unbeaten in Eastern Conference play before falling to South Side in the WPIAL Class A semifinals And Wade can pinpoint where he feels his team needs to improve to reach those goals — and it’s not a specific position or a schematic element “With a lot of returning kids for this year it’s more our execution,” said Wade who lost only two seniors from his 2023 roster “Looking at some film from last year “But that comes from playing younger kids from playing kids that don’t have that much experience There’s one factor that could make things difficult on the Bears this season: They won’t play a true home game Clairton School District has planned a $6 million renovation to the 94-year-old Neil Brown Stadium so the Bears will play all home games at Thomas Jefferson’s stadium this season as construction begins While Clairton said goodbye to the smallest senior class since Wade joined the program in 1997 have to replace a key player in Michael Wright He passed for 1,776 yards and 19 touchdowns a year ago Jeffrey Thompson III will take over under center “He’s probably one of the brighter quarterbacks we’ve had in terms of his knowledge of the game,” Wade said of the junior “He played a little for us last year It’s a shame that we’re not able to have JV games he would’ve been a couple of steps ahead of where he’s at now “He progressed a lot during the summer on 7-on-7 and has looked good in camp He can make mostly all of the throws and can run the ball Joining Thompson III in the backfield will be tailback Drahcir Jones who rushed for 1,489 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior last season who will run behind an offensive line returning four starters Jones will be complemented by Donte Wright and Dion Pompey who missed some of last year due to injury with a returning rusher who has those type of stats we’re excited about it,” Wade said who snagged 33 passes for 633 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023 He’ll be joined by Michael Ruffing and Teek Wooding While the Bears haven’t had quite the top-tier recruiting talents over the last couple of years as they did in the past they will welcome in a player who has made some early noise on the recruiting trails — freshman Brandon Murphy “He’s already picked up an offer from Syracuse as an eighth grader,” Wade said of the 5-foot-11 could immediately impact a Clairton defense that only lost one starter from a group that surrendered just 13.7 points per game in 2023 Most of the offensive starters this season will flip around and play defense Clairton opens the year against Steel Valley in the KDKA Kickoff Classic at the Wolvarena It also plays Serra Catholic and Shady Side Academy before jumping into conference action A marquee game to kick off the season will again be a litmus test right out of the gates “They’re very excited,” Wade said of the Week Zero contest “You’re talking about a program similar to ours A lot of players from Steel Valley have gone on to play college ball So they have a lot of pride and tradition in their program Hopefully it’ll look better than the last two years and we get on track early.” Clairton has now gone four seasons without a WPIAL title after winning 10 district crowns from 2006-2019 But a return to the top could be possible in 2024 and expectations are something Wade doesn’t feel like he ever needs to address with his players — even now “We go into every season like any other team thinking that we’re going to win the state championship,” he said losing in the semifinals last year and returning so much “We’re looking for a great year Hopefully we can get off to a hot start and get back to our Clairton ways.” • After being shut out in the first two weeks of 2023 • Clairton’s conference will also feature Brentwood CHARLEROI – What happens when one of the best running backs in the WPIAL takes on the best defense in the league That was the question facing the football teams from California and Clairton Friday evening.at Charleroi High School which has the services of tailback Lee Qualk who came into the Class A quarterfinal game with a WPIAL best 2,130 rushing yards went up against a Clairton defense that had allowed 21 total points this season Qualk gave it a try but the Bears defense was too much and Clairton routed California 54-0 in the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals Clairton moves to 12-0 this season and will play Bishop Canevin next week in the semifinals at a site to be determined which stunned Laurel last week in the first round a second-place finish in the Tri-County South Conference and one playoff victory “They were a better team than we are,” said California head coach Ed Woods Clairton’s team speed just wore California down “We prepared well for them,” said Clairton head coach Wayne Wade we wanted to try to impose our will against them I don’t know how many passes we threw scoring 32 points in the first quarter and taking a 42-0 lead into the locker room at halftime That set off the PIAA Mercy Rule in the second half Draheir Jones scored three touchdowns and Michael Ruffin had two in the first half Clairton had two other touchdowns called back because of penalty gaining unofficially five yards on eight carries “It didn’t matter if it was the first play of the game or the last play of the game Woods said he was proud of what the team accomplished this year “I was very pleased and happy with what the team accomplished,” said Woods “There were a couple games that could have went either way.” If you have an account and are registered for online access sign in with your email address and password below Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe Copyright © Observer-Reporter | Contact | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy From the moment the high school football season began in August fans all across Western Pennsylvania clamored for a matchup between defending WPIAL Class 1A champion Fort Cherry and the ferocious Clairton Bears The long-awaited showdown will finally come to fruition at Acrisure Stadium at 11 a.m 2 Bears (13-0) in a battle of unbeatens for the WPIAL Class 1A title Class 1A championship games of this magnitude don’t come around too often “I’m excited for the kids to have the opportunity to play in the championship game,” said Clairton coach Wayne Wade “Usually in the [WPIAL] championship games From me being an assistant to a head coach “This group of seniors are excited about having an opportunity to play in the stadium This is the second year in a row two undefeated teams will meet in the Class 1A final but last year’s game between Fort Cherry and South Side didn’t hold quite as much weight as this one few teams in the area can match the Bears’ championship pedigree with 14 WPIAL titles to their credit — second most among all WPIAL schools — not to mention a legendary 66-game winning streak from 2009-13 that still stands as a PIAA record Fort Cherry is the reigning champion with an overall record of 28-1 over the past two seasons — and the Rangers are led by the one and only Matt Sieg Sieg’s spectacular season continued with another vintage performance in a 49-14 semifinal win against Jeannette last week in which the Penn State recruit passed for 102 yards rushed for 222 yards and scored six touchdowns on the ground Despite playing the first month of the season with a broken thumb on his throwing hand he is now up to 1,124 yards passing with 19 TDs and four interceptions to go with 1,717 yards rushing and 30 TDs on 198 carries it’s only a matter of time before Sieg breaks Fort Cherry’s career passing record of 4,501 yards — a mark currently held by Rangers coach Tanner Garry “It’s all but done,” Garry said with a laugh “I knew from an early point [in Sieg’s career] If it seems like Sieg is reaching a new milestone every other week he joined Jeannette legend Terrelle Pryor as only the second player in WPIAL history to both pass and rush for more than 4,000 yards in a career — doing so against Pryor’s alma mater — and he is still only a junior He also became only the third player in WPIAL history to surpass 10,000 career total yards and only the 10th player with more than 6,000 yards rushing for his career Sieg now has 6,091 yards rushing and 4,015 yards passing for 10,106 career yards — and the PIAA record of 13,263 is well within reach I try to read more into what the kid is doing on film and how we can stop him,” Wade said “I wouldn’t say that he is a Terrelle Pryor talent even with a superstar talent like Sieg steering the ship and Fort Cherry’s proven track record over the past two seasons all indications point to the Rangers entering their title defense on Saturday as a sizable underdog against Clairton the Bears have outscored their opposition by a combined score of 674-21 That means Clairton boasts the highest-scoring offense in the WPIAL by a wide margin at 51.4 points per game — yet the Bears’ No 1-ranked defense is the unit generating all the headlines this season Clairton is putting together one of the most dominant defensive seasons of all time The Bears have posted 10 shutouts in 13 games and one of their three touchdowns allowed was actually a fumble return by Steel Valley’s defense in the season opener on Aug Clairton has yet to allow a point in the postseason after delivering three consecutive shutouts against Rochester California and Bishop Canevin by a combined tally of 134-0 “It’s something you keep tabs on throughout the year “Then you turn on the film and you actually get a chance to watch them and it’s pretty obvious why they’ve been able to do what they do They have kids everywhere who are really good ball players and really well-coached When you look at what this group has been able to do with the shutouts and each of them have taken their game to a new level this season He might not have the mind-boggling numbers of Sieg but junior quarterback Jeff Thompson is having a stellar year in his own right for the Bears with 1,827 yards passing and 27 TDs to only three interceptions on the year senior tailback Drahcir Jones is the sparkplug that makes the offense go and he is now up to 1,331 yards rushing with 25 scores on 132 carries “You kind of saw [his growth] from last year to this year,” Wade said about Jones one of only three seniors on Clairton’s roster Splitting time in the backfield alongside Jones and Thompson are versatile juniors Michael Ruffin and Donte Wright both capable of making an impact as both rushers and receivers Ruffin has 426 yards rushing on just 27 carries (15.8 yards per attempt) along with 18 receptions for 325 yards and 14 total TDs while Wright has rushed for 364 yards on 34 carries (10.7 yards per attempt) with 21 catches for 473 yards and 18 total TDs junior Taris Wooding leads the team with 25 receptions for 560 yards and eight TDs and 6-3 senior Zae-mear Correll might be the Bears’ most coveted recruit on offense Despite drawing constant double teams while opening up plenty of space for his teammates to operate Correll has hauled in 18 catches for 360 yards and five scores on the season “I think that’s the reason we’re 13-0,” Wade said about his team’s unselfish nature “They bought in at the beginning of the season That’s the reason we’re in the championship game As for the unsung hero who lays the foundation for Clairton’s top-ranked defense look no further than senior defensive tackle Khalil Williams-Patterson Williams-Patterson lines up at nose guard and eats up multiple blockers on virtually every snap allowing linebackers like junior Dion Pompey and freshman Brandon Murphy to roam free and lay punishing hits on ball carriers They’re on almost every tackle,” Wade said “But it’s because of Khalil up front as well 1 — but senior wide receiver Shane Cornali is also capable of taking over a game at any time for the Rangers Despite spending most of his time blocking in a run-heavy scheme Cornali enters Saturday’s contest with a team-leading 33 receptions for 610 yards and 14 TDs He teamed up with Sieg to help Fort Cherry bring home a gold medal in the 100-meter relay at last year’s PIAA championships and both have the speed to score every single time they touch the ball for the Rangers Just shows up and plays,” Garry said Has started since he was a freshman for us “He’s been a huge part of our team for a really long time I’m happy to see him having the season he’s having After months of speculation about what would happen if Sieg and Fort Cherry’s high-powered offense were to collide with Clairton’s history-making defense Does Sieg have another Sieg-nature championship performance in store or is it finally time for the Bears to resume their seat at the throne atop the Class 1A hierarchy All of those questions will be answered bright and early on Saturday morning — just don’t forget to set your alarm “It’s been a while since we’ve been an underdog,” Garry said “We’re excited for the challenge.” Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Like many kids growing up in Clairton, Michael Ruffin had a specific set of idols. Now a junior linebacker and versatile offensive playmaker for the Bears, Ruffin said he has fond childhood memories of watching Clairton teams led by former standout Lamont Wade run to three straight WPIAL Class 1A championships from 2015-17. “It’s crazy,” Ruffin said. “I watched all them dudes do it. I watched YouTube videos every day of them at Acrisure, it was Heinz back then, I watched them every day dreaming I could go there.” No. 2 seed Clairton dominated No. 3 seed Bishop Canevin Friday night in nearly every facet of their WPIAL Class 1A semifinal game at Peters Township’s Confluence Financial Partners Stadium to earn a 24-0 victory and a shot at the Bears’ first district title since 2019 and 15th all time. Clairton (13-0) will face top-seeded and defending champion Fort Cherry (13-0) in the WPIAL Class 1A championship game at 11 a.m. Nov. 23 at Acrisure Stadium. “It feels great,” said Bears coach Wayne Wade, a 1990 Clairton graduate who has guided his alma mater to four WPIAL titles in 10 seasons as head coach. “It’s been a long, grueling season for us.” The Bears held the Crusaders (9-3) to just 64 yards of total offense, while also forcing three turnovers and adding two sacks, en route to earning their 10th shutout of the season. Clairton has not allowed a point in three WPIAL playoff contests, outscoring their competition by a staggering 134 points. “We’re very special,” said junior linebacker Deon Pompey, who recovered a fumble, recorded a sack and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run against Bishop Canevin. “We’ve got all 11 guys on both sides of the ball who can play fast and physical.” Clairton also rushed for 230 yards against the Crusaders, who were attempting to advance to the WPIAL championship game for the third time in the past four seasons. Ruffin led the Bears effort offensively with 100 rushing yards and a 68-yard, second-half touchdown run, while workhorse running back Drahcir Jones added 97 yards and a 32-yard, first-half score on 15 carries. “We’re staying right every day,” Ruffin said. “Every day, we’re in the weight room, pushing weights hard, no playing hard. It’s been right and we rode today.” And that was certainly true from the very start Friday night. After a Clairton punt to cap its first possession pinned Bishop Canevin on it’s own 1-yard line, the Bears took a 2-0 lead on a safety when Crusaders quarterback Kole Olszewski fumbled the snap in his own end zone. Then two plays after the safety Jones added his touchdown to give Clairton an 8-0 lead. Later in the quarter, the Bears special teams struck again. Zaemear Correll blocked a Bishop Canevin punt to set up Pompey’s dive into the end zone, which extended Clairton’s lead to 16-0 following a 2-point conversion run by Jones. After halftime, Ruffin filled in under center for quarterback Jeff Thompson and accounted for the game’s final points with his read-option touchdown run down the left sideline. “We knew they weren’t reading the quarterback,” Ruffin said. “We put me at quarterback. We knew how my speed was. I saw green grass, my teammates blocked for me and I took off. I don’t get caught with green grass.” For Bishop Canevin, though, the game was certainly frustrating — especially for Olszewski. The Crusaders quarterback is No. 16 in WPIAL history with 6,716 passing yards. He threw for 2,288 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions during a fantastic senior season. Olszewski completed just 5-of-22 passes for 34 yards and an interception in his final high school game. “Unfortunately, it didn’t come out our way today, but, man, we’re proud of those kids,” Bishop Canevin coach Rich Johnson said. “A lot of people put us down and counted us out this year. We were supposed to finish, I think, fifth or something like that in our conference and not even make the playoffs. “To make it to the semis and just kind of come up short, I’m proud of these kids.” The Crusaders were able to capitalize on some Clairton miscues and get into the red zone three times, but were ultimately turned away without scoring a point. It was a frustrating way for their season to come to an end.  “You lose by 24 and you’re in the red zone three times, close and you don’t punch it in, they played great aggressive defense,” Johnson said. “Their defense played light’s out. Hat’s off to them, but we definitely gave them some opportunities and our execution wasn’t on par. “You can’t come up short that many times in playoff football, especially in the semis against a team like that.” Clairton is now excited to turn its sights toward Fort Cherry. “These kids have the heart of champions,” Wade said. “If they continue to play defense like that, I think we can win it all.” • Fort Cherry quarterback Matt Sieg, a Penn State recruit, rushed for 232 yards and six touchdowns on 18 carries and added 92 yards through the air to lead the top-seeded Rangers to a comfortable 49-14 victory against upstart No. 13 seed Jeannette in a WPIAL Class 1A semifinal contest at Canon-McMillan’s Big Mac Stadium in Canonsburg. Sieg scored on runs of 11, 12, 43 and 24 yards to stake Fort Cherry (13-0) to a 28-7 halftime advantage over the Jayhawks (9-4), who earned WPIAL playoff upsets against No. 4 seed Neshannock and fifth-seeded Greensburg Central Catholic prior to Friday night’s contest. The Rangers rounded out their scoring with second-half touchdown runs of 47 and 4 yards by Sieg and a 2-yard run across the goal line by Ryan Huey. Sieg has now joined former Jeannette great Terrelle Pryor as the only quarterbacks in WPIAL history to rush and pass for 4,000 yards in their career. Jeannette quarterback Kymone Powell paced his offense by throwing for 168 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He threw a 59-yard, first-half scoring strike to Jayce Powell and a 16-yard touchdown pass to Noah Sunder in the second half. Powell finished with a game-high seven catches for 143 yards. John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com. Clairton’s Zaemaer Correll (right) strolls into the end zone past Leechburg’s Rocco Vigna on Friday. Clairton’s Drahcir Jones (4) breaks through a tackle attempt from Leechburg’s Jaxon Varog (13) on FFriday. Leechburg’s Timmy Andrasy runs against Clairton on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at Veteran’s Memorial Football Field. Clairton’s Zaemaer Correll (6) finds space to run during a 2-point conversion Friday. Leechburg’s Jake Cummings (left) is tackled by Clairton’s Tamere Henley (center) and Deon Pomphey on Friday. Clairton quarterback Jeff Thompson III evades pressure from Leechburg’s Brady Shearer on Friday. Leechburg’s Rocco Vigna (front) breaks up a pass intended for Clairton’s Zaemaer Correll on Friday. Leechburg quarterback Jayden Floyd (right) looks for room to pass while under pressure from Clairton’s Tahvaz Armstrong on Friday. Leechburg quarterback Jayden Floyd looks for room to pass while under pressure from Clairton’s Chad Carpenter on Friday. Clairton’s Donte’ Wright reacts after a successful 2-point conversion Friday. Clairton’s Drahcir Jones evades a tackle attempt from Leechburg’s Jaxon Vargo on Friday. Clairton’s Drahcir Jones (left), Deon Pomphey (center) and Darren Pinson (right) react after Jones’ interception Friday. Clairton quarterback Jeff Thompson III evades pressure from Leechburg’s Lucas Gamble (23) and Timmy Andrasy on Friday. Clairton quarterback Jeff Thompson III is tackled by Leechburg’s Nick Hilty (86) and Jake Cummings on Friday. Clairton’s Zaemaer Correll has his facemark grabbed by Leechburg’s Timmy Andrasy on a 2-point conversion attempt Friday. Even though that defensive run came to an end, Clairton’s dominance did not. The Bears used speed, quickness, skill and physical play on both sides of the ball to build a four-touchdown lead at halftime en route to a 44-7 victory over the Blue Devils. “This was a big game, and we approached it that way,” Clairton coach Wayne Wade said. “Our defense is the staple of the team this year. We’re flying around. We’re having fun. My hat’s off to the defense tonight.” With the win, Clairton improved to 8-0 overall, 5-0 in conference play, all but wrapped up the conference title and officially clinched a spot in the WPIAL Class A playoffs. Leechburg, which came in averaging 43.2 points through seven games, fell to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the conference. “We won seven, and we were able to celebrate, but then we refocused for the next game like we were 0-0,” Blue Devils coach Randy Walters said. “We have to do the same with this loss. We have to move on to the next opponent, and as of midnight on Saturday, we’re moving on to (Brentwood).” Ahead by 28 at the break, Clairton wasted no time adding on and putting the mercy-rule running clock into effect. Donte’ Wright scored for the second time in the game as he returned the opening kickoff of the third quarter 76 yards for a touchdown. A conversion run from Zaemear Correll made it 36-0 just 10 seconds into the second half. Leechburg responded to the Bears’ score and went on a drive that ate up the rest of the third quarter and 51 seconds of the fourth. Andrasy carried the final 4 yards for the score. Andrasy finished with six carries for a team-best 24 yards. Drachir Jones capped the scoring for Clairton with a 41-yard run with less than a minute to play. He finished with 14 carries for 150 yards and two touchdowns. “This (win) means a lot,” Jones said. “Going into the week, we heard a lot of stuff, and we came out and proved them wrong.” Clairton held Leechburg to 6 yards rushing in the first half, and Jones and Jaece Booker both intercepted Blue Devils quarterback Jayden Floyd to snuff out Leechburg scoring opportunities. The Bears got on the board quickly as a completed pass from Floyd and a hit on the receiver popped the ball loose. Deon Pomphey was right there to pull it out of the air at the Bears 41 and race 59 yards to the end zone. The conversion was unsuccessful, and Clairton led 6-0 with just 2:23 gone in the opening quarter. “That gave us momentum,” Wade said. “We thought coming in that (the Blue Devils) were really going to play hard physically and come at us. Why not? They were 7-0 and at home. To make a big play and kind of take some steam out of them, that was big for us. “Then when we turn it around to the offense. We have so many weapons that we just kind of kill your spirit because you don’t know who to guard. If you play the pass, we’ll run the ball. If you load the box, we can put the ball in the air. And have fun guarding these guys one-on-one.” The Clairton defense forced a punt on Leechburg’s next drive, and then the Bears offense needed just five plays to put more points on the board. Wright took a handoff from quarterback Jeff Thompson and scampered 38 yards. The conversion run failed, but Clairton was on its way. Jones’ interception late in the first quarter halted what had been a nine play, 41-yard drive deep into Bears territory. Clairton set up at its own 24, and eight plays later, Jones finished off the drive with a 36-yard TD run. This time, the conversion was good as Thompson threw to Correll to make it 20-0 with 8:16 to play until halftime. Booker’s interception on Leechburg’s next drive and his return to the Blue Devils 11 put Clairton in business. A holding penalty on a run by Jones pushed the Bears back to the 15, but Michael Ruffin took a handoff, motored around the left side, and scored untouched with 6:08 on the second-quarter clock. The Thompson-to-Correll conversion made it 28-0. “Clairton has so much speed,” Walters said. “They just play with so much confidence and so much swagger. They don’t miss tackles on defense. When they come to hit you, there’s no hesitation. When one guy misses, there’s four more guys coming. That is a testament to coach Wade and his staff. He has those kids flying around. “They have so many weapons on offense, but I felt we actually played pretty darn good defensively. Two of their long runs, we blitzed in but just missed the tackle. And kudos to them. They make you miss tackles. They make one little move, and they’re gone. We had things that were there, and we just didn’t do what we needed to do to make the play.” Fort Cherry enters Saturday’s WPIAL Class A football championship game undefeated and has outscored its opponents by an average margin of 31.9 points per game the reigning WPIAL champions and have a Penn State recruit in junior quarterback/safety Matt Sieg Fort Cherry (13-0) goes into the title game against Clairton (13-0) as the underdog Fort Cherry is seeking its second WPIAL title while Clairton is chasing No The Rangers have outscored their opponents but the Bears have been the “Monsters of the Mon” in allowing only 21 points in 13 games Clairton’s offense isn’t too shabby either as coach Wayne Wade’s team has scored 674 points the Bears’ defense has allowed 14 points as Steel Valley scored its lone touchdown on a fumble return in the season opener on Aug “It’s not too often that you are the reigning WPIAL champions undefeated and not favored going into a game,” Fort Cherry coach Tanner Garry said “We are excited to be able to test ourselves against a very good team It’s no surprise that they have only given up 21 points.” Clairton’s defense has been one of the major storylines in the WPIAL this season but the Bears really turned heads in the semifinals by shutting out Bishop Canevin’s normally potent offense in the regular season to assure themselves no less than a tie for the Class A Black Hills Conference championship Comparing scores might concern the Fort Cherry faithful but Garry pointed out that Clairton blocked a Bishop Canevin punt that was recovered on the five-yard line had an interception inside the 20 and stopped the Crusaders on two fourth-down conversion attempts inside the Bears’ five-yard line “Making those key stops and creating turnovers that led to touchdowns is what Clairton did in that game and that is what they have been doing all year long,” Garry said “They are getting points in all three facets of the game we need to find a way to get into the end zone.” Senior defensive tackle Khalil Williams-Patterson uses his 5-9 250-pound body to free up the Bears’ linebackers to make plays Sieg played the first month of the season with a broken thumb on his right hand and has thrown for 1,124 yards with 19 touchdowns and four interceptions Sieg has rushed for 1,717 yards on 198 carries and scored 30 TDs It doesn’t take a football genius to realize that Clairton will look to take away Sieg’s offensive prowess The Bears would be smart to stay away from Sieg on defense as he has been known to return an interception or two for a score “It’s no secret you want to go into a game with a good balance,” Garry said “Matt will definitely need some help from the rest of the team.” Senior Shane Cornali leads the Rangers in receiving with 33 receptions for 610 yards and 10 touchdowns Cornali and Seig were the third and anchor legs on the Rangers’ 4×100-meter relay team that won the Class 2A state title in track and field last May 3 touchdowns) and Evan Rogers (15-3) are secondary options at wide receiver Sophomore running back Ryan Huey is the Rangers’ second-leading rusher with 693 yards and nine touchdowns 4 touchdowns) is another option in the run game Clairton is led offensively by junior quarterback Jeff Thompson who has passed for 1,827 yards with 27 TDs and three interceptions Senior running back Drahcir Jones leads the Bears in rushing with 1,331 yards on 132 carries and has crossed the goal line 25 times Juniors Michael Ruffin and Donte Wright are threats as rushers and receivers Junior Taris Wooding leads Clairton in receiving with 25 catches and eight TDs Senior Zae-mear Correll presents matchup problems because of his 6-3 frame He has 18 receptions for 360 yards and five scores Wade attempted to take four charges to swing the momentum Iyanna scored 24 points to move her into second place on the WPIAL’s all-time scoring list with 3,120 points “I definitely knew that coming into the game I just wanted to go out there and make a statement That’s all I really could do in this situation.” has had a front-row view of his daughter’s career as her coach Clairton (19-6) bowed out of the state playoffs after reaching the WPIAL championship game for the first time in 20 years Carlton knows his daughter is due for a break I feel for the kid because every day she has to come out against box-and-ones and diamonds-and-twos It’s just at a point now where she said it last week who averaged 40.8 points per game during the regular season was the WPIAL scoring champion for the second consecutive season Iyanna has offers from Central Connecticut State and Mount St but is looking forward to having time to try and find a landing spot “I think it’s been up and down,” Iyanna said I’ve been told that I haven’t been getting the calls and offers that I wanted I definitely can’t wait to get the season over with and visit colleges to see where my next four years are going to be.” Clairton guard Iyanna Wade winces in pain while driving down the lane during a battle with Saint Joseph Catholic Academy Saturday in Clairton / Josh RizzoThe climb to 3,000 points started with a goal of 1,000Iyanna’s ambition started before her freshman season She asked her dad how many points she would need to average to reach 1,000 points Iyanna ended up hitting the milestone as a sophomore “She did say she wanted to get a thousand points,” Carlton said 33 her second year and 40 and 40 after that I understand we play single A and double A basketball but it wasn’t easy for the simple fact there are two or three people on her every game A lot of coaches can say she only plays single-A but she played single-A with two players on her.” Her 24 points against Saint Joseph's moved Iyanne to second on the WPIAL’s all-time scoring list moving past Monessen graduate Charel Allen played for Notre Dame before appearing in six games for the WNBA’s Sacramento Monarchs in 2008 Monessen’s Gina Naccarato holds the all-time record in the WPIAL with 3,364 points The Bears made the Class 2A state playoffs and knocked District 9 championship Redbank Valley in the first round “My goal was to get 1,000 points and win a championship,” Iyanna said who scored 24 points in the Bears' loss to Saint Joseph Catholic Academy in the first round of the PIAA Class A tournament at home Saturday finished her high school career with 3,120 points / Josh RizzoA sign of the times?Carlton Wade hoped the recruiting process would move faster for Iyanna But he knows with how the NCAA has shifted over the past few seasons traditional recruiting is a thing of the past The transfer portal provides coaches more access to players with college experience High school recruits who don’t earn the top rankings or have the physical attributions have a tougher path it’s going to be tough for high school kids to go Division I,” Carlton said “I think you are going to have to be a stud to get there You have to be a four or five star kid to go to a good school She’s dealt with it awesomely because she hasn’t shown much frustration Whoever gets her is going to get an awesome player.” Iyanna was happy to help the Bears reach the district champion game she’s waiting for a call for where her next spot will be I probably overachieved to what everyone thought I would do,” Iyanna said “I’m mad I couldn’t get another win to continue I’m happy at the same time with how we fought.” --Josh Rizzo |rizzo42789@gmail.com| @J_oshrizzo JOSH RIZZOJosh Rizzo has served as a sports writer for high school and college sports for more than 15 years Rizzo graduated from Slippery Rock University in 2010 and Penn-Trafford High School in 2007 During his time working at newspapers in Illinois he covered everything from demolition derby to the NCAA women's volleyball tournament Rizzo was named Sports Writer of the Year by Gatehouse Media Class C in 2011 He also won a first-place award for feature writing from the Missouri Press Association Rizzo was twice given a second-place award for sports deadline reporting from the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors He began contributing to High School On SI in 2025 © 2025 ABG-SI LLC - SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Clairton police have charged a parent with beating an 11-year-old girl last week outside an elementary school during morning drop-off in an assault captured on surveillance video of Clairton struck and dragged the girl and threw her to the ground in front of at least one witness on April 1 shortly before 8 a.m. Clairton Elementary School Principal Debra Maurizio called police Tuesday morning to report the incident Video surveillance showed Snow approaching the student outside the school’s entrance The witness told police he saw the girl walking toward the school’s entrance when she stopped by a white SUV He saw Snow and the student have a conversation but could not hear what was said Snow bent down and got “into the face” of the girl Police said Snow struck the girl in the face Video footage showed Snow grabbed the hood of the girl’s sweatshirt and repeatedly hit her before anyone could intervene and Snow began dragging her backwards while continuing to strike her The witness told police he tried to stop Snow Snow continued hitting the girl until school security arrived and elementary school staff identified the attacker as Snow Clairton police said the girl’s injuries included a cut lip bruising and swelling around her eye and a scrape on her cheek reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct declined Friday to comment on the charges facing his client Snow was released on the day of the incident on nonmonetary bail A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 24 Clairton City School District said on Friday it could not comment on the ongoing police investigation CHARLEROI — Geibel Catholic jumped out to a five-point lead in the first quarter but unfortunately for the Lady Gator faithful and pulled away in the second half for a 52-32 victory Monday night at Charleroi Area High School in the semifinals of the WPIAL Class A girls basketball playoffs The Lady Bears (19-4) will play Union (24-0) on Friday at the Petersen Events Center on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh at 3 p.m The Lady Scotties are seeking their third straight and overall district title while Clairton is hoping for its third WPIAL championship after winning back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002 “I’m elated,” Clairton coach Carlton Wade said who wanted to get down there (Petersen Events Center) We are not the biggest but our supporters made a lot of noise tonight.” Although the Lady Gators (22-2) were denied the opportunity to play for an eighth WPIAL title they are in the state playoffs and can enter the tournament as the third seed if they win on Wednesday against Aquinas Academy (15-8) in the consolation final The game will be played at Geibel Catholic Junior/Senior High School Despite falling short of reaching the final Lady Gators coach Sara Larkin was pleased with her team for winning a playoff game this season and also qualifying for the state playoffs and I think we exceeded expectations,” Larkin said refocus and get ready for Aquinas on Wednesday.” Ava Henderson buried a three-pointer and Emma Larkin scored on a layup in transition for a 5-0 Geibel Catholic advantage before Clairton’s Reyonee Williams made back-to-back baskets on mid-range jumpers to cut the deficit to 5-4 Janiah Darnell scored inside and Larkin’s layup put the Lady Gators up five for the second time but it would be the largest lead Geibel would maintain Karma Fuqua and Iyanna Wade connected on field goals to pull the Lady Bears within one at 9-8 as the first quarter closed Clairton tied the game at 10-10 on a jumper from Fuqua before Mallory Clemmer made a jumper of her own for a 12-10 advantage for the Lady Gators After Wade tied the game on a tremendous move for a layup but the Lady Bears’ Jamiya Juju Childs nailed a shot from behind-the-arc to tie the game at 15-15 before Wade scored drew the foul and made the free throw for an 18-15 lead with three minutes remaining in the second period for Clairton’s first lead Wade made two three-pointers to extend the Lady Bears’ advantage to 24-18 at halftime Sara Larkin felt her team didn’t run their offense and took too many outside shots “We relied way too much on the three-point shot,” Larkin said and then at the end of the game when I’m telling them you gotta shoot the ball,’ everyone didn’t want to “We just got to understand situations better and when you’re standing out on the perimeter and nobody’s crashing we’re only getting one attempt and going the other direction.” Clairton pushed its lead to 28-18 with 5:12 left in the third quarter on a field goal from Juju Childs and two free throws from Wade was 1 of 2 at the foul line and added another field goal on a drive but she was the only Geibel player to score in the third quarter The Lady Bears had a 38-24 advantage after three quarters “We stressed defense all week,” Carlton Wade said “We knew if we could stop Emma from getting downhill Clairton slowed up its offense in the fourth period and despite Larkin scoring a drive to cut the deficit to 12 with 5:30 left in the game the Lady Bears had a 14-8 edge in the frame Larkin scored 12 of the Lady Gators’ 14 points in the second half She finished with 17 on seven field goals (one 3-pointer) and was 2 of 4 at the foul line Wade had an off day by her standards in scoring a game-high 22 points on six field goals (three 3-pointers) and was 7 of 9 at the line Karma (Fuqua) and Jamiya (Juju Childs) are my three big scorers,” Carlton Wade said “If we can continue with those three playing well Jamiya had the flu when we played them (Geibel) the second time Copyright © Herald-Standard | Contact | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy leading Clairton to a 48-25 victory over Ellis School in nonsection girls basketball Monday night Wade (3,021) joins Monessen’s Gina Naccarato (3,364) and Charel Allen (3,110) and East Allegheny’s Brooke Stewart (3,055) in the 3,000-point club Jamiya Childs added 10 points for the Bears (17-4) Syree Spencer scored nine points for Ellis School (8-9) Carrick 17 – Peyton Lynch scored 19 points and Rhyan Sledge contributed 10 for Allderdice (17-5 Jayda Rose scored eight points to lead Carrick (10-11 Elizabeth Forward 50 – Lynsey Bernotas scored 23 points Mary Vargo had 13 and Kelsey Meyer added 11 to lead Baldwin (14-8) to a nonsection win Michelle Jellison scored 18 points and Mia Sostaric had 10 for Elizabeth Forward (17-5) Keystone Oaks 40 – Sadie Orie led all scorers with 24 points as Bethel Park (11-11) bested Keystone Oaks (18-2) in nonsection play Hannah York and Alayna Wagner scored 12 points apiece for the Eagles North Allegheny 48 – Aubree Hupp poured in 26 points Mia Sheesley scored 12 and Andrea Kinger contributed 11 for Blackhawk (20-2) in a nonsection win Maddie Williams sank four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points and Rosalita Varlotta added 10 for North Allegheny (9-13) Montour 22 – Sam Miller scored 21 points and Madison Clair added 13 to lead Canon-McMillan (13-8) to a nonsection win Abigail Cleary scored 11 points for Montour (8-14) Cheswick Christian Academy 36 – Ainsley Schier scored 14 points to pace Cornerstone Prep (2-6) in a Southwestern Christian Athletic Conference win Abby Louis had 18 points to lead Cheswick Christian Academy(5-3) Rochester 43 – Brooke Cornali led with 19 points Olivia Kemp followed with 14 and Jazlyn Martino added 13 to push Fort Cherry (18-3) to a nonsection win Kamryn Newman scored 15 points for Rochester (9-12) Mohawk 30 – Caylee Sundy and Maya Richburg each scored 15 points while Avery Boyd added 11 as Hopewell (9-13) defeated Mohawk (6-16) in nonsection play Giana Pezzuolo scored seven to lead the Spartans Hampton 28 – Neah Ewing scored 13 points and Karlee Buterbaugh added 11 to lead Knoch (12-10) to a nonsection win Katie Christy scored 11 points for Hampton (10-11) North Hills 52 – Mya Moore scored 15 points Alexis Cashdollar had 13 and Cecilia Christy added 11 to push Mars (13-9) past North Hills (7-15) in a nonsection win OLSH 32 – Jaedin Griggs put up 23 points and Mara Depner added 15 to lead Moon (12-7) to a nonsection win Lola Garner and Leah Parker scored six points apiece for OLSH (19-3) Peters Township 45 – Anessa Donoghue scored 18 points and Payton Collins added 11 to help Mt Natalie Wetzel scored 14 and Bri Morreale had 10 for Peters Township (19-3) Derry 19 – Ryleigh Drzal put up 15 points and Grace Arrigo contributed 11 as Mt Pleasant (6-15) beat Derry (4-17) for a nonsection win Greensburg Central Catholic 56 – Madi Pullen scored 12 points to lead Oakland Catholic (19-3) in a nonsection playoff tuneup for WPIAL title contenders London Creach and Josie Fontana each added 11 and Alayla Bivins had 10 for the Eagles Erica Gribble scored 23 and Jayla Peterson finished with 13 for Greensburg Central Catholic (17-5) Greensburg Salem 39 – Tamia West dropped 19 points Riley Stephans added 11 and Serena Carnahan had 10 for Plum (10-12) in a nonsection win Blessing Gantt produced 15 to power Greensburg Salem (13-9) Joseph 48 – Katerina Tsambis hit for 26 points Lily Bauer added 13 and Isabel Chaparro tallied 10 in a nonsection win for Riverview (13-4) Gia Richter drained four 3-pointers and finished with 26 points and Gemma Hornack had 12 points for St Butler 48 – Karis Thomas scored 20 points Laila Banner had 12 and Cassie Sauer added 11 to push Shady Side Academy (22-0) to a nonsection win Syd Patterson scored 16 points and Amelia McMichael had 15 for Butler (11-10) Seton LaSalle 42 – Sutton Williamson and Bentley Layhue each recorded double-doubles to power Trinity (12-9) to a nonsection win over Seton LaSalle (15-6) Williamson scored 16 points and had 11 rebounds while Layhue put up 14 points and pulled in 10 boards Addie Lonegran led the Rebels with 17 points West Allegheny 46 – Rylee Kalocay led with 27 points and Meredith Huzjak added 12 for Upper St Ella Smith scored 14 points and Alaina Holtz had 10 for West Allegheny (11-11) California 39 – Peyton Cowell scored 20 points to lead four players in double figures as Waynesburg (10-12) defeated California (11-7) in nonsection play Chatham Knight dropped 12 points while Briena Coon and Mya Smith each contributed 10 for the Raiders Olivia Gibson scored 14 points for the Trojans Serra Catholic 45 – Aleah Cooper scored 19 points Alexis Bansah had 14 and Sky Still added 12 to lead Winchester Thurston (19-3) to a nonsection win Bella Dumbroski scored 25 points for Serra Catholic (12-10) Carrick 54 – Trey Schachter poured in 18 points Asher Schwartz and Lukas Stead each scored 12 Mrkus Kuhn added 11 and Ryan Zuckerbraun finished with 10 for Allderdice (13-9 Brayden Fisher followed with 17 and Kejuan Johnson contributed 10 for Carrick (13-9 Joseph 46 – Zane Beatty scored 16 points and Brayden Myers added 13 to lead Apollo-Ridge (6-16) to a nonsection victory Ryan McCarthy scored 17 and Kyle Lecker chipped in 11 for St Valley 37 – Jaydon Oliver scored 14 points and Quinton Olsen added 13 as Armstrong (8-14) defeated Valley (5-17) in a nonsection matchup Mickael Allen led all scorers with 19 and Taireke Davis finished with 10 for the Vikings Elizabeth Forward 55 – Nate Wesling scored 27 points and Max Marzina had 18 to send Baldwin (21-1) to a nonsection win Daniel Spence scored 20 and Cy Herchelroath added 12 for Elizabeth Forward (17-5) Rochester 39 – Cartier Williams led all scorers with 20 points Dajuan Flenory followed with 18 and Jason Frank scored 17 to lead Beaver Falls (3-19) to a nonsection win Jayvin Hemmer and Nate Bills each tallied 11 points for Rochester (5-17) New Brighton 49 – Tyler Heckathorn scored 19 points to hit 1,000 points for his career leading Blackhawk (7-13) to a nonsection win Justin Shanor also scored 19 and Mario Fusetti and Logan Gabauer added 16 each for the Cougars Dash Graham scored 13 points for New Brighton (6-13) Perry Traditional Academy 48 – Mike Lee produced 28 points while Ryan White and Nasir Thomas scored 10 points apiece to lead Brashear (6-15 De’Onte Herring scored 15 points to pace Perry (1-16 Northgate 61 (OT) – Isaiah Jeter set a school single-game record with 46 points including a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to give Central Valley (18-4) a nonsection win over Northgate (13-9) Portersville Christian 50 – Taris Wooding and Jajuan Bailey scored 13 points apiece for Clairton (9-10) in a nonsection win over Portersville Christian Southmoreland 44 – Stanley Rajkovich had a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead Derry (12-9) in a nonsection playoff tuneup John Wasnick added 16 and Brayden Robinson had 12 for the Trojans Noah Felentzer scored 14 and Brady Sherbondy had 13 for Southmoreland (17-5) Monessen 39 – Shane Cornali scored 20 points and Gavin Grace added 11 to lead Fort Cherry (13-8) to a nonsection win Rodney Johnson scored 12 points for Monessen (13-9) Avonworth 61 – Asher White scored 15 points John Rehak added 12 and Grant Fenton and Ike Moser each produced 11 points as Fox Chapel (16-6) defeated Avonworth (17-5) in nonsection play Noah Quinn had 15 and Luca Neal chipped in with 12 for the Antelopes Canon-McMillan 47 – Mykel Bruce-McCrommon scored 18 points Jax Vovaris had 14 and Paul Nnacho added 12 to lead Gateway (13-8) to a nonsection win Roman Koenemund scored 14 points for Canon-McMillan (5-17) Freeport 29 – Gavin Guinn scored 20 points and Jonas Cupp added 14 for Hampton (11-11) in a nonsection win over Freeport (6-16) Waynesburg 62 – Jeremiah Robertson scored 21 points Dayten Marion had 17 and Houston Guesman added 14 to lead Jefferson-Morgan (15-7) to a nonsection win Alex Van Sickle scored 20 points and Cole Headlee had 14 for Waynesburg (9-13) Brentwood 61 – Erond Jakupi scored 21 points Tulio Watts added 13 and Bruno Onate followed with 11 as Keystone Oaks (16-6) beat Brentwood (8-13) in nonsection play while Colton Rosing produced 14 and Aidan Barker had 10 for the Spartans Chartiers-Houston 45 – Ayden Cunningham nailed the game-winning 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left to lift McGuffey (16-6) past Chartiers-Houston (19-3) in nonsection play Cunningham finished with 25 points and sank four 3s for the Highlanders Justus Buckingham scored 16 points while Nate Gregory and Aaron Walsh each chipped in 10 for the Buccaneers Ringgold 51 – Ama Sow led with 23 points and Colton Straight followed with 19 for Montour (21-1) in a nonsection win Szyair Dungee scored 18 points and Chris Wilson had 14 for Ringgold (5-17) Andrew Alston and Trey Hopper added 10 points apiece for the Spartans Peters Township 58 – Carter Gould led all scorers with 21 points Liam Sheely followed with 17 and Eli Deibert had 16 in a nonsection win for Mt Dylan Donovan dropped 22 to pace Peters Township (15-7) West Allegheny 48 – David Kwiat scored 16 points Talan Anderton finished with 15 and Tony Perrotta added 14 for Neshannock (18-2) in a nonsection win Tyler Blatz sank four 3-pointers and scored 20 points while Jonah Buglak made four 3s for a total of 12 points for West Allegheny (8-13) Central Catholic 45 – Jason Fredericks led with 21 points and Jude Rottman followed with 20 to push North Catholic (17-5) to a nonsection win Owen Campfield scored 12 points for Central Catholic (13-9) West Mifflin 57 – Amon Hawthorne scored 15 points to lead four players in double figures for Penn Hills (12-9) in a nonsection win Daven Reynolds scored 21 and Jermiah Dewberry had 13 for West Mifflin (8-14) Shenango 30 – Nic Cohen scored 16 points to lead Quaker Valley (15-7) to a nonsection win over Shenango (11-11) Winchester Thurston 59 – Owen Dumbroski went off for 29 points Tyler Sapida added 16 and Mekhi Underwood followed with 11 to lead Serra Catholic (19-3) to a nonsection win Mike Hammerling put up 28 and Matt Southers finished with 16 for Winchester Thurston (15-7) Ambridge 49 – Keenu Brooks led Seton LaSalle (10-12) with 18 points Pat Weldon followed with 16 and Noah Sear added 14 in a nonsection win Adam Fernandez scored 24 points and Jared Astorino had 14 for Ambridge (4-16) Plum 57 – Seamus Rordan led with 29 points and Cam Mallory and Ryan Frolich followed with 14 points apiece for Shady Side Academy (9-12) to a nonsection win Max Grice scored 22 points and Will Beckner had 11 for Plum (9-13) Baldwin 4 – Rylan Sorge scored a pair of goals while Mathius Sprickman Ethan Cunningham and Tucker Kinnear each added a goal as Cathedral Prep (14-4) defeated Baldwin (3-12-2) in Class 2A Nate Buys and Mack Dempsey each scored for the Highlanders Meadville 0 – Ryan Kumpf and Darien Strosnider each scored a pair of goals white Jackson Corey and Sawyer Carlo each added a goal as Chartiers Valley (18-1) blanked Meadville (10-10) in Class A Matt Colberg made 15 saves for the shutout Wilmington 2 – Mason Mazak had three goals and two assists Hunter Garlick added three goals and one assist Evan Sokol had a goal and three assists and Logan Hause collected two goals and an assist in a Division 2 win for Connellsville (11-5-2) Beckett Miller and Tye Tomak scored for Wilmington (2-14-1) Ringgold 2 – Canyon Hines scored the winning goal with 54 seconds left in regulation Beau Ritson also scored and CJ Evans dished out three assists for Gateway (10-8-1) in a Division 2 win Anthony Bonari and Caden Doran scored for Ringgold (10-7) Butler 1 – Ryan Bell had a goal and two assists Matt Stone added a goal and an assist and Gabe Nettleton and Tyler Yount also scored for Indiana (9-6-4) in Class A Sewickley Academy 2 (SO) – Mick Ritts scored the tying goal in the third period Synjun McHattie also scored and Straton Muskco made 21 saves to lead Knoch (7-9-2) to a shootout win in Division 2 CJ Wright and Aiden Ferguson scored and Jack Carlson made 37 saves for Sewickley Academy (0-17-2) Wheeling Park 2 – Ethan Vactor scored a pair of goals and Gavin Stevenson chipped in another to lead Mars (16-3) to a Class A win Luke Simonetti scored twice for Wheeling Park (10-5-2) Quaker Valley 2 – Thomas Barefoot’s second goal of the game was the overtime winner for Montour (14-4) in Class A Jace Vasbinder scored twice for Quaker Valley (17-1-1) Richland 1 – Jonathan Trosky and Dillon Cobaugh scored two goals apiece to lead North Hills (11-8) to a Class A win Christopher Muschar and Will Jackson each added a goal for the Indians South Fayette 1 – Matthew Bailey scored the winning goal in the third period and Cooper Hoehn had a goal and an assist for Seneca Valley (13-3) in a Class 3A win Nathaniel Keller scored and Jackson Ankrum made 34 saves for South Fayette (8-8-1) Dylan Yealy and Eli Rankin scored as Upper St Clair (8-8-1) beat Pine-Richland (5-9-2) in Class 3A Hampton 3 (SO) – Branden Switalski had a goal and an assist John Wineland netted the tying goal in the third period and Thomas Slomski also scored to lead West Allegheny (8-10) to a shootout win in Class A Joey Stephenson scored twice and Preston Cochran had a goal for Hampton (7-11-1) Here are some of the latest news items from this morning An issue with a battery early Wednesday triggered a fire — and an “audible boom” — that injured at least two people at U.S Steel’s Clairton Coke Works plant in Pittsburgh’s Mon Valley The coke works’ B Battery experienced a hydraulic failure overnight Allegheny County Health Department said U.S The buildup of combustible material then ignited causing the boom that some area residents might have heard About “20 seconds of emissions” also leaked from the facility into the air needed first-aid treatment because they got material in their eyes They were taken to the hospital but did not suffer serious injuries the incident caused pollution rates created by the plant’s emissions to rise though health officials said the readings were “well under the EPA 24-hour rate.” The health department plans to continue monitoring the impact on air quality in the region Authorities have identified the Glassport man fatally shot at an apartment building last week as Le Andre Porch Allegheny County Police made an arrest Wednesday in connection with the shooting which was reported in the 800 block of Monongahela Avenue at about 7:15 p.m Porch had been shot once in the neck while trying to access the Hemlock Alley entrance to an apartment according to a criminal complaint in the case First responders rushed him to an area hospital in critical condition the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said “They did everything they could to save his life but unfortunately nothing else could be done,” Porch’s family wrote on a GoFundMe page looking to raise money for funeral expenses he had no life insurance and no one expected to have to bury their child.” into custody and charged him with criminal homicide Allegheny County Police said and court records show The witness said they and Porch previously saw Wright and his children at a Family Dollar store Wright’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb Porch’s family said they donated Porch’s organs as the young man’s “final act of kindness.” He is survived by his parents