Clairton rallies from 24 down for 2nd title

FROM THE MORNING CALL

HERSHEY — Clairton's ride to a second consecutive state title was as topsy-turvy as the loops of the amusement park roller coaster towering behind Hersheypark Stadium.

The Bears (16-0) finished the season unbeaten by rallying from a 24-0 deficit Friday with five straight touchdowns against Riverside for a 36-30 win in Class A to kick off the PIAA's championship weekend with a thriller.

Quarterback Desimon Green ran for a score and connected with Tyler Boyd for two touchdown passes — the second an 82-yarder early in the third quarter to give Clairton its first lead at 28-24. The defense clamped down on what had been an explosive Riverside offense.

Just a couple minutes removed from Clairton's 31st consecutive victory, one of the WPIAL team's orange-and-black clad fans yelled from the stands, "We'll be back next year!"


After getting his hands on another trophy, Green was just trying to catch his breath — though he said the team hardly panicked after the early adversity.

"No, because it was the first half," Green said. "There was a lot of time left. We got the job done."

The comeback was thought to be the largest in a PIAA final. It might have been one of the longest title tilts, too, lasting 3-plus hours thanks in part to 27 combined penalties for 249 yards, and the unexpected shootout involving a Bears defense that allowed just 34 points entering the afternoon.

Undaunted Riverside (14-2) surprised early by throwing often. Corey Talerico was 17 of 36 passing for 223 yards with three touchdowns and three picks.

He was an impressive 6 of 9 for 100 yards and a score in the Vikings' dominant first quarter. At that point, a title repeat looked bleak for Clairton, which was outgained 181 to minus-15 in the first quarter.

Nick Rossi scored on a 64-yard scamper, and Talerico threw for touchdowns of 60 and 23 yards. Riverside also converted three 2-point conversions to go up 24 with 9:46 left in the second.

"We have a fearless group of players, they're not going to intimidated by anybody's record or reputation," Riverside coach Harry Armstrong said. "For our guys to jump out to a 24-0 lead was unexpected for just about anybody except our own players."

But Clairton dominated from there with its impressive collection of speedsters. After Green's 2-yard touchdown run gave Clairton its first score, Riverside had a 4th-and-57 from its own 13 when Talerico was sacked with 3-plus minutes left in the first half. Clairton scored twice more from there to get within 24-20 at the half.

"That's where the momentum shifted," Armstrong said. "If we could have put together a drive there, the game might have changed in that sequence. From there on, (Clairton's) playmakers were doing it."

Talerico threw his third touchdown of the game with 1:28 left to get his team within six, and Riverside had one last chance on offense after a Clairton punt. But Deon Ellis intercepted Talerico's deep pass to seal the victory.

The 6-foot-5 Green plays end and also had an interception on defense. He finished 4 of 10 passing for 135 yards, and ran 13 times for 16.

"We just looked at each other. It was our last game," he said. "So we had to give it our all."

http://www.mcall.com/sports/varsity/mc-fbh-piaa-class-a-20101217,0,6253577.story