Bishop Guilfoyle Blanks Clairton for 3rd Straight PIAA 1-A Title

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, December 9, 2016 | 6:44 PM

For the Clairton seniors like Lamont Wade and Noah Hamlin, a PIAA championship was the final piece in their incredible careers. The Bears left Hershey unfulfilled, though, as the Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders decisively prevailed, 17-0, in the Class 1A title game at Hersheypark Stadium.

Bishop Guilfoyle (15-0) captured its third straight crown, and extended its win streak to 47 games, denying the Bears (14-1) a chance for redemption after the Marauders won 19-18 in the 2014 meeting. In the process, the Bears suffered their first shutout in more than 13 years.

While the final score showed a comfortable margin of victory for Bishop Guilfoyle, the Marauders held just a six-point edge through the first half. The only points came in the second frame on an Andrew Irwin 4-yard run, capping off a 10-play, 76-yard drive by Bishop Guilfoyle. The snap on the extra point was high, though, and the impromptu two-point pass fell incomplete.

The third quarter began in disastrous fashion for the Bears, though, as Wade handled the opening kickoff at around the Bears 10-yard line, but reversed field and was tackled inside the 1. After failing to pick up a first down, the Bears punted, but the ball only traveled to the 29-yard line.

Third-year Clairton coach Wayne Wade detailed how that drive proved to be a turning point in the contest. “We thought coming out at the half … we could drive the ball on them and go score and take the lead,” he said. “It didn’t happen, and it took the air out of us a little bit.”

Despite failing to pick up a first down on the drive, the Marauders got three points on the powerful leg of sophomore kicker Kolton McGhee, who blasted a 43-yard kick with plenty of distance to spare to stake his team to a two-possession advantage.

On the ensuing possession for Clairton, Hamlin fumbled on the third play, and Bishop Guilfoyle recovered. Starting at the Bears’ 31-yard-line, BG wasted little time finding pay dirt, as Evan Chadbourn, who returned last week from injury, darted for a 20-yard touchdown. The Marauders added a two-point conversion on a jump pass that pushed their lead to three possessions.

Staked to a 17-point advantage midway through the third quarter, the defense for Bishop Guilfoyle established its dominance. The Bears twice turned the ball over on downs inside the red zone, with a pair of Hamlin interceptions sandwiched in between. In total, the Bears committed four turnovers, and compiled just 193 yards.

On the other side, the Marauders offense was held relatively in check, but proved more opportunistic. Keyed by 118 yards rushing by Irwin, combined with 64 yards passing by Josh Trybus, the Marauders netted 263 yards.

For the Bears, Wade totaled 70 yards rushing on 15 attempts. He concluded his prolific career with Clairton with over 7,000 yards rushing and as the all-time Pennsylvania touchdown leader. Hamlin, who is also a Division I prospect, chipped in with 52 yards rushing and 80 yards passing.

Although the Bears have not claimed PIAA gold since 2012, Wayne Wade still was proud of his team, which captured its third-consecutive WPIAL Championship this year and made its seventh state title appearance since 2008.

“Any time you can make a state championship game, you can’t say you didn’t have a successful season. To come up short, of course we’re going to be disappointed.”

Score By Quarter
Clairton                        0 – 0 – 0 – 0 = 0
Bishop Guilfoyle         0 – 6 – 11 – 0 = 17

Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
None

2nd Quarter
7:56 – BG – Andrew Irwin 4-yard run (Mark Conrad pass failed)

3rd Quarter
7:48 – BG – Kolton McGhee 43 yard field goal
6:03 – BG – Evan Chadbourn 20-yard run (Luke Frederick pass from Andrew Irwin)

4th Quarter
None

Tags: Bishop Guilfoyle, Clairton