CTK 2011 – 2010 WPIAL Class A Football Flashback

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, August 16, 2011 | 4:06 PM

The Clairton Bears continue to dominate the Class A ranks in high school football and now their wins are reaching historic proportions. Last fall, Clairton won another Black Hills Conference crown, a third straight (fourth in five years) WPIAL championship with another hard-earned win over Rochester at Heinz Field, a second consecutive PIAA state crown…and oh yeah, a winning streak that has now reached 31 in a row. Here is a look back at the WPIAL Class A in 2010.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM WPIAL CLASS A FOOTBALL IN 2010:

* Thanks to Clairton's impressive run, the WPIAL is getting some of its statewide swagger back in Class A. The back-to-back titles for the Bears are the first time D-7 teams have won a Class A crown since Rochester in 2001 and 2001. The WPIAL's first Class A state championship came in 1994 with Duquesne. In the next nine years, WPIAL teams won seven Class A crowns thanks in large part to Rochester's three wins in four years. However D-7 went seven years without a state title in the states smallest classification until the current Bears run.

* How good was the Eastern Conference in 2010? Not only did it produce the best race in all of the WPIAL, with tri-champions Avonworth, Bishop Canevin and Springdale all finishing tied for first place, but up and down the section, the Eastern Conference proved to be the toughest in Class A. All four playoff teams won in the opening round as two of the four made it into the district Semifinals, plus Eastern Conference teams were a combined 8-3 in out of conference games. In contract, the Tri-County South was 1-8 in out of conference games.

* Another great turnaround story in 2010 was the transformation of Cornell football from moribund to playoff team. The Raiders went a combined 7-41 from 2005 through 2009 and had not won more than two games in a season in those five years. But that all changed in 2010 when Cornell won their first six games, setting up a battle of the unbeaten for first place in the Big 7 Conference against Rochester. The Raiders would lose that game and one more to finish the regular season 7-2 and stroll into the playoffs for the first time since 2001. Cornell would lose to Beth-Center in Round One, but it didn't erase the joy of the best football season at Cornell this century.

* Only two Class A teams didn't enjoy the sweet taste of victory in 2010…Bentworth (12 in a row) and Mapletown (11 straight), however two long losing streaks ended in Week 4. West Greene had a 26-game losing streak end with a victory over Mapletown while Wilkinsburg's 12-game skid ended with a triumph over Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. Speaking of the Chargers, their first year of football saw OLSH lose their first eight Eastern Conference games before a non-conference victory over West Greene on the final day of the regular season gave Our Lady of the Sacred Heart their first victory ever.

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2010 WPIAL CLASS A FINAL STANDINGS:
# = Conference Champion
* = Playoff Berth…
x = Missed Postseason

Big 7 Conference:

#-Rochester Rams : (7-0) – (12-0)
*-Sto-Rox Vikings : (5-2) – (7-3)
*-Cornell Raiders : (5-2) – (7-3)
*-Western Beaver Golden Beavers : (5-2) – (6-4)
x-Shenango Wildcats : (3-4) – (4-5)
x-Neshannock Lancers : (2-5) – (4-5)
x-Union Scotties : (1-6) – (2-7)
x-South Side Rams : (0-7) – (1-9)

Black Hills Conference:

#-Clairton Bears : (7-0) – (12-0)
*-Fort Cherry Rangers : (5-2) – (5-5)
*-Chartiers-Houston Buccaneers : (5-2) – (7-3)
*-Brentwood Spartans : (5-2) – (7-3)
x-Serra Catholic Eagles : (3-4) – (3-7)
x-Carlynton Cougars : (2-5) – (2-7)
x-Avella Eagles : (1-6) – (1-8)
x-Bentworth Bearcats : (0-7) – (0-9)

Eastern Conference:

#-Avonworth Antelopes : (7-1) – (10-2)
#-Springdale Dynamos : (7-1) – (10-2)
#-Bishop Canevin Crusaders : (7-1) – (9-2)
*-North Catholic Trojans : (5-3) – (7-4)
x-Riverview Raiders : (4-4) – (6-4)
x-Leechburg Blue Devils : (3-5) – (3-6)
x-Northgate Flames : (2-6) – (2-8)
x-Wilkinsburg Tigers : (1-7) – (2-7)
x-Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Chargers : (0-8) – (1-8)

Tri-County South Conference:

#-Monessen Greyhounds : (8-0) – (9-2)
*-Beth-Center Bulldogs : (7-1) – (8-3)
*-California Trojans : (6-2) – (6-4)
*-Carmichaels Mighty Mikes : (5-3) – (6-4)
x-Frazier Commodores : (4-4) – (4-5)
x-Geibel Gators : (3-5) – (3-6)
x-Jefferson-Morgan Rockets : (2-6) – (3-6)
x-West Greene Pioneers : (1-7) – (1-8)
x-Mapletown Maples : (0-8) – (0-9)

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2010 WPIAL CLASS A PLAYOFFS:
(all games (MSA) are archived at msasports.net)

2010 WPIAL CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP:

Clairton Bears 12 – Rochester Rams 0 (MSA)

WPIAL CLASS A SEMIFINALS:

Clairton Bears 26 – Springdale Dynamos 7 (MSA)

Rochester Rams 20 – Avonworth Antelopes 7 (MSA)

WPIAL CLASS A QUARTERFINALS:

Clairton Bears 47 – Bishop Canevin Crusaders 0 (MSA)

Springdale Dynamos 30 – Monessen Greyhounds 6 (MSA)

Rochester Rams 35 – Beth-Center Bulldogs 0 (MSA)

Avonworth Antelopes 17 – North Catholic Trojans 3 (MSA)

WPIAL CLASS A FIRST ROUND:

Clairton Bears 42 – Carmichaels Mighty Mikes 0 (MSA)

Bishop Canevin Crusaders 24 – Fort Cherry Rangers 16 (MSA)

Monessen Greyhounds 33 – Chartiers-Houston Buccaneers 0 (MSA)

Springdale Dynamos 35 – Western Beaver Golden Beavers 14 (MSA)

Rochester Rams 42 – California Trojans 7 (MSA)

Beth-Center Bulldogs 34 – Cornell Raiders 12 (MSA)

Avonworth Antelopes 28 – Brentwood Spartans 21 (MSA)

North Catholic Trojans 10 – Sto-Rox Vikings 8 (MSA)

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2010 PIAA CLASS A PLAYOFFS:
(all games (MSA) are archived at msasports.net)

2010 PIAA CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:

CLAIRTON BEARS 36 – Taylor Riverside Vikings 30 (MSA)

PIAA CLASS A SEMIFINALS:

CLAIRTON BEARS 48 – Farrell Steelers 8 (MSA)

Taylor Riverside Vikings 34 – Bishop Carroll Huskies 20

PIAA CLASS A QUARTERFINALS:

CLAIRTON BEARS 52 – North Star Cougars 0 (MSA)

Farrell Steelers 35 – Curwensville Golden Tide 14

Bishop Carroll Huskies 34 – Reading Holy Name Blue Jays 21

Taylor Riverside Vikings 41 – Schuylkill Haven Hurricanes 0

PIAA CLASS A FIRST ROUND:

WPIAL Championship – CLAIRTON BEARS 12 – ROCHESTER RAMS 0 (MSA)

District 5 Championship – North Star Cougars 36 – Northern Bedford Panthers 20

District 9 Championship – Curwensville Golden Tide 37 – Port Allegany Gators 21

District 10 Championship – Farrell Steelers 39 – Mercyhurst Prep Lakers 0

District 6 Championship – Bishop Carroll Huskies 32 – Bishop McCort Crimson Crushers 13

District 3 Championship – Reading Holy Name Blue Jays 27 – Millersburg Indians 20

Taylor Riverside Vikings 36 – Southern Columbia Tigers 0

Schuylkill Haven Hurricanes 41 – Calvary Christian Academy Cougars 14
 

Tags: Avella, Avonworth, Bentworth, Beth-Center, Bishop Canevin, Brentwood, California, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, Carlynton, Carmichaels, Chartiers-Houston, Clairton, Cornell, Fort Cherry, Frazier, Geibel, Jefferson-Morgan, Leechburg, North Catholic, West Greene, Western Beaver, Wilkinsburg