Howard’s big plays lead Clairton to 37-12 victory over Carmichaels
Jonathan Guth | Herald-Standard
Carmichaels’ Jake Lowry tackles Clairton’s Keishawn Wright during the first half of Friday’s WPIAL Class A quarterfinal playoff game at Charleroi’s Myron Pottios Stadium.
Carmichaels' Nick Mundell runs behind Brandon Crow, who blocks Clairton's Koytt Hall during the first half of Friday's WPIAL Class A quarterfinal playoff game at Charleroi's Myron Pottios Stadium.
Carmichaels' Kevin Kelly is hit by Clairton's Demetrius Weatherspoon after getting a pass off during the first quarter of Friday's WPIAL Class A quarterfinal playoff game at Charleroi's Myron Pottios Stadium. Kelly completed the pass to Garrett Ponick for 32 yards, as the Mikes ran a flea flicker.
Carmichaels' Garrett Ponick runs behind Jake Lowry during the first half of Friday's WPIAL Class A quarterfinal playoff game against Clairton at Charleroi's Myron Pottios Stadium.
Carmichaels' Joseph Minor tackles Clairton's Keishawn Wright during the first half of Friday's WPIAL Class A quarterfinal playoff game at Charleroi's Myron Pottios Stadium.
Clairton's Tre'sean Howard sprints towards the end zone on a 70-yard punt return during the second quarter of Friday's WPIAL Class A quarterfinal playoff game against Carmichaels at Charleroi's Myron Pottios Stadium.
Carmichaels' Nick Mundell looks for some running room during the first half of Friday's game against Clairton in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class A playoffs at Charleroi's Myron Pottios Stadium. The Bears' Demetrius Weatherspoon (71) and Koytt Hall defend on the play.
Jonathan Guth | Herald-Standard
Carmichaels’ Brennen Pelzer takes the handoff from Kevin Kelly during Friday’s WPIAL Class A quarterfinal playoff game against Clairton at Charleroi’s Myron Pottios Stadium.
Carmichaels' Nick Mundell pitches the ball back to quarterback Kevin Kelly on a flea flicker during the first quarter of Friday's WPIAL Class A quarterfinal playoff game against Clairton at Charleroi's Myron Pottios Stadium. Kelly completed the pass to Garrett Ponick for 32 yards.
Carmichaels' Dylan Wilson carries the ball with teammate Chad Ruse following the play during Friday's WPIAL Class A quarterfinal playoff game against Clairton at Charleroi's Myron Pottios Stadium.
FALLOWFIELD TWP. — Speed kills … and Clairton’s Tre’sean Howard has plenty of it.
The senior scored four touchdowns (two rushing, one punt return, one kickoff return) in leading the Bears to a 37-12 victory over Carmichaels on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class A playoffs at Charleroi’s Myron Pottios Stadium.
“I don’t know if it was necessarily so much what they did, it’s what we didn’t do,” Carmichaels coach Ryan Krull said. “That kid (Howard) was a super explosive player. They made the plays and we didn’t, so credit to them.
“The expectation is to win the football game. There is no moral victories for us. That doesn’t exist here. Every time we step on the field, the expectation is to win.”
Clairton (9-2) had four players suspended following an altercation in its first-round playoff game against Summit Academy, but Howard picked up the slack. In addition to his two big plays on specials teams, Howard ran for 93 yards on seven carries with two touchdowns, pulled in one reception for 37 yards and had an interception.
“Tre’sean Howard is a football player, and comes to play every week,” Clairton coach Wayne Wade said. “He is kind of being under recruited because of his size. We try to use him in all facets of the game, and that helps us because we’ve got other skill kids. We will have those four guys that were suspended back next week, but it truly is next man up for us.”
The Mikes (8-3) were haunted by the big play, and it hurt them in the third quarter when the Bears’ Aaron Thompson returned a fumble 73 yards for a touchdown at 4:12 and a 25-6 advantage.
“That was the biggest play of the game,” Wade said. “They were kind of pushing us and had some momentum going, and that fumble kind of separated us again.”
Carmichaels had stopped Clairton on its first possession in the second half, and was in the midst of a 12-play, 59-yard drive before Thompson’s score.
The Mikes didn’t let the touchdown faze them, as they started the ensuing drive on their own 43, and Jake Lowry’s 55-yard run down to the two-yard line set up Brennen Pelzer’s two-yard score at 3:45 of the third. Carmichaels went for the two-point conversion, but the run failed and the Bears held a 25-12 lead.
Lowry had 94 yards on 12 carries, and Pelzer gained 52 on 16 carries. Nick Mundell added 60 on 16 touches. The Mikes outgained Clairton in yards, 284-212. They held a 218-164 edge in rushing.
“Offensively, we were the same tonight as we’ve been in the past,” Krull said. “We run the football downhill and put it into multiple guys hands. At times we had success, at times not, but we just couldn’t finish drives tonight. That was the frustrating part.”
The Bears got the touchdown right back when Howard returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards at 3:30 for a 31-12 advantage.
“He (Howard) is a good player, but I just think we had some breakdowns, coverage wise, and that’s on me,” Krull said. “I gotta do a better job of putting guys in position.”
Clairton extended its lead to 37-12 in the fourth on Brendan Parson’s eight-yard run with 9:29 remaining.
The Bears opened up the scoring on Howard’s 21-yard run at 7:33 of the first and a 7-0 lead after Kenlein Ogletree’s PAT.
Carmichaels held Clairton on downs during its second possession, and moved the ball to the 49 when Kevin Kelly completed a 32-yard pass to Garrett Ponick on a flea flicker. The Bears held the Mikes on downs and took over on their own 32 at 9:11 of the second.
“I think we scratched the surface there and started to get going a little bit, and that allowed us to kind of open things up from there,” Krull said. “It was a big play for us, but unfortunately, there weren’t enough of them.”
Howard scored on a 47-yard run at 4:35 of the second for a 13-0 advantage, and pushed Clairton’s lead to 19-0 with three minutes remaining on a 70-yard punt return.
Carmichaels was able to get on the scoreboard with six seconds remaining in the second when Kelly scored on a one-yard run to cut the deficit to 19-6.
The Bears are headed to the semifinals against rival Jeannette (10-1). The Jayhawks rallied to beat Rochester, 30-26, in their quarterfinal matchup. Clairton downed Jeannette, 40-6, on Oct. 27 in the regular-season finale.
“I think getting all our guys back will excite our team,” Wade said. “We truly look forward to still being on the field this time of the year and we are just blessed to keep playing.”
The Mikes, who hadn’t been to the quarterfinals since 2002, lose nine seniors, but Krull is eager for the future.
“There are a lot of different personalities and I love these guys,” Krull said. “They (the seniors) have been awesome to coach and I’m really proud of them for the things that they have been able to accomplish. I think they would be the first to tell you that it was nice to get to the second round, but they wanted more.
“The Mikes are going to be here to stay. I think the program is in a good place, and it is 100 percent about the kids here and what they’re doing. We will take some time to reflect, and before you know it, we will be back in the weight room getting ready for the 2018 season.”