Clairton routs Frazier, 33-14
CLAIRTON — Sophomore quarterback Aaron Mathews rushed for 136 yards on 14 carries and scored four touchdowns to lead No. 4 Clairton to a 33-14 WPIAL Class A opening round playoff win over Frazier at Clairton’s Neil C. Brown Stadium.
After a scoreless first quarter, Clairton outscored the visiting Commodores 20-8 in the second quarter as Mathews scored on runs of 17, 4 and 6 yards. Mathews rushed for 94 yards in the quarter.
However, following Mathews’ initial score at 10:05 of the second, the Commodores flexed their collective muscles to knot the game at 8-8 when Charles Manack connected with Dakota Hixson on a 13-yard touchdown pass at 5:21. Turning the tables on the Bears, Hixson completed the two-point conversion pass to Manack to even the score.
Clairton (9-1) took the lead for good on the Bears’ ensuing drive that covered 59 yards in six plays, with Mathews scoring the go-ahead touchdown. After Frazier (7-3) fumbled the ensuing kickoff, Clairton needed four plays to take the 20-8 halftime lead.
“We played a strong first quarter and that was important to us,” Frazier coach Mike Steeber said. “These guys were not intimidated by Clairton’s name or reputation. We wanted to get the game to the second quarter and have a chance to win and the same going into the third quarter. It’s a credit to our players to play the way they did all season and again tonight. I’m proud of what they accomplished and they have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Clairton needed only two third-quarter possessions to put the game out of reach. Mathews scored his fourth touchdown at 11:08 of the period when, playing wide receiver on the Bears’ left side, he caught a pass from Ryan Williams and raced from his left to right across the field and outdistanced Frazier’s defensive backs 52 yards to the end zone. Following a fumble on Frazier’s third play of its next possession, Raymone Clifford scored on a six-yard run at 8:51 of the quarter.
“We did what we were capable of doing and left everything on the field,” Steeber added. “We battled back and never gave up, but that’s the way it’s been for us all season. After Clairton took the lead and we came back to tie the game, that was an indication of the desire on this team. That gave us a big lift, but we could not sustain the momentum. Clairton is a solid team and when Mathews got even a little space he made some big plays. He’s a talented athlete.”
Frazier scored the game’s final points with 2:06 remaining in the third period when Manack connected with Hixson on a two-yard touchdown pass. Manack was 15-of-29 for 141 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, Manack completed 109 passes in 195 attempts for 1,794 yards and 27 touchdowns. Hixson was on the receiving end of nine passes for 97 yards and the two touchdowns. Hixson caught 39 passes for 768 yards on the year.
Capsulizing the season, Steeber added that his “seniors set high standards. They were not satisfied just to get to this game and it’s a credit to them that they played as well as they did.”
Trailing 20-8 at the half, Steeber’s words to his Commodores were “to run to the ball defensively and have more confidence offensively to move the ball and score. We chipped away with our passing game but our running game was not impressive. Mathews and Clairton’s running game were the obvious differences tonight. “
Frazier managed only 26 yards on the ground, compared to 332 for the Bears, who added 115 passing.
With the win, Clairton advances to the Class A quarterfinals against Fort Cherry.