Clairton Welcomes Home State Champion Bears
CLAIRTON (KDKA/AP) -- The Clairton Bears increased their consecutive win streak to a WPIAL record 47 straight on Friday when they won their third consecutive PIAA Class A championship.
The Bears defeated Southern Columbia 35-19 at Hersheypark Stadium this afternoon.
After the hard-fought victory, the team arrived home late Friday night with a police and fire truck escort to the delight of their excited fans.
"I was at work - excited, crying, jumping, screaming," said fan Ashley Pompey, of where she was at when her team won the championship.
As they hoisted the championship trophy in front of all their fans, the head coach and players couldn't have been more pleased to see the turn out from the community.
"It was all through the whole town," said Tom Nola, the Bears head coach. "It means a lot to the community, you can see that and we're just glad we could bring it home."
Clairton finished the season 16-0 for the second straight season. The Bears lost their season-opening game in 2009 to Laurel, but won the remaining 15 games that season.
The players were excited to bring home another championship.
"I think this is amazing," said Capri Thompson, the Bears quarterback. "It shows how much everyone really loves us, shows that we really are a team as a community and as a Clairton Bear team."
"Where we're from you hear more bad things than good things, so when good things happen, we tend to celebrate more," added Terrish Webb, a Bears wide receiver.
RELATED LINKS:
"Mr. High School Sports" – PIAA Football Championships: Clairton Makes History With Three-Peat
More High School Sports
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