The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the 2011 Season

The Good:

Tyler Boyd... Enough said right lol. It has been a blessing to watch him run, almost effortlessly, this past season. This kid is a rare breed of talent, and just maybe the best player, at the 1A level, in a long, long time. Watching him on an option play to the left and get cornered, just to cut back across the field for a long TD run in the State Championship was just a thing of beauty. And here's the scary thought for Class A teams, he'll be returning in the 2012 season for his Sr. Year.

Clairton's streak of 47 games in a row has been amazing. I know there are some that say that the Bears wouldn't own such a streak if Jeannette and/or Aliquippa played Class A football. I say so what, if those fans have something to say, let those schools drop and let it play out on the field. 47 games in a row, even against this competition, is one hell of a feat. Teams, that have the talent Clairton has, been known to play down to their competition and even lose. The fact that these Bears haven't done that and blasted these schools the way they have, the kids and the coach's should be applauded. These last 2 state championship games really tested the mettle and heart of these kids. And they passed with flying colors!

The Bad:

WPIAL competition has seemed to have gotten worse these past few years. When you see scores of 43-7 and 42-6 you instantly think of a regular season game, and not playoff games against the likes of Rochester and Sto Rox in the Semi's and the Finals.

What happened to the mighty WPIAL in Class A? I just remembered 10 years ago when Rochester went on to win a few State Championships but struggled in a few playoff games against the likes of Chartiers Houston in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Is it talent, coaching, or a combination of the 2?

The Ugly:

84-0 rings a bell doesn't it. While Clairton and even the haves have seemed to separate themselves, the difference between the haves and have nots has gotten much much worse. Beth Center, Springdale, Rochester, Bishop Canevin, and Clairton all routinely blew out their competition-or lack there of. Are we in need of a 5th Class or a Class 1A and Class 1B? Who knows, but this issue wasn't addressed for this next cycle(2012/13 and 2013/14 school years) but it will be. But Clairton's 84-0 win should be the catalyst for some change in the PIAA.