Play it again: Fort Cherry ‘hungry’ for second shot at Clairton
Fort Cherry’s Scott Miller (11) was hoping to lead the Rangers to one more game against Clairton. Fort Cherry will get its wish Friday in a WPIAL Class A playoff showdown against the Bears at Elizabeth Forward High School.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Fort Cherry’s Matthew Heslin runs the ball during the Rangers’ first-round playoff win over Carmichaels last Friday.
Moments after the final seconds drained off the Jim Garry Stadium scoreboard, finalizing the Fort Cherry High School football team’s wild 36-28 loss to Clairton Sept. 27, the Rangers’ players formed a circle and took a knee near their sideline.
Fort Cherry head coach Jim Shiel, several assistant coaches, and even one player, then took turns talking passionately to the Rangers about how they let a win slip away with one bad quarter of football, and how much they’d like to have another opportunity to play Clairton, the five-time defending WPIAL and four-time defending PIAA champion.
It’s rare in football that a team gets a second chance, but Fort Cherry has one Friday night. The Rangers (9-1) and Bears (9-1) will play it again in the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals at Elizabeth Forward High School. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
“We have to be hungry. We were given a second chance,” Shiel said.
That means being ready from the start, something Fort Cherry wasn’t during the Black Hills Conference game against Clairton six weeks ago. Clairton entered the game on the heels of having its 66-game winning streak snapped the previous week by Monessen, and the Bears played with a purpose, forging a quick 16-0 lead in the first quarter before the Rangers could shake the nerves that come with playing in a game that has a postseason feel.
“We definitely came out tight in that first quarter. We spotted them a 16-0 lead right from the get-go,” Shiel said.
But the Rangers bounced back behind tailback Koltan Kobrys, who rushed for 201 yards on 27 carries and had two touchdowns. The Rangers pulled to within 16-14 before halftime and had several opportunities to produce the game-tying score in the fourth quarter.
Too many times in the past, Clairton ruined Fort Cherry’s day, week and even season with a dominating victory over the Rangers. This year, Fort Cherry made a statement: it can play on even terms with Clairton. Now, the Rangers have an opportunity to take the next step and show they can defeat the Bears.
“Though we have four or five senior standouts, we’re not an experienced team,” Shiel pointed out. “We have a lot of guys with only one year of experience under their belt. We’ve done some amazing things this year. I don’t think anybody expected us to go 8-1 and tie for the conference championship. Most people were saying we’d be lucky to make the playoffs. But we can’t be complacent this week. Complacency is a bad thing. We have to be hungry to get to the next level.”
Fort Cherry got to this point by pulling out a 13-12 victory at Carmichaels last Friday in the first round of the playoffs. Clairton, meanwhile, handled Frazier, 33-14.
Kobrys rushed for 204 yards on carries against Carmichaels, but the Rangers scored only two touchdowns and were held to 27 points below their per-game average.
“We were a little tight last week – it’s the playoffs,” Shiel said. “We moved the ball but didn’t score much. In the first half, we drove to the red zone, but then we were looking for the big play too much instead of just getting the first down.”
Fort Cherry’s offense will get a boost from the return of speedy junior wide receiver Alex Babirad, who suffered a concussion in the regular-season finale and sat out the Carmichaels game. Babirad (6-2, 170) has 19 receptions and averages 28 yards per catch. His return could open the middle of the field for tight end Zak Dysert, who is FC’s leading receiver and had a big game in the first meeting with Clairton.
Babirad also could play a big role on defense, playing defensive back against Clairton’s versatile sophomore quarterback-wide receiver Aaron Mathews (6-5, 171).
“Alex is a big-play wide receiver. He doesn’t drop many passes. If you get the ball in the zip code, then he’ll catch it,” Shiel said. “Teams have to respect his speed and his height. He also has to be a factor on defense in this game. We don’t have anyone else who can match up with (Mathews) in terms of size at receiver.”
Mathews has scored 14 touchdowns and thrown six scoring passes. He had a hand in two touchdowns in the game at Fort Cherry, and the Rangers were blindsided by Clairton freshman running back Lamont Wade, who rushed for 141 yards on only 11 carries, including an 80-yard TD run.
Penalties – 26 of them – also were a factor in the first meeting. Fort Cherry was penalized 14 times for 153 yards, and Clairton was flagged 12 times in a game that was chippy and intense.
“Clairton is a team that we can’t give extra first downs to on penalties,” Shiel said. “They have speed, and they like to get the ball to (Mathews) in space. We have to keep him contained.”