Ever since Laurel knocked off the highly touted Clairton Bears on the first night of the season, Laurel has listened to many critics who said the win was a fluke.

Laurel has listened to claims that some simple home cookin' did in the visiting Bears. After all, Clairton had 172 yards in penalties on Laurel's home field and lost, 15-8.

Eleven weeks later, Laurel has to again prove itself against Clairton.

Laurel (10-1) takes on Clairton (10-1) in a WPIAL Class A semifinal Friday night at Center High School. The surface at Center's stadium will be more of a proving ground than synthetic turf.

"I suppose that first game has been mentioned all year long," said Laurel coach Jerry Holzhauser. "Two months after we played them, people are still talking about it."

Clairton came into that season opener as the Post-Gazette's No. 1-ranked Class A team in the state, but the Bears' reputation took a gigantic blow that night. Since then, Clairton has won 10 in a row and the smallest margin of victory has been 24 points.

"Sure we have something to prove," said Clairton coach Tom Nola. "We didn't play well that night, but there were a lot of other factors involved. We were reading our press clippings a little too much about how good we were. Plus, Laurel is a good team. They're big and well-coached."

Laurel's only loss this season was to undefeated Rochester, 14-7.

These two teams are total opposites in offensive styles. Clairton has a truckload of skill-position players with speed who make big plays. Running back Deontae Howard has more than 1,600 yards rushing and is averaging better than 10 yards a carry. Receiver Kevin Weatherspoon is a Pitt recruit.

Laurel relies more on a power running attack.

"They kept the ball away from us the last time," Nola said. "That's the formula for success."

In the other semifinal, North Catholic (9-2) will try to dent a Rochester defense that is No. 3 in the state in points allowed at 4.6 a game.

That defense is one of the main reasons Rochester (11-0) is undefeated heading into Friday's game against North Catholic at Mars.

Only two teams have scored more than seven points against Rochester. Riverview scored 14 and Brentwood 12.

North Catholic brings a nine-game winning streak into the contest, after starting the season 0-2. North Catholic quarterback Martin Long was one of the leading passers in Class A in the regular season and the Trojans could use a big game from him.

Rochester is trying to make the title game for the eighth time in 12 seasons. This is North Catholic's fifth semifinal appearance since joining the WPIAL in the mid-1970s, but the Trojans have never made it to the championship game.

T.J. Wiley resigned yesterday as Penn-Trafford's coach after only one season. Penn-Trafford had a 3-7 record this year, but qualified for the WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs. "The only way I can express things is that it's just the right move for my family and me," said Wiley, 30.

Gateway receiver defensive back Dayonne Nunley has made a verbal commitment to Miami, Ohio, of the Mid-American Conference. Miami offered Nunley (5-8, 165) a scholarship late last month.

Mike White's "High School Sports Edition" videos are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.