It may have been the biggest upset of the regular season ... and it came the first weekend.

Clairton entered the 2009 season as a strong favorite to retain the WPIAL Class A title it won last year.

The Bears made a two-hour trip to Laurel for their season opener to face a Spartans squad that posted a 3-6 record last season. Everybody was expecting the Spartans to be the Bears first victim.

But Laurel had other plans. The Spartans upset the highly touted Bears, 15-8.

"There were a lot of things that played a part in that loss," Clairton coach Tom Nola said. "It was the first game of the season and we committed 19 penalties that accounted for 169 yards. The two-hour bus ride certainly didn't help."

Clairton outgained Laurel, 316-113, but the penalties helped keep the Bears out of the end zone. Penalties also aided Laurel in an 11-play, 94-yard drive that produced the winning touchdown.

"We only had the ball twice in the first half," Nola said. "It was a wake-up call for the kids."

Nola also feels the preseason publicity the Bears received played a part in the loss.

"The kids were obviously reading all the stories that touted us as the top team in Class A," Nola said. "We lost our focus in the opener and Laurel took advantage. You never like to lose, but sometimes a loss can benefit a team. That has certainly been the case with us."

Since the loss to Laurel, Clairton has recorded 10 consecutive victories, including six shutouts. The Bears have outscored those 10 opponents, 505-23.

"The kids have worked very hard since the season opener," Nola said. "They are focussed on the goal of winning another WPIAL title."

Clairton's loss to Laurel, and the Spartans' subsequent loss to top-ranked Rochester, dropped the Bears into the No. 3 spot in WPIAL Class AA bracket. It also placed the Bears in the same half of the bracket with No. 2 seed Laurel.

"I'm sure the kids were happy to see Laurel in the same half of the bracket with us," Nola said. "It gave us a chance to avenge the loss in week one."

But for a rematch to occur, both teams had to record a pair of playoff victories. Clairton disposed of South Side Beaver, 61-0, and Avonworth, 24-0. Laurel kept up it's end of the bargain with back-to-back 55-7 wins against Burgettstown and Beth-Center.

"Laurel is a very good team that's well coached," Nola said. "They did a good job of keeping the ball away from us last time. We've got to be focused on both sides of the ball and avoid the penalties that plagued us in the opener."

Nola praised the play of the Bears defense, which has shut out four of their past five opponents.

"Having a strong defense is especially important in the playoffs," Nola said. "Mike LeDonne has done a great job as our defensive coordinator."

Clairton has been even more impressive on the offensive side of the ball. The Bears are averaging 46.6 points per game and have scored 50 or more points in six games.

"I'd like to think that we're peaking at the right time," Nola said. "We've been playing well since the season-opening loss."

Clairton's offense features the triple threat of tailback Dontae Howard, quarterback Desimon Green and wide receiver Kevin Weatherspoon.

Howard has rushed for 1,659 yards and 28 touchdowns on 136 carries. Green has 643 yards and five touchdowns on 66 carries. He has also completed 50 of 102 passes for 1,176 yards and 12 touchdowns. Weatherspoon, a Pitt recruit, is his favorite target. The two have connected on 27 passes that have accounted for 545 yards and seven touchdowns.

Laurel is averaging 33.0 points per game. The Spartans are led by tailback Dylan Jones, quarterback Tyler Forbes and receiver Jake Dando.

Jones has rushed for 1,036 yards and 11 touchdowns on 150 carries. Forbes has 728 yards and 11 touchdowns on 104 carries. He has also has thrown for 841 yards and eight touchdowns while completing 46 of 78 passes. Dando has accounted for 369 yards and three touchdowns on 21 receptions.

The winner of the Clairton-Laurel game will face the winner of the Rochester-North Catholic game in the WPIAL title game on Nov. 27 at Heinz Field.

• What: Clairton (10-1) vs. Laurel (10-1).

• When: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.

• Where: Center High School's Sarge Albert Stadium.

• The skinny: This is the second meeting between the two. Laurel defeated Clairton, 15-8, the first week of the season. The Bears are the defending WPIAL Class A champions and have won two of the past three titles.

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