Nov 1, 2018 2 min read

California at Clairton

Records: California is 6-4, Clairton is 8-1

Class: A

Winner plays: Either Our Lady of Sacred Heart or Imani Christian in the semifinals.

Who to watch: After narrowing down his college decision to five schools – Robert Morris, Youngstown State, Eastern Kentucky, Albany and The Citadel – earlier this week, California fullback Jelani Stafford will need a big night if the Trojans are to continue their season. Stafford has 915 yards and 13 touchdowns on only 93 carries. To prevent Clairton from loading the box on defense in an effort to stop the run, Trojans quarterback Austin Grillo (28 of 53 for 568 yards) will be important. Grillo’s counterpart, Clairton’s Brendan Parsons, spreads the ball to a roster filled with skill players. He is 54 for 101 passing with 1,033 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Noteworthy: The lone loss for Clairton came in the final week of the season to Jeannette, 21-6. … A win for Clairton would send it to the semifinals for the 13th consecutive year. … California lost four of its first five games to start the season. The Trojans have rattled off five straight victories, which were needed to clinch a share of the Tri-County South Conference title. They are 1-3 against teams that qualified for the postseason. … The game will be played at Elizabeth Forward High School because of poor field conditions at Clairton’s Neil C. Brown Stadium.