Bishop Guilfoyle falls short in bid for 6th State Title
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Jared Samuel | December 4, 2025
As the defending Class 1A state champs, Bishop Guilfoyle came into the game playing strong defense, having shut out 3 of their last five opponents. Their offense had also been stout, putting up 184 points in their five playoff games. Unfortunately, the Marauders could not get going against Clairton, who played a very strong game on both sides of the ball, and the Bears defeated Bishop Guilfoyle 35-3.
Guilfoyle won the coin toss and deferred to the 2nd half. The Marauder defense played efficiently early and almost got a 3-and-out from Clairton, but a costly offside penalty gave the Bears new life, and they drove down to the Guilfoyle 27. The Marauder defense then came up big as they forced a fumble from Clairton QB Jeff Thompson and took over possession at their own 33. Unfortunately, the Guilfoyle offense had a quick 3-and-out and punted it away. Clairton then executed an 11-play drive that was capped when Thompson hit WR Brandon Murphy Jr for a 14-yard TD. The 2-point conversion failed, and with 1:55 left in the 1st quarter, Clairton had a 6-0 lead.
Guilfoyle’s next drive continued into the 2nd quarter but was stopped when QB Justin Wheeler fumbled, and Clairton’s Tahvaz Armstrong recovered at the Marauder 37. The Bears then moved quickly and scored three plays later when Clairton’s Donte Wright had a 3-yard TD run. The 2-point conversion was good, and with 11:01 left in the 2nd quarter, it was 14-0 for Clairton.
Guilfoyle’s next drive was an extended one. Jake Kissell threw for 10 yards, rushed for 10 yards, and caught four passes for a total of 29 yards. The Marauders got as far as the Clairton 6 but lost yardage from there and had to settle for a 28-yard field goal from Carter Boland with 2:23 left in the half, and Clairton had a 14-3 lead at halftime.
28-yard field goal by @Carter_boland08 get @BGMarauderFball on the board.
223 left Q2:
Clairton 14
Bishop Guilfoyle 3@PaFootballNews @CWTAPTV pic.twitter.com/71ceioQYfZ— Jared Samuel (@jaredsamuelpfn) December 4, 2025
There was some hope as the 2nd half began as Guilfoyle received the kickoff, but three plays later Wheeler was intercepted by Clairton’s Deon Lovelace-Pompey, who took it untouched to the house for a 25-yard interception return TD. The 2-point conversion was good, and Clairton took a 22-3 lead.
Unfortunately, the remainder of the quarter was also all Clairton. Guilfoyle’s next drive was a 3-and-out, and on the punt attempt, the snap was low, and Clairton was able to take advantage and took over at the Guilfoyle 27. The Marauder defense stepped up, getting a stop on 4th down at their own 23; however, the ensuing drive ended in a 3-and-out. After a personal foul penalty against Clairton, they began their drive at their own 36, but they were able to strike quickly with a 51-yard catch and run by the Bears’ Donte Wright down to the Guilfoyle 7. Clairton then capped the drive when Lovelace-Pompey hit on a 7-yard run to make it 28-3 Clairton with 3:48 left in the 3rd quarter. On the next Guilfoyle drive, the Clairton defense continued its pressure, forcing two negative-yardage plays and a 3-and-out. The punt was short and was returned to the Marauder 14 by Clairton’s Brandon Murphy Jr. On the very next play, Thompson hit Taris Wooding for a 14-yard score to make it 35-3 Clairton with 1:16 left in the 3rd quarter.
The final quarter was a defensive struggle, penalty-filled, with neither team scoring.
For the game, Guilfoyle QB Justin Wheeler went 12 of 15, but for only 48 yards, and Jake Kissell had 21 yards rushing in the defeat. The Marauders finished the season at 13-3. Coach Justin Wheeler spoke to his team after the loss and had nothing but praise for his squad. “You came one game away from winning it all, again. It is hard to do. All losses hurt, but you can look back on this season and all that you accomplished and be extremely proud of yourself.”
Congrats to the Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders on another terrific season!
Game Highlights
Clairton 35 Bishop Guilfoyle 3
Score by Quarters
Clairton – 6 8 21 0 – 35
Bishop Guilfoyle – 0 3 0 0 – 3
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
C – Brandon Murphy 14 yd pass from Jeff Thompson, (pass failed), 1:55
Second Quarter
C – Deon Lovelace-Pompey 29 yd run, (Donte Wright rush), 11:01
BG – Carter Boland 28 yd field goal, 2:23
Third Quarter
C – Lovelace-Pompey 24 yd interception return, (Thompson rush), 11:08
C – Lovelace-Pompey 7 yd run, (kick failed), 3:48
C – Taris Woodling 20 yd pass from Thompson, (Rhejon Williams pat), 1:16
Individual Stats
Rushing: C – Lovelace-Pompey 10-83, Wright 10-62, Tahvaz Armstrong 1-15, Murphy 2-7, Thompson 7-0, Robert Scott 1-(-1), Michael Ruffin 1-(-6), Team 1-(-1). Totals: 33-159. BG: Jake Kissell 10-21, Connor Okonak 2-3, Keegan Hewitt 1-0, Evan Schimminger 2-(-2), Justin Wheeler 10-(-33). Totals: 25-(-11).
Receiving: C – Wright 5-81, Murphy 6-76, Woodling 1-20, Jaece Booker 2-18. BG – Kissell 6-28, Schimminger 5-28, Tyson Lestochi 3-10.
Passing: C – Thompson 14-for-17, 195 yards, 2 TD. BG – Wheeler 12-for-15, 48 yards, Kissell 2-for-4, 18 yards.
Interceptions: C – Lovelace-Pompey.
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