No team in Pennsylvania allows fewer points than Clairton, but yesterday the Bears made their biggest stand of the year.

Clinging to a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter, Clairton (12-1) stopped Rochester running back Trey Johnson's 2-point conversion run to seal a 14-13 victory in the WPIAL Class A title game yesterday at Heinz Field.

"When it came down to the extra point, they stepped it up," Clairton coach Tom Nola said.

Down seven, Rochester quarterback Jasson Adamson threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Terry Gettings with 1:08 remaining.

The Rams' extra-point unit came onto the field, at least until the officials moved the ball inside the 2 because of a Clairton facemask penalty.

Rochester coach Gene Matsook sent his offense back onto the field to go for the win.

"We knew if we went to overtime, we would have been in trouble," Matsook said. "They're too good on offense to stop, especially on a short field."

Avoiding an overtime showdown between the WPIAL's lowest-scoring defense and highest-scoring offense, the Rams (12-1) tried to run the ball up the middle. Johnson had scored a 2-yard touchdown earlier in the game the same way.

But the Bears penetrated the line and stuffed Johnson about a yard short.

"We had to make a decision at the end, and I thought we made the right decision," Matsook said.

Fitting that a battle between the top two defenses in the WPIAL came down to a defensive stand.

The win gave Clairton its second consecutive WPIAL championship and its third in the past four years.

But Nola said this one is the most memorable because the team dedicated its season to DeMonje Rosser, who coached Clairton players in youth football leagues. Rosser was shot to death outside his home in Clairton in March.

"He was a big role model to us," said Clairton's Eddie Ball, who helped make the game-saving tackle on Johnson.

The team wore a patch with the initials "DR."

"Anytime we have to go through adversity, he always pops up because he's the one that taught us about it," said running back Deontae Howard. "If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't know what the word 'adversity' meant."

Yesterday, they needed those lessons more than ever as they trailed Rochester for the majority of the game.

The Bears scored first, capitalizing on Rochester's early turnover problems.

Clairton defensive end Bishop Neal forced Adamson to fumble twice in the first half. The first ended a solid Rochester drive that moved the Rams inside Clairton's 30. The second set up a 15-yard touchdown run by Howard, giving Clairton a 6-0 lead after a botched 2-point try.

Rochester moved ahead after Johnson's touchdown run, set up by a blocked punt.

The Bears had several second-half drives stalled by penalties or turnovers. But midway through the fourth quarter, they made up for them.

With the ball at Rochester's 14 and about five minutes left, quarterback Desimon Green scrambled out of pressure and ran in for a touchdown. Clairton added a 2-point conversion -- a pass play that bounced off Howard and into the hands of a diving Kevin Weatherspoon -- that ended up being the deciding points.

Clairton has seven WPIAL championships -- three in Class AAA and four in Class A. The Bears will play Conemaugh Township, the District 10 champion, next week in the PIAA quarterfinals.

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.