Clairton looks to football team for hope amid struggles
(Photo: Senior Vinny Moody, 18, seated in the center, hypes up his Bears teammates before a home game against Imani Christian Academy on Oct. 26. Moody and other members of the team wrote a rap about their predicted defeat of the Saints. The team listened to the song for hours before kickoff.
Julia Rendleman/Post-Gazette.)
"First of four parts.
The doors to the Clairton Bears' locker room are closed. A space usually pumped full of booming bass from hip-hop music is silent, except for the young man in the corner wearing a black No. 9 jersey. Sitting on a bench, he bows his head and cries.
His name is Robert Boatright. He's a senior running back and defensive end. Senior Night festivities are complete, and Boatright still doesn't know if he'll play college football. Now he's gulping back tears.
Terrish Webb is Boat-right's best friend. He moves to Boatright and consoles him. Webb knows where he'll play next year, at Kent State. Even with his clarity on a night full of questions, Webb begins to cry, too. His father was murdered when Terrish was 11, and it hurt hearing his dad's name announced on Senior Night."
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