CTA's WPIAL & City League 1st Round of Playoffs Player of the Week: Clairton's Dontae Sanders Jr.

Clairton RB Dontae Sanders focuses during pregame talks in the locker room before the WPIAL 1A Football Championship against Sto-Rox Nov. 16th, 2019 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA.

SOURCE: (TWITTER, @MikeDarnay)

Dontae Sanders Jr.

School: Clairton

Position: RB,LB

Year: Senior

Height: 6-2

Weight: 235

Claim To Fame

This past Friday, Clairton football player Dontae Sanders Jr. rushed for 428 yards and six touchdowns in a 54-20 win over the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the first-round of the WPIAL 1A Football Playoffs. With the first round win, Sanders Jr. and the Bears will face Shenango on Friday in the WPIAL 1A Football Semifinals. The winner of that game will advance to the WPIAL 1A Football Championship game. In the first seven games of the season, Sanders Jr. has rushed for 1,624 yards and is averaging 16.2 yards per carry. He has even scored 26 touchdowns in the first seven games. He currently leads the WPIAL in both the regular season and the playoffs in rushing yards. Sanders Jr. knows what it takes to win a WPIAL championship because as a junior, he helped Clairton beat Sto-Rox in the 2019 WPIAL 1A football championship by a score of 41-19. The star running back, and linebacker has NCAA College Football offers from St. Francis, Washington & Jefferson, and West Virginia State.

Questions and Answers

This past Friday, you rushed for 428 yards and rushed for six touchdowns against O.L.S.H. How did you feel after the win?

I felt good. It was a great team win but we are not done yet. That was only round one, so we're going to come even harder the next game.

Your team is currently 7-0 and will face Shenango in the WPIAL 1A semifinals on Friday. What are you expecting from yourself and your team?

I’m expecting we come out dominating fast and put the game away.

A lot of high school football players in the Western Pennsylvania area wondered if they were going to have a season in 2020. How did you feel that you learned that you were going to have a season and how much fun are you having right now?

I was happy because COVID-19 messed up football camps and visits.

You are 376 rushing yards away from reaching 2,000 rushing yards on the season. Is reaching 2,000 yards an individual goal that you have?

Whoa, I didn’t even know I was that close to 2,000. Well now, that’s a goal that I will have.

How much would it mean to you to repeat as WPIAL 1A champions?

That would be good again, but we want the state title. We fell short last year.

So, how's the recruiting process been like for you. Are any other schools, besides the ones that offered you, are talking to you?

No not really. Well, not yet.

Lamont Wade, Tyler Boyd, and Aaron Mathews are some of the historic Clairton football players. Then, people will probably put you in that group once you graduate. So, how would you describe the football culture at Clairton?

At Clairton, the football culture turns us all into brothers. We all grow up with each other and Clairton is a small town but filled with talent.

Do you have any nicknames?

My nickname is Buck.

Tell me a song that can get you hype before a football game.

Right Foot Creep by NBA Youngboy.

AND FINALLY

When you graduate from Clairton, how would you want people to remember you?

I want to be remembered as a beast on the field.

What is something that people would be surprised to know about you?

I am ambitious and hard working.

Brentaro Yamane: bkyamane@gmail.com and Twitter/Instagram @BYHilton13