Hall of Fame

Maurice Clarett #13
Warren Harding
Highlights

by David Baugh

His current off-the-field issues has put a black eye
on his image, but many will remember Maurice Clarett
as possibly the most dominant player to ever touch a
football in Ohio.  In his three years at Warren G.
Harding, Clarett set school records by rushing for
4,675 yards & 65 touchdowns on 571 carries.  In the
2001 regular season, he had 139 carries for 1,396
yards & 22 touchdowns, 14 receptions for 253 yards & 3
touchdowns, and 4 punt returns to the house.  The most
impressive thing about those statistics is that
Clarett rarely played entire games due to early
blowouts.  In the 2001 season opener against Cleveland
South, he rushed for 228 yards & 4 touchdowns (85, 72,
27, 35) on just 5 carries, adding 2 touchdowns on punt
ruturns (43, 40) as the Raiders rolled 76-0.  After
sitting out the first three quarters due to an injury,
he entered the game in the fourth quarter and rushed
for 126 yards & 1 TD (34) against Austintown Fitch in
a 21-13 victory.  In a matchup of two 7-0 teams, he
had 19 carries for 159 yards & 3 TDs (1, 4, 45),
adding a 29 yard touchdown reception, in a 57-9
blowout of Canton McKinley. In the seaon finale
against Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, Clarett had 163
yards & 3 TDs on 15 carries in only three quarters of
work as the Raiders shut out the Cardinals 33-0.

Clarett opened the 2001 post season by rushing for 201
yards & 2 touchdowns (97, 8) on 31 carries as the
Raiders beat Boardman 16-7 in their second meeting of
the season.  Despite those dominating performances,
his most memorable game came against Lakewood St.
Edward in round 2 of the playoffs.  On that night
against the previously 11-0 Eagles, Clarett carried
the ball 30 times for 401 yards & 5 TDs, scoring on
runs of 1, 80, 75, 75, and 50 as the Raiders rolled
42-26, leading 42-6 at one point in the second
quarter.  Clarett's high school career ended when he
rushed for 188 yards & 1 touchdown (52), adding a 65
yard touchdown reception, as the Raiders lost to the
eventual state champion Cleveland St. Ignatius 40-33.