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Sports

2011-12 USC Football Preview

Lofty expectations always follow Upper St. Clair's football team, but there are many reasons to believe the WPIAL and state titles are achievable goals this year.

Western Pennsylvania is all about high school football. Enriched in tradition, football is as much part of that history than any other school in the area.

Head coach Jim Render has been leading Panther football teams onto the field for 33 years. Since 1981, they have won 18 of 30 conference titles, five WPIAL titles, and two PIAA titles in 1989 and 2006.

"A good year is anticipated by everyone and a great year is predicted by some of the experts," coach Render stated in an open letter to his football team and their families.

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When the Post-Gazette rankings come out next week, Upper St. Clair is expected to get serious consideration. Central Catholic—a team that is loaded this year—will probably be number one. North Allegheny and Upper St. Clair are expected to be right behind.

The Panthers will be highly motivated as arguably their best three players will be senior leaders. Quarterback/linebacker Dakota Conwell——is their biggest returning starter. On the college level Conwell will play only the linebacker position, but for USC he adds more than 2,000 yards of offense as their starting quarterback.

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The offensive line, which returns every starter from last year, will be anchored by Ian Park. At 6'4" and 285 pounds, he has already committed to Northwestern. Park plays some defensive end, but he's not an every down two-way player like Conwell.

Tight end Jack Schwaba, who at 6'5" and 240 pounds has looked like a football player since the moment he put on pads, is also a two-way player. Aside from his tight end duties, he plays defensive line as well. He will join teammate Ian Park at Northwestern next year.

"Our football team has a lot of veterans and experience at most positions. Our team speed is very good and our overall athleticism is impressive," Render said.

Defensive back Ryan Boyd is a perfect example of what USC brings to the table. Teams are so wary of his athleticism and speed they often throw opposite his direction. That alone may keep his interceptions and tackles to a minimum, but the value he brings to his team is priceless. He will likely be playing college football next year.

In his open letter, coach Render points out that football can be a very unpredictable game and players need to be ready for anything. He cites examples like Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel, who was on top of the world one minute, and fired the next. His point: he does not want anybody on this team to take things for granted.

"We're just going one week at a time, worrying about our conference first," Conwell said.

Coach Render must be getting his point across because that thinking is exactly the type of mindset he wants his players to have. With one of their toughest pre-conference schedules in team history, it's a mindset every player will need if they want to head into conference play with momentum.

Like last year, the Panthers began their pre-conference schedule at Shaler and Norwin. This year, they host Shaler on Friday, Sept. 2, then host Norwin on Friday Sept. 9. Both teams are improved and neither should be overlooked.

Then the schedule gets real tough. On Sept. 16 they visit a tough North Allegheny team. Last year the Tigers beat the Panthers 27-0 and will most likely be ranked ahead of USC when the preseason rankings are revealed.

If that game isn't tough enough, the following week the Panthers are on the road again against AAA powerhouse West Allegheny. USC beat them last year 28-20, but the Indians have an impressive team again this year under longtime head coach Bob Palko and they always have a chip on their shoulder going up against a AAAA school like Upper St. Clair.

Heading into conference play the following week unblemished will be a remarkable achievement.

Conference play begins Sept. 30 at home against . The following week, the Panthers travel to , then host , then travel to Bethel Park, before the season culminates at home on Oct. 28 in an already highly anticipated finale against Mount Lebanon.

"Our conference champion will be determined in week nine against Mt. Lebanon in our stadium," Render said.

That game is where senior leadership will be most important. Last year the Panthers lost the conference title game to Mt. Lebanon in a 14-10 thriller. In order to graduate high school, leaving a legacy these seniors will be proud of, they are going to need to flip that score and win the conference this year.

Following the Mt. Lebanon loss last year, the Panthers went on to beat Penn Hills in the WPIAL AAAA quarterfinals 37-21, then lost at 16-14 in the semifinals.

This USC team should be better than last year's team, as long as the roadblocks Coach Render points out don't disrupt things. The primary hope would be that the team doesn't sustain too many injuries along the way. Injuries are a part of football, and when you have very important two-way players like the Panthers have, they can be a real concern.

"The prize doesn't always go to the biggest or fastest man, but quite often to the one who thinks he can," Render said.

Teams were officially able to begin practicing this past Monday. Even though USC is in the midst of two-a-day practices, two weeks is still not a lot of time to prepare for the season opener on Sept. 2.

USC will have a scrimmage this Saturday at home against Franklin Regional at 10 a.m. The following Friday they head to North Hills for a second scrimmage at 6:30 p.m. 

High school football season is here and it has all the makings of a special year for Upper St. Clair.

Keep checking back to Upper St. Clair Patch for coverage following each scrimmage, including reaction from Coach Render.

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