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Sports

Player Of The Week: USC Football Star Dakota Conwell

Panthers quarterback/linebacker Dakota Conwell tossed two touchdown passes in season opening win against Shaler.

USC cruised past 49-0 in Friday's season opener, thanks in no small part to quarterback Dakota Conwell.

He completed four of seven passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns, both deep passes that demonstrated his ability to stretch the field.

He also ran the ball 4 times for 23 yards, before being pulled in the second quarter when the outcome of the game was a forgone conclusion.

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Statistics alone do not describe what a star athlete like Conwell brings to the team.  At 6'2" and 205 pounds he is difficult to bring down in the offensive backfield, and quick to the ball on defense.

Much of his passing game is predicated on his ability to keep plays alive much like Ben Roethlisberger. Conwell often sheds tackles giving his teammates ample time to get open and he can reverse field to create open space.  And he is just as effective when playing the other side of the ball.

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Last year, at linebacker, Conwell led his team in sacks and was third in tackles.  His pure athleticism makes him a great quarterback in the WPIAL but his future is on the defensive side of the ball. 

Pitt head coach Todd Graham recruited him for defense and told him he would like to win a national championship the same way Pitt won their last one, with Western Pennsylvania players.

"He told me he wants to try and do that again," Conwell said.

The decision to attend Pitt was not an easy one. His father played at West Virginia and his mother attended Pitt. Maryland, Toledo, and Temple also offered him football scholarships but in the end he decided to remain a "Panther" well after his USC days and try to help bring Pitt back to national prominence.

"," said Conwell of the University of Pittsburgh.

This is the second consecutive year he was picked by the Post-Gazette as a member of the Fabulous 22, and he is also a member of the MSA Sports's Elite 11. 

While he was not tested last Friday, Conwell will be needed to provide big plays late in games if the Panthers are going to exceed their current number two ranking.

"They (QB's) have to learn to play in the fourth quarter," said coach Jim Render following Friday’s game.

Coach Render is no stranger to the Conwell family. Dakota’s older brother, Dane Jr. played for Render when the Panthers won a state title in 2006. Something Dakota hopes to repeat.

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