USC beats SF, looks ahead to PT in key conference clash
South Fayette’s Joey Audia lunges for the end zone after catching a pass from Jamie Diven. The 21-yard scoring strike was one of two in the fourth quarter that pulled South Fayette within one point before falling to Upper St. Clair, 34-33.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Chris Pantelis eludes Hayden Sheader as he returns a punt during Week Zero action. Pantelis caught six passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns as Upper St. Clair edged South Fayette, 34-33.
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Chris Pantelis makes a touchdown reception during Upper St. Clair’s 34-33 victory against South Fayette.
Charley Rossi (No. 1) celebrates with Rayquin Glover (No. 11) and Nolan Lutz (No. 22) earlier this year.
On the bulletin board in his office, Jim Render posted a note that reads “Grind Daily. Celebrate rarely.” So there is no question where the Upper St. Clair football coach’s focus lies this week as he prepares his Panthers for their Allegheny Eight Conference opener against Peters Township, rather than discussing the possibility of reaching his 400th career victory.
“I told my players this is not about me,” said Render, who is in his 40th season of coaching high school football. “If we go 2-8, am I supposed to be happy? I really want the players to have a good memory of their season.”
Nobody, least of all Peters Township, is predicting a happy ending for the Panthers when the 7:30 p.m. clash on Aug. 31 concludes at Upper St. Clair. Both teams are looking to be 2-0 at the end of the night.
“Coach Render is a tremendous coach, whom I highly respect,” said T.J. Plack, who is in his third season as field general at Peters Township. “Whenever he gets his 400th win, I’m sure it will be a rewarding evening for all his former and current players, staff, as well as the Upper St. Clair community.”
The Indians are confident about their prospects against the Panthers because they are coming off an impressive 43-7 win against West Toronto Prep in the Western Pennsylvania vs. Everyone Showcase played Aug. 24 at the Wolvarena in Turtle Creek.
Ryan Magiske and Adrian Williams both rushed for 50 yards and scored two and one touchdowns respectively. Aidan McCall returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown and PT got a safety to start the scoring by sacking the quarterback in the end zone. Josh Casilli and Gabe Maloney also scored.
The defense excelled limiting WTP to 83 yards, 17 in the first half against the PT starters. The Indians also forced 12 illegal procedure penalties.
“It was a total team effort,” said Plack. “Everyone came out and executed. The game provided us an opportunity to get on the field and work special teams, substitutions, and game situations in preparation for our conference opener.”
Meanwhile the Panthers prepared for Peters Township by fending off South Fayette, a perennial playoff power and Class 4A standout.
In a 34-33 victory, the Pantellis brothers excelled. They accounted for most of Jason Sweeney’s 283 yards passing. The senior signal caller completed 14 of 20 attempts for four USC TDs, too. Both brothers had six receptions for 131 yards. Chris scored three times and also contributed a blocked extra point while David had one score. Antonio Orsini proved the rushing force for the Panthers as he accounted for their lone second-half score on an 8-yard TD run. He finished with 163 yards on 14 carries.
Additionally, Brandon Shearer made the game-ending interception to spearhead the defense.
“We have some weapons that will give people worries,” said Render. “We just think if we try to spread the ball around, we will give defenses some fits.
“But, we know that Peters Township has some good kids, some who made all-conference as sophomores and they have a lot of experienced players, veterans who have a lot of playing time in different positions.”
The Indians this year dropped down to Class 5A this season and are anxious to play competition such as the Panthers, as well as Baldwin, Bethel Park, Chartiers Valley, Moon and West Allegheny among others.
“We are excited to compete in our conference with many close games at home with natural rivals,” Plack said. “I think it creates a better experience for our players and community.”
Against USC in particular, the Indians are prepared for their prime-time challenge.
“We will need to match their intensity and physicality. Execution will be key to competing against a well-coached team,” Plack predicted. “We will look to our players to make plays.”
That is all Render expects of his own players.
“We can’t control what everyone does. Only what our players do,” he said. “Our opening game, like all opening games, was filled with highlights and correctable mistakes. We are working on those things. Not talking about milestones,” he noted.
Beaver at South Fayette
Joe Rossi learned a lot about his South Fayette football team in its 34-33 loss to Upper St. Clair, but newly gleaned knowledge had nothing to do with his players’ effort. At South Fayette, that’s one constant.
“We fought to the bitter end,” Rossi said. “We may have a lot of new faces but they understand the tradition here. We don’t quit. We may have been down 14 against a storied program but at no part in the game did we feel as if we were going to lose.
“I was so proud of our effort,” he added. “Everyone believed we would win up until the final play. Nobody quit. That’s a special thing when you see a group of players believe in themselves and their teammates.”
And though their 57-game regular season winning streak ended in the loss to the Panthers, the Lions look to extend their string of conference championships when they kickoff Northwest Eight league action against Beaver at 7 p.m. Aug. 31. It is senior recognition night for 17 of the Lions.
The Bobcats have moved up a division from Class 3A and feature all-conference running back Gino Mavero, as well as quarterback Brodie List and standout linebacker Noah Yates. They are among 12 key starters back from a 9-3 club and a program that has reached the WPIAL semifinals consistently over the past five years.
“They are always well coached,” said Rossi of Jeff Beltz’s troops. “They will provide a great challenge for us.”
Big plays hurt the Lions in their loss to USC. They surrendered four long touchdown passes to the Pantellis brothers, Chris and David, and an 80-yard TD run by Antonio Orsini.
Yet, the Lions recovered with 20, second-half points, including two fourth-quarter scores, to put themselves in a position to win the game. However, with just over three minutes left, they failed to convert two points after Joey Audia’s 21-yard TD reception from Jamie Diven and they tossed an interception on their final offensive play of the game with under one minute to play.
In his debut for the Lions, Diven, who transferred from West Allegheny, completed 23 of 33 passes for 337 yards and four touchdowns, including a pair to Charley Rossi (49 and 54 yards) and one to Peyton Tinney (40 yards). Rossi finished with nine receptions for 154 yards and Tinney had 90 yards on four grabs.
West-A at CV
After thumping Ringgold, 48-0, Chartiers Valley embarks on Allegheny Eight Conference play at 7 p.m. Aug. 31 when the Colts host West Allegheny, which are in the final season under legendary coach Bob Palko, winner of eight WPIAL titles, most of any skipper in the league’s history.
“Coach Palko and his staff have built a high school dynasty,” said CV skipper Dan Knause. “We recognize that West Allegheny is one of the top teams in 5A and we will have to make a lot of improvements to compete against them.”
That is saying much because the Colts looked unstoppable against the Rams, who were guided by another coaching legend, Mike Zmijanac, who has six WPIAL titles and a 237-36 record to his credit from when he served at Aliquippa.
In the victory, Connor Barrett rushed for 197 yards and four scores. Griffin Beattie connected with Troy Donofrio for a 20-yard TD. Reserve QB Socrates Boulis also tossed a 19-yard scoring strike to Sean Banas. Brayden Reynolds also rushed for a touchdown.
“We had a solid team win against Ringgold,” Knause said. “We were pleased with our physicality on defense and offense.”
Noting the Indians have had two weeks to prepare for the Colts, Knause acknowledges the Colts have their work cut out for themselves this Friday.
“They will be ready for us. Two weeks to prepare is an advantage for them. Their staff will have their players prepared.
“We have to create turnovers and take care of the ball to challenge a team like West Allegheny. On film, they appear very fast and physical. We are hoping to match their physicality in all facets of the game. We anticipate a four-quarter battle.”
C-M at Lebo
Canon-McMillan and Mt. Lebanon are hoping that practice makes perfect. For their preparation this week will determine success as these teams kickoff Quad County Conference action when Lebo hosts the Big Macs at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 31.
After falling to defending WPIAL Class 5A champion, Gateway, 31-8, in Week Zero action, Lebo skipper Mike Melnyk noted how vital this week would be to the outcome against the Big Macs.
“We have to have a great week of practice and implement the lessons from (Gateway’s) game into our DNA so we improve and don’t make the same mistakes again. There will be a sense of urgency since we are jumping right in to conference play. Canon-McMillan is a program on the rise. They play hard and are more comfortable with their system.”
The Big Macs are prepared to deliver one. As opposed to playing a Week Zero game this year, they extended their training camp. The first week, they spent at California University of Pennsylvania and bonded as a unit.
“The kids are tight,” Michael Evans said. “They work hard and they are great kids. The staff is enjoying coaching this group. We’ve had a quality camp and we like where we are and we are excited about the upcoming season but we know that we are probably just a team down Route 19 that Mt. Lebanon has beaten for years. Nothing will change unless we change it.”
Over the years, few things change at Lebo.
“When you play Mt. Lebanon, you are up against more than excellent players and superb coaching. We are up against the program and their tradition,” Evans explained. “We have to be ready to go into their stadium, match their intensity and focus on execution.”
Despite the loss to Gateway, Seth Morgan racked up solid numbers at quarterback, completing 14 passes for 203 yards. Michael Palmer and Mason Ventrone excelled on both sides of the ball while JB Nelson displayed “tremendous hustle and desire” said Melnyk.
“Every week is a new season but you always improve most between week’s No. 1 and No. 2,” said Melnyk. “Playing a team like Gateway prepares us for the game’s ahead in our conference. Gateway was a very good team with excellent skill athletes and team speed that was tough to prepare for and simulate in practice.”
Gateway’s Derrick Davis, a sophomore with Division I offers from Pitt, Penn State and others, rushed for 201 yards while Syracuse recruit Courtney Jackson caught five passes for 64 yards.
WH at BP
Bethel Park opens conference action hosting Woodlands Hills at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 31. The Hawks were conference champions last season at the 6A level but have dropped to 5A and compete in the Allegheny Eight division.