USC, Render To Compete Against a Familiar Face Friday

There is no doubt 's varsity football head coach Jim Render will respect the head coach on the opposite sideline Friday night when the Panthers kick off against the Indians.

head coach Rich Piccinini spent the past two seasons coaching the defensive backfield for Render.

In fact, Render was one of many to recommend coach Piccinini for the Indians' job. The respect Piccinini has for Render is mutual.

"He taught me a lot of stuff about running a program. He's the X and Os guy, but also a people person. I'd be foolish not to mimic his program," Piccinini said.

At 42 years old, Piccinini has coached for a number of teams in western Pennsylvania, but he said he has decided to run practices and plays much like Render does for USC.

He admitted it is a rebuilding year for Peters Township (2-3, 0-1 in the Great Southern Conference) having lost 23 seniors from a playoff team last year.

Piccinini said he knows what USC will do, and stopping it will be a challenge.

"Dakota is the key that makes the whole thing go, they put a lot of emphasis on him and I know that firsthand," Piccinini said.

has hit full stride in his final season for Upper St. Clair. He scored four touchdowns in the second half of a . In the he ran for three more scores and threw for another one. That's eight touchdowns in the last six quarters.

Peters Township will likely not have the firepower to match the kind of offense the Panthers are capable of with freshman Corey Owen at quarterback. Senior tailback Andrew Erenberg is their best ball carrier.

The Indians lost last week at Bethel Park 21-7 and were . They did put up 40 points against Laurel Highlands and the two weeks before that, however facing USC's defense will likely bring on more challenges than Peters Township will be able to face.

The Panthers defense appears to be back on track. They started the season holding teams scoreless for 10 straight quarters. Following that stretch they allowed 49 points the next four quarters. However, they have allowed only six points the next six quarters of football resulting in their third shutout in five games.

Peters Township will have to find a way to get their freshman quarterback clicking on all cylinders and move the ball through the air against USC's defense in order to have success. Defensing the short passing game has been the Panthers only weakness thus far.

The question is does Peters Township have the personnel to possess the ball through the air, score points and keep Conwell off the field? It will be tough, but the perfect football weather expected for Friday night will afford coach Piccinini the opportunity to attack USC the way he feels he can.

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