With a little luck, glory days ahead for Upper St. Clair
Upper St. Clair coach Jim Render makes his point to his players.
Jim Render
Thomas Vissman ranked among the top tailbacks in the WPIAL last season, rushing for 1,364 yards. The senior, who is bound for Yale, hopes to lead Upper St. Clair back to its glory days of winning championships.
Upper St. Clair players take a water break during training camp drills
Upper St. Clair coach Jim Render makes his point to his players.
Luck is the wild card determining Upper St. Clair’s fate this football season. If it’s bad, as it’s been the past three years, then this season will be so-so, perhaps 5-5 with a quick exit in the playoffs. If it’s good, perhaps the glory days will return for the Panthers, who last won a conference championship in 2011 and WPIAL and PIAA titles in 2006.
“The last few years, we have had bad luck,” said Jim Render, who enters his 38th season as USC’s head coach. “From cancer to mono to injuries, it’s been one catastrophe after another. When we won a state championship in 2006, we hardly had a scratch. Now we are itching not to have a scratch. If we have good luck …”
“What I’m saying is we’d like to get back to being a contender for championships.” Render has guided the Panthers to 15 conference, five WPIAL titles and four state final appearances that produced two championships.
Since it has been more than four years, the Panthers are due. They embark on their title quest with a plethora of talented players, including two veterans who have already committed to Division I college programs. Tom Vissman picked Yale and Gabe Houy accepted an offer from Pitt.
Vissman ranked among the top tailbacks in the WPIAL last fall with 1,364 yards on 217 carries (6.3 yards per carry). He led USC in scoring with 16 touchdowns. The 6-2, 215-pound senior returns to a defense that surrendered 256 points. He ranked second with 56 tackles from his safety spot. This season, he could be moved to linebacker.
“Tom’s a guy who never comes off the field,” Render said. “He’s a well-conditioned athlete. If you have a running back who’s a veteran like he is, why not use him?”
Blake Kadar, who rushed for 318 yards and averaged six yards a carry, complements Vissman in the backfield. So do fullbacks Jack Burton, a junior, and Dom Folino, a senior. Houy will anchor the offensive line. The 6-6, 280-pound senior will play left tackle with guard Jay Pollock. A senior, who started at center last season, Pollock moved to guard so Eli Grape and Phil Elias battle for the vacated slot. On the right side are juniors Angelo Rhad at tackle and Dante Grecco at guard. Nick Toocie and Anthony Rhad are the tight ends.
Render depends on Houy not just because he is a prized recruit.
“Our expectations of Thomas and Gabe are high because of their experience,” he said. “Gabe has what the college coaches like and want: height and length. He has a lot of qualities they are looking for. He’s got agility from basketball.”
Who will start at quarterback was one of the major questions during training camp. Senior Jackson Geisler battled Jack Hansberry, a junior. Geisler, who passed for 767 yards and four scores last fall, could play wide receiver.
Don Cepullio spearheads a strong corps of receivers that includes Khalil Jackson, Tom Keil and Matt Kissinger. Carl Flinter, Pat Travers and Casey Garwig give USC depth.
Cepullio can run out of the flanker position. Cepullio, Kissinger, Tom Kyle, Vissman and Kadar will stock the defensive secondary as cornerbacks and safeties.
Hansberry and Colin McLinden, who started as a freshman last year, will be outside linebackers, and Grape and Burton return on the inside. Grape was the leading tackler last fall with 76, including a team-high 10 for losses. Folino returns at defensive end and Grecco, Houy, Toccie and Pollock will fill the other spots.
“We do think we are athletic,” said Render. “We have linebackers who can run and people with experience. Again, depth is a problem. We have to keep people healthy. We need to stay healthy on offense, too. And, even though our offensive line and running backs are the team’s strengths, I can’t run Vissman to death.”
Render knows he cannot wear down his linemen because of the competition from the realignment and scheduling. Upper St. Clair is in Class 5-A but lost some rivals.
When he first came to USC in 1979, the Panthers were in the Western Conference with Uniontown, Trinity, Canon-McMillan and Mt. Lebanon. When USC moved to Class AAAA, the WPIAL sent Render to Beaver County with the likes of Ambridge and Blackhawk. Then Quad-A merged into one division and USC traveled to Butler, North Hills and North Allegheny. The last couple of years, the Panthers journeyed to places such as Penn Hills and Woodland Hills.
“We’ve been as far south, as far West, as far north and as far east as you can go,” said Render. “The unfortunate thing is we are not going to play Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park and Peters Township.”