Latest news with #UpperSt.Clair
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Longtime Upper St. Clair coach heading to National High School Football Hall of Fame
Longtime Upper St. Clair football coach Jim Render's accolades are numerous: two PIAA State Championships, five WPIAL Crowns and a career record of 406-141-6, which puts him 25th all-time nationally. Not to mention, he's the winningest football coach in WPIAL history. Advertisement 'I was very fortunate,' Render said. 'I had some great victories, especially here at Upper St. Clair.' Yet earlier this year, he was almost in disbelief when he found out he was set to be inducted into the National High School Football Hall of Fame. 'It wasn't something I was really anticipating happening,' Render said. On June 14, he'll join 32 other inductees in Canton, including Steel Valley's Charlie Batch, Pitt's Louis Riddick and Michael Vick. 'Everybody from Danny Marino to Jerome Bettis was nominated,' Render said, 'and I thought, well, they're probably gonna, it'll be a while till they get to the high school coach level.' Advertisement Render's head coaching career began in Carrolton, Ohio, in 1970. Less than a decade later, after a stop in Uniontown, he found himself at Upper St. Clair. 'I thought, well, I'll go down there to Uniontown for two years, and I'm getting my fanny back to Ohio,' Render said. 'Well, that was 60 years ago, or whatever it is, 40 of which I spent at Upper St. Clair.' All the victories, of course, are memorable. 'If I started naming things, I would probably slate some of the former players, and I don't want to do that,' Render said. 'Let's just say, there was a lot of great thrills.' But it's the journey that's been the most memorable for Render, especially the two years the Panthers won the State Title. Advertisement 'When I think about those things, I remember the journey, and, of course, the final game is the culmination,' Render said 'But, you know, the togetherness and the hard work and all the things that, and you got to have some luck.' His advice to young coaches just beginning their careers? 'Emphasize the fundamentals and don't get away from what made this game great,' Render said. And as he looks back ahead of his induction, the most important thing Render learned comes from all those he met along the way. 'The players make the difference,' Render said. 'You know, coaches get awards and coaches get credit, and I understand that, I guess. But the doggone players are why we're all here, you know, and I was very fortunate to have some marvelous players over my career.' Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
CBS News
28-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Upper St. Clair girls' basketball team eyeing second PIAA championship in school history
The Upper St. Clair girls' basketball team has something special going on this year and they have a chance to win their second ever PIAA state championship title. Friday's PIAA 6A Championship game will feature Upper St. Clair and Perkiomen Valley and it's the first time in over two decades the Panthers team from the South Hills is competing for a state title. The team practiced for one last time Thursday before getting on the bus to head to Hershey. Senior Rylee Kalocay, a Kent State recruit says the season has been filled with ups and downs and that it feels good to be one of just twelve teams remaining in all of Pennsylvania still playing basketball. "I know earlier in the season, it was a little bit rocky for us," Kalocay said. "Really, towards the end of the season, we've gelled so well. We're all scoring the ball, everybody scores every game. We're playing really, really good team basketball." The Upper St. Clair team has some solid coaching that helped get them to this point. Husband and wife duo of Pete Serio and Suzie McConnell-Serio helped flip the team that was on a three-game skid to a team that won 12 of its last 13 contests. "The chemistry has been off the charts over this last month and a half," Serio said. "It has been a journey but man, is it ending, it's a great journey. Once we believed in each other again, that was the most important thing." "Coach Pete and Coach Suzie, they're some of the most valued coaches I've ever had," Kalocay said. "Everything they say to you, it comes from the heart. It comes from them wanting you to do well." After practice on Thursday, students, parents, teachers, and the school band gathered outside the school to send the team off to Hershey with good wishes. Upper St. Clair and Perkiomen Valley will square off Friday night at the Giant Center in Hershey. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
