5 things to watch for Week 4 of high school football: West A’s Palko, USC’s Render set for final meeting

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, September 20, 2018 | 7:30 PM

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Don’t expect the obligatory handshake at the 50-yard line from West Allegheny’s Bob Palko and Upper St. Clair’s Jim Render when the two WPIAL coaching legends face off Friday for likely the last time.

“I’m going to hug him,” Palko said. “Might as well tell him: I’m hugging him.”

Palko is stepping down at season’s end, so barring a playoff rematch, this will be the last time the coach with the most WPIAL football titles (Palko’s eight) faces the WPIAL coach with the most career wins (Render’s 402).

West A (2-1, 2-1) visits USC (4-0, 3-0) at 7 p.m. Friday. Both teams are also fighting for the Allegheny Eight title, so there won’t be much time to be sentimental.

“This game is not about he and I,” Render said. “We’re both trying to win a conference championship. We have to put sentimental feelings away and go after one another.”

The two come from different coaching generations but formed a friendship over the years. This is Render’s 49th season as a head coach and his 40th at USC. Palko is in the midst of his 24th year — all at West A.

“The bottom line is I respect his accomplishments,” Render said.

Render was one of the veteran coaches Palko always admired, Palko said, and the two forged a friendship.

“I was fortunate as a young head coach,” Palko said. “I guess he took a liking to me. I know that’s hard to believe because most people think he doesn’t like anybody. But I’ve always respected the way in which his kids talk about him. That was the neatest thing about it. Ask a Sean Lee or a Doug Whaley what they think about him.”

Over the years, West A and USC became scrimmage partners, and Palko visited USC practices at times. Before West A installed artificial turf, Render invited Palko’s Indians to practice at USC in a pinch.

Palko’s sons Tyler and Luke played for Render in all-star games.

“Just that kind of stuff got us to be close,” Palko said. “I always admired how successful he was and what he did. I was always interested in why he did the things he did. But I also saw a passion and a fire.”

2. Beaver County rivalry

The rivalry between Aliquippa and Beaver Falls could be the fiercest in the WPIAL. Just ask first-year Quips coach Mike Warfield. He’s an Aliquippa graduate, and his wife, Victoria, is a Beaver Falls native.

“There’s even a rivalry inside my home,” Warfield said with a laugh. “She said she’s going to wear all black and be neutral on Friday.”

This week’s matchup is feeling extra intense because both teams are 4-0. First place in the Tri-County West is at stake when Beaver Falls (4-0, 3-0) hosts Aliquippa (4-0, 2-0) at Geneva’s Reeves Field. Keystone Oaks (4-0, 2-0) also is undefeated in the Class 3A conference.

3. Must-win in Week 4

It’s only Week 4, but conference title hopes could be on the line for a few teams Friday night. Besides the Tri-County West with Beaver Falls and Aliquippa, four other conferences also have a battle for first place this week between undefeated teams.

In the Class 3A Big East, North Catholic (4-0, 2-0) visits Derry (4-0, 2-0). McGuffey (4-0, 2-0) visits Beth-Center (4-0, 3-0) in the Class 2A Century. South Side Beaver (4-0, 2-0) hosts Burgettstown (3-0, 2-0) in the Class 2A Three Rivers. In Class A, West Greene (3-0, 2-0) hosts Monessen (3-1, 2-0) for first place in the Tri-County South.

4. Caution to the wind

The top two passers in WPIAL Class 5A will share the field Friday when Penn Hills hosts Kiski Area.

Penn Hills senior Hollis Mathis, a Howard recruit, has completed 48 of 75 attempts for 802 passing yards and 12 touchdowns. But that ranks second to Kiski Area’s Ryne Wallace, who’s already broken the 1,000-yard mark.

Wallace has 1,015 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s completed 52 of 105 pass attempts. His yardage total ranks fifth overall in the WPIAL with Mathis at ninth.

5. Skies could open up

Take your umbrella to the game .

Teams have experienced relatively warm and dry Fridays this season, with some exceptions in Week 2, but that could change this week. Forecasts are predicting scattered, strong thunderstorms to sweep through on Friday night as a cold front moves into the area.

Wet, windy weather can impact any game plan.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.