Top 19 of ’19: Trib HSSN breaks down the top stories of the year — No. 7

By: Don Rebel
Wednesday, December 25, 2019 | 4:01 PM

2110074_web1_PTR-USCPeters07-090614 — Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review

Upper St. Clair coach Jim Render walks to the field with his players before the start of a game against Peters Township Friday, Sept. 5, 2014, at Upper St. Clair.

The 2019 high school sports season is nearly in the books.

While we anxiously look ahead to 2020, let’s reflect on the district high school sports scene over the last 12 months.

Here is a look back at the top 19 stories from around the WPIAL in 2019.

HSSN Top 19 in ’19: No. 7 — Coaching king hangs up his whistle

Jim Render coached high school football for nearly 50 years. The head coach at Upper St. Clair for 40 years, he was the winningest coach in WPIAL history.

Three days into the New Year, Jim Render officially retired.

He is the only coach in district history to win 400 games as he finished with an overall record of 406-141-6.

In his 40 years at USC, the Panthers qualified for the WPIAL playoffs 38 times. His teams won 23 conference championships, five WPIAL titles and two state crowns.

His final team finished with a record of 8-3.

His 406 wins put him in the top 25 of high school coaches in U.S. history.

Here’s a look at the rest of the top stories of the year:

No. 19 — Big Ben strikes often

No. 18 — Near perfect on the pitch

No. 17 — Five golden rings

No. 16 — Bucs title run is now a teenager

No. 15 — Worldly results lead to district and state gold

No. 14 — Black out

No. 13 — Big time ballers

No. 12 — Four decade wait is over

No. 11 — Fight for survival