View from the Other Side: USC Writer Previews Friday Night's Football Game

Immediately following a dramatic,  against West Allegheny High School, 's varsity football team turned its attention to , which visits Upper St. Clair on Friday night for a 7:30 p.m. conference tilt. 

"Ready for some long hours of film study?" USC's assistant coaches asked each other outside of their locker room following the win over West Allegheny.

WPIAL AAAA Great Southern Conference play begins Friday night, and Upper St. Clair (3-1) is taking the game very seriously.

At first glance, Baldwin's Highlanders (also 3-1) appear to be a perfect team for the Panthers to face. USC has had its most trouble defending the pass, and Baldwin is a run-heavy team. But the Highlanders are a darned good running team.

In fact, Baldwin High's junior running back Dorian Brown is coming off of a monster game. Brown was selected as  and the for his 34-carry, 278-yard rushing performance in the Highlanders' over Thomas Jefferson High School this past Friday.

"We've had some success with it (the run)," Baldwin's Head Coach Jim Wehner said matter-of-factly. "That's what I'm going to stick with."

Meanwhile, the Highlanders have thrown just one touchdown pass this season, and their starting quarterback, freshman Doug Altavilla, was pulled against Thomas Jefferson.

However, USC may have learned a valuable lesson last week when West Allegheny broke its normal pattern and passed the ball a lot in the first quarter, taking a commanding 21-0 lead on the Panthers in the process. USC was able to overcome the deficit, but it's not something that you'd want to make a weekly habit out of.

Wehner is still very confident in his stable of quarterbacks. Altavilla is still the starter, but the head coach is not afraid to change things up if he isn't successful.

"Doug's our starter ... but if you keep making mistakes, we have two sophomores right behind him," Wehner said.

The Highlanders also welcomed senior quarterback Cory Phillips back to practice this week. Phillips hasn't played this season as he recovers from concussion symptoms, and it is not known if the Panthers will see any of him.

"(Phillips is) going to get eased in, and he knows that," Wehner said. "Any guy that you can get in there to start competition is good."

Altavilla has completed 20 of 50 passes this season for an average of just 53 yards per game. He has thrown five interceptions and no TDs.

The past two quarterbacks that the Panthers have faced have had success against them. Despite less-than-gaudy numbers from Altavilla, USC will be ready if Baldwin comes out throwing the ball.

"We just need to play more up in their face and tackle better," USC's Head Coach Jim Render said.

No matter who his team faces, Render feels that USC needs to play its own game to be successful.

The Panthers' senior quarterback  is coming into his own this year, and his four TDs in the second half against West Allegheny are a great sign of future success.

As the weather turns colder, possessing the ball and not turning it over becomes even more important that usual. It's more difficult to pass in cold and windy conditions, and Friday night is expected to be windy, rainy and in the upper 40s to lower 50s at kickoff time.

It's weather that Conwell can play well in. USC is a running football team, but it has the ability to connect on deep passes to senior wide receiver , as well.

Conwell has led the way for the Panthers on the ground by averaging 7.1 yards per carry with eight rushing TDs. Senior running back Zach Deitrick has returned from injury and has had most of the team's carries during the past two weeks. He averages 6.6 yards per attempt and 60 yards per game.

Baldwin is riding high after scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half to beat T.J.

"We take it one week at a time," Wehner said. "We're not going to look past anybody. That's how we play our best."

USC is playing its best football of the young season, as well. After a poor second half against North Allegheny High School (a on Sept. 16) and a not-so-great first half against West Allegheny, the Panthers put it all together by outscoring the Indians, 27-6, in the second half last week.

Simply put, both teams are entering conference play with plenty of confidence.

St. Clair's coaches might have said it best when they talked about the long hours of preparation that it'll take to have a successful game plan against the Highlanders.

Check back with the Baldwin-Whitehall and Upper St. Clair Patches for more on Friday's game.

This article originally appeared on the .