Fox Chapel football sees opportunity in closing weeks of season

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, October 12, 2024 | 11:01 AM

Fox Chapel coach Dave Leasure equated the Foxes’ football schedule to being like a mountain. There were a few games for Fox Chapel to prepare for the climb, followed by an arduous journey to the top while playing against some of the best teams in Class 5A.

The Foxes hope the final three weeks of the season will provide some relief for the program as the team starts the decline toward the end.

“It started off with some games where we had a chance, then we played really elite competition for four straight weeks,” Leasure said. “Then we are coming down on the other side to get some other opportunities.”

Fox Chapel will close the season with games against Plum, Shaler and East Allegheny. The Foxes, who are 1-5 on the season and 0-3 in the Northeast Conference, will be returning several key players from injuries who will help down the stretch.

Max Melochi, Lincoln Burgess, Anthony Forquet and Blake Kuhn will all be back in the lineup.

While Fox Chapel already halted a lengthy losing streak by beating Baldwin earlier this season, Leasure would like to see a few more wins.

“We feel like we still have a chance to improve on that,” Leasure said. “We are fortunate to get some guys back from injury. Last year, we limped to the finish line. We could be in a position where we are at full strength minus a kid or two.”

Fox Chapel opened conference play with the three best teams in the conference: Penn Hills, North Hills and Pine-Richland. All were decisive losses.

The Foxes then played a nonconference game against Franklin Regional, a Big East playoff contender.

“There were more positives in that game than in the previous three,” Leasure said. “Even though the score was lopsided, we did things offensively that would give us confidence.”

Leasure said he is proud of how all of the kids have stuck with the program this season.

“It means a lot,” Leisure said. “It’s hard for kids to commit to football. For a kid to commit to a program that doesn’t win a whole lot is even harder. This senior group is pretty incredible. I feel really good for them about having more moments at the end of the year. They’ve worked really hard. We are doing everything we can to put them in a position to be a success and they are giving us everything they have.”

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