With versatile veteran players, strong work ethic, Fox Chapel football off to solid start

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, September 6, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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The Fox Chapel football program has prided itself on its versatility since Dave Leasure took over. Max Melocchi and Nathan Johnson were both potential options at quarterback.

But both were more focused on finding an opportunity to get on the field than worrying about what position came with that playing time. Following the Foxes’ 48-14 win over Baldwin in Week 1, Leasure said he has enjoyed seeing the players carve out new opportunities for themselves.

Melocchi, a Carnegie Mellon commit, and Johnson have both found opportunities to catch passes.

Johnson is third on the team in receiving with three catches for 89 yards, while he is also second in rushing, picking up 41 yards on six carries.

“Nathan Johnson is a kid who was working at quarterback and came to us before the Baldwin game and said he could work at slot receiver,” Leasure said. “He had three nice catches and a few nice runs.”

Melocchi leads the team in receiving yards with 123 and rushing yards with 42.

Leasure said that Fox Chapel has a roster with a lot of veteran players who want to do whatever it takes to win. Johnson started to work at receiver out of necessity last season.

“It was a need-based thing,” Leasure said. “He gives us a different dynamic. In the open field, he’s explosive.”

Quarterback Joey Geller has spread the ball around well and finished with a career-high 221 passing yards against the Highlanders.

The Foxes try to use their nonconference slate to work out all of the kinks in the early part of the season. Fox Chapel was scheduled to play Knoch in Week 2 before opening section play Sept. 12 at Penn Hills.

Leasure said the Foxes don’t treat the nonconference games like exhibitions. Fox Chapel wants to do everything it can to win those games.

“We go all in every time we step on the field,” Leasure said. “I understand a lot of coaches don’t go toward that philosophy. I really believe when you are trying to build a program, you need to win every chance you get.”

Leasure said Fox Chapel has been working a lot on preparation. The Foxes are emphasizing the importance of practices early in the week.

“We call Tuesdays and Wednesdays work days,” Leasure said. “You can’t get a paycheck on Friday unless you put in the work on Tuesday and Wednesday. The way our kids practice is different than it was the last two years.”

Leasure hopes that the effort from the Baldwin game will carry over. He felt the Foxes executed well throughout the lineup.

“I think it was a great team effort,” Leasure said. “For this group of seniors, especially. They’ve only been a part of two wins in three years. They came back and went all in. It’s all about what they can do to make the team better.”

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