The chest bumps, high-fives, back slaps, and sheer joy on the faces of the Foxes football players said it all after they defeated Baldwin, 38-7, on August 30. The victory might seem routine to some, but for the Foxes, it was monumental because it ended a 22-game losing streak that had plagued the program since 2021.
There were positives all over the field, and the players maintained their steely focus throughout the game. Junior quarterbacks Max Melocchi and Joey Geller each contributed a touchdown, while senior Victor Nernberg earned a spot on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s top rushers list with two touchdowns and a two-point conversion for 122 yards.
Senior Cooper Hendren led in three catches for 79 yards. Junior kicker Harran Zureikat, regarded as the top junior kicker in the country by the elite Kohl’s program, added three field goals and averaged 60 yards on kickoffs. His weekend was topped by getting his first NCAA Division I offer from Syracuse University.
“Once you get one offer from a school like that, others follow,” says head coach Dave Leasure. “We expect more to come soon.”
The coach also praised Victor’s development. “Somewhere along the line since last year, Victor developed a wiggle that gets him past defenders. He had a great game on both sides of the ball. You can’t work as hard as he does and not see results.”
On defense, Victor led with eight tackles, followed by the double-trouble duo of seniors Kristopher Bandurski and D’Angelo Hamilton. Senior Luca Poli also had significant contributions in stifling Baldwin’s scoring attempts. Cooper also pulled in two interceptions.
But overall, it was a total team effort after coach Leasure converted to a Wing-T offense last season and brought a new look to the defense.
Caleb Shirk, a versatile senior who has settled in as a linebacker and had six solo tackles during the Baldwin game, says, “For me, it was not very difficult to adjust play styles. Our coaches have done a fantastic job implementing the new offensive and defensive schemes. Because coach Leasure and coach Massack believe in mastering a few concepts and plays instead of trying to learn an extensive playbook, it is very easy to adjust play styles and focus on playing fundamentally sound, physical football.”
Much Praise, Now Onward
Coach Leasure was visibly emotional after the game and even the day after the victory. The win was something he promised to deliver when he took over the program last year. Since then, he has worked tirelessly to advocate for his players and build an inspired team culture that reflects his bulldog approach to achieving goals. Alongside that, and with strong senior and junior leadership, he emphasized perseverance and more offseason commitments to training. Being at the school every day as a teacher, he also was able to recruit more players.
Cooper adds, “We had a lot more players coming to the off-season workouts over the summer, which made us more prepared. As a result, we are a bigger, faster, and stronger team.”
“The reason for the win is not about me,” says coach Leasure. “Does it mean a lot to me? Yes. But it means more to the kids. Afterward, I thought about the kids who never had the joy of celebrating after a game. Just to see the joy on their faces and to see them understanding that if you persevere, you will get to the other side of trying times, whether it’s in football or life, it was just tremendous to see. This team doesn’t have that ‘Here we go again’ mentality if things go wrong, as they will for any team in any game. They go in there and keep fighting.
“This win means so much to our kids, the boosters, and those individuals who have continued to support our program and worked hard knowing this day would come.”
Sticking It Out
In many past years, even if the Foxes were competitive going into the half, circumstances often fell short in the second half. At the half last Friday, coach Leasure reminded his team of how much they have invested in the program since January when they started off-season weight training and how close they were to winning the game.
“I just reminded them of how much hard work they’ve put in and encouraged them to finish the last 24 minutes with more heart and focus than they’ve ever had. And they did,” the coach says.
An increased number of players and more depth have combined to make a big difference in their ability to stay in the game past the half.
“One thing that we’re able to do this year that we couldn’t last year is rotate the players at every position on both sides of the ball, and that keeps everyone fresh,” explains coach Leasure. “Last season, we had maybe 12 or 13 kids we could rotate; this season, we have 22 or 23 players who can go out there and hold their own in a (WPIAL Class) 5A game.”
Caleb expresses what it has been like to experience a hard-earned win.
“We’ve been practicing and playing from January to November for the last three years,” he says. “Everyone on the team had sacrificed countless hours training, and up until Friday, we never had anything to show for all our work. Winning made it feel like all of the hard work we put into lifting and practicing over the last 1,000 days finally paid off. It felt amazing to finally be rewarded for the effort we’ve put into this team.”
At the end of the day, the coach wanted to keep his words to a minimum but sent them off by saying, “I just want you to know how proud I am of all of you.”
Now, after some locker-room celebrating, the win is behind them, and their focus is on the September 6 home game against Knoch.
Cooper reflects on what it will take to earn a second win.
“We need to continue to work as a team and build each other up,” he says. “We need to stay focused and put 100% into our practices to help eliminate making mistakes in the game.”
After last week’s performance, the team won’t need much outside motivation to get the job done going forward. While a scoreboard lit up with a Foxes advantage is, of course, the goal no matter what, this is a re-energized team led by coaches whose dedication and never-give-up attitude deserve applause from students, players, and fans alike.