When David Leasure took over as the new head coach of the Foxes football program in December, he had already spent a great deal of time thinking about a vision going forward. He was ready to put his own stamp on the program while respecting the strides that had been made before him. One of his first initiatives was to meet with the players, lay out his expectations, and get more of his athletes involved in offseason strength and conditioning.
Check, check, and check.
Beginning in January, participation in the strength and conditioning program nearly tripled from the previous offseason. When the program wrapped up in early June, the football program held a “Spring Olympics” that challenged athletes in the bench press, back squat, 40-yard dash, 5-10-5 shuttle run (continuous running back and forth between two line markers at a certain pace, and in varying degrees of intensity, duration, and distance), vertical jump, and sled push. About 85% of the 2023 roster of players participated.
“I was pleased, and there were a lot of positives,” says coach Leasure. “We still have a lot of work to do, but the players have made great gains in the weight room. Brandon Peifer (strength and conditioning head coach) did a tremendous job of teaching the players proper techniques, and, just as importantly, built a culture of hard work and intensity during our time in the weight room.”
Junior Luca Poli, the overall champion in the heavyweight division whose efforts have earned him a starting position on the varsity squad this season, adds, “Coach made the program a very well-planned and organized thing for the improvement of the players. There were so many more kids on the team who showed up (this offseason). It is clear to everyone that we’re not messing around, and coach Leasure has done a great job already with getting kids committed and excited for the season.”
As the countdown begins to the 2023-2024 season, the team has now been on the field for a few weeks to get acclimated to and successfully implement a revamped playbook that seeks to confuse, surprise, and disrupt opponents.
“The goal is to put the individual players in a position to have the greatest chance of success on the field,” explains coach Leasure.
Returning senior quarterback Ben DeMotte says, “I really love this new offense. When I first met with coach Leasure, he said this offense perfectly fits my skill set, and now as I’m getting the hang of the offense, he was right. We really get a lot of different guys touching the ball and becoming more involved with a lot more motion, and a simplified passing game. I really think it can give us an advantage and confuse opponents’ defenses.”
Coach Leasure has been happy with what he’s seen from Ben. “I was very impressed watching last year’s film and how Ben carried himself in some very difficult situations,” he says. “I love Ben’s heart, and I believe he is a natural leader. Whenever you see a quarterback doing squats for multiple reps of 275 pounds in January, it tells you a lot about their work ethic.”
Ben is one of eight seniors on the team this season. The others are Troy Susnak, Isaac Jacobs, Tyrese Samuels, Mason Miles, Nolan Childs, Andrew Shepard, and Alaric Waters.
“All of them will be an integral part of where we go from here,” coach Leasure says. “It’s a smaller class, but they have been working hard. All of them are great kids and so positive with everyone. They just know how to lead.”
A New Look
Coach Leasure lays out the tentative players for player distribution on offense, explaining, “Tyrese returns at wide receiver after a team-leading 39 receptions as a junior. Isaac’s athletic ability and speed will be used in several ways on offense and give the Foxes more options in the passing game. Juniors Lincoln Burgess, Owen Zaremby, and Nathan Yeske will also compete for playing time as wide receivers. Troy will be in the tight end position.”
There is also a full house of running backs. Anthony Fourquet, Caleb Shirk, and Victor Nernberg will be pushed for playing time by Nolan Childs and juniors Jack Viti, Ben Bonidy, and Cooper Hendren.
“The most intriguing player of the bunch would be newcomer and junior soccer player Kellan Bleier,” coach Leasure says. “Kellen is the fastest player on the team and is picking up the game quickly. He will assuredly be a major contributor in the backfield and as a slot receiver.”
Coach Leasure says the strength of the offense lies up front. The coaches are expecting big things from 6’3,” 245-pound junior Kris Bandurski; 6’3,” 305-pound Blake Kuhn at left tackle; junior 6’, 282-pound D’Angelo Hamilton at right guard; and 5’10,” 205-pound Luca Poli at left guard.
There’s a three-way battle shaping up at center among senior Alaric Waters and juniors Liam Foley and Owen Mettrick. Sophomores Aidan Elwood and Thomas Billings will add depth at tackle, and junior Liam Koffler will be a regular rotator at either guard spot.
Two sophomores are vying for varsity time. Coach Leasure states, “Sophomore Max Melocchi (6’3,” 180 pounds) has shown promise with his great arm strength and speed.” He’s the fastest of all the quarterbacks. Joey Geller (6’1”), who was named to the Big 56 all-section team in baseball as a freshman, also has a strong arm and brings a bulldog mentality and athleticism into the mix.”
Luca Poli and Kellan Bleier will handle the kicking and punting duties.
Ball of Confusion
When outlining his strategy for the defensive unit, assistant coach Todd Massack says, “The plan is to use multiple fronts, create confusion for our opponents with movement and pressure, and to have a relentless pursuit to the football.”
Defensive end Kris Bandurski adds, “This year we are taking a simple yet extremely effective approach so that we know what we are doing without even thinking about it. Our defensive coverages are looking solid (in 7v7s) against these other teams. We are still making some adjustments, but once we work that out, our defense should be a brick wall upfront. Our motto is ‘bolts loose,’ which means we want to play with an edge and a chip on our shoulders.”
The defensive front line features D’Angelo Hamilton and Blake Kuhn. Isaac Jacobs has moved to rush end this season, and Luca Poli joins the unit at guard. There’s also a strong group of inside linebackers, with returning starters Troy Susnak, Mason Miles, and Nolan Childs, who led the team in tackles last season. Other contributors at linebacker are expected to be Liam Koffler, Dylan McCaffrey, Ben Bonidy, and Aidan Elwood.
“At outside linebacker, there is a very competitive, athletic group pushing each other for playing time, including Ben DeMotte, Victor Nernberg, Caleb Shirk, Jack Viti, Kellan Bleier, Joey Geller, and sophomore Adrian Valdez,” coach Massack states. “Others we expect to contribute on the defensive line are Andrew Shepard, Alaric Waters, Owen Mettrick, Chase Hendren, Liam Foley, and Thomas Billings. We are also looking for contributions from Liam Koffler, Dylan McCaffrey, Ben Bonidy, and Aidan Elwood.
“Tyrese will be the leader of our defensive backs. Joining him will be Anthony Fourquet and Lincoln Burgess. Also competing for time are junior Cooper Hendren, and sophomore Nathan Johnson. Max Melocchi will play safety, along with Owen Zaremby and Nathan Yeske.”
A Good Foundation
“It’s exciting because I feel we can count on these kids from Week 0 to Week 10,” says coach Leasure. “Their work ethic has been phenomenal. I feel really good about where we’re at and where we’re going to be in August. Most of all, we feel like we have a large number of high-character kids.”
In addition to coach Massack, Coach Leasure’s staff for the 2023-2024 season consists of Tim Frassenei, Anthony Griggs, Matt Sasson, Tyler Frassenei, Adam Bisnowaty, Brandon Rios, James Hastings, and Gary Anderson-Davis.
Here is the 2023 Fox Chapel Area football schedule:
Friday, August 25: Peters Township (A)
Friday, September 1: Plum (A)
Friday, September 8: Norwin (H) (Senior Night)
Friday, September 15: Upper St. Clair (A)
Friday, September 22: Pine-Richland (A)
Friday, September 29: North Hills (H) (Homecoming)
Friday, October 6: Penn Hills (A)
Friday, October 13: Woodland Hills (A)
Friday, October 20: Kiski Area (H)
Friday, October 27: Shaler Area (H)