KEITH BARNES, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Tri-State Sports & News Service, October 5, 2022
It took a while before Fox Chapel really found its groove this season.
“We’re just right now starting to click,” Fox Chapel coach Erik Ingram said. “There’s definitely some games early in the season where we didn’t click. But the idea is to have the finished product going into the playoffs.”
It wasn’t like Fox Chapel was losing a lot of games. The Foxes were 2-1-1 after their first four with their only loss coming against two-time defending champion Seneca Valley.
It was more about replacing three all-section players who graduated and getting the team to play comfortably with each other.
“There really hasn’t been a whole lot of adjustment other than players figuring each other out a little bit and getting used to each other’s habits,” Ingram said. “We didn’t lose a lot last year, but the guys we did lose were key. It’s not always easy to jump back in where you left off.”
Fox Chapel has been playing well thanks to contributions from throughout the lineup. Senior George Tabor, who is the only returning all-section selection for the Foxes last year, leads a solid group up front along with senior forward John Paul Brach and sophomore forward Carson Krushanshy.
But though the three forwards may get more of the scoring opportunities by the nature of their positions, it’s not like they are the only contributors to what has become a well-balanced unit.
“I don’t think I can single out any one, three or five guys because we have a starting 11 that’s just playing really well and going three, four into the bench,” Ingram said. “It really has been more of a team effort this year, which is why everybody clicking on the field is so important.”
Fox Chapel having that harmony is even more important when considering that, with four section games remaining coming into the week, only Seneca Valley had clinched a postseason spot out of Class 4A Section 1. Behind the Raiders is a jumble of five teams including Fox Chapel that are still vying for three playoff berths.
With the consolidation of Class 4A this year from three to two sections, only the top four teams in each will earn postseason spots.
What has made it even tougher is the quality of teams in each section. There are no off nights, so every team has to bring its best to the pitch every game.
That uber-focus helped Fox Chapel come together into the cohesive unit it has become.
“Both sections are killer,” Ingram said. “There’s so much more parity within the sections, playing time is a premium and you have to use your practice days wisely. It makes it important to keep guys as healthy as possible.”
UPDATE: With a win on Thursday, October 6, against North Allegheny, the Foxes locked up a spot in the 2022 WPIAL playoffs.