New offense breeds optimism for Fox Chapel QB Ben DeMotte

By: Josh Rizzo
Tuesday, August 15, 2023 | 11:01 AM

Ben DeMotte has found his responsibilities for the Fox Chapel football program to be ever-expanding. The 5-foot-8 senior quarterback is eager to help the program move forward after an 0-10 season last year.

DeMotte also wants to help prepare the Foxes for their future. First-year Fox Chapel coach Dave Leasure asked DeMotte to help mentor underclassman Max Melocchi, who is next in line to take over at quarterback.

“He’s really talented, but he didn’t get that much playing time last year,” DeMotte said. “I’ve been working with him on details. He’s really talented and can throw and run well. I was working with him on his footwork and timing. I wanted to help him learn how to be a leader.”

Becoming a leader was something DeMotte developed through a trying season last year. DeMotte was roughed up frequently in the pocket as Fox Chapel was outscored 436-105. Fox Chapel lost all 10 games by double figures last season with the closest defeat being a 27-13 loss to Norwin in nonconference play.

“It was pretty tough,” DeMotte said. “When I play football, I’ve been an up-tempo, hype guy. But, last year, I realized I needed to stay calm. I didn’t want to get too high or too low. I wanted to be even keel.”

DeMotte ended up throwing for 1,191 yards and six touchdowns last season. When Leasure, who previously was an assistant coach with Fox Chapel, returned to lead the Foxes this season, he was happy with what he saw from DeMotte.

Leasure gave DeMotte a playbook to study in February. Since then, DeMotte has demonstrated an eagerness to learn the new offense and frequently has questions.

“He’s a personable kid,” Leasure said. “He can have a conversation with anyone. He is likeable and gets what we are trying to accomplish. He will be able to demonstrate that with his teammates.”

DeMotte received good feedback on Leasure from his former quarterback coach, Jullian Salerno. Salerno told DeMotte Leasure is good to play for. Once DeMotte started working with the new offense, he enjoyed what he saw.

“There’s a lot of motion,” DeMotte said. “It’s pretty simple, and he’s done a good job teaching it to us. I thought I was doing well with the playbook, and things ran well.”

With the new offense, DeMotte believes there will be a lot of opportunities for different players this season. Fox Chapel will bring back leading receiver Tyrese Samuels, who finished with 39 catches and 649 receiving yards. The Foxes will be asking Victor Nernberg, Kellan Bleier, Anthony Fourquet and Caleb Shirk to make more plays.

Fox Chapel leaned heavily on Samuels. What DeMotte hopes is the new offense will keep people guessing.

“There’s a lot of misdirection and counters,” DeMotte said. “We have a lot more weapons this year. We have three or four running backs that can carry the ball and the receiving corps starts with Tyrese.”

DeMotte also has shown he can persevere through any circumstance he is faced with. During many games last season, Fox Chapel was overmatched by the other teams in their tough section.

“He can run, he can throw and he’s mentally tough,” Leasure said. “The most impressive thing was, as many beatings as he took last year, he never yelled at teammates or pointed fingers. He’s the epitome of what a leader should be.”

DeMotte is excited to see what this team can do.

“Last year wasn’t a good year, and it was hard to find things to look forward to,” DeMotte said. “So far, we’ve looked really good, and this offense fits our team’s personnel a lot better than last year’s.”

Tags: Fox Chapel