Fox Chapel rewarded with streak-snapping win

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, September 7, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Suffering through consecutive 0-10 seasons left Victor Nernberg with plenty to think about in the offseason. The Fox Chapel senior running back/linebacker focused all of his energy on becoming the fittest he has ever been.

Nernberg was focused on working back from a torn MCL and partially torn PCL he suffered in his right knee during a loss to Kiski Area last season.

“I wanted to work as hard as I could,” Nernberg said. “Coming off an injury and a second straight 0-10 season, I wanted to be as good as possible.”

When Fox Chapel ended its losing streak against Baldwin in Week 1, Nernberg played a big role on both sides of the ball. Nernberg finished with a team-high 122 rushing yards and a touchdown during a 38-7 win over Baldwin.

“He’s averaging 10 tackles per game,” Foxes coach Dave Leasure said. “He’s a kid who starts in January and worked tirelessly. He added 70 pounds to his bench press and took two-tenths of a second off his 40 time. He’s made himself into a good high school football player.”

The Foxes program is seeing many players make similar transformations. Beating the Highlanders halted a 22-game skid.

“It’s like an 800-pound gorilla got off our back,” said Leasure, who took over as head coach last season. “These kids have worked so hard for the past year. They haven’t experienced a win in a high school football game. To see that was awesome. It’s something that I can’t really put into words.”

Fox Chapel also gave a good effort in its season opener, losing by 11 points to Allderdice. The Foxes struggled to keep games out of the mercy rule last season.

Nernberg has helped provide a solid running threat in an offense that will make adjustments throughout this season. Quarterback Joey Geller was efficient against Baldwin, completing 5 of 6 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.

Fox Chapel’s defense also played well against Baldwin. The Highlanders only gained 192 total yards.

“I feel like everyone is trying to make a play,” Nernberg said. “We aren’t waiting for someone else to do it. We are all going toward the ball trying to make plays ourselves.”

Fox Chapel was scheduled for one more nonconference game against Knoch on Sept. 6 before opening up Northeast Conference play with Penn Hills.

Leasure believes Fox Chapel will find more openings to succeed as a team this year. The Foxes feel like their work in the offseason has started to pay dividends.

“We were violent as the point of attack,” Leasure said. “Defensively, our guys ran to the ball, and they were physical.”

Tags: Fox Chapel