Pittsburgh athletes of the week: Riverside’s Skyler Fox, Seton LaSalle’s Mofoluke Obiri

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, October 4, 2017 | 6:00 PM

Previous Next

Previous Next

Skyler Fox

School: Riverside

Class: Sophomore

Sport: Golf

Claim to fame: Fox earned his second consecutive WPIAL Class AA golf championship by shooting a 74 to win in a playoff at Allegheny Country Club on Thursday. Just the WPIAL's 10th repeat champion, Fox advanced to the PIAA Western Regional Championship on Oct. 16. He was the 2016 PIAA runner-up.

What was it like to win your second WPIAL title?

It was pretty cool. Going into it I was kind of expecting to do pretty well. I was just trying to do my best and see what happened, and I came out with a tie, went to a playoff and won, so it's pretty cool.

Was your second championship any different than the first?

It was a little more nerve-wracking knowing that I was the No. 2 seed and everyone was expecting me to do pretty well. Whenever I was going into my freshman year I was just trying to make it through and somehow came through and won.

What's your favorite club in your bag right now?

Probably my sand wedge, because when I miss the green I'm doing pretty well with my wedge. I can get up and down from a lot of places, and it helps me a lot.

Is there a golfer you try and model your game after?

I love Justin Thomas, because he just rips the ball, and he's a great putter and he just has a great game.

What's your favorite class?

Probably math, I'm pretty good at math.

Mofoluke Obiri

School: Seton LaSalle

Class: Senior

Sport: Soccer

Claim to fame: Obiri scored the lone goal in a 1-0 over Bentworth last Wednesday. A three-year starter, Obiri has 66 career goals, including 23 tallies and five assists this season. The Rebels are 9-2 overall this season and 7-1 in Section 2-A.

How were you able to score the game-winning goal?

It was a lot of teamwork. After our first loss to Bentworth, we all really came together and worked hard to make sure we would win that game, and it was all just basically desire. I think we all really wanted it, I really wanted it and I just took a shot and it ended up going in.

How important was the win over Bentworth after losing to them earlier in the season?

That win was very important. It was crucial if we want to win the section and also get a good seed for the playoffs, so it's really exciting and a good boost for our team because we have a lot of confidence now and are able to move forward knowing that we can beat any team in our section.

You lost your first two games but have won your last nine. What's been the difference?

I think those first two games, even though we only lost one senior last year it's still been a big change, so I think we were just adjusting to our new formation and new players, and the first two games we were still kind of figuring it out. But then after we learned from those losses and were able to move forward, gradually get better and I think every game we've gotten better as a team, gotten closer and learned how to work together and win.

What's led to your individual success this season?

I think it was a lot of work in the offseason. Training with my club (Pittsburgh Riverhounds) really helped me improve as a player, and then just individual practicing. I have more confidence as a senior; it's really helped me to take more chances and get better as a player.

What's your favorite class?

It would have to be a tie between calculus and AP physics, because I really love math, and physics this year has a lot to do with the things I'm learning in math.

What are your plans for next year?

I have a lot of good choices for college. I'm working on narrowing it down to a school that meets my needs for an engineering major and extracurricular activities. I do want to play soccer, but I'm looking at a school for education first.

Tags: Riverside