Fall 2021 Athletic Highlights

BOYS AND GIRLS GOLF

Every year, Fox Chapel Area boys golf coach Bryan Deal sets the bar high for his players, and this season was no different. While the team was hoping to replicate its state championship from 2019, this year’s players should have no regrets after finishing as the PIAA Class 3A runner-up. However, there’s no doubt it was a heartbreaking finish. After tying State College Area during regulation play, the Foxes then fell short in a sudden death playoff.

The team was led by sophomore Davey Fuhrer, who carded a one-under-par 70 at the state tournament, followed closely by senior Owen Delaney with a 72. Seniors Max Johnson, Zachary Paper, and Eli Yofan all shot 75 to round out the Foxes’ solid performance.

“I started to prepare for states the minute after we won the team WPIAL because I knew that I would play a big role in the outcome of the tournament for good or bad,” says Davey, who got his first taste of high school golf after missing last season due to a non-golf-related injury. “When we came up just short, I was sad, but also proud of the team, how we played that day, and just making it there in the first place.”

Leading up to the state tournament had been nothing less than spectacular. The team was the undefeated section champion and had another thrilling end to the WPIAL team finals, during which they defeated Central Catholic by one stroke. It was the second time in three years the Foxes claimed the WPIAL team championship. Eli was the team’s medalist that day with an impressive 73. He also finished second in the WPIAL individual championships and advanced to the state individual tournament in York, where he finished in fourth place in Class 3A. Eli’s finish was the school’s best since Davey’s uncle, Frank Fuhrer, won the state championship in 1976. Yet, the season’s success was not just about one golfer’s accomplishments. Coach Deal says, “Any one of our varsity players were capable of being the medalist on any given day. What we looked for all season was consistency throughout our lineup, and that’s what they gave us.”

Seniors John Walsh and Riley Johnson, and junior Andrew Begg, were also solid contributors during the season.

“What stood out to me most this season was the camaraderie of the team as a whole,” says Owen. “With such a senior-heavy group, I felt as though we could rely on each other to pick one another up if we weren’t having our best day.”

Coach Deal adds, “I’m very proud of how these young men represented themselves, their families, and our school district with class while competing at the highest level. While we all learned a very difficult lesson (at states), it doesn’t diminish the great season we had.”

The Fox Chapel Area girls golf team also turned in an impressive season.

Those people who know Tim Lang also know that his coaching style is to use popular quotes to support teaching points. This year, he began the season by sharing a comment made by former NFL player and coach Tony Dungy. Now a motivational speaker, Dungy has said, “You can’t always control circumstances. However, you can always control your attitude, approach, and response. Your options are to complain or to look ahead and figure out how to make the situation better.”

Coach Lang explains how the inspirational message was meant to motivate his squad. “It was intended to have the team think about the season in a different way. It applied to the approach to the upcoming season, as well as the championship matches

that we fell short of last year, and our need to adapt to various situations.”

Heeding his words, combined with a lot of hard work, resulted in impressive results. For the first time in 11 years, Fox Chapel Area girls golf started the postseason by winning the WPIAL Class 3A championship and earned an automatic berth to the PIAA Class 3A team championships in York. The 2017 team also qualified, but through an at-large invitation. This year’s squad placed third at the state level after solid play from seniors Baylin Bitar, Nina Busch, Erin Drahnak, and Grace Rygelski, and freshman Baustin Bitar.

Their success at both high-level competitions came after a fourpeat section championship with a 10-0 undefeated season.

“It was just fantastic for the entire team to become WPIAL champions,” says Coach Lang. “From two years ago, when Nina and Erin were the foundation of this team, we always knew we needed to add a few more good golfers to make a great team. That was when we recruited Baylin and when Grace brought her game to a new level.

“One of the biggest and most welcome surprises was Baylin. She stepped up when it counted. After our first three players finished in the WPIAL team finals, we were down by one stroke. Baylin beat her opponent by six strokes, and we finished with a fivestroke victory and were crowned the champion. And she almost did it again in the state finals.”

Also at the WPIAL individual championships, Nina placed second and advanced to the PIAA tournament.

“Last year was surreal, but this year was truly fantastic,” says Coach Lang. “It was time to finish what we started.”

This year’s team also included seniors Lauren Childs and Francesca Heidinger, sophomore Lucy Rygelski, and freshmen Gabrielle DeVita and Riley Francis-Perka.

CROSS COUNTRY

Getting to the PIAA Class 3A cross country championships had been a goal for seniors on the boys team for what seemed like forever. They had run together for many years and knew all too well that to get to states this year would depend upon a strong performance at WPIALs. So, the boys dug deep, put forth their best efforts, and placed third at the regional race. Their cumulative hard work earned them what they had wanted so badly – a coveted ticket to run on the Hershey championship course. It was the first time since 2013 that a Foxes boys cross country team advanced to states.

Senior Jack Lorence led six other solid athletes who competed in both the PIAA and WPIAL races, including seniors Owen Carter, Jordan Gwin, Ethan Napolitan, and Alex Staud; sophomores Rowan Gwin and Maxwell Kaiser; and freshmen Ethan Vaughan and Altai Yumak.

As a solo runner, Jack medaled in ninth place at WPIALs and qualified for states. However, he ran with the team, but remained eligible to medal with his individual time.

Prior to the season-ending fanfare, the undefeated team had clinched the WPIAL Class 3A Section 4 championship for the third consecutive year. They also won the annual Gateway Invitational and were the runner-up at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association tournament.

When remembering the particulars after the state race, Jordan says, “Jack and I gave each other a hug because we had done what we’d wanted to do since our freshman year together – we finally made it to states.” “This group was able to accomplish what we thought was a long shot at the beginning,” says Coach Tom Moul. “I’m very proud of them.”

The girls team won the Gateway Invitational to start off the season and ended as the section runner-up. They had greater success when two sophomores, Laura Carter and Clara Kelley, qualified for states. It was Laura’s second time to qualify for the most prestigious race of the year, and Clara advanced after overcoming a lingering injury that had plagued her since last year’s track season.

“It was a nice ending to the season,” Coach Moul says. “All of them worked hard from the beginning of the summer, and it paid off in the end.”

For the second consecutive year, the Foxes field hockey team advanced to the WPIAL Class 2A championships and, once again, mirrored last year’s finish as the runner-up.

Getting there again, however, was something the team and their coaches weren’t always sure of. They had gotten off to a slow start at the beginning of the season but then won most of their games leading up to the playoffs. Part of that gradual progression was due to filling big shoes from last year’s graduating class.

Senior captain and goalie Mira Tramontina says, “After having a season filled with new faces, learning, and making it to WPIALs, I would say this team exceeded my expectations. We had very strong players on both the offensive and defensive sides, and had a lot of team spirit. We were always here for one another.” “Overall, we are very pleased with the outcome of the season,” says Coach Emily Humiston. “The girls used their opportunities to better themselves and the team, and that’s really all we can ask for. Of course, a gold medal would have been nice, but there were so many other individual and team successes to be proud of throughout the season.”

GIRLS TENNIS

Riding on the strength of the Foxes doubles teams, the girls tennis team earned the WPIAL Class 3A Section 3 championship after defeating Shady Side Academy, 3-2. The victory automatically advanced the squad to the Class 3A WPIAL championships.

Under Coach Alex Slezak’s leadership, the program has advanced to the team playoffs each of his eight years and won the team section title five times. This season, the team concluded the regular season with a perfect 8-0 section record.

Also during the Section 3 playoffs, the Lady Foxes faced tough competition from Shady Side Academy; however, the Foxes’ two doubles teams stepped it up to secure the win. Those teams included the senior duo of Anna Ferris and Bridget Kilmer, and Diya Reddy, a junior, and sophomore Sophie Carvelli. Additionally, senior Carissa Shepard was the individual section champion for the second year in a row.

“I’m especially proud of our doubles teams because they really clinched the section for us,” says Coach Slezak. “They did great, competed their very best, and worked hard. They were aggressive and played well. In singles, Carissa showed why she is the section singles champ again this year.”

FOOTBALL

Life doesn’t always follow a straight line, and that certainly was the case with Foxes football this season. The team faced more than its share of adversity but was able to push through many challenges to qualify for the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs.

In the first round at opponent Upper St. Clair’s home field, the Foxes pulled off an unexpected upset of the Panthers, 13-10, who traditionally do well in the playoffs. Just as significant was the fact that Fox Chapel Area won with a first-time quarterback. Senior Khi’lee Patterson filled in after the team’s starting quarterback, senior Collin Dietz, was injured in the last game of the season, and was bolstered by strong support from the offense and defense. The victory was especially meaningful from a historic perspective because it was the first time the program had won a playoff game in nearly 25 years.

The Foxes then advanced to the WPIAL quarterfinals against Penn-Trafford but fell to the Warriors, the eventual WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A champions. “We did a lot of good, but we cannot be satisfied. We always have to strive for more than we achieved,” Coach Tom Loughran says. “What I love about high school football is that each year we have to reload with other players, but this year we had a bunch of young kids who had the opportunity to play. As we move on to next year, we will build on those strengths.”

“This year’s team brought a mental toughness I haven’t seen in some time,” says Fox Chapel Area boys soccer Coach Erik Ingram of his team’s 13-4-1 season and past appearances at the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs.

The fifth-ranked Foxes drew Penn-Trafford as their opponent in the first round of the playoffs and defeated the Warriors, 7-0. They went on to beat CanonMcMillan, 1-0.

The Foxes faced Seneca Valley in the semifinals and felt fairly confident they could get the job done after putting the only blemish on the Raiders’ record earlier in the season. But, in a hard-fought battle that went into overtime, the Foxes lost, 1-0.

Junior defender Colin Westerberg says of the season as a whole, “We hit some bumps along the road; however, I felt as though we overcame all obstacles thrown at us and learned to face adversity as a unit. During the season, we were still figuring out what was best for all of us and still trying players in different positions. By the end of the season, I thought we had everyone where they needed to be, and we were playing some of our best soccer of the year when we entered the playoffs.”

In all, the Foxes scored 94 goals during the 2021 season and only conceded 19 goals in 20 games.

Coach Erik Ingram also hit a milestone this season with his 200th career win.

GIRLS SOCCER

Overtime shootouts and goalie saves during the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs were definitely highlights of the 2021 season as girls soccer defeated two higher-ranked teams, including undefeated, two-time champion North Allegheny. Besides having a group of very talented players, it was their tremendous heart and resolve that resulted in their ability to outplay the Tigers, and, before that, Bethel Park. The Lady Foxes were ranked ninth going into the playoffs.

At the Bethel Park matchup, senior Lauren Rabbitt sent the ball into the net in overtime, in the seventh round of penalty kicks, to win the game. She says the season was unlike any of the others she’s played with the team.

“We had many ups and downs, but my favorite part was the run we had in the playoffs,” says Lauren. “The team felt so connected this year, which really helped us get as far as we did in the playoffs. The mindset on the field was very focused and determined. The whole team had each other’s backs, from the energy on the bench to the trust in each other on the field.”

Junior goalie Molly McNaughton was especially remarkable when defeating North Allegheny. With the game going into penalty kicks after two overtimes, the score was tied at 4-4. Senior Addie Piper scored the final penalty kick for the Foxes to make it 5-4, and then Molly blocked North Allegheny’s final shot to win the game.

“Seeing the ball hit the back of the net when I kicked it for real, was the best feeling ever. It’s a moment I will never forget,” says Addie.

Coach Peter Torres adds, “The hard work and dedication from every member of the team led to our success.”