The Fox Chapel football program has many markers it would like to hit on its way back to respectability. Foxes coach Dave Leasure was happy to cap the season, where Fox Chapel finished 3-7 overall and 0-5 in the Northeast Conference, with Harran Zureikat and Max Melocchi earning all-conference honors.

Zureikat was chosen to the Northeast Conference’s first team as a kicker. Melocchi was named to the second team as a wide receiver/running back.

Zureikat, a Georgia commit, set the WPIAL record for longest field goal by booting a 57-yarder on Oct. 3 in a 21-10 loss to Franklin Regional. He was 7 of 9 on attempts overall, only missing from 55 and 64 yards.

Zureikat also averaged 42.8 yards per punt and booted 32 of his 34 kickoffs for touchbacks. Zureikat is set to play in the Under Armour All-American game.

“Harran was a no-brainer,” Leasure said. “He was the best kicker in the state. He had opportunities that he took advantage of this year, including setting the WPIAL record, which was great.”

Melocchi, who will play at Carnegie Mellon next season, finished sixth in the conference with 27 catches. He averaged 22.1 yards per catch and scored 11 touchdowns (four rushing and seven receiving).

“He made it as an athlete,” Melocchi said. “He did more than one thing for us. He averaged more than four yards per carry running the ball. If you look at all the top receivers in the conference, there were guys who caught more balls than him, but his yards per reception was high.”

Leasure was disappointed to see senior tight end Thomas Billings not be selected. He increased his production from his junior season. He caught 18 passes for 195 yards, which was 13 more passes than he hauled in last season when he was chosen for the second team.

Overall, Leasure felt the Foxes took another step forward this year but still have a lot of work to do. He is interested to see how things get shaken up in the offseason with the WPIAL’s realignment.

Leasure said Fox Chapel playing with four or five sophomores should allow them to be more experienced going into next year. The Foxes are hoping to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2021.

“One thing I do every year is go through every area statistically,” Leasure said. “When we started in 2023, we averaged five points per game and gave up 42. This year, we scored 16 points a game and gave up about 34. Our point differential has dropped significantly.”