Fox Chapel faces familiar foe Penn-Trafford in opening round

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, November 1, 2017 | 7:15 PM

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Nick Gizzo was a freshman the most recent time Fox Chapel made the WPIAL playoffs.

It was 2014, and the Foxes, as the No. 15 seed, were not able to overcome No. 2 Penn-Trafford in a 40-13 result at Warrior Stadium.

Gizzo, a running and throwing weapon at quarterback for the Foxes, hopes his senior-year playoff experience at the home of the Warriors ends with a different feeling.

The No. 8 Foxes will face No. 1 Penn-Trafford at 7:30 p.m. Friday in a Class 5A quarterfinal contest.

“We were excited to get anyone,” Gizzo said. “It's an awesome feeling to be in the playoffs. We've been working so hard to get back.”

Fox Chapel comes into Friday's game on a five-game winning streak after a 1-4 start.

The start included a five-point loss to 6A Mt. Lebanon and a last-second setback by four points to Upper St. Clair. Turnovers, coach Tom Loughran said, hurt the Foxes in losses to West Allegheny and North Hills.

Fox Chapel's 22-21 victory at Woodland Hills in Week 2 was a difference-maker in making the postseason.

The Foxes capped the regular season last week with 42-14 nonconference victory over Plum.

Senior linebacker Chase Villani likes the way his team has seized a measure of momentum heading into Friday's game.

“We push each other on the practice field to get ready for Fridays,” said Villani, who has a team-best 87 tackles to go along with four sacks.

“That's what has carried us these last few weeks. We live for those Friday nights. We live for those lights.”

Penn-Trafford picked up the No. 1 seed in the 5A bracket. It lost its first game of the season, 27-24, to McKeesport last Friday.

The Warriors averaged 35 points a game this season. They gave up only 9.3 points a contest, lowest in 5A.

“When Woodland Hills won on Friday and made us the No. 4 seed (in the conference), we knew we would most likely get Penn-Trafford. We started to prepare for them over the weekend,” Loughran said.

“We started the preparation the way we start for anyone. We want to stop the run and be able to rush the football. If we can do both, we have a good chance to beat anyone.”

Fox Chapel averaged 289.1 yards a game on the ground in the regular season. The 1-2 punch of Gizzo and senior tailback Micah Morris combined for 2,485 of the team's 2,891 rushing yards and 31 of its the 34 ground touchdowns.

“Fox Chapel is really impressive,” Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane said. “They have as good of an offensive line and a running game as we've seen all season. They attack right at you. They have two 1,200-yard rushers, which is almost unheard of. On defense, they are very physical and get to the ball well. They are a well-coached and sound team on both sides of the ball. We're going to have our hands full on Friday. We have to play our best game to survive it.”

Gizzo said he's confident Fox Chapel can pass the football if needed Friday. He totaled 763 passing yards and five scores to complement the running game.

Junior wideout Cole Waxter has 20 catches for 304 yards this season, both team highs. He caught his third touchdown of the season against Plum.

Penn-Trafford also has shown this season that it favors the running game. The top three Warrior rushers — quarterback Cam Lafoon and running backs John Gay and Caleb Lisbon — have combined for 1,597 rush yards and 17 TDs.

“Penn-Trafford has a really strong running game. They have a number of guys who can carry the ball,” Loughran said.

Lafoon has added 848 passing yards with 10 touchdowns against only three interceptions.

The Warriors defense is anchored up front by senior lineman Logan Hawkins, an Akron commit. Hawkins, at 6-foot-2 and 270 pounds, also is an offensive tackle.

Loughran and Ruane said the overall set of quarterfinal matchups will be fun and interesting to see develop.

“We've preached to the kids that it's hard enough beating the other teams in 5A, but it's even harder when we hurt ourselves with things like turnovers or commit foolish penalties,” Loughran said. “We cleaned up both of those things the past several weeks.”

Fox Chapel's last playoff victory came in 1997 when it defeated North Allegheny, 35-6, in the quarterfinals.

The Foxes' next game was against Penn-Trafford in the semifinals, and the Warriors upset the Foxes, 21-19, to advance to Three Rivers Stadium.

Fox Chapel has made four playoff trips since then but experienced first-round exits in 2002, '08 and '11, in addition to the loss to Penn-Trafford in '14.

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.

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