FOX CHAPEL — Its football field is one of high quality. Now Fox Chapel is trying to build a high quality team to play on it.

But third-year coach Bryan Deal knows the process requires patience.

"When I first came here, no one on the team could benchpress 225 pounds," Deal said. "Last year, three players could. This year, 23 players can.

"We're getting there, but we're still a long way from being there."

The Foxes (0-2) host Butler (0-2) for a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday. The game is their home opener and marks the first regular season game played on their new FieldTurf playing surface.

"This stuff is top of the line, the best thing available,"Deal said. "Ohio State and West Virginia installed it on their fields. The New England Patriots just put it in this year and so did we."

But what the New England Patriots are to the NFL, Fox Chapel is not to WPIALfootball.

The Foxes finished 2-8 each of the past two seasons under Deal. They have eight starters currently sidelined with injuries, return only three starters on both sides of the ball, and play in the same league as Gateway, Woodland Hills, Penn Hills and Kiski Area.

"Realistically, it's going to take years to get to where we want to be physically,"Deal said. "You have to begin your weight room program at the middle school level and we're only in our third year of it.

"Our injuries were freaky things that occurred in preseason. We're slowly starting to get people back now."

But Fox Chapel can throw the football. Senior quarterback Joe Donahoe, a returning starter, completed 32 of 59 passes for 286 yards last year before going down with a high ankle sprain against Butler in Week 3.

Donahoe was lost for the season — and Fox Chapel's season was lost.

"We never recovered from that,"Deal admitted.

Donahoe went down with an injury early in the Upper St. Clair game last week and was replaced by sophomore Julian Salerno, who threw for 253 yards in a 48-14 loss.

Senior 6-foot-6 receiver Mike Carlino caught nine passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns in that game.

Donahoe is healthy again and returned to practice. Still, the Fox Chapel quarterback situation is up in the air.

"We're not sure what we're going to do with that position right now,"Deal said.

The only returning starters on offense for Fox Chapel are Carlino, Donahoe and lineman Matt Kann. The top returning starters on defense are cornerback Mike Hartford and linebacker Vince Pettinato.

Anthony Schuilli was a 1,000-yard running back for the Foxes last year, but has graduated. Nick Lombardi, a 5-6, 165-pound junior, replaces him.

"Nick has good speed,"Deal said. "He's an open-field runner, more of a scatback type guy."

Butler defeated Fox Chapel, 23-0, last year. The Foxes lost a fumble on the Golden Tornado 7-yard line early in the game and had a score called back by a penalty.

"We know the frustration they (Butler) are feeling offensively right now because we've been there,"Deal said. "Their coaching staff is doing a nice job bringing along so many new players.

"Defensively, they move to the ball well, give you multiple looks and they like to bring pressure. We throw the ball quite a bit and we'll need time to do that."

The Foxes have turned the ball over seven times in their first two games, which include an 18-7 loss to Class AAA Highlands in the season opener.

While the Tornado struggled on special teams last week, Deal said his team has no real return threat on punts and kickoffs.

"This is the first time in my coaching career that I have to say that,"he said. "We just don't have any personnel like that."