Fort Cherry QB Matt Sieg nears another WPIAL record — 5 Things to Watch in Week 7

By: Chris Harlan
Friday, October 10, 2025 | 10:06 AM

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Airliners often fly at 35,000 feet, but that’s also just about the height senior Matt Sieg has lifted the Fort Cherry football program in his four years.

Combined rushing and passing, Sieg has gained 11,528 yards of offense for the Rangers, leaving the quarterback on the doorstep of breaking another WPIAL career record. Sto-Rox’s Lenny Williams graduated with 11,559 yards in 2014.

Sieg needs 32 yards more to pass that mark.

But that’s likely not his primary focus entering Friday night as No. 1 Fort Cherry (7-0, 4-0) hosts No. 3 Bishop Canevin (5-2, 3-0) in a conference battle for first place in the Black Hills.

Kickoff is 7 p.m.

Fort Cherry, a two-time defending WPIAL champion, is also trying to win its third straight conference title behind Sieg.

The Penn State commit has thrown the ball less this season, passing for 403 yards and seven touchdowns in seven games. He has rushed for 710 yards and 14 TDs.

Three weeks ago, Sieg broke a WPIAL record for career touchdowns set by Clairton great Tyler Boyd.

A year ago, Sieg rushed for 205 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-35 victory over Bishop Canevin. The dual-threat quarterback carried the ball 33 times and scored on runs of 3, 37, 19, 1 and 30 yards. He also threw a touchdown pass in the win.

Bishop Canevin, the Black Hills champion in 2022, has a five-game winning streak.

WPIAL plays matchmaker

The top teams in Class 4A meet Friday night thanks to a decision the WPIAL made two years ago.

In an effort to better balance the three conferences, reigning Big Seven champion McKeesport was shifted into the Greater Allegheny. The Tigers were in an unfamiliar conference, but coach Matt Miller said that wasn’t so bad.

“I liked the idea of playing different teams,” said Miller, in his 10th year as coach. “We’d only played Mars once before. We’d never played Knoch. Hadn’t played Indiana in six or seven years. Never played Hampton before. It was kind of nice to not play the same opponents.”

Top-ranked Mars (6-1, 2-0) visits No. 2 McKeesport (4-3, 2-0) at 7 p.m. Friday.

Mars won the Greater Allegheny title in 2023, but McKeesport won it last year as a newcomer to the conference.

“Whoever they put in there, we have to beat if we want to be the champs,” Mars coach Eric Kasperowicz said. “That’s how we look at it. McKeesport is obviously a storied program with a ton of history.”

McKeesport is 3-0 all-time against Mars. The Tigers, who won twice over the Planets last year, also won a WPIAL playoff matchup in 2022.

Officials Appreciation Week

The PIAA is celebrating the men and women in stripes.

For the fifth straight year, the PIAA has designated three Officials Appreciation Weeks with the fall sports officials honored Oct. 5-11. The PIAA was the first state association to dedicate a week in every sports season — fall, winter and spring — to officials, a practice later adopted by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

“Officials play a vital role, every day,” PIAA board president Frank Majikes, a registered official for more than 50 years, said in a statement. “Games can’t be played without sports officials. Their unwavering efforts need to be recognized and given the well-deserved appreciation for all they do for Pennsylvania student-athletes. This is a time to celebrate and thank officials for their tireless efforts.”

The winter appreciation week is Jan. 11-17, and the spring week is April 5-11.

City League champ

The City League will decide its regular season champion Friday when Westinghouse (5-2, 3-0) plays USO (4-2, 3-0) at Cupples Stadium. Recent history favors Westinghouse.

The Bulldogs haven’t lost a regular-season game to a City League opponent in six years. However, USO was the last to accomplish that feat with a 32-22 victory in 2019.

Formed through a co-op, USO draws players from University Prep, Sci-Tech and Obama Academy.

Friday’s winner faces Brashear (1-6, 1-3) in the City League semifinals. The loser draws Allderdice (4-3, 2-2).

Better than it looks

How important is a game when one team is 2-5 and the other is 1-6?

Very. Don’t overlook Shaler vs. North Hills, a conference matchup Friday at Martorelli Stadium that has playoff implications in the Class 5A Northeast.

A win by North Hills (2-5, 2-1) would clinch the Indians a playoff spot. A win by Shaler (1-6, 1-1) could move the Titans into a second-place tie with Penn Hills (2-5, 2-1).

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Bishop Canevin, Fort Cherry, Mars, McKeesport, North Hills, Shaler, University Prep, Westinghouse