2023 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Fort Cherry’s Matt Sieg

By: Michael Love
Thursday, July 27, 2023 | 6:01 PM

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To say Matt Sieg broke out in his first varsity football season would be an understatement.

The Fort Cherry rising sophomore quarterback threw for more than 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and 33 scores. He added 36 tackles on defense.

“I was really happy with how last year went,” Sieg said. “Obviously, I didn’t really know what to expect coming in not having played at that level before. I credit my coaches and teammates for giving me the confidence to go out there and perform. I started off a little slow, but I was able to settle in. We all worked hard in the offseason to be ready, and it turned out to be a pretty good year. Hopefully, we can build on that this year.”

For his efforts, Sieg was named the Black Hills Conference offensive MVP and was a first-team pick on defense for the Rangers, who advanced to the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals before losing to Rochester.

In a 56-42 first-round win over Monessen, Sieg ran for 255 yards, threw for 139 and accounted for six total touchdowns.

Fort Cherry finished second in the Black Hills standings at 5-2 behind Bishop Canevin, and the Rangers finished their season 8-4 overall.

What does Sieg have in store for an encore?

“We’ve had another great offseason,” Sieg said. “We’ve put in a lot of work in the weight room and with conditioning. We’re really coming together on the field. Our expectations are pretty high. My expectations are pretty high coming back. We’re ready to put the pads on soon and see where it takes us.”

Sieg is taller and has more muscle on his frame than last year, and he knows the potential is there to see those numbers — now at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds — continue to rise before his high school playing days come to a close.

“It’s cool to know I am still developing and can get taller and put on more weight to be as muscular as I can,” he said.

Jeff Sieg is Matt’s father and also serves as an assistant coach at Fort Cherry. He has seen first-hand his son’s development over the years, especially over the past 12 months, and is excited to see his next steps.

“What makes him special is that he is always ready to put in the hard work and not just relying on talent alone,” Rangers head coach Tanner Garry said.

“He’s constantly looking for ways to get better. He’s taken steps not only physically but definitely mentally with the ins and outs that come with being a quarterback. Stepping into that role last year as a freshman came with its challenges, but he has really matured and has put in the proper prep work for this year.”

Matt Sieg said he already has received some good feedback from coaches at the next level on what he can do to improve his game. He has attended the Pitt camp in the past and got the chance to show his stuff at Penn State’s camp June 24.

“It was a great experience,” he said. “There weren’t too many kids, so we got some good one-on-one coaching. I learned a lot and things that will definitely help me moving forward. It was just really cool to see how things work up there and get a sense of what I need to get to the next level.”

Seig never has much time off as the four-sport athlete — football, basketball, baseball and track and field — is always on the go.

Transitioning from football to basketball, Seig averaged 8.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 steals, and 2.8 assists as Fort Cherry earned a WPIAL Class 2A playoff berth in February.

In 12 games on the baseball diamond this spring, he batted a team-best .444 (16 of 36) with four RBIs.

Seig split time with the baseball and track and field teams. Fort Cherry’s 400-meter relay qualified for WPIALs and took home a seventh-place medal in a time of 44.60 seconds.

“We had a few guys out of that relay, so to finish where we did, that was a huge accomplishment,” he said. “If we would’ve had everyone, we could’ve finished way higher. But I was glad to be able to run with the guys and do our best.”

Matt Seig

Fort Cherry

Sophomore

6-1/175

Quarterback

Stars: N/A

Committed to: None

Offers: None

2022 statistics: 82 of 115 passing, 1,221 yards, 11 TD; 184 carries, 1,982 yards, 33 touchdowns; 36 tackles.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Fort Cherry