Fort Cherry ready to contend for 3rd straight WPIAL crown

By: Matthew Purucker
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 | 6:01 AM

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It is hard to complain about the last two seasons if you are involved with Fort Cherry football. After all, in those two years, Fort Cherry won two WPIAL Class A championships.

However, it was far from easy, especially in 2024 when the Rangers needed multiple fourth-down conversions on the game-winning drive to win the WPIAL championship game 21-20 over Clairton.

“It’s something that a lot of people chase, trying to get that back-to-back WPIAL championship,” Fort Cherry coach Tanner Garry said. “So we were really excited to defend what we won. … To make it there again and play a team like Clairton, the game matched up with what was on paper.”

But now, it is time for the Rangers to take what they learned from those past two seasons and apply it toward an even better 2025.

Three-time Trib HSSN all-star and 2024 Willie Thrower Award winner Matt Sieg returns for his senior year after leading Fort Cherry in passing and rushing for the third straight season. The quarterback who has committed to play safety at Penn State will once again be critical for Fort Cherry’s championship chase this season.

“It’s very easy from the outside looking in to think that we’re a one-star show,” Garry said. “Matt’s done a lot in his high school career. … We have a lot of tough and selfless kids that are willing to sacrifice themselves. When you have a star player like Matt, that’s going to help, but it takes a lot more than just him.”

Fort Cherry brings back its running backs from last year, but not Sieg’s top two targets, Shane Cornali and Brayden Cook, who graduated. Those departures have left room for other players like Evan Rogers, Landon Trnavsky and Nik Massey to shine.

“Rogers has started since he’s been a sophomore. He’s put on a lot of good weight. Although they’ve been the leading receivers, Evan has been one of Matt’s favorite targets,” Garry said. “Landon Trnavsky, he’s a kid that we’ve been super excited for a couple of years now that reminds me of Shane. He is a really good route runner.”

Defensively, Sieg headlines a talented defensive backfield that returns its starting corners from a year ago. Also, Ryan Huey and Christian Yanosko expect to be playmakers as part of a tough linebacker core.

“I think that (the defense) as a whole, we’ve been as fast as we ever have been,” Garry said. “We just are very comfortable with the amount of speed that we have. … We have a lot of talented and experienced returners.”

However, a concern for Fort Cherry is its linemen, particularly offensively. Fort Cherry lost all five starters two years ago and four of five starters this past season. Sieg and company need enough time and space to wreak havoc on defenses, and the offensive line will need to come together for that to happen.

As the 2025 campaign approaches, Fort Cherry cannot wait to play on its new turf field, ready to go for WPIAL championship No. 3 and PIAA championship No. 1. The Rangers lost to Port Allegany, 46-8, in the PIAA semifinals last season.

“The guys and I have been working hard all summer to make another run,” Sieg told TribLive this summer. “We need to just stay locked in and not be complacent. We need to come week-in and week-out ready to go and learn from the mistakes that we’re going to end up making. Being able to bounce back and make plays is going to be huge for us.

“My teammates and I want to get that first state title for our school and community.”

Added Garry: “I just want them to show up and compete. I know it’s cliché, (but) we believe we’re blessed to be in a (competitive) conference. … There’s no break in the schedule where we have to think a couple of games ahead. So we’ll have to keep grinding and let the chips fall where they may.”

Fort Cherry

Coach: Tanner Garry

2024 record: 14-1, 6-0 in Class A Black Hills Conference

All-time record: 387-265-15

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.22 at Northgate, 7

8.29 at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 7

9.5 West Greene, 7

9.12 at Chartiers-Houston*, 7

9.19 Monessen*, 7

9.26 Burgettstown*, 7

10.3 at Cornell*, 7

10.10 Bishop Canevin*, 7

10.17 at Shenango, 7

10.24 Serra Catholic*, 7

* Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Matt Sieg

89-152, 1,345 yards, 20 TDs

Rushing: Sieg

241-1,832 yards, 32 TDs

Receiving: Shane Cornali*

40-709 yards, 10 TDs

* Graduated

FAST FACTS

• Fort Cherry was the only school to successfully defend its 2023 WPIAL title by repeating as champions in 2024. Aliquippa was the last team to win three straight WPIAL titles (2021-23).

• The Rangers have won 28 consecutive games against WPIAL opponents. Their most recent WPIAL loss was to Rochester in the 2022 WPIAL Class A quarterfinals.

• Fort Cherry shut out four opponents last season by a 164-0 combined score.

• Former NFL head coaches Marty Schottenheimer and Marvin Lewis graduated from Fort Cherry. Kurt Schottenheimer, Marty’s brother, is also a Fort Cherry alumnus and coached in the NFL.

Correction: This story was updated to reflect a loss in the 2024 PIAA semifinals.

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