Matt Sieg leads championship-caliber team at Fort Cherry

By: Matthew Purucker
Wednesday, August 21, 2024 | 6:01 AM

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Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Friday. Due to production schedule conflicts, the Serra Catholic preview will be published later in the week.

The moment the clock hit zeroes at the PIAA Class A championship game last season, sealing Fort Cherry’s loss to Steelton-Highspire, it was already clear what the Rangers’ goal would be for 2024.

“Now that we made it there, we want to make it back and get it done,” coach Tanner Garry said.

Fort Cherry has the squad to reach that goal, headlined by one of the most impressive Class A players the WPIAL has ever seen. Matt Sieg led the WPIAL in carries (254), yards (2,402), rushing touchdowns (40) and total touchdowns (60) as a sophomore last season.

“He always is continuing to improve. He just needs to keep being the person he is,” Garry said. “Normally, you talk about a junior developing leadership, (but) he’s been a leader for the past gtwo years already and leads, as he does, by example.”

Coming into this season, Sieg has backed up the attention he has received with results. Now, he has the leadership to better prepare the Rangers for the tough games ahead.

“The team and I have continued to get in the weight room and push ourselves at workouts for the upcoming season,” Sieg told TribLive HSSN earlier this summer. “We’re excited for the season and (to) chase for another championship.”

A concern for Fort Cherry is revamping the offensive line. Five offensive linemen graduated, leaving holes on the depth chart to be filled.

“We’ve had some young kids ready to replace the big boys up front and we’ll go as far as they go,” Garry said. “A lot of our success came from our offensive line.”

The skill positions will not be nearly as untested. Shane Cornali will be a four-year starter at wide receiver and is joined by fellow senior Braydon Cook and junior Evan Rogers. They combined for 17 touchdowns and over 1,300 receiving yards last season.

Running back Ethan Faletto, who recorded 162 carries for 1,228 yards and 18 touchdowns last season, graduated. He will be replaced by a running back committee, led by senior Nathan Heirendt and sophomore Ryan Huey, who ran for a combined 676 yards and 11 touchdowns a year ago.

Defensively, senior Joey Klose will be hoping to spearhead the front seven and cause disruptions in opponents’ backfields. Fort Cherry also returns all of its defensive backfield, so a unit that only allowed 14.9 points per game last year appears to remain strong.

Of course, having an elite defense is paramount to securing victories, especially considering how the Black Hills conference has, on balance, probably become more challenging with the addition of Serra Catholic and Monessen and the subtraction of Avella, Carlynton and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

“That can be a good thing or a bad thing,” Garry said. “If you take a look at the conference, most of the teams were in the playoffs last year. … Obviously, (it’s) a pretty tough conference, but it can make diamonds as well.”

Garry reiterated that a state championship is within Fort Cherry’s sights.

“We’re just excited to see what we’re about … (after) winning our first-ever WPIAL championship last year,” Garry said. “We’re going into the season knowing that there are going to be targets on our backs, and we’re just going to see where the season takes us.”

Fort Cherry

Coach: Tanner Garry

2023 record: 15-1, 7-0 in the Class A Black Hills Conference

All-time record: 373-264-15

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.23 Northgate, 7

8.30 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 7

9.6 at West Greene, 7

9.13 Chartiers-Houston*, 7

9.20 at Monessen*, 7

9.27 at Burgettstown*, 7

10.4 Cornell*, 7

10.11 at Bishop Canevin*, 7

10.18 Shenango, 7

10.25 at Serra Catholic*, 7

* Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Matt Sieg

85-157, 1,659 yards, 20 TDs

Rushing: Sieg

254-2,402 yards, 40 TDs

Receiving: Shane Cornali

34-669 yards, 8 TDs

FAST FACTS

• In the two years before Matt Sieg became the starting quarterback, the Rangers had a record of 8-9 (47% win rate). Since then, Fort Cherry’s record is 24-5 (83% win rate).

• The Rangers finished seven games last year scoring exactly 42 points.

• Before 2023, the Rangers last made the WPIAL Class A championship game in 2001, where they lost to Rochester 27-19.

•.This past season, Fort Cherry had a point differential of plus-436.

Tags: Fort Cherry