Trib HSSN football player of the week for Oct. 12, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, October 12, 2025 | 7:30 PM

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Trib HSSN football player of the week – Matt Sieg

School – Fort Cherry

Class – Senior

Height/weight – 6-foot, 180 pounds

Position – Quarterback, defensive back

#Earned – While Fort Cherry senior Matt Sieg may never record an album or sell one single musical song, he has become very good at shattering records. Two weeks after breaking the all-time WPIAL touchdown record previously held by the Clairton duo of Tyler Boyd and Lamont Wade, Sieg broke another impressive mark on Friday when he topped former Sto-Rox quarterback Lenny Williams’ record of most passing and rushing yards from line of scrimmage (11,599 yards) set from 2010-13. Needing only 32 yards, Sieg wasted little time as he raced 70 yards on the first play from scrimmage. That play set the tone for both Sieg and Fort Cherry. While his arm has been bothering him, his legs have been crushing opponents, as he finished with 23 carries for 270 yards and three touchdown runs. He also shined on special teams and defense, returning a punt 55 yards for a score, then capping off the night with an 86-yard interception return for the final score of the game as Fort Cherry took over sole possession of first place in the Class A Black Hills Conference by crushing Bishop Canevin, 59-19.

Background – Even though fellow local Penn State recruits Khalil Taylor of Pine-Richland, Gabe Jenkins of Imani Christian and Kemon Spell of McKeesport have either pulled their commitment or are wavering on their choice, Sieg has had no second thoughts and plans to make it official and sign with Penn State in December. Sieg has thrown only one pass in the last four games after suffering an arm injury in a win over Chartiers-Houston. There is nothing structurally wrong and the team is taking it slow with him returning to throw in hopes he will be good to go for the playoffs. For the season, Sieg has thrown for 403 yards and eight touchdowns in limited action, and has 995 yards on 81 carries for an average of 12.3 yards per tote. He has scored 19 touchdowns to lead the team in passing, rushing and scoring. Sieg has also played for the Rangers basketball and baseball teams in his three previous years at Fort Cherry, However, he will not be playing either sport in his senior season as he plans to enroll at Penn State in the spring.

What coach says – “He always seems to have his biggest performances on the biggest stages,” Fort Cherry coach Tanner Garry said. “It’s a testament to the type of competitor he is. He always finds a way to rise to the occasion.”

“It’s a group effort to make those things work,” Garry said about Sieg still having success despite not being able to throw the ball the last four games. “The guys up front have done a great job of creating movement, and the backs are taking full advantage of it.”

“He’s made it a point in this offseason to sharpen his skills defensively, and that has shown so far this year,” Garry said. “He’s coming downhill and hitting every chance he has. His physicality on both sides of the ball and special teams has been fun to watch.”

“The way he has always remained the same humble kid who just enjoys playing football with his friends, to him, that’s what’s most important,” Garry said about Sieg setting the district record for touchdowns scored and total yardage from the line of scrimmage in recent weeks.

“I’d say the bond he has with his teammates, coaches and community,” Garry said when asked what makes Sieg so special. “He just enjoys being able to represent his hometown.”

WPIAL Week 7 Honorable Mention

Kemon Spell – McKeesport

While he made headlines after the game saying he’s not sure about his commitment to Penn State, McKeesport running back Kemon Spell is sure he’s healthy and in full truck mode. In a battle for first place in the Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference against visiting Mars, the talented Spell carried the ball 18 times and rushed for 236 yards, averaging over 13 yards per tote while scoring four touchdowns on runs of 7, 5, 25 and 55 yards, plus he had a 66-yard scoring reception from Matt Miller and an 86-yard punt return for a TD as the Tigers roared past the Figthin’ Planets, 56-31.

Tyler Eber – Thomas Jefferson

Coming off a rare regular season loss, Class 4A defending champion Thomas Jefferson came out flying in a key Big Six Conference home game against Ringgold. In a fight for second place, junior running back Tyler Eber led the way for TJ with 279 yards on 38 carries while scoring six touchdowns on runs of 2, 40, 1, 2, 6 and 7 yards as the Jaguars jumped out to a three-touchdown lead in the opening quarter on their way to a 42-6 bounce back against the Rams.

Tevin Owen-Cratsenberg – Highlands

The young man with one of the longest names on the back of a uniform made it a long night for the host team in a Class 3A Allegheny Seven Conference matchup for second place. Highlands super sophomore running back Tevin Owen-Cratsenberg averaged nearly 20 yards per carry after rushing for 318 yards on 16 carries and scoring four touchdowns on runs of 62, 89, 64 and 15 yards. The final two TDs came in the second half in helping the Golden Rams pull away from Burrell, 42-21.

Andrew Corfield – South Side

Riding the wave of a five-game winning streak, South Side was heading north for Weeks 7 and 8 to Lawrence County against the other two teams with perfect records in the Class A Big 7 Conference. Mission No. 1 was a success, setting the stage for a battle for sole possession of first place this upcoming week at Laurel. On the business trip to Neshannock this past Friday, senior running back Andrew Corfield had 21 carries for 256 yards and three touchdowns of 48, 7 and 84 yards as the Rams rolled past the Lancers, 35-7.

2025 HSSN Players of the Week

Week 6 – Marino Graham, New Castle

Week 5 – Jonah Williamson, Trinity

Week 4 – David Dennison, Bethel Park

Week 3 – Scoop Smith, Woodland Hills

Week 2 – Joey Felitsky and Logan Schade, North Catholic

Week 1 – James “BooBoo” Armstrong, Hopewell

Week Zero – Gabriel Jenkins, Imani Christian

Tags: Fort Cherry