Rochester overpowers Fort Cherry
McDONALD – To say this season’s edition of the Fort Cherry Rangers exceeded expectations on the football field would be an understatement.
Though the Rangers (8-4) saw their campaign come to a close via a 30-14 loss to perennial Class A power Rochester (7-4) Friday night at soggy South Fayette High School, coach Tanner Garry can take solace this young group will be back for more in 2023.
“The expectation coming this year really wasn’t that high,” Garry said. “To be honest, we really weren’t sure. We had to replace a lot of guys from last year. But the feeling was that we were hungry. We kind of got hot at the right time and we’re excited to see what we can do (next year).”
Next year will see do-everything quarterback Matt Sieg become a sophomore. His freshman year was something out of Hollywood as he dazzled throughout the season. He went out fighting with the rest of his teammates as he rushed for 230 yards on 24 carries. He was limited to 38 yards passing mostly because of the horrendous weather conditions.
“The thing about him, he isn’t OK with just letting his talents do the work,” Garry added. “He wants to continue to work out and continue to get better. He’s someone who always wants to find a way to get better. We’re excited to have him around a bit longer.”
Rochester’s power offense was led by Antonio Laure’s 189 yards on 24 carries. The Rams churned out 283 yards on the ground and seemingly got what they wanted anytime they ran the ball.
“Once they get going, they’re tough to stop,” Garry said. “We played tough, but we had some things go against us that can’t happen when you’re playing them.”
After a scoreless third quarter, Rochester increased its grip on the game when Laure busted loose for a 30 yard touchdown run. The two point run was stopped short, leaving the Rams lead at 22-7 early in the fourth.
The Rangers creeped back into the game thanks to a 42 yard Sieg run that was followed up by a Sieg 18 yard scoring toss to Shane Cornali, slicing the Rams lead to 22-14 with 9:45 left in the ballgame.
But Rochester’s massive offensive line along with punishing runs by Laure took the Rams down the field for the clinching score, a three yard Laure run that was capped by a Don Guido two-point run, pushing the Rams lead to 30-14 with 3:45 left in the contest and proved to be the final margin.
Fort Cherry started off the contest with a bang when they drove 93 yards on the game’s opening possession. Sieg made his presence known early when he hydroplaned 72 yards through a stunned Rams defense and into the end zone for a score. Nikolas Massey knocked in the extra-point to give the Rangers an early 7-0 lead.
Rochester responded with a big play on their first drive. On third-and-10, Norman completed a short throw to Amaree Curry, who sprinted 58 yards to the Fort Cherry 3. Laure scored on the next play to cut the Fort Cherry lead to 7-6 midway through the opening quarter. Ryan Clark plunged in for the two-point play, to push Rochester out in front 8-7.
The Rangers then appeared poised to re-take the lead on their next drive. But Sieg was intercepted by Guido on the Rams 15, ending the Rangers scoring threat.
“We started out on the right foot. We wanted to be able to balance the run and the pass, because against a team like Rochester, if you just run the ball, they’ll bring people into the box,” Garry added. “We just tried to keep them honest and ended up throwing a pick down there. We were able to open it up when the rain eased up a bit in the second half.”
Fort Cherry’s defense made a play in the second quarter when Louis Ryan popped Norman on the Rangers’ 20, forcing a fumble. Zachary Serafin recovered for Fort Cherry to squash the Rams drive.
Rochester did eventually break through again the second quarter by taking advantage of a short Fort Cherry punt. Beginning from the Rangers’ 43, the Rams muscled their way down field with their inside power running game. Laure capped the drive with a 15-yard run into the end zone. Thomas Henry pushed the lead out to 16-7 with 6:52 left in the half when he converted the two-point play.