Sieg cuts the mustard in Rangers’ thrilling victory
DORMONT – Usually, when an athlete is suffering from cramps, the remedy is either a banana, some kind of sports drink, or a bunch of water.
But the football staff with Fort Cherry had a different solution for super sophomore do-it-all quarterback Matt Sieg, who was dealing with cramps as Saturday night’s showdown against Bishop Canevin wore on. When liquids and electrolytes wouldn’t do, one item would.
Mustard.
According to Sieg, the staff acquired a jar of mustard that he consumed and said eventually worked as the Rangers held off a furious rally from Bishop Canevin to win, 48-41, in a Class A Black Hills Conference game at Dormont Memorial Stadium.
Sieg finished with 277 yards on 26 carries and four touchdowns. He also completed five of seven throws for 178 yards and three scores.
“That’s the first game we had to play all four quarters this year,” Sieg noted. “I started cramping midway through the third quarter. I did everything I could, I hate to eat a whole bottle of mustard. It was gross, but the trainer said it helps with cramps.”
No word if Crusaders quarterback Kole Olszewski or receiver Jason Cross took the same remedy as Sieg, but they were every bit as dominant as the passer finished with 425 yards passing while his main target Cross, a West Virginia commit, snagged 10 passes for 228 yards.
Although the Rangers’ defense was surrendering yards and points in bunches in the second half, it made the stop when necessary. After an Ethan Faletto fumble gave the Crusaders the ball at midfield with less than three minutes remaining, odds were that the Olszewski-led passing attack would inevitably tie the game or potentially win it with a two-point conversion following a touchdown.
But a Nate Harrison sack of Olszewski forced a third-and-19 play from the Rangers’ 23. Harrison again teamed up with the middle of the Rangers’ defensive line on fourth-and-long to bring the quarterback down again, ending the game and giving the victory to Fort Cherry (3-0, 6-0).
“We just played two man in the middle and tried to keep everything in front of us, then gave some press looks,” Rangers coach Tanner Garry said. “We started to bring some more pressure late and that’s what got it done.”
The Crusaders (1-1, 3-1) came out in the second half on fire as they marched 67 yards to a score. Marquis Carter’s 8-yard run cut the Rangers’ lead to 21-12 early in the third.
But as he did all night, Sieg responded. On the next possession, Sieg launched a pass down the left sideline that was tipped and eventually caught by Faletto, who finished the play for a 78-yard score. The extra-point kick was missed, leaving the Ranger advantage at 27-12 midway through the third quarter.
Knowing they needed to keep up, the Crusaders went for it on fourth-and-8 from their own 32 on their next drive. Olszewski was pressured into an incompletion, giving the ball back to Fort Cherry in prime territory.
Three plays later, Sieg lofted a 33-yard touchdown pass to Shane Cornali that gave the Rangers a seemingly insurmountable 34-12 lead.
“We saw he had single coverage and they were packing the box,” Sieg added. “We knew he had a mismatch. We got him on a one-on-one every day.”
But as they did all night, the Crusaders rose up off the canvas and kept swinging. Cross snagged a 48-yard touchdown catch and the two-point conversion to pull within 34-20 only 20 seconds after Cornali’s score. After forcing a punt, the Crusaders struck again as Cross gathered in a 32-yard TD pass from Olszewski to pull within seven early in the fourth.
But Sieg again led the Rangers back as he completed a 45-yard pass to Braydon Cook to start their next drive. Several plays later, Sieg weaved his way through the defense for a 13-yard touchdown that gave the Rangers a 41-27 lead.
Olszewski and Cross responded with a 22-yard touchdown pass, again pulling Bishop Canevin within seven at 41-34 with 6:20 to go.
Sieg ran 72 yards to his final and game-winning score to push the Ranger’ lead to 48-34.
“A lot of teams are trying to find ways to slow him down,” Garry said. “If you ask Matt, and he would say the same thing, the work that we did up front what was really the difference in this game. He made huge plays all night, but he would tell you that the guys up front made it possible.”
Olszewski threw his fifth touchdown pass, an 18-yard strike to Jayden Lindsey, with 3:48 left. The Crusaders, however, could not get it even after forcing the late turnover.
The Rangers got off to red-hot start when they drove 52 yards on their first possession, culminating in a three-yard Sieg sweep around end. Nik Massey’s kick was good, giving Fort Cherry a 7-0 lead midway through the opening quarter.
Fort Cherry pulled off a bit of chicanery, as Cornali’s ensuing kickoff was lined into a Bishop Canevin player and the ball careened back. Cornali recovered on the Rangers’ 44.
The Rangers took advantage of the gift when Sieg capped the drive with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Evan Rogers to make it 14-0 with 4:31 remaining in the first period and the Crusaders had yet to possess the ball.
After an interception by Nashaun Sutton, Sieg drove the Rangers 95 yards for their third straight score, which came when the sophomore raced 55 yards, giving the Rangers a stunning 21-0 lead with 5:55 left in the half.
Bishop Canevin scored in the second quarter when Olszewski flipped a three-yard touchdown pass to Daiveon Taylor. The Rangers blocked the extra-point attempt, leaving the Fort Cherry lead at 21-6 at the half.