Fort Cherry captures first WPIAL title
By Joe Tuscano
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
PITTSBURGH – Tanner Garry stood at the podium, not quite sure how to handle the situation.
Fort Cherry, the high school football team he coaches, had just won the first WPIAL title in the program’s history.
The memory of his grandfather, Jim Garry, the Rangers’ longtime coach, had to be swirling in his head after the Rangers won the WPIAL Class A championship at Acrisure Stadium Friday.
“A lot of emotion,” said Tanner Garry, when asked what he was feeling after wiping out top-seeded South Side Beaver, 42-28.
“There’s been a huge amount of support and involvement with these kids and the way they reacted.”
One family in the McDonald area purchased three road signs that were displayed on the Parkway leading to Acrisure Stadium. Both teams brought a large amount of fans to the game.
Fort Cherry will next play in the PIAA semifinals at next weekend against the District 9 champion Redbank Valley, a 44-0 winner over District 10 champion Cambridge Springs.
Fort Cherry quarterback Matt Sieg, running back Ethan Faletto and wide receiver Shane Cornali accounted for the six touchdowns.
Sieg was magnificent, rushing for 178 yards and passing for 166 yards. Sieg now has 3,467 total yards and 40 touchdowns this season.
“He’s been a pleasure to coach,” said Garry. “I’ve used all my lines talking about him. He’s obviously a special player. What people don’t realize is what a great kid he is on and off the field. He’s someone who works hard to see where he can improve. As a freshman last year, he led by example. This year, as a sophomore, he’s taken a huge step both mentally and physically.”
Tradtionally, the early games are normally a defense-oriented slugfest but that was not the case in this game. The two teams combined for 70 points.
“We did a good job moving the ball,” Sieg said. “The line opened holes. We didn’t get distracted. Everybody helped out. We didn’t win the title without them.”
Sieg score one of Fort Cherry’s two touchdowns in the decisive third quarter when the Rangers opened a 35-14 lead.
The Rangers said they were motivated by the WPIAL seeding process, which left them with the second seed and South Side Beaver with the No. 1 seed.
“I know a lot of people didn’t expect us to be here,” said senior lineman Lou Ryan. “I’ve been saying this for the last four years: we’re going to get one (title). We knew this is what we were working for. This was what we were going to do. Our coaches gave use the best tools possible and we went out and got it done.”
Fort Cherry (14-0) used a little trickeration to establish a 28-14 halftime lead.
On fourth-and-goal from the seven-yard line with 2:27 to go in the second quarter, Sieg took the snap from center and headed toward the left sideline. Sieg then flipped the ball to Shane Cornali, who was head the opposite way.
Cornali then flipped a pass to Ethan Faletto, who had worked his way out of the backfield and was standing wide open in the end zone.
That score gave the Rangers a 21-14 lead.
“That was my first touchdown pass,” said Cornali. “We’ve run it a couple times with different versions but that’s my first touchdown.”
South Side Beaver came back down the field, thanks to a 24-yard run by Brody Almashy to the Fort Cherry 40. One play later, Almashy threw a fourth-down pass that wide receiver Carter Wilson couldn’t hold on to at the Fort Cherry four.
The Rangers drove 64 yards and scored when Sieg hit Cornali from 22 yards out with only three seconds remaining in the half.
South Side Beaver did not have a good start to the game, fumbling on the very first play and Cornali recovered at the 47.
Fort Cherry covered 53 yards on 11 plays with Sieg going over from three yards out. The extra-point try was no good but Fort Cherry still lead 6-0.
South Side Beave took a 7-6 lead with 39 seconds left before the first quarter ended on a one-yard run by Almashy.
South Side Beaver stretched the lead to 14-6 on a 3-yard run by Andrew Corfield.
Fort Cherry began its rally with a 35-yard pass from Sieg to Cornali that tied the game at 14-14.
“I told the kids in the locker room that maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe next week, maybe in a year, they will be able to sit back and reflect on the season: 13-1. I’m proud of the effort they put in all season,” said South Side Beaver head coach Luke Travelpiece.
South Side Beaver quarterback Brody Almashy rushed for 113 yards on seven carries and Andrew Corfield had 98 yards rushing on 15 attempts.