Aug 30, 2024 5 min read

By Joe Smeltzer

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

MCDONALD — Statistically, Fort Cherry standout Matt Sieg has had plenty of better football games.

Rushing for 76 yards and three touchdowns and adding an interception would be a career highlight for plenty of players, but Sieg, one of the WPIAL’s best who has already had one of the most decorated runs in Fort Cherry history even with him being just two games into his junior season, isn’t a normal player.

The fact that Sieg still put up these numbers with what he confirmed was a broken thumb suffered in last Friday’s game makes it just a tad more impressive.

Behind Sieg — who couldn’t throw the football but could do pretty much everything else — as well as Ryan Huey, who ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, Fort Cherry fought off some big plays from OLSH to win, 41-14, and improve to 2-0.

Sophomores Josh Silveira and Eli Salvini each took turns throwing the ball in Sieg’s place, but the junior four-star recruit was able still able to perform.

“We also thought that,” Fort Cherry coach Tanner Garry said after the game, “with the cast on and the padding on, he didn’t have any pain in any of the drills that we were putting him through. So we just thought we’d give it a try, and obviously, we’re happy with the result.”

“I’m at 100 (percent) everywhere except my hand,” Sieg said. “I’m getting (the cast) off next week. So, we’re all good. I can’t complain.”

Fort Cherry scored first with an 80-yard drive that took 3:46, ending on a 5-yard run by Sieg. After forcing a three-and-out in which OLSH gained -4 yards, FC was at it again, taking exactly two minutes to score another touchdown. Sieg ran it in from four yards out this time.

But OLSH had an answer. A 45-yard pass from Vann Kavals to Isiah Schultz, followed by a 15-yard TD to Speedy Davis and a PAT made it 13-7. Fort Cherry kept that lead into the second quarter. On the first play of that quarter, Seig scored his third touchdown, this one from just 1-yard. He also ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 21-7. On the next drive, it took OLSH just five plays to score, with two more big passes to Schultz and Davis putting OLSH at the FC 4-yard line. Kavals punched it in from the one three plays later, and it was 21-14.

Fort Cherry went back up by two scores late in the half, with Ryan Huey ending a 70-yard, 4:18 drive with a 1-yard touchdown. With 3:01 left in the second half, a 20-yard run by Christian Yansko put the Rangers up by 20 and effectively ended OLSH’s chances.

For Garry and Sieg, this night was a long time coming for Huey, who could be a super sophomore for Fort Cherry.

“He’s one of those kids that we were really excited about going into this year,” Garry said. “We had a sluggish start I think last week just with, you know, we had five new starters up front on the offensive line, two sophomore running backs and one junior running back that were really running the ball for the first time in their careers. So we had a bit of a slow start. To see him come out and put together the night that he did tonight is very, very rewarding for him because he’s someone who’s worked so hard for that moment and is going to continue to only get better.”

“Everyone in our district and around here knows Ryan Huey is a great athlete in everything he does,” Sieg said. “He’s a leader out there. He stepped up big tonight and he led us out there. He needs to get some looks (from colleges). He’s a big-time player.”

Fort Cherry has plenty of leaders, which is a big reason it won the WPIAL title and got to the state title game last season.

For Garry, Sieg showed his leadership Friday night when he wasn’t able to be out there as much as usual.

“He’s such a motivator,” Garry said. “He’s standing on the sidelines while we’re offense for a lot of the snaps and is just staying up on the guys, making sure that people are doing things the right way and is motivating them on and off the field. So for him just to be a leader, even when he’s not on the field, it really speaks volumes to the type of kid that he is.”

Fort Cherry looks to keep it going next Friday at West Greene. OLSH hosts Seton LaSalle at Moon High School. Both kickoffs are scheduled for 7.

Sieg’s injury is a week-by-week type of deal, Garry said.

“We’re just keeping an eye on it,” he said. “I don’t really know if we have a specific timeline right now, but he’s someone that can still show up and play while wrapped up.”