Fort Cherry makes statement with win
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Fort Cherry’s Etan Faletto finishes a 40-yard sprint with a skip into the end zone for a first-half score.
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Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Fort Cherry's Shane Cornali hauls in a Matt Sieg pass.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Fort Cherry’s Matt Sieg finds a path through the Cornell line and picks up yardage for the Rangers in the first quarter.
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Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Cornell’s Khyli Johnson sprints 63 yards to open the scoring with a first quarter touchdown run Friday.
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Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Teammates congratulate Matt Sieg on his 27-yard touchdown run.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Fort Cherry's Matt Sieg grinds past Cornell's Ashton Jones and scores from the three-yard line.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Fort Cherry quarterback Matt Sieg finishes a 27-yard touchdown run against Cornell at Jim Garry Stadium.
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McDONALD – Led by super sophomore quarterback Matt Sieg – who ended the night unofficially with 188 yards and four touchdowns rushing on 21 carries plus a passing touchdown – Fort Cherry got it together real quick and took care of Cornell, 42-13, Friday night.
Fort Cherry is now 8-0 overall and 5-0 in Class A Black Hills Conference play.
The program is on fire, and Sieg loves it.
“It means so much to us,” Sieg said. “Five years ago, we were 0-10. “FC just rebuilding this program to what we are right now, 8-0. The community supports us, and it’s huge for us. It motivates us every week.”
For coach Tanner Garry, this was a “statement win.”
“I firmly believe that (Cornell) is a very good football team,” Garry said. “They’ve shown it (against) some of the people they’ve played and some of the teams that they beat… So I’m proud of the kids. I think that they came out and battled adversity, and they did a great job of showing how to work through that. So, I’m proud of them.”
Cornell (6-2, 3-2) scored first and in a big way on its first possession, scoring on a 63-yard run by Khalil Johnson. The point after made it 7-0, and that scored stayed through the end of the first quarter. Fort Cherry struck early in the second quarter on a 40-yard run by Ethan Faletto. The PAT tied the score.
On FC’s next possession, Sieg stole the show, rushing for a 27-yard score. When Cornell tried to answer, Fort Cherry’s Louis Ryan — who had a strip sack earlier in the game — picked off quarterback CJ Jackson and returned it to the Cornell 3-yard line. Sieg took it from there, running in for a short score on the next play.
With 36 seconds left in the first half, Sieg matched his uniform number with his third rushing touchdown, and Fort Cherry had a comfortable 28-7 lead. Cornell got the ball to start the second half, but Fort Cherry’s Corey Bouchelle recovered a fumble in opposing territory. Sieg took advantage — this time with his arm — hitting Evan Rogers for a 27-yard score. Later in the half, Sieg put the Mercy Rule in affect with an 87-yard touchdown run, his fourth of the night.
For Garry, the best thing about Sieg as a player is how much he cares about the team, not just himself.
“He has so much potential from top to bottom, and he does such as great job of managing the game,” Garry said. “The best part about it is he understands that it’s not just him out here. Every single person is all bought into the team aspect. He’s someone that just represents that day in and day out. He always is worried about what we’re doing as a team. Obviously, any time he comes out and has a performance like tonight, he’s always sure to credit them.”
Fort Cherry looks to stay unbeaten next week at Carlynton. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Garry coaches in a stadium named after his grandfather, Jim, who coached at FC for 43 years. Tanner’s father, Tim, coached there for nine seasons.
Tanner was a record setting quarterback at Fort Cherry in the late 2000s-early 2010s. Now, he’s turned a program that had fallen on hard times into a winner, and the community has noticed.
“I love looking around, seeing the excitement in the stands and around the fence,” Garry said. “It’s something that I grew up watching, and seeing it that way again makes me proud.”