WVU Recruit Leads High School to First WPIAL Title

PITTSBURGH— Western Pennsylvania’s Fort Cherry Rangers claimed their first WPIAL Championship in program history, defeating South Side Beaver 42-28 behind a dominant performance from standout sophomore quarterback Matt Sieg.

The class of 2026 WVU recruit threw two touchdowns and found the end zone thrice more on two rushing scores and a two-point conversion. He also hauled in an interception while playing on defense, and pinned the Rams deep in their own territory with a quick kick.

The Rams fumbled on their first offensive play of the game, giving Fort Cherry the ball near midfield. The Rangers embarked on a long drive, eating up nearly half the first quarter before going up 6-0 on a three-yard keeper by Sieg.

South Side flirted with disaster again on their ensuing drive, fumbling twice but recovering the loose ball each time. The Rams made good on the second chances, though, taking a 7-6 lead on a one-yard keeper from Brody Almashy.

Fort Cherry went three-and-out to start the second quarter, allowing the Rams to show off their three-headed monster of a backfield. Senior running back Ryan Navarra reeled off a 34-yard carry, followed by a 37-yard tote from Almashy. Sophomore Andrew Corfield finished the drive with a three-yard score.

The Matt Sieg Show Starts

The Rangers took over from there, scoring 29 unanswered points in the game’s middle act.

Sieg lofted a 35-yard rainbow to Christian Yanosko for six, then found the end zone with his legs for the two-point conversion.

Fort Cherry reached into their bag of tricks on the next touchdown. Sieg flipped a lateral to Shane Cornali, who found Ethan Faletto wide open in the end zone on the Philly Special. The sophomore signal caller then engineered a surgical two-minute drive, culminating in a 22-yard touchdown to Cornali with three seconds before the half.

The Sieg show continued in the third quarter, as he scored from four yards out before intercepting a pass on the defensive side of the ball. Almashy scored from 26 yards out late in the quarter, weaving in and out of tackles on his way to pay dirt.

The two teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Faletto found the end zone untouched on an end-around, while Almashy slung a 45-yard touchdown to Carter Wilson on the left sideline.

Recruiting

Sieg was offered by WVU in October and then visited during a game weekend.

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This story initially appeared on our partner site Pittsburgh Sports Now.