Trib HSSN Football Player of the Week for 2022 Week 10

By: Don Rebel
Monday, November 7, 2022 | 6:00 PM

The spotlight has not unnerved Fort Cherry freshman quarterback Matt Sieg all season.

The 15-year old phenom has passed for over 1,300 yards and eclipsed 2,000 yards on the ground in his “rookie” season in leading the Rangers to a 7-3 regular season record and a tie for second place in the uber-competitive Class A Black Hills Conference.

What would happen, though, when the youngster had to deal with the pressure of playoff football? November has a way of showing young stars their true colors. Many aren’t ready to be primetime performers.

A combined 387 passing and rushing yards and six touchdowns later against Monessen, it was the kid that showed his true colors.

“What’s setting Matt apart right now is his work ethic,” Fort Cherry coach Tanner Garry said. “He isn’t complacent with letting his natural ability carry him. He’s always trying to learn and improve on both sides of the ball.”

In a wild Class A first-round playoff game where offenses ruled the night, Sieg connected on 8 of 13 passes for 139 yards and a 35-yard touchdown toss to sophomore wide receiver Shane Cornali

Sieg also carried the ball 25 times for 247 yards and five touchdown runs of 2, 12, 1, 57 and a 4-yard run in the fourth quarter that was the icing on the cake of the Rangers win over the Greyhounds, 56-42.

“Our line is amazing,” Sieg said. “They pass block great and open up every hole on run plays. We also have some playmakers at receiver, so it really is about what’s working that night.”

A lot was working against Monessen with 13 points in the opening quarter, 22 in the second quarter and 21 more points in the second half.

“What stands out to me the most is how he handled the bigger stage of a playoff game,” Garry said. “I think you can tell a lot about a player in how they play in the biggest games. He’s had two of his best performances in our biggest games of the year.”

The No. 6-seeded Rangers are headed to the Class A quarterfinals for the first time since 2016 on Friday to face Rochester, a No. 14 seed in name only dispatching No. 3 Greensburg Central Catholic in the opening round.

The game will be played at South Fayette.

“I have a lot of respect for (Rochester) when it comes to consistency and tradition,” Garry said. “They have a talented group that’s playing really well as of late. I think it’s an interesting matchup and a test we’re excited for.”

Week 10 Honorable Mentions

Jahmil Perryman – McKeesport

Following a Week 9 loss to Thomas Jefferson that cost McKeesport the outright 4A Big Seven Conference championship and quite possibly a No. 2 seed in the postseason tournament, the No. 5-seeded Tigers didn’t stick their tails between their legs and sulk. They went back to the lab and came up with a winning mixture that has them running into the district quarterfinals following an opening0round masterpiece.

Senior quarterback Jahmil Perryman connected on 3 of 6 passes for 81 yards and a 65-yard scoring pass to senior wide receiver Caiden Holtzman, plus he ran roughshod through and past Mars defenders to the tune of 200 yards on 14 carries and three touchdowns of 60, 10 and 54 yards as the Tigers took the fight out of the Planets, 43-0.

Shai Newby – West Mifflin

Each time an athlete hits the field, he strives for perfection. The fact that it is rarely achieved leaves him working harder and harder for the next time. You have to wonder what’s up next for West Mifflin quarterback Shai Newby after reaching a certain modicum of perfection in the Titans’ dismantling of Southmoreland in a Class 3A first-round playoff game Friday.

The senior signal caller was a perfect 9 for 9 passing for 351 yards and four touchdown tosses, three of them to senior wide receiver Ty’jeir Williams of 49, 49 and 42 yards, plus an 80-yard scoring strike to sophomore running back Rich Fix as the Titans won their first WPIAL football playoff game since 2016 with a rout of the Scotties, 54-28.

Landan Stevenson, Mapletown

There were a lot of eyes on Greensboro on Friday as history was not on the side of the district darling form 2022, undefeated Mapletown. The Maples program had never won a WPIAL football playoff game, ever. And even though there were three other teams from the Class A Tri-County South Conference in the 2022 playoffs, the burden of victory seem to fall on the Mapletown shoulders, as the conference champs and the No. 4 seed, to earn the first conference playoff win since West Greene in 2019 and only the second TCS victory in the last five years.

Many missions accomplished thanks to the legs of senior running back Landan Stevenson, who remains the WPIAL’s top rusher in 2022 thanks to his 294 yards rushing on 27 carries and five touchdowns on scoring runs of 5, 10, 8, 6 and 1 yard as the Maples improved to 11-0 and now move on to the quarterfinals for the first time against South Side (10-1).

2022 HSSN Players of the Week:

Week 9 – Jonny Huff, Neshannock

Week 8 – Cadin Olsen, Armstrong

Week 7 – Roman Sarnic, Franklin Regional

Week 6 – Landan Stevenson, Mapletown

Week 5 – Jake Wolfe, Montour

Week 4 – Jaren Brickner, Beaver Falls

Week 3 – Jake Phillips, Hempfield

Week 2 – Luke Cignetti, Shaler

Week 1 – Cruce Brookins, Steel Valley

Week Zero – Conlan Greene, Penn-Trafford

Tags: Fort Cherry