Fort Cherry making strides in upholding program’s tradition

By: Antonio Rossetti
Wednesday, August 24, 2022 | 12:01 PM

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Three years removed from a winless season, coach Tanner Garry and the Fort Cherry Rangers are turning the ship around. Last season, the Rangers fell short of the playoffs but went 5-5 with a 3-4 conference record.

When Garry, a former Fort Cherry quarterback, took over coaching duties in 2020, he wanted to bring back Fort Cherry’s brand of football.

“We’re trying to get back to some of the things that made Fort Cherry football what Fort Cherry football was,” Garry said. “There’s passion there, there’s an understanding of the players that have come before you, and just understanding the tradition that we’ve had up here for so many years.”

With only three seniors returning, Garry noted that a young team will especially need to have the toughness that reflects Fort Cherry’s football tradition.

“Whenever I talk to people from outside of the area, when they talk about Fort Cherry, it’s always a certain type of football,” Garry said. “It’s kids that aren’t afraid, kids that will play smashmouth football ‘til the end of the whistle.”

Heading into the 2022 season, the Rangers lost their starting quarterback, Maddox Truschel, and their top wide receiving options in Dylan Rogers and Anthony D’Alessandro.

Leading tacklers Mitchell Cook, Ian Weyers and Christian Willig also graduated.

Despite the loss of key talent, the Rangers have a plethora of younger contributors coming back. Garry knows there will be challenges in replacing the seniors leaving, but he believes that they have the personnel to succeed.

“I feel like we have kids that are ready, and we have kids that are very close to being ready that are sitting there behind, nipping at their heels, trying to get onto the field,” Garry said. “Right now, depth isn’t an issue, but experience and getting that game-time feel is going to be the struggle.”

Among the key players returning, Louis Ryan had a breakout season last year as a sophomore.

Ryan noted that last season, he and Cook focused on having a certain mentality on the field.

“You got to have that big dog mentality, especially going up against these schools that are recruiting all these players. You’ve usually got to be that guy on the field,” Ryan said. “You’ve got to just know that you’re going harder than these guys with every snap.”

Ryan sees the improvement with the team, and he credits a lot of his personal success to Cook, Garry and assistant coach Corey Garry.

“When I was a freshman, it was their first-year coaching and I just love having the Garrys around,” Ryan said. “They’re great coaches, honestly. They’re all good mentors, and they teach you how to be tough.”

Tanner and Corey Garry are cousins who played together at Fort Cherry. They both want to mentor the players and build toughness within the program.

Tanner Garry said he believes there are some advantages to having a younger team.

“I think back to whenever I was a freshman playing here (at Fort Cherry), I ended up starting as a safety as a freshman, and there was just this hunger to prove to people that, ‘Hey, I might be a ninth grader, or I might be young, but I can do this,’” Garry said. “I think a lot of these kids are going to have that edge to them.”

Garry noted that he sees the intensity of the team and he is excited to see how it translates going into the regular season. The team has an edge, and the Rangers look to catch teams off guard.

One player who returns for Fort Cherry is sophomore Shane Cornali. Last season, Cornali tallied nine interceptions, leading the conference and the WPIAL.

Cornali and Ryan are expected to anchor the defense in 2022. Cornali believes that his game experience will help the team.

“That was the best thing that could have happened to me, getting as much experience as I did last year,” Cornali said. “I have that knowledge of a real game and confidence, knowing what it feels like going into a game playing up and down the field.”

Cornali is ready to play wide receiver too, as he got reps at the position behind Rogers and D’Alessandro last season.

Freshman Matt Sieg, junior Zach Seraphin and freshman Nick Massey are all players in the secondary who Ryan thinks will help bring the team the toughness that resembles the Fort Cherry tradition.

Sieg will also be the team’s starting quarterback. Although it is rare to see a freshman starting at quarterback, Garry believes that he has the intangibles to start at the position and make an impact immediately.

Sophomore Nathan Heirendt and junior Ethan Faletto will be the team’s running backs. Heirendt rushed for 203 yards last season.

With the young team, Garry doesn’t want to overcomplicate things. He sees the potential in the team, and he wants to focus on one play and one game at a time.

“We want to make sure we’re great at a handful of things and really focus on being able to do little things correctly,” Garry said. “We’re just focusing on detail. We’re focusing on making sure we know where we’re supposed to be when we’re supposed to be there.”

The Rangers want to control the football and they want to play with grit. Cornali saw the team’s effort throughout the summer and looks forward to seeing the team develop throughout the season.

“I’ll be trying to improve everything with my game with more catches, more yards, but I just want success from the team, 100% effort from everyone, and hopefully a winning season next year,” Cornali said. “That’s what we’re working for.”

Fort Cherry is now in the Class A Black Hills Conference. Garry knows there will be challenges playing teams like Cornell, Bishop Canevin and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, but the team is prepared for it.

“We have a long road, but these kids are excited for it,” Garry saud. “I think that they’re ready to meet that challenge and we’re excited to get rolling.”

Fort Cherry

Coach: Tanner Garry

2021 record: 5-5, 3-4 in Class A Big Seven Conference

All-time record: 350-259-15

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.26 Northgate, 7

9.2 at Carmichaels, 7

9.9 Beth-Center, 7

9.16 Chartiers-Houston*, 7

9.23 at OLSH*, 7

9.30 Bishop Canevin*, 7

10.7 Avella*, 7

10.14 at Cornell*, 7

10.21 Carlynton*, 7

10.28 at Burgettstown*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Maddox Truschel*

1,090 yards

Rushing: Truschel*

598 yards

Receiving: Dylan Rogers*

455 yards

FAST FACTS

• Coaches Tanner Garry and Corey Garry played football together at Slippery Rock in 2017. Tanner started his collegiate career at Bowling Green and then transferred to Youngstown State and Corey started his collegiate career at Robert Morris.

• Fort Cherry’s football field is named after Jim Garry, the grandfather of the Garrys. Jim coached Fort Cherry for 43 seasons, and his son Tim also was a head coach. Tim helps Tanner with the team now.

• Before Rushel Shell broke the WPIAL record, Fort Cherry’s Mike Vernillo held the all-time rushing record with 7,646 yards over his four seasons for the Rangers.

• Tanner Garry holds the record for passing yards at Fort Cherry with 4,502.