Valley Fellowship

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focused school

Fort Cherry Football Team Essentials

When it comes to football, there aren’t many high school programs that have a third-generation head coach. But Fort Cherry does. Tanner Garry, whose father and grandfather were both head coaches there, is leading the Rangers to their first state championship game in school history this week. They’ll play Steelton-Highspire in Class 1A Thursday at Cumberland Valley High School’s Chapman Field.

Both teams have explosive offenses, and both defenses are strong. The winner of the game will be determined by who is able to break through the other’s strength. But this should be an entertaining matchup regardless of the final score.

Aside from the fact that both teams have a ton of talent, they also have similar coaching styles. Both Garry and Tim Oliverio have a lot of family members on their staffs. There’s Jeff Sieg, his brother and running backs coach; Brandon Garry, an uncle and defensive coordinator; Corey Garry, another cousin and linebackers coach; and Brady Whalen, a cousin and special teams coach.

The familial aspect of the coaching staff has helped Fort Cherry Football Team Essentials get to where it is now. The Rangers went 0-10 in 2019 the year before Garry took over, but they’ve improved each season and now sit at 6-0 heading into the PIAA championship game.

The Rangers will have to make some adjustments in the state title game against a team that is averaging over 46 points per game. But Garry is confident his team will be ready.

Garry says that being in a state title game for the first time is a big deal, but he doesn’t think it will be too much of a distraction for his players. “The way I see it, we’re just playing for the same reason they’re playing — to win,” he said. “That’s all I care about.” He also knows it’ll be a good experience for his players, who’ve received a lot of support from the community. Bed sheets hang in places like a barbershop, a mini-mart and local bars to show the Rangers some love.

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