SHORT GAP, W.Va. — After a fairytale run in 2024 ended with its first state championship, Frankfort enters this season with more unknowns than knowns.
The dominant Falcons ran over all 14 opponents last year, winning each game by at least three scores and setting records on their way to a 49-14 bludgeoning of Roane County for the Class AA title.
Frankfort graduated almost all of its contributors, but with a winning pedigree, the Falcons expect to contend for an eighth straight playoff appearance.
“I’m confident with the tradition that Frankfort football has since we started the school, that we’ll put something together, have a really good year and make the playoffs,” said Frankfort head coach Kevin Whiteman, the school’s all-time winningest coach with a 124-48 record in 15 seasons.
“I’m really looking forward to this year. I’m looking forward to the challenge of putting all the puzzle pieces together and seeing where we can take it.”
Whiteman, a 1985 graduate of Frankfort, and his Falcons had knocked on the door of the program’s maiden title, getting closest with a 2014 championship game loss to Bridgeport.
Everything came together and Frankfort finally got over the final hurdle in 2024.
Last year’s run to immortality began before the season began with Frankfort’s successful reclassification from Class AAA to AA, and it was the prohibitive favorite after knocking off then-No. 1 Williamstown, 27-7, on the road in Week 6 — which served as the Falcons’ closest contest all year.
The No. 1 seed in the Class AA playoffs, Frankfort defeated Westside, 45-0, and Bluefield, 27-6, before crushing Williamstown, 49-7, in a state semifinal rematch.
When the season was all said and done, Frankfort scored a school-record 624 points, averaging a program-best 44.6 points per game and allowing just 7.2 a contest.
Frankfort’s explosive offense was on full display against Roane County in Charleston, as the Falcons needed just 20 plays to score six touchdowns, jumping out to a 42-0 lead.
“It was definitely a storybook season,” Whiteman said. “I can’t even put into words how I felt that night when the seconds were ticking off the clock. It’s just something you dream about, and it’s just something I’ve always wanted for Frankfort High School.
“The kids worked so hard, and I just hope the kids understand what they did. It was a giant thing, for our school, our community, to win our first state championship. Since I’ve been playing, that’s all I wanted. I drove my parents nuts talking about it.”
But it’s a new season, and Frankfort graduated nearly everything, including running back and Offensive Player of the Year Julian Pattison (1,457 yards, 30 touchdowns), first-team All-Area quarterback Uriah Cutter (1,124 yards, eight touchdowns, no interceptions), six players up front in Daniel Marley, Bryer Michaels, Caden Whitacre, Lane Lease and Brayden Shipway and tight end Jett McCullough, among countless others.
“There are definitely a lot of unknowns this year,” Whiteman said. “Last couple years, you went into summer practices and we had a good idea of who was going to start at most of the positions. Lot of times it was returning starters.
“We lost pretty much everyone. We have basically four guys who got time on our team last year. Our whole line is gone.”
One of those returning players is first team All-Area running back Carder Shanholtz (5-foot-9, 185 pounds), who rushed for 1,201 yards and 18 touchdowns on 98 carries last year.
Fellow senior Blake Jacobs (6-1, 200) is also back after racking up 706 yards of offense and 10 touchdowns, but he’ll be in a new position.
“Blake Jacobs is going to be the starting quarterback,” Whiteman said. “He’s earned it in practice. He started as a sophomore. Last year we thought it’d be best if he was a running back and Uriah (Cutter) was the quarterback.
“He’s smart, he’s a leader, he takes control of the huddle, he makes good decisions on the field, he can run and throw. There is a lot he brings to the table. He’s gotten a lot stronger over the last two years. Just extremely comfortable with him.”
He’ll be backed up by junior Gunnar Bradshaw (5-9, 150), who will also have a role in the backfield.
Shanholtz will be backed up at halfback by junior Peyton Brittingham (5-7, 150).
One of the juniors Braydn Tyler (5-10, 175) and Cole Shanholtz (5-9, 175) will get the nod at the other halfback position, and either senior Kaiden McKenzie (5-9, 200) or Shanholtz will be the fullback.
McKenzie had 166 yards and a touchdown on the ground last year, Tyler rushed for 186 yards and two scores, and Shanholtz gained 81 yards.
“I’m very pleased with what we have coming back skill-wise,” Whiteman said. “Blake (Jacobs) has played another position, we have some new faces coming in, but we have some speed. If we can turn them into good blockers I feel pretty good.”
Senior Keiton Nester (5-10, 160) and junior Brady Twigg (5-10, 155) are the split ends.
Nester is likely a breakout candidate. The explosive senior won the 400-meter state championship in Class AA this spring.
While Frankfort will debut five new starters on the line, senior Carson Feaster (5-10, 230) was a Week 1 starter in the trenches last year with Lease injured.
Feaster is likely the left tackle, backed up by junior Jed Evans (6-0, 215).
“He has to step up and be a leader,” Whiteman said of Feaster. “He got playing time last year. He’s a captain. We expect a lot out of him.”
Seniors Brodie Grimes (6-3, 255) and Michael Steinmetz (6-2, 225) and junior Anthony Smith (6-3, 250) are battling it out for the other tackle spot.
Junior Chase Opel (5-8, 175) and freshman Gunnar Blankenship (5-10, 195) are vying for left guard, sophomore Knox Kimble (5-8, 215) and Smith are in contention for center, and one of Evans and senior Eli Hesse (5-11, 165) will be the right guard.
“Our line is very inexperienced and green, but they’re coming along,” Whiteman said. “Coach (Jimmy) Jones and coach (Bob) Hamilton do a good job of coaching them. I’m pleased with their progress early in the season.”
At tight end, seniors Blake Carlile (5-10, 175) and Tucker McDonough (6-1, 225) are in a battle.
Despite the lack of starting experience, Frankfort has eight senior linemen on the roster, who learned behind last year’s stalwart unit and garnered seasoning in mop-up duty — a near-weekly occurrence in a 2024 filled with running clocks.
“Anytime you have program-type players who have been here (it helps), and the beauty of it is, a lot of these guys got to play a lot in all the varsity games last year,” Whiteman said.
“There were only three games out of 14 that they didn’t see playing time, and when they played they got to see almost a half because we were winning big. That’s going to be huge for this season.”
On the other side of the ball, outside linebacker Jacobs (49 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three interceptions, one fumble recovery), middle linebacker Carder Shanholtz (51 tackles, five TFLs) and cornerback Nester (22 tackles, six PBUs, five interceptions) are returning starters.
Tyler (30 tackles, eight pass breakups, four interceptions) also garnered significant playing time at free safety after emerging midway through the season.
“The rest of it we’re plugging in,” Whiteman said. “As of right now, I’m really happy with it. … I was happy with the scrimmage and how they played. They flew to the football and played physical. Our defensive backs did a good job. It’s going to take time.”
Frankfort will again play a four-front, where it has 10 players contending for those four positions.
Hesse and Blankenship are vying for one defensive end spot, and Evans and McDonough are battling for the other.
One of Feaster, Grimes and senior Devon Custer (5-7, 250) will start at one tackle spot, and either Smith, Kimble and senior Sterling Friend (5-10, 170) will start at the other.
Bradshaw (45 tackles) and junior Logan Hyde (5-6, 160) are contending to start opposite Jacobs at outside backer.
McKenzie will back up Shanholtz at middle linebacker, and Cole Shanholtz and junior Chase Opel (5-8, 175) are battling for the other spot.
Nester will likely be backed up by Carlile at cornerback, opposite the winner of the fight between Twigg and Brittingham for the other corner slot.
Senior Rhett Sensabaugh returns as Frankfort’s kicker after hitting 4 of 5 field goals, with a long of 38 yards, and 70 of 74 extra points.
He also put 16 kickoffs through the end zone for touchbacks.
“Rhett Sensabaugh is a really good kicker,” Whiteman said. “He’s a four-year dude. He’s going to kick for us again this year. I’m hoping this year, he’s gotten a little taller and a little stronger, I’m hoping he can kick balls into the end zone.
“He’s a consistent extra-point kicker and he’s a reliable field goal kicker. I feel comfortable anywhere 40 yards in. He can hit them longer than 40.”
One of junior Jesus Perdew and Cole Shanholtz will be the punter.
Frankfort opens the season at Moorefield on Friday, followed by a three-game home-stand against Hampshire, Allegany and Tucker County.
The Falcons head to Northern in Week 5 and host Mountain Ridge before road contests at Brooke and Petersburg.
Frankfort then welcomes perennial Class AAA power Herbert Hoover and caps the regular season at Keyser in the 49th Mineral Bowl.
“It’s all going to come together,” Whiteman said. “It feels like another year. ‘You were the state champions last year,’ you can’t ride that. That’s gone now. I love those boys to death that were here last year and what they accomplished, and I’ll never forget what they did for the program. I’ll never forget the state championship.
“But this is all new. We have to take what we got, and we have to roll with it.”