SHORT GAP, W.Va. — Jullian Pattison was a new face in the Frankfort backfield this fall.
The senior transfer from Keyser fit like a glove, and he became the go-to weapon in an unstoppable rushing attack that allowed Frankfort to roll to a 14-0 season and its first Class AA state championship.
Pattison was awarded for his efforts with the 2024 Morton W. Peskin Sr. Memorial Offensive Player of the Year by the area’s head coaches.
“He was just so huge for us on both sides of the ball,” Frankfort head coach Kevin Whiteman said of his fullback. “Offensively, he just has speed, explosiveness, determination.
“I can’t say enough about how he plays the game and goes 100 miles per hour every play. He’s just a very determined kid on the field. He’s a joy to watch, and we had a lot of fun with him this year. I appreciate all he brought to the table to help lead us to 14 wins and the championship.”
The area football awards were chosen at a meeting of the area’s head coaches on Monday night.
Four have been revealed so far, and Frankfort has claimed three of them. John B. “Jack” Gilmore Memorial Lineman of the Year Daniel Marley and Coach of the Year Whiteman join Pattison as award winners from the Falcons.
Fort Hill’s Nick Willison, the area’s leading tackler, was named Pepsi-Cola Defensive Player of the Year on Friday.
The area Player of the Year will be announced on Monday, and the All-Area team is scheduled to be in the Thursday, Dec. 26, edition of the Times-News.
The first All-Western Maryland Athletic Conference football squad will also be revealed Thursday.
Seven coaches attended the All-Area meeting, and five voted Pattison Offensive Player of the Year. Northern’s Luke Ross received the other two votes, and Allegany’s Jackson Resh and Mountain Ridge’s Eli Sibley were also nominated.
Pattison was the leading ball carrier on a powerful Frankfort rushing attack that helped set the school scoring record with 623 points, carrying the ball 132 times for 1,457 yards and 30 touchdowns.
The senior is just the 14th player in area history to score at least 30 touchdowns in a season and the second from Frankfort.
Travis Lynch established the area record with 35 touchdowns during 1997. That record still stands.
Pattison was a first-team Class AA All-State selection as a running back and a two-way All-Potomac Valley Conference Division 1 pick in the backfield and at linebacker.
Incoming transfers aren’t always accepted by their teammates, as their arrival often means less carries for other players, but that wasn’t the case for Frankfort, Whiteman said.
“Him and I really clicked,” he said. “I feel like I have a good rapport with him, a good relationship on and off the field. That helps a lot of things. It was never a problem.
“The kids embraced him, and he embraced them. They just wanted to win, they don’t care who got the credit. He realized we had multiple weapons, we were going to utilize them. That’s what Frankfort does. He accepted his role well, blended in with the kids and it was just an awesome season.”
Pattison saved his best performance of the season for last, needing just nine carries to rush for 178 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-14 rout of Roane County in the state championship game.
Pattison was one touchdown off the Class AA title game record.
The senior, along with Carder Shanholtz and quarterback Uriah Cutter, was a beneficiary of one of the school’s all-time great offensive lines.
All five linemen were seniors: Marley (6-foot-1, 250 pounds), Lane Lease (6-6, 260), Caden Whitacre (6-5, 230), Brayden Shipway (6-2, 280) and Bryer Michaels (6-3, 240), as well as tight end Jett McCullough (6-3, 225).
“I’m just blessed to have the right combination of kids at the right time,” Whiteman said. “It all starts up front, and Jullian knows that, but the line did a great job blocking for those kids. … When he gets to the second level, he’s pretty much gone.”
On defense, the senior racked up 67 tackles, seven tackles for loss, five pass breakups and a fumble recovery.
Pattison is one of five Frankfort players to be honored as the area’s top offensive player, joining Gage Shaffer (2014), James Jones (2009), Lynch (1997) and Brandon Harden (1994).