SHORT GAP, W.Va. — Following a historic season in which he guided his alma mater to its first state championship, Frankfort head coach Kevin Whiteman was voted area Coach of the Year.
The Falcons crushed Roane County, 49-14, in the Class AA title game to finish 14-0.
“It takes the whole program, the coaches, the players,” Whiteman said. “Typically Coach of the Year is going to be voted on by who has the most wins. I don’t always think that’s an accurate thing.
“There’s so much that goes into it. How you treat your players. How you mold them into better people. I’m flattered to be Coach of the Year, but I hope my players look at me as the Coach of the Year every year because of how I love and respect them and try to teach them life lessons. That’s the most important thing.”
The area football awards were chosen at a meeting of the area’s head coaches on Monday night.
Whiteman received five of the seven votes cast, and Northern’s Phil Carr, who guided the Huskies to their first state title game appearance, nabbed the other two.
It’s the fourth time Whiteman, 57, has been honored with the Golden Helmet Award. He won it outright in 2009 and 2020 and shared it with Fort Hill’s Todd Appel in 2014.
Frankfort won by at least 20 points in every game, outscoring its opponents 623-101 (44.5-7.2 average) to set a new single-season school scoring record.
The 2024 Falcons scored 111 more points than the 2014 team, the previous record-holder, in the same number of games.
Frankfort’s closest game was a 27-7 win at Williamstown on Oct. 19.
Its unbeaten regular season was Frankfort’s fifth in school history, joining the 1990, ‘95, ‘96 and 2014 squads.
Frankfort utilized a high-powered rushing attack that gained 4,237 yards and scored 77 touchdowns on the ground.
Jullian Pattison led the way with 132 carries for 1,457 yards and 30 touchdowns, and Carder Shanholtz ran the ball 98 times for 1,201 yards and 18 scores.
Frankfort’s offensive line was the backbone of the Falcons’ Wing-T offense, comprised entirely of seniors: Lane Lease (6-foot-6, 260 pounds), Caden Whitacre (6-5, 230), Daniel Marley (6-1, 250), Brayden Shipway (6-2, 280) and Bryer Michaels (6-3, 240) and tight end Jett McCullough (6-3, 225).
Quarterback Uriah Cutter completed 72% of his passes for 1,124 yards, 15 total touchdowns and no interceptions.
Defensively, Frankfort gave up more than 14 points in a game just once, a 56-21 rout of Hampshire in Week 2, and held its opponents to 177.9 yards per game.
Whiteman’s Frankfort teams have reached the Class AA playoffs in 12 of 14 seasons.
Under Whiteman, the Falcons were state runners-up to Bridgeport in 2014, ending 13-1, and went 11-2 and reached the state semifinals in 2022 and ‘09. They made the quarterfinals in 2010, ‘12, ‘19 and ‘21.
A 1985 graduate of Frankfort, Whiteman quarterbacked coach Jim Fazzalore’s final Frankfort team in 1984. Fazzalore guided Ridgeley to Mineral County’s last state championship in 1975.
Now, Whiteman has brought Mineral County back to the top just as his old coach did.
“It’s a dream come true,” Whiteman said. “I’ve always wanted Frankfort to win a state championship. I work my tail off, not bragging, but I do everything I can to make the football program at Frankfort the best it can be. This is just something I’ve wanted my entire life.”
Whiteman holds a 124-48 record after 15 seasons for a .721 win percentage.
Last year, he passed Greg Phillips for the most wins in school history. Phillips had a 108-41 mark in 14 seasons.
The area football awards will be revealed a day at a time, culminating with the All-Area team next week. The John B. “Jack” Gilmore Memorial Lineman of the Year will be announced next in Thursday’s Times-News.