Dec 14, 2024
A Roane County fan holds up a flag during Friday’s Class AA state championship between the Raiders and Frankfort. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
CHARLESTON — Here on a cold and clear Friday night at Laidley Field the Roane County football team of head coach Paul Burdette completed the greatest season in school history.
Although the second-seeded Raiders fell to No. 1 Frankfort, 49-14, in the Class AA championship game, there were no losers as both programs entered the fray 13-0.
“Nothing to hold their head about,” admitted coach Burdette, whose team held a 15-12 edge in first downs and a 32:48 to 15:12 advantage in time of possession. “You know, 2019 Clay County, we lost Alex Miller. That’s losing.
“There’s no losing tonight. There’s no losing tonight. We lost a ballgame, but these guys have been winners their whole lives and they are going to continue to be winners, and they’ve set the bar for everyone to follow for Roane County football.”
Frankfort, which held a 412-284 advantage in total yards despite running just 25 plays compared to the Raiders’ 55, scored on its first seven possessions of the affair.
Roane County head coach Paul Burdette looks on during Friday’s Class AA state championship game against Frankfort in Charleston. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
The Falcons turned a pair of turnovers into two touchdowns in the first half and scored a final six-pointer before the break to go up 28-0 at intermission.
Frankfort, which became the seventh team to score six rushing touchdowns in the state title game, received five of those scores from Keyser transfer Jullian Pattison, who carried nine times for 178 stripes. Teammate Carder Shanholtz, who toted five times for 121 stripes, housed one from 89 yards out on the Falcons’ first play from scrimmage to set the tone.
Roane County, which received the ball to open the game, reached the red zone on its first possession, but turned the ball over on downs when a fourth-and-5 snap from the FHS 16 came up just short on a completion from Jacob Greathouse to Shay Harper.
“Last year, obviously, was pretty devastating,” admitted Harper, who rushed for 1,000-plus yards, of suffering an ankle injury in the first game of 2023 and missing the season. “I wasn’t able to play with my brothers, but I knew that we could get here.
“Obviously, last year we didn’t but going through this year we just believed in each other. I just knew I had to work hard at it and rehab. Every day in the summer we’re in the weight room and conditioning and when you do that with a certain group for a long time you get a little close. They are my brothers man.”
Harper, who had eight carries for 51 yards, scored the Raiders’ first touchdown via a 25-yard jaunt, which made it 42-6 with 3:19 left in the third.
Greathouse, who will return next year under center for his fourth season as the Raiders’ signal-caller, had 56 yards on eight attempts. Clay Walker had 10 totes for 28 stripes, while Lane Watson rushed 19 times for 134 yards, which included a 33-yard TD burst with 7:37 remaining that was followed by Walker’s conversion run.
“It was great. You can’t expect to win them all and I had so much fun,” admitted Watson. “Even losing this game, man, the experience I get, it was just awesome. I love my team to death.
“I couldn’t ask for anything else really. It’s just a love thing. It really turns into a family. Even though we lost these are memories that are going to last a lifetime, especially with this.”
Coach Burdette knows a return trip to Charleston will be anything but easy in 2025, but that’s the goal.
“They got a lot of work to do,” admitted the coach. “These guys were a special group and we got a good group coming back next year. The cupboard is not bare. We lose some pretty good seniors.
“Some really good seniors, but we got a lot of young talent and return a lot of offensive linemen, which is a big deal. We return our quarterback. We’ve kind of held the reins back on Jacob, but he proved tonight what he can do running the ball and you’ll see a lot more of that next year.”
The state title game appearance for Roane County was the first in school history, but old Spencer High under then head man Jim Hamric finished state runner-up in double-A to East Bank (15-12) in 1990 before coming back the next season and knocking off Greenbrier West, 31-22, to become the first Mountain State program to ever go 14-0.
“First of all, Paul Burdette was one of the best team members I’ve ever coached in my 30 years of coaching,” Hamric said. “Paul wanted everything for the team and to watch him grow as he has, first as an assistant coach under coach Tom Hardman and then moving up to head coach, it’s just been terrific.
“He’s asked me my opinion on several fronts and I’ve really, really appreciated him. He’s included me as much as he could. He’s handled so many things like Alex. He’s handled that tremendously like a seasoned veteran. He learned a lot from watching me and watching Tom Hardman and watching others, and he soaks up all the energy that he can. He’s there for the long term.”
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com
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