Published: August 29, 2008 11:46 pm         

Frankfort sinks Moorefield

SHORT GAP, W.Va. — Logan Wolford returned an interception 84 yards to give Frankfort its first lead with 4:38 left in the game and the Falcons gave Kevin Whiteman a 21-20 victory over Moorefield in his debut as head coach on a perfect Friday night for football at Frankfort Stadium.

It was a typical season opener with both teams making a lot of mistakes. The Falcons capitalized on the one that mattered most in beating the Yellow Jackets for the sixth straight year.

“We have some work to do but it just feels good getting that first win as the head coach,” said Whiteman, who succeeded Mickey Lantz after serving as an assistant for 10 years. “In the first game you usually make a lot of mistakes and we made them and so did they.”

Sophomore Joey Luciw rushed for 76 yards on 12 carries and scored Frankfort’s first touchdown. He also had a pair of key pass receptions for 44 yards to set up a score.

Junior quarterback James Jones completed 4-of-9 passes for 92 yards and had a 30-yard scoring strike to Christian Brown that brought the Falcons back from a 14-0 deficit to knot the score at 14-14 in the third quarter. Wolford kicked all three extra points.

Moorefield put 14 points on the board before Frankfort ran an offensive play.

Tanner Burns, who led the Moorefield offensive with 78 yards on 18 carries, returned the opening kickoff 68 yards before being hauled down at the Frankfort two-yard line. The senior fullback then blasted the two yards for the touchdown and Jordan Ours kicked the extra point.

The Falcons fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Dylan Flinn recovered for the Yellow Jackets at the 25-yard line. After 10 plays Tucker Smith went one yard on a quarterback sneak with 6:09 left in the opening quarter. Ours kick made it 14-0.

“I was disappointed at the way we started,” said Whiteman. “We work hard on special teams every day and are not supposed to let them have a kickoff return like that. We were really emotional before the game and I think we went flat for a while after going own 14-0. We gained our composure in the second half and Logan Wolford’s interception was huge.”

Frankfort went 80 yards for its first scoring drive that was kept alive by as roughing-the-passer penalty. Luciw, a speedy 5-foot-6, 160-pound sophomore, made acrobatic catches for 20 and 24 yards before scoring the touchdown on the 13-yard run at the 10:11 mark in the second quarter.

The Falcons tied the score with a 13-play, 78-yard drive that ended with Jones finding Brown in the end zone on the 30-yard pass with 9:35 left in the third quarter. Wolford’s second kick tied the score.

After Wolford’s interception return gave Frankfort the lead, Moorefield went 40 yards in just eight plays after Kellan Snyder returned the kickoff 45 yards and had a chance to tie the game after a four-yard run by Burns with 1:55 left. Ours’ extra-point attempt was wide left and Frankfort was able to run out the clock.

Frankfort will be as Liberty Harrison and Moorefield will host Keyser next Friday night.

Contact Steve Luse at sluse@times-news.com.