Frankfort routs Philip Barbour 7-0 for regional soccer title

Frankfort Routs Philip Barbour 7-0 for Regional Crown

Short Gap, W.Va. — Last autumn, Frankfort punched its ticket to the state tournament through the tense, razor-thin margin of penalty kicks against Trinity Christian. Thursday night at the Frankfort Soccer Complex, the journey to the WVSSAC Class AA-Region 2 final demanded far less nervous energy.

The top-ranked Falcons dominated from the opening whistle in a 7-0 rout of Philip Barbour, securing the program’s regional title and booking a return trip to the state semifinals in Beckley next week, times-news.com reported.

Noah Weaver set the tone just 16 seconds into the match, converting a long ball on the opening kickoff with a header toward the box. It was a rehearsed play that finally bore fruit when it mattered most.

“We’ve been hitting that long ball all season and got the ball down the field, but really never produced anything out of it,” Vaughn said. “What a time to produce a goal off a kickoff. Just a great kickoff.” He added, “Noah got down there and headed that ball in. It was just a wonderful way to start.”

A First-Half Barrage and a Weaver Hat Trick

Once the scoring opened, the floodgates followed. Dominic Musgrove delivered a targeted corner kick at the six-minute mark, finding Liam Orndorff for a header that doubled the lead to 2-0.

Mason Jones ripped a shot into the back of the net shortly after, and Weaver added a low shot two minutes later to push the advantage to 4-0 before the break. With just 20 seconds remaining in the half, Weaver launched a 30-yard cross from the left wing that caught the top corner of the net for his third goal, prompting a celebratory backflip.

Orndorff and Jones each added two goals in the second half to cap the scoring. Orndorff leads the team with 36 goals this season, while Weaver sits second with 26. Jones has nine.

Frankfort outshot the Colts 31-6. Falcons goalie Jesus Perdew stopped all six shots he faced to preserve the shutout.

The Road to Beckley

The Falcons enter the state tournament with a single loss—a 2-1 defeat to Allegany on September 26—alongside ties against Wheeling Central Catholic and Pocahontas County. Altogether, Frankfort has outscored opponents 136-13 this season.

Last year marked the first time in program history that the Falcons reached the state tournament, where they fell to Wheeling Central Catholic. This time, coach Vaughn believes familiarity with the venue at the YMCA Paul Cline Memorial Sports Complex will steady his players.

“It was good to be down there and understand the process because there’s a lot of structure to the event,” Vaughn said, noting that the core of the roster experienced last year’s regional final.

“I think the nerves will be most. I think they’ll be comfortable. They’ll understand where they’re at and they’ll play better.”