NASHVILLE - When Hunter Frame began playing football - eight years old with a mop of floppy brown hair - he would stand along the edge of the South Pittsburg High School sideline to high-five varsity players as they made their way to the field.
Like so many young boys in his hometown, Frame dreamed of playing for the Pirates on Friday nights and by his senior season things had come full circle as he took his turn as a player the youth league Pirates idolized.
On Tuesday he capped his prep career by putting his name among the program's most accomplished athletes when he became the Pirates sixth Tennessee Titans Class 1A Mr. Football award winner during a ceremony at Nissan Stadium.
"This has been a dream of mine since I was little," Frame said. "When our season ended last year I wrote down some goals for my senior season. I wanted to help us get to the state championship game and win it, I wanted to earn all-state and be a Mr. Football candidate. We didn't get the championship, but it was an honor just to get there, and I will always remember what we accomplished."
Frame was one of five Chattanooga-area finalists for the Mr. Football award in their respective classification, but was the only one to win it. He was joined as a finalist in 1A by South Pittsburg teammate Jared Stone, a senior all-state offensive lineman and linebacker, while the running back trio of Meigs County's Will Meadows (2A), McMinn County's Jalen Hunt (6A) and McCallie's B.J. Harris (Division II-AAA) were also finalists.
The award finalists and winners were voted on prior to the start of the playoffs, based on their regular-season production.
In seven regular-season games Frame ran for 1,204 yards, averaging 15.6 yards per carry, and had 23 touchdowns. In helping the Pirates return to the state title game for the first time since 2013, Frame finished with 1,947 yards and finished with more than 3,600 career yards.
"I took a lot of pride in my game," Frame added. "I wasn't just playing for myself. God allowed me to come out and play the way I'm capable of, and do it for my family and friends who support me. I wanted to make them all proud and make sure other people knew who I was as a player."
Stone, part of a senior class who tied the program record with 50 wins, had 24 pancake blocks during the regular season and was also the team's second-leading tackler with 53 solo stops and four more for loss.
In becoming the fourth straight Meigs County finalist, Meadows' 1,235 rushing yards and 20 TDs were a key part of an unbeaten regular season. He then helped the Tigers return to the 2A title game, where they finished runners-up for a second year in a row. Meadows was unable to attend the ceremony because he and several other Tigers are under quarantine.
Hunt led the state with 2,161 rushing yards on 193 regular-season carries with 24 TDs, averaging 11 yards per carry. He also owns program records with 5,464 career yards and 57 TDs and had eight career interceptions on defense.
Harris, a Missouri commitment, rushed for 1,118 yards and 15 TDs, including at least 100 yards in seven of eight regular-season games. He went on to be named the MVP of last week's BlueCross Bowl after rushing for 173 yards and three scores to help the Blue Tornado claim its second straight D-II AAA state title.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @Stephen Hargis.