Jaron Whitehead almost transferred to win a championship.
Turns out he didn’t have to.
Whitehead is a senior at Franklin Towne Charter High School, and he plays football for Frankford. The Germantown native played high school football for the first time last year and the Pioneers had a forgettable season.
They went 3-9, including a disappointing 0-5 record during the regular season, and at times were not a very good football team.
Whitehead, who plays wide receiver and defensive end, really wanted to win a championship before graduating, and he thought about walking away from the Pioneers. But he knew there was potential, he knew Frankford had the coaching and he figured with some hard work, that championship could come at Frankford.
But he knew it would take a lot of work.
“When I was thinking about what we had, did I think we could win? At first? I mean, honestly, not at all,” Whitehead admitted. “My first thought after last year was I thought about transferring. At the last minute, I wasn’t sure transferring was right. I messed up a few times and always learned from it. And when I was talking to other schools about transferring, schools wanted me to play defense. I was OK with that, but I love offense, too. Then I talked to my brother and friends, and I decided to go back to Frankford. I was hoping to get them a championship. That’s the mindset I took in.
“I could have transferred. But winning at Frankford was a lot better than winning anywhere else. I love this team so I was happy I stayed.”
He not only stayed at Frankford, Whitehead helped the Pioneers turn around and go from the bottom of the Public League to the top.
Frankford won the Public League Class 5A championship and went on to play Roman Catholic in the District 12 5A championship. The Cahillites danced all the way to the state championship game, but the Pioneers saw their season come to an end following a loss to Simon Gratz on Thanksgiving. The Bulldogs won 28-0, but it did little to take the shine off of the season Whitehead was able to have with his Frankford teammates.
“Honestly, I wanted to win, but we had fun, we got to play again (after losing to Roman) and just be together one last time,” said Whitehead, who was the Public League Most Valuable Player in 5A. “That game was just for fun. We played our hardest, but Simon Gratz is nice. They’re a good team.”
While Frankford always enjoyed its longtime Thanksgiving morning rivalry with the Falcons, the Pioneers have had a bunch of different foes since North Catholic closed.
Frankford has played Conwell-Egan, Roman Catholic, Simon Gratz, Fels and Boys Latin over the years, and the game isn’t as much of a rivalry game.
But the Pioneers certainly brought the old-school magic back for the regular season when they won the Public League crown.
“I’m really glad we won because that meant so much to everyone,” Whitehead said. “I connected with my Frankford brothers. We’re really locked in. That’s something I’ll always remember forever. We played some great games, and it means a lot. For me and every guy on the team. It meant a lot to me because this is what I wanted when I stayed.”
While a great defensive player, Whitehead really stars when he lines up outside. He’s big, strong and fast, and he did a lot of his damage going over the middle.
He’s not afraid to take a hit as long as he comes down with the catch.
“My favorite is wide receiver,” Whitehead said. “I like the art of running routes, I love doing it. We had good chemistry, our team, man, we were real close. It was mostly that cross play, a (play-action) cross play.
“Of course it was fun, it was amazing. All season, once I started, I knew they wanted to stop me, guys would say, “I heard about you.’ I take it as a compliment. I love that. I think that it helps me get better and helps them get better. Makes me a better competitor. The Public League has some good players, and you get better playing them.”
Whitehead is now busy preparing for his other sport, basketball. This one, he plays at Franklin Towne because the Warriors have a team, unlike football.
“Football is my sport, but I love basketball,” said Whitehead, who plays forward in the winter. “I just play defense and pass the ball to my teammates. We have a pretty good team.
“We don’t play Frankford, but we did last year in the playoffs. I’d love to play them again. But there weren’t any football players (on Frankford). I knew some guys, though.”
Whitehead is popular at Frankford and at Franklin Towne. Now he’s hoping to hear his name called by a college.
He’s open to playing any position and just wants a chance.
“I don’t know where, but I know what I want to study,” Whitehead said. “Cyber security or computer science. I like computer work, honestly, I got this coding class and it comes really easy to me. That’s what I want to do, and I want a career where I can make a lot of money. When you can make money and have fun, it’s great. My main plan would be football, too. I want to see where that can take me.”
With only two years of high school football, Whitehead is still getting better. And he has a lot of people to thank for that.
“Everyone helps me, I wouldn’t be here with a 5A chip without everyone in my life,” Whitehead said. “I feel like everyone played a role to help me get to be the person I am today. And I hope to get better. I feel like if I had a lot of money, I would share it with everyone because of how many people helped me. They helped me better my life.
“I love my family, my mother, my uncle, my grandparents, my dad, too, I couldn’t do it without him. I need all of them. They come to my games, they always make sure I’m doing what I’m supposed to. My dad and my pop pop came to all of them almost.
“I want everyone to know this isn’t the last time you’ll hear from me. There will be more to come in the future!”
