Frankfort head coach Craig Foley shows his frustration during the Class A first-round playoff game against Bishop Brossart at Sower Football Field Friday night. The Panthers won 16-7. (State Journal/Hilly Schiffer)

Frankfort High didn’t earn any style points in its 16-7 playoff win over Bishop Brossart.

But with the way this season has unfolded for FHS, margin of victory has been an after-thought. For the Panthers it was another week of survive and advance.

“It’s the playoffs,” running back Jeff Dunmire said. “You’ve got to expect everything.”

In a game that featured three lost fumbles and six interceptions – everything that could happen did happen. Fortunately for FHS, most of the twists of fate turned out in the Panthers’ favor.

“This is another one of those crazy weeks,” FHS coach Craig Foley said.

“(Bishop Brossart) came out and took it to us early. Our kids didn’t respond the way we thought they would, but they came back in the second half.”

The No. 4 Panthers (8-3) survive to host No. 8 Bellevue (8-3) – which defeated Gallatin County 55-0 in the first round –  Friday at Sower Field.

Dunmire led the Panther charge on offense in the second half, punishing the Mustangs up the middle and finishing the game with eight carries for 86 yards and a touchdown.

With Frankfort High clinging to an 8-7 lead in the third quarter, the Panthers appeared to be finding their legs in the opening series of the second half, driving the ball to the Mustang 35 in six plays.

A skirmish between two linemen after a 5-yard run by Zach Mason threw the drive into doubt, however. Senior lineman Kyle Eskue ended up being ejected from the game and hit with a personal foul, pushing the Panthers back to midfield.

That’s when the Panthers called Dunmire’s number.

With Mason faking the sweep, Dunmire took the handoff from Marcus Washington up the gut and rumbled 50 yards into the Sower Field end zone to give FHS a 14-7 edge.

“We kept on running outside and I guess the coaches thought they wouldn’t expect it if we cut back up the middle,” Dunmire said. “That’s how I got that run.”

Washington, who played under center in the second half despite a bad shoulder, made it a two-score lead on a naked bootleg for the two-point conversion.

“Marcus gutted it out,” Foley said. “He probably took a couple shots he shouldn’t have but the whole offense runs a bit smoother when he’s in there.”

The defense took care of the rest for the Panthers.

After giving up several big gainers in the first half, Frankfort High never allowed Bishop Brossart past midfield after halftime. Three of the Mustangs’ second-half possessions ended in interceptions. The other two ended with punts.

“We definitely put our team in position to score a lot with the interceptions, especially with the returns,” said Ethan Williams, who snagged the first pick after half time.

But with starting quarterback Dylan Quinn on the sideline after suffering a concussion last week, the points didn’t come easy for Frankfort High.

The Panthers leaned heavily on their ground game in the first half with Georan Cardwell at quarterback. On the two occasions they threw downfield, the receivers were open but the passes fell incomplete.

Another score was negated on a questionable holding penalty after a 52-yard run by Washington in the fourth quarter.

“We had two scores that should have been on the board,” Foley said.

The Mustangs, making their first playoff appearance in school history, played a spirited first half in front of a strong contingent of green-and-white clad fans.

After Mason capped off an 8-play, 71-yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown run and Joseph Morgan converted the two-point conversion at the start of the second quarter, Brossart fought back.

Facing third-and-10 at its own 16, Brossart seized the momentum on a 58-yard run up the right sideline by Jacob Elbert. The Mustangs completed the drive three plays later on Chris Bowman’s 1-yard plunge and pulled within one, 8-7, on the extra point.

Following the touchdown, the Mustangs caught the Panthers napping on an onside kick recovered by BBHS.

But like it would all game, the FHS defense made a play when it was needed. Morgan picked off Brossart quarterback Jesse Orth to end the threat.

A similar turnover occurred six minutes before halftime when Cardwell came up with a fumble inside the FHS 10 after a 59-yard pass completion by the Mustangs.

Cardwell came up big again just before intermission by tackling Conner Boesch before he could run free to the end zone after Mason fumbled the ball at midfield.

The play ended with four seconds on the clock, and the Panthers went into halftime with the lead when Ryan Morrison’s 42-yard field goal attempt fell short.

“Northern Kentucky teams are always tough,” Williams said. “They play (tough schedules), so when they come down here they’re ready to bring it.”

Another northern Kentucky team awaits Friday with Bellevue coming to town – and they aren’t any softer. The Tigers defeated Bishop Brossart 45-7 in the regular season.

“They’re a big, physical, strong team. They’re going to line up and bring everything they’ve got up inside and go right at us,” Foley said.