Dane Frantzen attended his first Plant football game when he was in 5th grade.
The mystic. The lure. The atmosphere.
It was everything he imagined and from that moment on he knew he had to be a Panther quarterback.
“What I saw, I was like, I want to be a part of the one day,” said Frantzen, who has led Plant to their first Regional Final since 2013. “Ever since then, every day that’s all I could think about.”
He started attending every game. Studying the schemes. Idolizing the stars. He spent all of his free time watching old Plant games on Channel 1147.
Sitting in the Plant fieldhouse Frantzen recites the old play by play call by Drew Fellios.
Frantzen’s imitations reminds you of your favorite movie, permanently on your DVR. You know all the lines ahead of time.
“He’ll move to his left,” says Frantzen, one full second before Fellios’ cadence.
“I guess I’ve just watched them so many times, they are in my head,” said Frantzen with a chuckle.
“He will reference what people did in games and I’m talking about not just state championship years that were big splash years,” said Plant head coach Robert Weiner.
“When you come up with that knowledge it’s not just an ability to retain, that he has. I think most of all it comes from a deeply rooted groundswell of just love for what this place is all about.”
“It’s fun because I can remember all these plays from the stands too,” said Frantzen, re-watching the 2011 Jesuit-Plant highlights from Dad’s stadium.
Out of the stands and into his dream starting role, Frantzen is the one being worshiped. The legends he looked up to, like 2006 Mr. Football Robert Marve, are now his coaches. Marve led Plant to their first state title in 2006.
Even at 5’9, with almost 3200 (1943 pass yards, 1,221 rush yards) all-purpose (1943 pass yards, 1,221 rush yards) yards he’s drawing comparisons to one of the all-time best high school dual threat quarterbacks to play in Florida.
“Only guys like Tim Tebow put up numbers like that,” said Spectrum Sports football analyst and former Tampa Bay Buccaneer quarterback Jeff Carlson. Tebow led Nease High School to a state title over Armwood in 2005.
“He’s a lot bigger than me but I can see a little bit resemblance,” said Frantzen of the Tebow comparison.
“I would call it even more a triple threat,” said Weiner about Frantzen’s on-field prowess. “He’s a runner. He’s a thrower, but he’s also the guy who sets the tone for the entire game.
Not just one game, Frantzen’s set the tone for his entire senior season.
“I think probably there’s a million times internally that he has to pinch himself and say I am the starting quarterback at Plant High School and we are in the regional finals.”
“I mean I guess how I imagined it- is how it’s coming out so far,” said Frantzen of his high school football swan song. “Hopefully we can keep on going and win the state championship.”
He’s only been dreaming of that legacy since 5th grade.