By RANDY GONZALES

rgonzales@dailynews.net

The Frankfort prep volleyball team made it to the season finale last year, but didn't get out of pool play.

"We came here last year, said we're coming back," Frankfort coach Vicki Adams said.

Not only did the Wildcats make it back, they won the Class 1A State Championships on Saturday, defeating perennial power Centralia 25-16, 25-22 in Gross Memorial Coliseum.

It was Frankfort's second state title. The Wildcats also won the 1A crown in 1986.

"It's a great victory," said Adams, who had a niece, senior Chelsey Henry, on the Centralia team.

"We had a lot of support today; they support us always," Adams said.

Adams said it "definitely" helped her team at state beating the top-ranked team in the Kansas Volleyball Association poll -- St.-John's-Beloit -- in the sub-state finals last weekend.

The Wildcats were led at the net by 5-foot-11 senior outside hitter Chelsea Keating, who was too much for the Panthers. After Frankfort won the first game, Keating had nine kills in the second game, including one on championship point.

"She's a smart player," Adams said. "This probably sums up Chelsea Keating most: She gets a kill, and she comes back in the huddle and tells her teammates great job."

Centralia (41-7), which had a streak of nine consecutive state titles end in 2005, also lost in last year's state championship match.

Frankfort (40-8) defeated defending state champion St. John, 20-25, 25-21, 25-21 in the semifinals, while Centralia topped No. 1 seed Hutchinson-Central Christian 25-20, 17-25, 25-19.

In the third-place game, St. John (36-9) was a 25-13, 25-19 winner over Central Christian (42-4).