berth and home court advantage in the district playoffs.

berth and home court advantage in the district playoffs. Page and Rappahannock share 6-3 district records, with the Panthers 7-6 overall on the year.

The three district losses, he said, came down to inexperience in key positions, a fault which he thinks experience will take care of. He pointed to the team’s poise against Stonewall last week as an indication of the improvement. “In three of those losses, we led in the last two minutes. But, we’re improving —we can play with anybody. It’s going to come down to who plays well in February,” Coach Leake said. “But we're not looking that far ahead. Our most important game is the next one. If we keep that philosophy, sooner or later we’ll see Central in the district championship.”

Development is the key

Again, Coach Leake praised the eighth grade and junior varsity programs as essential to the varsity team’s success. “The key to any athletic program’s success is the way the unit works. We have a unit which starts in the eighth grade, then to the junior varsity and then to the varsity. You can’t have success working with three different levels.”

“The coaches,” he said, work with that philosophy. “The players know we all represent the school’s athletic program and Rappahannock County High School. The guys take that as a challenge and they respond very well.”

And, he added, winning is not the only thing which the program teaches. “We teach them to strive to do their best; if they do that the wins will come. Winning, of course, is encouraged, but not stressed.”

“If the players give me 100 percent in performance, pride and dedication to the sport, even in losses they’ve done their best. And when they do that they win. If the guys feel they went out and gave their best, then they’ve accomplished their goal.”

Next Tuesday’s game at Rappahannock begins with JV action at 6 p.m., with the varsity contest following a short intermission.