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Tough season over for the boys
A tough season on the hardwood officially came to a close earlier this week when the Panthers were ousted from the Bull Run District playoffs by Manassas Park, 66-47.The loss was the 15th consecutive defeat for the Panthers, who simply lacked the size, experience, and depth to compete in Group A's most stout district. The Panthers (2-18) finished the season without a district win.
"You can't fault the effort," said RCHS coach Bob Czekaj. "From day one, our kids have played their hearts out. We're in a tough district. One of the toughest in the state. The last two state champions have come from the Bull Run. We were just outmatched most of the time. We only had seven or eight guys in our rotation, and most of those guys came into this season without any varsity experience."
Rappahannock's Achilles heel has been turnovers throughout the season. The Panthers turned the ball over more than 20 times per game this season.
"You're not going to win many games when you turn the ball over more than 20 times per game," Czekaj said. "That's a lot of missed opportunities. If you're turning the ball over that much, you're limiting your shot opportunities. So even if you do out-shoot your opponent, you're still going to lose."
After another difficult season, the Panthers are already setting their sights on improving this off season. Rappahannock will lose four seniors – Will Boelte, Travis Jenkins, L.B. Settle, and Wade Norman. But the Panthers have a good nucleus returning. Juniors Chase Tupper and Dean Hogan led RCHS in scoring this year at just over 10 points per game, and will be the building block for next season's team. The Panthers also have athletic guards Steve Dodson, Brook Stokes, and Conner Settle slated to return.
" A lot of the guys we have coming back are undersized, but they're athletic," Czekaj said. "They're the building blocks for the future. We need to get back in the gym this off season and start working on things. We've got a lot to improve on, but we'll keep working."
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