Coach:Al Smith, 3rd season.

Last year:10-14 (3-4 Northwestern), reached district tournament final, lost to Sherando in Region II Division 4 quarterfinals.

Key losses:Trae Tinsman, Brock Lockhart, James Thorne, Cooper Franks.

Key returnees:Mason Smith, Sr. F; Chris Skinner, Jr. G; Tyler Murphy, Sr. G; Chad Potter, Jr. G.

Top newcomers:David Alaniz, Sr. F; Ryland Williams, Fr. G; Nick Foura, So. G; Michael Carter, So. G.

Outlook:With the 6-7 Mason Smith and 6-6 Alaniz in the post, the Colonels (1-2) will be one of the biggest teams in the area, but their ultimate goal is to be one of the quickest, too.

"We're really trying to push the tempo more than last year," Al Smith said. "We're ahead of where we were at this time last year. Now we just have to be smart with it."

Turnovers in transition hurt the team in a loss Friday at Fauquier, but Smith feels his team can excel on the break as long as the players realize when to pull back and run their offense.

In the halfcourt, they'll rely on Mason Smith, who had 23 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Musselman (W.Va.) and 13 points in each of the Colonels' two losses this season.

"Mason seems to have matured," his father said. "He's playing more aggressive than I've seen in three years coaching him."