By Megan Woodward

FRANKLIN

The Rock Church School has been in existence for 41years. Founding pastors David and Patty Dillon started the Rock Church 43 years ago and began the school shortly thereafter. The Rock Church School started a varsity basketball program that dominated in the ’90s. With being a school of only 40 to 60 students over the years, the teams would be hit and miss.

Four years ago, coach Danny Dillon resigned from 15 years of head basketball coach/teaching at Franklin High School to become the lead pastor at the Rock Church. He immediately started building back the program at RCS that he once played for. Now he is building with his own sons who are a part of Team Rock.

Dillon said, “One of the hard things about leaving Franklin High for the ministry was the void of coaching, but I knew that I could help build the culture of basketball back up at the Rock. Plus, the joy of coaching my own sons is unmatched!”

The Lion’s basketball program is on the rise again, finishing with a perfect 17-0 this year, beating the likes of Chesapeake Bay Academy, Albemarle School, Tidewater Academy, etc. This is the second perfect season recorded in RCS history. In the past four years their JV and JJV teams have a combined record of 49 and 10.

With this season the Lions have qualified for the ACE, Accelerated Christian Education, Regional Basketball tournament. They will take their young squad and play on the varsity level in West Virginia.

“It’s all about our players using their talents for God and showing His love to our opponents, refs and fans,” said Dillon.

The coaches, along with Rock Church School, are proud of their team that has worked so hard to earn these wins. Leading the Lions this year is eighth grader D.J. Dillon with an impressive 24.4 points per game, 4.5 assists per game and 3.9 steals per game. Ben Turner, playing center for RCS, was a strong force averaging a double double with a total of 13.5 points per game 13.2 rebounds per contest.

He said of his experience, “Playing basketball with Rock has been amazing. What a great experience being part of a small church school to go out and show the love of God to other schools around us. I enjoy the time with my teammates and getting closer to them.”

Lastly, Christian Fanjul was a huge asset with a total of 5 points a game and 8.7 rebounds.

“Our kids have really worked hard this season to produce this outcome,” the coach added. “D.J. is a special talent and one we can continue to build a strong program around.”

The coach plans to have a varsity program within the next year or two and compete in the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association. His goal is to have his athletes share God’s love while knocking down some shots.

The Rock Church is building the Ben S. Dillon Life Center on its 62-acre campus. This will be a gymnasium that hosts their school’s athletics for basketball and volleyball. It will also be their new place of worship as they are outgrowing their current sanctuary. They are building the facility to honor Pastor Dillons’ late brother who unexpectedly passed away two years ago at the age of 43. Ben Dillon served as the principal of Rock Church School for 20 years and was a vital part of this community.

“We are excited about the Ben S. Dillon Life Center being completed in the next year. I’m overjoyed about honoring my brother and one day coaching his 9 year old son Stone.” the coach stated.

The Dillon family and the Rock Church family want to thank all of the community for their continued support with all their endeavors. This is a church that loves their community and is not going anywhere!