When Gainesville District Little League officials scour their players looking for the top talent, they may just find their future all-stars for years to come from the 10- and 11-year-old American all-star team.

The boys posted GDLL's best showing in this year's playoff tournament for Virginia District 10 Little League teams. Out of eight total teams competing for Gainesville from the age brackets 9-and-10, 10-and-11, majors and juniors, the 10- and-11-year-old American team's 4-2 record made the squad the only one from Gainesville to exit the playoffs with a winning record. It also sent the team to the championship round against their counterparts from Chantilly, again marking the only Gainesville group to compete for a title.

Of course, if you're going to to lose, the saying goes, lose to the best. For Gainesville, there was no question about who should be tops after falling twice to Chantilly American. While their first encounter at Long Park in Haymarket proved to be a thrill-a-minute pitching duel resulting in a 2-1 Chantilly win, their second match up in the final round of the tournament ended more lopsided with undefeated Chantilly cruising 21-4, capturing the Virginia District 10 title.

In order to earn a spot in the championship round, Gainesville disposed of Fairfax's American squad 8-2 before shutting out their own brethren, the Gainesville National squad, 10-0.

The American team scored runs 19 through 26 of the tournament against Fairfax Dominion by posting an 8-4 win July 9. Entering the Chantilly game July 12, Gainesville had outscored its opponents 26-6 through three games.

"They've been confident all year," said team manager Niko Agnos after the boys' opening-round win.

Freshly into the so-called elimination bracket of the 15-team tourney, Gainesville rebounded versus SYA East 5-2 on July 15, propelling Gainesville to the championship.

Gainesville would have had to win twice in a row against Chantilly to win due to Chantilly's unbeaten streak entering the finals of the double-elimination tournament.

Even despite the loss, the 10- and 11-year-old American still provided what turned out to be GDLL's best template for winning in the all-stars: have at least two solid, quality aces on the mound and a potent lineup that can hit from positions 1 through 9.

Jake Agnos, Danny Singleton and Matt Sharer all proved to be tough on the mound for Gainesville while Jack Ritter cleaned up at the plate with a 3-for-3 performance in Game 1.

The 10 and 11 National team and junior American team posted the GDLL's next best records with two wins and two losses each. Both teams beat their Fairfax National counterparts in the first round by nearly identical scores (10&11: 8-2; juniors: 7-2) while facing a bit stiffer competition in the next round that dropped them into the single-elimination bracket.

There, their winning ways took off again as both teams squeezed out one-run victories over Coles. The junior team ended up on the right side of a 14-13 contest while the younger players edged out Coles 8-7 before losing to the Chantilly National team 9-8.

In fact, the eight Gainesville District Little League lost six one-run ball games total while winning two others as part of the league's 11-16 overall record in the tournament. One of the GDLL's most lopsided wins came in the 9- and 10-year-old division where the American team took out Manassas Park 11-1. Likewise, GDLL fell seven times by double digits excluding the all-Gainesville family feud July 6.

Gainesville District Little League did not field all-star teams for the minor and senior levels. Practices for the fall baseball season begin next month and the season starts in September.