Leonardtown Football Builds 2026 Identity Around Respect, Effort And Toughness

LEONARDTOWN, Md. — Consistency and effort will be at the center of the Leonardtown High School football team’s approach this season, as head coach Justin Cunningham focuses on building habits that can lead to success both on and off the field.

“When you’ve been doing this for a while, you understand the stuff that you do that’s good and the stuff that you do that’s not so good,” Cunningham told The BayNet. “But as long as you create consistent habits with the players and your coaches, you’re going to have a positive outcome.”

Cunningham said consistency means more than simply showing up for games. Leonardtown players are expected to arrive on time, remain attentive during meetings, complete their work in the weight room and hold one another accountable during practices.

“The little things matter,” Cunningham said. “The little things make the big picture complete.”

Those expectations are part of the program’s identity, which is built around RAT — respect, effort and toughness.

Cunningham wants Leonardtown to be recognized as a team that plays with those characteristics every time it takes the field. That means respecting teammates, coaches, parents and administrators while also giving maximum effort and developing the physical and mental toughness necessary to compete.

The foundation has been strengthened by the team’s chemistry. Cunningham said the players have developed a strong bond through offseason workouts, lifting and spending time together away from football. That relationship has translated into healthy competition during practices and workouts.

“This team really likes each other,” Cunningham said. “This team really works well together.”

Cunningham credited the senior class with helping establish that environment. Many of the seniors have significant playing experience and have embraced the responsibility of setting the standard for the younger players.

The leadership has been evident in the offseason, with several seniors attending every summer workout. Cunningham said those players have not simply shown up but have helped younger teammates improve through their example and positive communication.

The difference in senior leadership has been significant for Leonardtown. After having 27 seniors two seasons ago, the program had only six seniors last season, with just one having significant playing time. Cunningham said the current group has provided a much stronger foundation.

That leadership has also begun to influence Leonardtown’s juniors, who are learning how to become leaders by watching the seniors.

Cunningham said the players have demonstrated a willingness to correct one another when someone’s effort or body language begins to slip. Instead of relying entirely on coaches to address those issues, teammates have taken responsibility for holding each other accountable.

Several senior leaders include quarterback Bradley Hager, running back and outside linebacker Markwell Queen, receiver and defensive back Jaden Price and senior lineman Dylan McDonald.

Cunningham described those players as tough, smart and hard-working, saying they are helping establish the standard for the entire program.

“They’re good kids on and off the field,” Cunningham said.

The team’s physical development has also been a major focus.

Leonardtown continued its offseason weightlifting program while putting an increased emphasis on speed and agility. Cunningham said the goal was not simply to become stronger but to develop more power and explosiveness.

The work has produced encouraging results, with Cunningham saying the team’s weight-room numbers and 40-yard dash times have improved compared with previous years.

The next step is translating that physical progress into consistent performance.

Cunningham said last year’s team struggled with consistency, alternating good practices with poor ones. This year’s group has avoided those bad days early in the season, but maintaining that standard will be critical once games begin.

The team’s message has been to get 1% better every day and go “1-0” every day.

“We really need to focus on having a good day every day,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham’s vision for the program extends beyond football. In his eight years at Leonardtown, following 17 years at DeMatha, he said developing good people has remained a central part of his coaching philosophy.

The same qualities emphasized through RAT — respect, effort and toughness — are intended to prepare players for challenges outside of football.

The team has adopted another theme for the season: relentlessness. Cunningham said that mindset applies to workouts, practices, academics and dealing with adversity.

So far, the offseason has gone smoothly, but Cunningham knows the team will eventually be tested. Leonardtown’s upcoming scrimmage will provide an early opportunity to see how the players respond when they face an opponent wearing a different-colored jersey.

“I can say all these good things about this team,” Cunningham said. “But when it comes down to when the pads are on and we’re playing a different-colored jersey, how are we going to respond?”

For Leonardtown, the answer will begin with the principles Cunningham has emphasized throughout the offseason: consistency, respect, effort and toughness.

“We’re just trying to be relentless in everything we do,” Cunningham said.

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