It’s almost time for “Friday night lights” in Arlington as the county’s three public high school teams get ready for the upcoming season starting on Aug. 28.
Wakefield, Washington-Liberty and Yorktown are in different stages of development and expectations, but they all play in the Liberty District. That means they will all face one another this season.
Here’s a look at where each team stands heading into the 2025 school year.
Wakefield
2024 record: 2-8 overall, 0-6 in the Liberty District
First game: Falls Church High School (Thursday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.)
Starting quarterback: Judah Connor
Other notable starters: OL/DL Jeremiah McCray, WR/DB Chris Gilpin, WR Andrew Mason, WR C.J. Sewell, LB Sean Perry
Preview:
Wakefield is in year three under head coach Clarence Martin, who came over from the defensive coordinator position at Marshall High School near Falls Church. Before that, he’d held head coaching jobs at Justice High School in Fairfax County and Potomac High School in Prince William County.
Prior to Martin’s arrival, Wakefield suffered an 0-10 season in 2022, and in his first season, the Warriors again won zero games. But last year, the tide started to turn — Martin’s squad found two victories to finish 2-8. The coach believes his team is turning a corner and says the school is hungry for a good football team.
“It’s a different attitude. It’s a different environment,” Martin said. “It’s a different culture here now, and the kids are ready to win. They’re ready to win, and they’re putting the work in to make sure that happens.”
Junior Judah Connor will start at quarterback for the Warriors this year. Martin describes him as a “dual-threat” QB which means he’s effective throwing the ball and running the ball.
The head coach also raved about senior Chris Gilpin, who he says will play both wide receiver and defensive back this season. Gilpin ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at an Old Dominion University camp this summer, and Martin compared him to Travis Hunter, a member of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars who plays both offense and defense.
Wakefield will kick off its season on the road against Falls Church High School before its home opener on Friday, Sept. 5 against Rock Ridge High School.
Washington-Liberty
2024 record: 12-1 overall, 6-0 in the Liberty District
First game: Bishop O’Connell (Thursday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.)
Starting quarterback: Tyler Flint-Steinig
Other notable starters: WR David Toepel, OL Grant Siebert, OL Bennett Potts, OL Chris Ferrufino, RB Brayden Black, WR Trevor Fullen, DL Max De La Vega, LB Henry Cruz
Preview:
Washington-Liberty had a star-studded senior class in 2024 and stormed to a near-perfect record. The Generals advanced all the way to the Northern Region 6D Championship where they fell to the Madison Warhawks, 48-21.
Heading into 2025, 18-year head coach Josh Shapiro says his team is only returning around five starters.
“We’re a new team,” Shapiro said. “The rising seniors took it upon themselves to have the ownership of saying, ‘Hey, look, we’re going to keep working hard, and in spite of our massive numbers of talented graduates in the class of 2025, we’re going to keep working hard and trying to put the best team out there possible.'”
Shapiro is officially naming Tyler Flint-Steinig as his starting quarterback heading into the year. The junior was the starter in 2024 on Washington-Liberty’s Junior Varsity team.
“His biggest asset is his brain,” Shapiro said of Flint-Steinig. “He’s very smart. … He’s calm. The game’s not going to be too big for him.”
The Generals will also look to extend a three-game winning streak against one of their cross-town rivals, the Yorktown Patriots, in the final game of the season on Oct. 30. The match-up is happening on a Thursday night this year, not a Saturday during the day like in recent seasons.
In its first game of the season, Washington-Liberty will play at home against Bishop O’Connell, a private school in Arlington.
Yorktown
2024 record: 6-5 overall, 3-3 in the Liberty District
First game: South Lakes (Thursday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.)
Starting quarterback: Samson Schneider
Other notable starters: TE Brady Owens, OL Chris Layman, WR Sammy Keiser, OL/DL Henry Midberry, DL Bobby Shea, LB Nicky Palma, LB Andrew Cole (Note: The author of this article is Andrew’s brother.)
Preview:
It’s the beginning of a new era at Yorktown under first-year head coach Alec Hicks. Last season was Bruce Hanson’s 40th and final campaign with the school, and his successor was promoted from defensive coordinator following the season.
Expect to see some new looks from the Patriots on both sides of the ball as Hicks and his staff implement new schemes and strategy.
“I think it’s going to be a good change of pace,” Hicks said. “I think it’s going to give some of those teams we usually see a little bit of difficulty as we get into the season.”
Senior passer Samson Schneider will start at quarterback for Yorktown. It will be Schneider’s first starting experience in his high school career after he sat behind Drew Morgan in 2024.
“Samson’s really calm in the pocket,” Hicks said. “He has really good command of the offense — he’s been studying it — and he throws a really nice ball.”
Senior tight end Brady Owens is another star on Yorktown’s offense. Standing at 6 feet 6 inches, Owens is committed to play football at Rutgers next fall.
Yorktown will take on South Lakes on the road to open up its season. Its final game will be against Washington-Liberty, as this year’s senior class looks for its first win against the Generals.
Arlington vs. Arlington matchups
- Bishop O’Connell at Washington-Liberty (Thursday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.)
- Wakefield at Washington-Liberty (Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.)
- Yorktown at Wakefield (Friday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.)
- Washington-Liberty at Yorktown (Thursday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.)
Because Yorktown, Washington-Liberty and Wakefield all play in the Liberty District, it’s very possible they could match up against one another in a playoff game come November.
