Author: Dave Facinoli

Dave Facinoli grew up in Prince George’s County, Md. and attended Friendly High School. After attending Prince’s George Community College and James Madison University, where he covered sports on both college papers, he launched a local newspaper career that included roles as the sports editor of the Alexandria Gazette, the Arlington Sun Gazette and GazetteLeader, and other local papers.

Sports

Five new members inducted into Arlington Sports Hall of Fame

By Dave Facinoli
Five adults in formal attire pose for a group photo at an Arlington Sports Hall of Fame event, in front of a branded backdrop with ASHOF logos.
2026 Arlington Sports Hall of Fame inductees class (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Like every year, the 2026 inductees in the Arlington Sports Hall of Fame had a wide variety of significantly notable achievements.

That latest class consists of five new members, who were inducted during an Oct. 14 evening dinner ceremony at the Knights of Columbus Hall. The addition of Robert Asher, Tony Bentley, Clayton Deskins, Marcus Ginyard and Brian Rosenberger brings the total number of inductees to 80 in an organization that began in 1958.

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Sports

Wakefield sports roundup: Cross-country teams run strong at county meets

By Dave Facinoli
Two female runners in a race on a sunny path, wearing bib numbers 153 and 3472 with green foliage in the background
Wakefield's Aila Simkis was fourth in the girls county meet (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

The Wakefield Warriors girls and boys cross-country teams had solid finishes in the recent Arlington County varsity high-school meets.

The girls placed second in the annual event at Bluemont Park and the boys were third. The top five individual finishers for the girls were underclassmen.

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Sports

W-L golfer finishes second in state to cap standout high-school career

By Dave Facinoli
Smiling young golfer in a dark polo and cap holds a medal on a sunny golf course in the foreground.
Emmett Spence holds his state-tournament runner-up medal (courtesy of the Spence family)

As a freshman, Emmett Spence wasn’t one of the best-scoring players on the Washington-Liberty Generals high-school golf team.

By the next fall, though, his play significantly improved. As a sophomore, Spence began consistently carding impressive low scores in postseason tournaments.

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Sports

W-L roundup: Girls first in county cross-country, football coach earns 100th win

By Dave Facinoli
Girls cross-country team in navy uniforms posing with trophy under a blue 'Finish' arch, medals around necks on a grassy field.
The Arlington County champion Washington-Liberty girls team (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Led by runners from all four grade levels — some experienced, others not as much — the Washington-Liberty Generals had a strong showing at the annual Arlington County high-school cross-country championship meet.

The varsity event was held on the sunny afternoon of Oct. 7 on the 5,000-meter Bluemont Park course.

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Sports

Wakefield basketball alum inducted into college hall of fame for record-setting career

By Dave Facinoli
Group of four men posing together at an indoor event; the man second from right holds a plaque with a blue inductee ribbon visible
Khory Moore, second from right, gathers with Wakefield coaches Horace Willis and Tony Bentley, and Virginia Wesleyan coach Dave Macedo, far right (courtesy of Wakefield basketball)

For both the Wakefield Warriors in high school and the Virginia Wesleyan Marlins in college, Khory Moore was a highly accomplished and high-scoring basketball player who helped his teams find significant success.

Recently, the Arlington native from the Green Valley neighborhood was honored for his Division III college achievements by being inducted into the Virginia Wesleyan Athletic Hall of Fame. (The college was renamed Batten University in July.)

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Sports

Yorktown roundup: Football wins two straight, golfer third in region

By Dave Facinoli
Yorktown high school football players walking together on the sideline in light blue jerseys and white pants, numbers 83, 77, 75, and 1 visible
The Yorktown Patriots won their second straight game by defeating Marshall (courtesy of Yorktown football)

The Yorktown Patriots’ current two-game gridiron winning streak continues a trend. It comes against opponents the high-school football team has regularly defeated since the 2020 season.

The squad’s most recent victory came at home by a 3-0 score against the Marshall Statesmen on Friday, Oct. 2 in Liberty District action.

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Sports

O’Connell roundup: Football team, girls volleyball and others starting strong

By Dave Facinoli
Football player in black and white runs with ball, defender in white behind, referee in background on green field.
O'Connell's Pierce Hall, left, runs for a touchdown during a Sept. 26 game (photo by Dave Facinoli)

With a strong 3-1 start, including two shutouts, the Bishop O’Connell Knights are seeing their best start in a dozen years.

The Arlington private high-school football team won its third-straight game by blanking the visiting and previously undefeated Northern Virginia Home School Centurions, 48-0, Sept. 26 in non-conference action.

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Sports

Local team wins Virginia softball tournament after slow start, strong finish

By Dave Facinoli
Girls softball team in white pinstripe uniforms with medals, posing on a dirt field while holding a championship plaque and banner.
The champion Arlington Sage team (courtesy of the Arlington Sage)

Not happy with his team’s results during pool play, team manager Will Le imposed “stricter” measures to help the Arlington Sage improve during the next day’s championship round of a state softball tournament.

His gambit worked. The 14-under girls team won the title by finishing 3-0 in the championship round of a statewide travel tournament, held at Brambleton Community Park in Ashburn.

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Sports

W-L quarterback enjoying success on the field and in esports competitions

By Dave Facinoli
Quarterback in white jersey throws a pass from the field, with a crowded bleacher crowd behind him and sideline players nearby.
Tyler Flint-Steinig is Washington-Liberty's starting quarterback (photo by Dave Facinoli)

In recent seasons, Tyler Flint-Steinig has been a standout performer in two different types of football — and dissecting defenses very well in each.

On the field, Flint-Steinig has successfully quarterbacked freshman, junior-varsity and varsity high-school teams for the Washington-Liberty Generals. Currently, he is W-L’s varsity starter for the second straight year.

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Sports

Wakefield roundup: Golfers second in district, football team goes 1-1

By Dave Facinoli
Group of golfers in green polo shirts posing together on a sunny course, arms around each other.
The Wakefield Warriors finished a surprising second in the Liberty District golf tourney (photo by Dave Facinoli)

The results certainly weren’t projected to turn out so favorably for the Wakefield Warriors golf team.

The co-ed high-school golf squad entered the seven-team 18-hole Liberty District tournament at Herndon Centennial Golf Course as a lower seed. A fourth-place finish would have been considered a success.

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Sports

O’Connell grad builds experience at U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur golf championships

By Dave Facinoli
Golfer on a green course holding a certificate and a medal box, celebrating an achievement.
Logan Reilly holds his U.S. Open qualifying medal and certificate (courtesy of the U.S. Golf Association)

The third time was the charm for golfer Logan Reilly over the summer when it came to two of the biggest golf tournaments the world has to offer.

First, the 2025 Bishop O’Connell High School graduate and current sophomore player at Auburn University qualified for the U.S. Open, played in June at the famed Shinnecock Hills Golf Club course in Southampton, N.Y.

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Sports

Sports roundup: W-L football and field hockey squads undefeated so far

By Dave Facinoli
Football scene: Generals players in white (#10, #15) on the field as a black-uniformed opponent (#21) raises his arms, referee in stripes in background.
From left, W-L receivers Matthew Herring, Colby Arenson and Grant Johnson combined for 13 catches against Edison (photo by Dave Facinoli)

For the fourth straight year, the Washington-Liberty Generals have started the football season with a 3-0 record.

The high-school team’s most recent victory was a 41-27 non-district road win the night of Sept. 10 against the Edison Eagles. It made the football squad one of several W-L teams to start the season strong.

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