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

Wakefield High senior rower caps crew career with four state titles

By Dave Facinoli
Isabelle Young-Smith holds the state championship trophy (courtesy of Wakefield crew)

Growing up, Isabelle Young-Smith participated in many different sports. Among them: Dance, gymnastics, soccer, swimming, lacrosse and basketball.

But when she entered Wakefield High School as a freshman and took up another — crew — it significantly changed her interest in athletics and, in some ways, life as well.

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Sports

Yorktown nips W-L in region soccer championship match

By Dave Facinoli
Yorktown gathers after winning the region (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

With a region soccer championship on the line, the stakes were the highest ever in the most recent meeting between the Washington-Liberty Generals and Yorktown Patriots.

Playing on their home field, the Patriots built a 2-0 halftime lead, then hung on to win the 6D North Region tournament final, 2-1, on June 5.

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Sports

Washington-Liberty Hall of Famer takes over as girls head basketball coach

By Dave Facinoli
Horace Willis, far left, will be W-L's new head girls basketball coach (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Horace Willis, a staff member at Washington-Liberty High School for 28 years, recently was hired to be the head coach of the school’s girls varsity basketball team.

Williams — known to most as “Buck” — takes over for Maddy DeCou. She left after two seasons in the position to become an assistant coach on the staff at nearby Marymount University.

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Sports

Season ends for Yorktown softball team in region-tourney semifinals

By Dave Facinoli
Yorktown's Samantha Parker pitches and Audrey Pocrass plays shortstop (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

By finishing with a 1-1 record in this season’s region softball tournament, the Yorktown Patriots accomplished something old — and something new.

The “new” was winning an opening-round region game for the first time since 2018 and reaching the semifinals for the first time in program history. Host Yorktown nipped the South Lakes Seahawks, 7-6, in that opening region contest.

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Sports

W-L, Wakefield, Yorktown have individual champs in region track meet

By Dave Facinoli
Eve Jungman won the girls shot put for W-L (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

With two individual champions for each team leading the way, the Washington-Liberty Generals placed third in the girls and boys region outdoor track-and-field championships.

In addition, both Wakefield and Yorktown high schools brought home individual championship from the event.

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Sports

Four Arlington seniors among NVADACA scholarship winners

By Dave Facinoli
2025 scholarship winners (photo by Bob Gambarelli)

Of the 27 recipients of this year’s $5,000 high-school scholarships presented at the annual Northern Virginia Athletic Directors Administrators and Coaches Association (NVADACA) breakfast banquet, four were from Arlington’s public schools.

The NVADACA organization has been awarding college grants to graduating high school seniors since 1980. This year’s banquet was held at Springfield Golf & Country Club, and the 27 winners were the most ever awarded in one year.

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Sports

O’Connell baseball players chosen first-team all-state for private schools

By Dave Facinoli
Noah Haught made first-team all-state (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Bishop O’Connell Knights baseball players Noah Haught and Jack Woda were chosen first-team Division I all-state for their performances during the 2025 private-school season.

Haught, a senior infielder and pitcher, batted a team-high .443 during the high-school campaign and had a team-best 35 hits. Haught scored 27 runs, had 20 RBI, seven doubles, two triples and two home runs. He stole seven bases.

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Sports

Wakefield High girls varsity eight places fifth at national regatta

By Dave Facinoli
The Wakefield girls varsity eight (courtesy of Wakefield crew boosters)

Members of the Wakefield Warriors girls varsity eighth shell achieved a number of goals in reaching the finals of the national high-school crew regatta.

Wakefield finished fifth in a time of 5:04.29 at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America’s National Championship Regatta in New Jersey over the Memorial Day weekend. The winning time was 4:49.52 by Winter Park of Florida.

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Sports

Student-athletes, coaches honored at Better Sports Club’s spring banquet

By Dave Facinoli
The Better Sports Club high-school award winners (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Head coaches from two different sports and 32 high-school senior athletes were among those honored at this year’s annual Better Sports Club of Arlington’s awards banquet.

The 69th awards event was held Wednesday night (May 28) at the Knights of Columbus Hall.

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News

Former Yorktown football star now in NFL hosts annual community event

By Dave Facinoli
M.J. Stewart and Mike Geter (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Historic High View Park in North Arlington was the site of this year’s annual MSMJ Youth Foundation community event, hosted by former Yorktown High School football standout and current NFL player M.J. Stewart and his family.

The event included activities for children, music, food and drink and a celebration of the Halls Hill neighborhood.

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Sports

With some strong play, Yorktown softball team extends its season

By Dave Facinoli
Yorktown catcher Margaret Flannery-Goodman (staff photo by Dave Facinolli)

The Yorktown Patriots extended their girls softball season with victories over the Herndon Hornets and Langley Saxons in the Liberty District tournament.

Third-seed Yorktown (12-11) topped sixth-seeded Herndon, 10-5, in the first round, then upset and blanked second-seed and Langley Saxons, 5-0, in the semifinals to extend the high-school team’s winning streak to five.

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