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

Yorktown’s softball program celebrates 50-year anniversary

By Dave Facinoli
Joanna Schneider throws out the first pitch (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

The girls softball program at Yorktown High School turned 50 years old this spring, and there was a pregame event May 2 to celebrate the anniversary.

Some 30 alumni from past teams were on the field introduced prior to Yorktown’s Liberty District home game against the Marshall Statesmen.

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Sports

Twins face off in lacrosse for different Arlington girls teams

By Dave Facinoli
Twin sisters Addison and Emily Schimmel and their family (courtesy of the Schimmel family)

There was a game-within-a-game when the Washington-Liberty Generals and Wakefield Warriors met recently in a girls varsity high-school lacrosse match.

In that all-Arlington clash, twin freshman sisters Addison and Emily Schimmel played for opposite teams. Addison was a member of the W-L squad and Emily was in uniform for host Wakefield.

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Sports

O’Connnell girls win, boys second at Draper track & field meet

By Dave Facinoli
O'Connell winning 4x400 relay and the team coaches (courtesy of O'Connell track and field)

Led by speedy sprinters, winning relays and other top performers, the Bishop O’Connell Knights girls and boys teams had winning and runner-up performances at the annual Draper Invitational outdoor track-and-field meet.

The 30-team high-school event was held May 2-3 at St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School in Alexandria.

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Sports

Arlington basketball players recognized by popular N.Va. sports website

By Dave Facinoli
Yorktown's Ainsley Lomas (photo by Becky Cullinan)

The website Novahoops.com recently named a number of high-school basketball players from Arlington to its girls and boys all-Northern Virginia freshman and sophomore teams for the 2024-25 season.

On the girls sophomore team was Arlington’s Sabrina Anderson, a guard for the Potomac School private squad, who already has scored 1,000 career points. Bishop O’Connell’s Mia Morrill was chosen a reserve on the sophomore team.

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Sports

Lacrosse remains a habit, passion for longtime O’Connell coach

By Dave Facinoli
Dick Abood includes his granddaughters in coaching (courtesy of the Abood family)

For Dick Abood, coaching high-school lacrosse has become a habit with no firm end in sight. He’s been doing so for 38 years.

Turning 69 this month, the grandfather likes the work so much, he continues in his current position for a third year as an assistant junior-varsity boys coach at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington.

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Sports

O’Connell softball team reaches conference-tournament final

By Dave Facinoli
Abby Bond, left, has been a standout for O'Connell. (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

With two opening-round victories, the top seed and undefeated Bishop O’Connell Knights (16-0) have reached the championship game of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference girls softball tournament.

Three-time defending champion O’Connell won both of those high-school contests on its home field at Tuckahoe Park. The Knights blanked the Bishop Ireton Cardinals, 13-0, behind 14 hits in the quarterfinals, then downed the St. Paul VI Catholic Panthers, 8-0, in the semifinals.

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Sports

Wakefield girls finish second at Titan track & field classic

By Dave Facinoli
Wakefield's Purvi Oberkirsch (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Led by multiple top-five finishes from Olivia Barr and Grace Armitage, the Wakefield Warriors finished second in the Titan Classic High School Invitational girls track-and-field meet.

The host Alexandria City Titans won the high-school event with 119 points. Wakefield scored 78.5.

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Sports

Arlington wrestlers have strong showing at state competitions

By Dave Facinoli
Arlington Wrestling club wrestlers and coaches (courtesy of AWC)

With a couple of champions and other top finishers, the Arlington Wrestling Club had a strong showing at the Virginia Wrestling Association’s freestyle and Greco-Roman state tournament.

The individual champions were Basheer Hadi in the USA junior boys 185 freestyle and Greco divisions and Cameron Millsapps in the USA junior freestyle girls 155 weight class.

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Sports

W-L, Yorktown baseball teams each win close road contests

By Dave Facinoli
Grayson McCarthy got a big save for Yorktown (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

In extra-inning road games played the same night, the Washington-Liberty Generals and Yorktown Patriots continued their winning ways in high-school baseball action.

In 10 frames, W-L (13-7, 7-4) nipped the Langley Saxons, 6-5, in a Liberty District contest. Yorktown (12-7, 6-4) rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the final two innings to top the South Lakes Seahawks in non-league action.

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Sports

Wakefield novice four among Va. crew champions from Arlington

By Dave Facinoli
Members of Wakefield's novice four (courtesy of Wakefield crew)

On the first of two weekends of Virginia Scholastic Rowing Association competition, the Wakefield Warriors had a champion in what is known as the novice states regatta.

The Wakefield girls novice 4 finished first in 6:29.1, coming in ahead of five other shells in the race on the Occoquan Reservoir. In the finals, Battlefield finished second in 6:35.7.

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