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

Fall schedules are set for Arlington’s varsity football squads

By Dave Facinoli
O'Connell huddles (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

The start of high-school football season is still a good five full months away, but the official schedules have been released for the upcoming 2025 campaign.

All four Arlington County varsity teams open play on Thursday night, Aug. 28, with two of those squads meeting in their openers.

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Sports

Arlington Aces finish 14-3, win Fairfax League hoop tournament

By Dave Facinoli
The champion Arlington Aces (courtesy of ATB)

After struggling at times during the early portion of the boys basketball season, the Arlington Aces played their best as games progressed — and won a championship as a result.

The Arlington Travel Basketball sixth-grade Division 2 squad won the season-ending Fairfax County Youth Basketball League tournament title with a 3-0 record.

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Sports

Baseball roundup: W-L piles up the runs; O’Connell bounces back

By Dave Facinoli
Shota Fogus pitches for O'Connell (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Last year’s lack of offensive production has been turned around during the recent Washington-Liberty Generals’ winning streak.

During a three-game string, the high-school squad plated 28 runs in victories over the Marshall Statesmen by a 9-4 score, the Herndon Hornets in a 7-0 blanking and the South County Stallions in a 12-3 rout.

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Sports

Arlington track-and-field athletes shine at annual Legard Relays

By Dave Facinoli
Wakefield's Travon Buckner in the triple jump (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

With Kaiya Ovando leading the way with two victories, a number of athletes from Arlington schools had top finishes at the multi-team Carolyn Legard Relays at C.G. Woodson High School.

Ovando, of Yorktown High School, won the girls discus and shot put competition with throws of 114-2 and 34-1, respectively, in the day-long track-and-field meet last Saturday (March 29).

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Sports

Arlington residents enjoy standout swimming seasons for Delaware

By Dave Facinoli
Lauren Hartel swims for Delaware (courtesy of University Delaware athletics)

Two swimmers from Arlington high school enjoyed standout junior seasons for the Division I University of Delaware’s men’s and women’s teams during the winter season.

Yorktown High School graduate Lauren Hartel swam on the winning 800 freestyle relay for the Blue Hens in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) women’s championships.

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Sports

Blazers cap 16-1 season by winning youth basketball-tournament title

By Dave Facinoli
The champion Blazers (courtesy of ATB)

With one of the best overall records of any boys Arlington Travel Basketball teams this past winter, the fifth-grade Division 3 Blazers finished with a 16-1 mark and champions of the Fairfax County Youth Basketball League tournament title.

The Blazers finished 3-0 in the tourney, defeating Chantilly Youth Organization, 25-10, in the first round; Lee-Mount Vernon, 42-27, in the semifinals; then Herndon, 41-35, in the finals.

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Sports

O’Connell, Yorktown win key league games in softball action

By Dave Facinoli
Samantha Parker pitches (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

The Bishop O’Connell Knights and Yorktown Patriots won key league games in girls softball action miles apart on April Fools’ Day — and by the same close scores.

O’Connell (8-0, 5-0) topped the host St. Mary’s Ryken Knights, 3-1, in southern Maryland in a clash between top longtime rival high-school teams in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.

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Sports

W-L standout boys runner commits to American University

By Dave Facinoli
Emmett Engelhardt (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

What has been a busy three-sport high-school senior year recently included a verbal commitment from Emmett Engelhardt to participate in Division I college athletics.

The runner and basketball player for the Washington-Liberty Generals will attend American University to be a member of the men’s cross-country and indoor and outdoor track-and-field teams, continuing his year-round sports involvement.

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Sports

Two members of Wakefield crew team selected to USRowing camp

By Dave Facinoli
Tony Madigan, left, and Mira Meek (courtesy of Wakefield crew)

Two accomplished athletes from Wakefield High School have been selected to participate in the 2025 USRowing Under-19 National Team Selection Camp, held this coming summer.

The camp is to help participants prepare for the 2025 World Rowing Championships. At the camp it will be determined which shells the rowers will be members of at the World Championships.

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Sports

Arlington Elite get hot at right time to win Fairfax basketball crown

By Dave Facinoli
The champion Arlington Elite (courtesy of ATB)

Despite a couple of three-game regular-season losing streaks, the Arlington Elite sixth-grade Division 1 team got hot at the right time to win the Fairfax County Youth Basketball League tournament title.

The Arlington Travel Basketball squad was 3-0 in the tournament, and won its final four games to finish with an 11-6 overall record.

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Sports

Yorktown boys basketball player chosen to Class 6 all-state team

By Dave Facinoli
Jake Coulam made all-state (photo by Jennifer Snow Butler)

For the first time in many years, a Yorktown High School boys basketball player has been chosen to an all-state team.

Jake Coulam, a 5-foot-11 junior point guard, recently was selected to the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 second team, being rewarded for his performance during the 2024-25 season.

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Sports

Arlington siblings have different types of fall college seasons

By Dave Facinoli
Caitlin Cunningham (courtesy of George Washington athletics)

For the Cunningham siblings of Arlington, the 2024 fall college sports seasons couldn’t have been more different.

Senior midfielder Caitlin Cunningham, a Washington-Liberty High School graduate, played every match for the Division I George Washington University women’s soccer team and enjoyed one of her best college seasons.

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