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

O’Connell swim-and-dive teams each finish third at state meets

By Dave Facinoli
O'Connell diver Rai Detten (courtesy of O'Connell swim & dive)

The Bishop O’Connell Knights swimming and diving teams concluded their winter high-school seasons with third-place finishes at the recent Virginia private school state meet in Stafford.

The improvement in places from a year ago were significant for O’Connell, when the boys were eighth and the girls 16th.

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Sports

Young O’Connell athletes place at state track & field championships

By Dave Facinoli
O'Connell runner Peter Fleenor (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

There weren’t any individual champions, but there were notable performances from some young Bishop O’Connell Knights athletes at the private school indoor state track-and-field meet.

The O’Connell girls and boys high-school teams each finished 11th in the overall team standings.

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Sports

Hoop roundup: W-L girls finish second in district tournament

By Dave Facinoli
Wakefield's Kooper Odar shoots (photo by Rena Schild)

The Washington-Liberty Generals girls team advanced the farthest of any Arlington high-school basketball team in Liberty District tournaments.

The second-seeded girls squad (17-8) lost to the top seed and host Langley Saxons, 56-45, in the Friday (Feb. 21) championship contest, having its six-game winning streak snapped.

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Sports

Many Arlington players chosen to all-district basketball teams

By Dave Facinoli
Yorktown's Eleanor Mahshie (courtesy of Yorktown girls basketball)

Multiple girls and boys basketball players from Arlington high-school squads were chosen to all-Liberty District teams for their regular-season performances during the 2024-25 campaign.

Selected to the girls first team were senior Frances Shapiro and sophomore Kathryn Wagner from the Washington-Liberty Generals and junior Eleanor Mahshie from the Yorktown Patriots.

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Sports

Wakefield boys finish second in region track & field meet

By Dave Facinoli
Wakefield was second in the region (courtesy of Wakefield track & field)

Led by a victory from Liam Keish, a versatile performance by Travon Buckner and other top individual finishes, the Wakefield Warriors placed second in the boys 6D North Region track-and-field championships.

Wakefield scored 59 points in the two-day meet Feb. 13-14. The first day’s events were held as scheduled in Prince George’s County, the second day being moved to Episcopal High School in Alexandria owing to weather. The South Lakes Seahawks won with 119.

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Sports

Yorktown seniors win second straight region wrestling titles

By Dave Facinoli
Yorktown region wrestling champs Basheer Hadi, Cambyses Khani and teammates (courtesy of Yorktown wrestling)

As expected, seniors Cambyses Khani and Basheer Hadi repeated as region wrestling champions this season for the Yorktown Patriots.

Khani won the 6D North Region tournament title at 120 pounds and Hadi was the heavyweight winner at the 285 weight class. Each had 3-0 records in the high-school competition, hosted by Centreville High School.

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Sports

Washington-Liberty girls win region track & field crown

By Dave Facinoli
The region champion Washington-Liberty team (courtesy of W-L athletics)

A standout individual performance and top relay finishes were big reasons the Washington-Liberty Generals won a region indoor track-and-field championship.

In addition, there were other key contributors as the Generals achieved the girls high-school title for the first time.

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Sports

Yorktown grad hired as new football coach at Woodson High

By Dave Facinoli
Joe McBride coaching at Yorktown (courtesy of Joe McBride)

A standout multi-sports high-school athlete, then later an impactful assistant coach — all in Arlington — Joe McBride is switching counties to apply his craft.

The 2015 Yorktown High School graduate recently was hired as the new head varsity football coach at C.G. Woodson High in Fairfax County.

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Obituary

Jack Belcher remembered as pioneer of youth softball in Arlington

By Dave Facinoli
Jack Belcher (courtesy of Steve Severn)

Any discussion of Jack Belcher won’t last long before the subject of girls softball crops up.

Belcher, who died Feb. 1 at age 77, was known to some as a longtime Arlington County government official, but to others as a passionate pioneer of youth sports, particularly softball, in the community.

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Sports

Former Yorktown football coach recognized for 40 years at helm

By Dave Facinoli
A Bruce Hanson coaching collage (courtesy of Yorktown athletics)

Bruce Hanson at first was nervous about being the center of attention during a recent ceremony recognizing his 40 years as Yorktown High School’s head football coach.

But by the end of the Saturday (Feb. 8) event at the Knights of Columbus in Arlington, just around the corner from Yorktown, Hanson’s emotions had changed. He was happy about all the memories that flowed.

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