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 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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Sports

Arlington teams awaiting their summertime swimming seeds

By Dave Facinoli
Overlee swimmers prepare for a meet (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

In coming weeks, the four Arlington teams competing during the summer’s popular Northern Virginia Swimming League will learn their placements for 2025.

The seeding meeting to determine the setups of the league’s 17 divisions is scheduled for Sunday, March 2 at Key Middle School in Springfield. Representatives from each of the league’s 102 teams will be present to discuss and arrange the divisions, beginning at 2 p.m.

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Sports

O’Connell swimmers, divers raise big bucks during swim-a-thon

By Dave Facinoli
O'Connell swim-a-thon participants (courtesy of O'Connell swim & dive)

Some 80 members of the Bishop O’Connell High School swimming and diving team, and a few alumni, recently raised nearly $17,000 during a swim-a-thon for Area 26 Special Olympics.

The team significantly surpassed its fund-raising goal of $10,000 by collecting a total of $16,931.

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Sports

Arlington wrestlers bring home district and conference titles

By Dave Facinoli
Tyler Hawkins, front, of W-L and Wakefield's Jaden Delgado competed in the district tourney (photo by Rena Schild)

There was at least one individual champion from three of the Arlington high-school teams at district and conference wrestling tournaments.

The Yorktown Patriots had the most winners, with two. The Wakefield Warriors and Washington-Liberty Generals had one each, with the highest finish from a Bishop O’Connell Knights grappler being second.

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Sports

Wakefield, Yorktown gymnasts place among top four in region

By Dave Facinoli
Wakefield's Madeleine Wearing (courtesy of Wakefield gymnastics)

Anya Clemmer of the Yorktown Patriots and Madeleine Wearing of the Wakefield Warriors were the standouts from Arlington teams at the girls 6D North Region gymnastics championships.

Clemmer finished third in the all-around competition with a 36.825 score and Wearing was right behind in fourth (36.425).

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Sports

Hoop roundup: Yorktown boys top seed in tourney, W-L girls No. 2

By Dave Facinoli
Yorktown holds its senior night (photo by Becky Cullinan)

With road victories over two Arlington rivals this past week, the Yorktown Patriots finished the regular-season boys basketball campaign with a 19-3 overall record.

Yorktown finished first with an 11-1 record in the Liberty District and will be the top seed in the upcoming postseason tournament, a first since the Patriots joined that high-school league in the 2015-16 season.

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Sports

Former Wakefield basketball standout honored by alma mater

By Dave Facinoli
Dominique Tham, left, and Tony Bentley (courtesy of Wakefield basketball)

Dominique Tham’s basketball journey recently brought him back to Wakefield High School, where he was a standout boys player for the Warriors.

Tham — a 2015 Wakefield graduate — was on hand Monday night (Feb. 10) to have his uniform jersey No. 32 honored during a brief ceremony prior to Wakefield’s home varsity game against the Yorktown Patriots.

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Schools

APS transgender policy faces dilemma after change in athletic league’s rules

By Scott McCaffrey and Dave Facinoli
Arlington School Board 2025 (screenshot via Arlington Public Schools)

A major policy shift by the Virginia High School League (VHSL) could impact how Arlington Public Schools approaches transgender athletes.

VHSL announced this week that it will follow an executive order from President Donald Trump that attempts to ban students born male from competing on girls teams, threatening financial sanctions if schools don’t comply.

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Sports

Wakefield nips W-L in boys neighborhood-rivalry hoops game

By Dave Facinoli
Wakefield scoreboard (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Neighborhood-rivalry high-school basketball games are meant to be this way — nothing comes easy, both teams play hard, scoring is difficult and the contest is close throughout.

Such was the case when the host Wakefield Warriors nipped the Washington-Liberty Generals, 40-39, Friday night (Feb. 7) in a Liberty District boys game between Arlington teams.

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