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 swim and dive team wins state championship for fourth year straight

By Dave Facinoli
The Yorktown Patriots gather with the state swim and dive championship banner (courtesy of Yorktown athletics)

The Yorktown Patriots dominated the girls competition last month to win the latest in a recent string of state swimming/diving championships.

Yorktown won the 2026 Virginia High School League’s Class 6 state crown with 300.5 points, 118.5 more than the runner-up Robinson Rams, the night of Feb. 21 at the Jeff Rouse Swim and Sport Center in Stafford.

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Sports

Yorktown gymnast second in state tournament as team finishes third overall

By Dave Facinoli
Yorktown gymnastics team at the state meet (courtesy of Yorktown athletics)

Having switched sports for her junior year, Teagan Wielechowski is enjoying far greater success at the highest level of girls high-school gymnastics.

Individually, the standout for the Yorktown Patriots capped her initial season in prep gymnastics by finishing second in the all-around at the Virginia High School League (VHSL) state championship Feb. 21 in Virginia Beach with a 38.350 score.

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Sports

Yorktown boys fall to nemesis Marshall in district basketball final

By Dave Facinoli
Yorktown's Walton Butler tries to drive to basket against Marshall (photo by Jen Snow Butler)

The Marshall Statesmen proved to be kryptonite for the Yorktown Patriots boys basketball squad this season.

If not for Marshall, Yorktown would have gone undefeated in the Liberty District regular-season play, then might have won the league’s postseason high-school tournament, as well.

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Sports

W-L girls suffer familiar defeat to Langley in district basketball championship

By Dave Facinoli
Eve Jungman (34) and the Washington-Liberty Generals play tight defense (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

The Washington-Liberty Generals were hoping otherwise, but the result in this season’s Liberty District girls basketball tournament championship game was déjà vu all over again.

For the second straight year, and again on the Langley Saxons’ home court, the second-seeded Generals (20-5) fell short — losing 48-37 in the high-school contest.

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Sports

W-L wrestler with ‘unconventional’ style wins region tournament 3-0

By Dave Facinoli
Washington-Liberty's Liam Sloan holds the region championship banner and medal (courtesy of W-L wrestling)

It took a referee’s warning for stalling to propel Washington-Liberty’s Liam Sloan to a region wrestling crown.

Sloan, a junior competing at 190 pounds, wasn’t having much success before receiving the warning midway through the first period during the Feb. 12 6D North Region high-school wrestling tournament at Centreville High School.

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Sports

Yorktown girls win regional gymnastics championship, aim for state title

By Dave Facinoli
Yorktown gymnasts gather with the region banner (courtesy of Yorktown gymnastics)

The Yorktown Patriots warmed up for the state gymnastics tournament with convincing victories at the Liberty District and 6D North Region championships.

The Patriots won the district championship on Feb. 2 with a 146.150 team score, then finished first in the region Feb. 11 with a 143.650 total. Both meets were at Washington-Liberty High School.

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Sports

Liberty District girls, boys basketball tourneys set to begin

By Dave Facinoli
Washington-Liberty plays zone defense against Wakefield (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Highlighted by a couple of rivalry games, the regular season ended the night of Friday the 13th for Arlington’s public high school varsity basketball teams.

Next up for those six girls and boys squads are this week’s Liberty District tournaments, beginning with quarterfinal action the night of Tuesday, Feb. 17.

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Sports

Yorktown girls team sees win streak end in basketball loss to Langley

By Dave Facinoli
Olivia Shiplett has been a top scorer for Yorktown in recent games (photo by Kevin Shea)

Just like the first time they met this season, the Yorktown Patriots girls team came away on the losing end of a low-scoring basketball game to the Langley Saxons.

First-place Langley rallied in the second half, as it had a few weeks earlier, to defeat host Yorktown, 38-30, in the low-scoring Feb. 10 Liberty District showdown.

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Sports

Yorktown girls swim and dive team wins district, aims for state crown

By Dave Facinoli
The Yorktown Patriots gather with the Liberty District championship banner (courtesy of Yorktown athletics)

With two of three postseason swimming-and-diving championship meets now complete, the perennial power Yorktown Patriots girls team has one title and a runner-up finish to its credit.

Yorktown won the Liberty District meet for the ninth straight season. A week later, the four-time defending champions placed second in the 6D North Region tournament.

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Sports

Yorktown boys fall in key basketball showdown as playoffs approach

By Dave Facinoli
Yorktown's Jake Coulam (11) is double-teamed against Wakefield (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

In a close, seesaw showdown for first place in the Liberty District, the Yorktown Patriots fell short to the host Marshall Statesmen in recent boys basketball action.

Thanks to a 9-0 run, Marshall rallied from a 46-43 deficit in the final three minutes to win the Feb. 5 high-school game, 55-50. Yorktown missed four shots from the floor and one free throw during Marshall’s 9-0 stretch.

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Sports

Yorktown grad celebrates undefeated season with Indiana Hoosiers

By Dave Facinoli
Grant Wilson holds the national-championship trophy (courtesy of Indiana athletics)

Grant Wilson’s decision to transfer to the Indiana Hoosiers for the 2025 college football season turned out to be the right call.

The 2020 Yorktown High School graduate was a red-shirt senior and third-string quarterback on the undefeated (16-0) and season-long Cinderella-story national champion Hoosiers.

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Sports

Yorktown girls, Wakefield boys win indoor county track-and-field crowns

By Dave Facinoli
Wakefield and Yorktown runners prepare for a boys race (courtesy of Yorktown Track and Field)

With strong performances in running and field events, the Yorktown Patriots and Wakefield Warriors, respectively, won the girls and boys team championships at this season’s annual Arlington County indoor track-and-field meet.

Each high-school team won by tight margins at the Thomas Jefferson Community & Fitness Center — the Yorktown girls by just two points with 65 over the Washington-Liberty Generals, and the Wakefield boys by six points with 72 over W-L.

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