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 girls soccer team leverages strong defense in 5-0 start to season

By Dave Facinoli
Yorktown's Matilda Van Voorthuizen (6) tried to control the ball against Robinson (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

As has been the case for many years under head coach Hannah Davis, the Yorktown Patriots have started a girls soccer season strong.

Through five high-school contests this spring, the Patriots own a perfect 5-0 mark, including shutouts in their first three games. The latest victories were 2-1 over the host Robinson Rams on April 6, then 4-1 against the Chantilly Chargers the next night.

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Sports

One Arlington team moves up, another down for 2026 NVSL swim season

By Dave Facinoli
Donaldson Run swimmers warm up for a meet (courtesy of Donaldson Run pool)

Two of four Arlington teams competing in the Northern Virginia Swimming League will compete in new divisions this summer.

The biggest change involves the Donaldson Run Thunderbolts. After competing in the league’s highest Division 1 the past six years, the team drops to Division 3 for the upcoming summer campaign after finishing 0-5 in Division 1 last year.

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Sports

O’Connell baseball team enjoying strong start with 10-1 record

By Dave Facinoli
O'Connell's Walker McElwain slides into third base (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Multiple blowout victories have made the start to the 2026 high-school baseball season uniquely significant for the Bishop O’Connell Knights this spring.

The private-school squad, led by a number of players who have committed to play the sport at Division I colleges, hasn’t opened a season with so many lopsided wins in many years.

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Sports

Wakefield boys, W-L girls win chilly outdoor county track meets

By Dave Facinoli
Runners near the finish in the boys 400-meter race (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Athletes for the Wakefield Warriors boys and Washington-Liberty girls track-and-field teams endured cold and wind during an early-season outdoor meet to win the Arlington County championships.

The high-school meet took place March 28 at Bishop O’Connell in weather conditions more suitable for the winter’s indoor season.

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Sports

O’Connell pitcher strikes out record 28 batters in softball game

By Dave Facinoli
O'Connell's Annie Van Dyck struck out 28 batters in 11 innings against St. Paul VI Catholic (photo courtesy of O'Connell softball)

The Bishop O’Connell Knights girls softball team has had dozens of talented pitchers in its storied past. Yet none achieved what right-hander Annie Van Dyck accomplished during a recent extra-inning game.

In that 11-inning high-school contest against host St. Paul VI Catholic, the junior struck out 28 batters in 10 1/3 innings of work in a 4-3 walkoff loss.

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Sports

W-L grad guards a familiar foe during college basketball playoff game

By Dave Facinoli
Brian Weiser, right, guards Amr Areikat during a high-school game (courtesy Mark Weiser)

Much had changed in four years, yet Brian Weiser found himself in a very similar situation during a recent men’s college basketball game.

The former Washington-Liberty Generals high-school standout is now a 6-foot-3 backup junior guard/forward and defensive specialist for the Division III Christopher Newport University Captains.

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Sports

Three Arlington wrestlers finish strong at high-school state tournament

By Dave Facinoli
Wakefield High School wrestlers enjoyed some success at the state tournament (courtesy of Wakefield wrestling)

A couple of top-five finishes and a notable performance by a freshman highlighted Arlington participation in the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 boys state wrestling tournament.

Fifth-place finishers in Virginia Beach were junior Anthony Morales at 175 pounds for the Wakefield Warriors and senior Zachary Capps at 150 for the Washington-Liberty Generals. Each finished with 4-2 records at the state tourney, with a technical fall and pin among their victories.

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Sports

Arlington soccer teams aim to repeat last year’s postseason success

By Dave Facinoli
The Yorktown and Washington-Liberty girls soccer teams met three times in the 2025 season (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Last spring’s postseason results were the most successful ever in the same season for Arlington’s high-school varsity soccer teams.

Of those six public-school squads, three played in region-tournament championship matches — one winning a title — and all three advanced to Class 6 state tournaments.

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Sports

High-school basketball opponents join forces in all-star N. Va. tournament

By Dave Facinoli
Eve Yungman (34) plays defense during an all-star game action (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Eleanor Mahshie and Eve Yungman are normally rivals on the basketball court. But they capped their standout high-school basketball careers by being teammates on the same squad in a season-ending all-star game.

The Arlington residents and seniors were members of the 6D North Region girls squad in the long-running annual Northern Virginia Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s (NVWBCA) Suburban Classic All-Star Games. The two contests — for seniors only — played March 15 at Oakton High School.

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Sports

Wakefield gets new head football coach with history of success in Northern Virginia

By Dave Facinoli
Former Oakton head football coach Brian Slay is now Wakefield's head coach (file photo)

First as an assistant then as a head coach, Brian Slay has been impactful in helping high-school football teams throughout Northern Virginia improve and enjoy success in recent seasons.

He hopes to continue that trend as the new head coach of the Wakefield Warriors football squad in Arlington.

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Sports

O’Connell boys go 23-10 to cap another successful basketball season

By Dave Facinoli
O'Connell's starting five plays defense in a state quarterfinal game (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

The finish to the 2025-26 boys basketball campaign was very familiar to the Bishop O’Connell Knights.

Like a year ago, the high-school team enjoyed lofty rankings in various polls, compiled the same overall 23-10 record and defeated scads of top teams while playing a very difficult schedule.

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Sports

Arlington athletes place high at region, state track-and-field meets

By Dave Facinoli
Wakefield's Devin Carlson won the boys region pole vault title (courtesy of Wakefield athletics)

Field events were where Arlington athletes enjoyed the biggest success during the recent 6D North Region and Class 6 state indoor track and field high-school meets.

In those competitions — held in Landover, Md. (region) and Virginia Beach (state) — county athletes won three events and had top-10 finishes in many more.

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