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 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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Sports

Yorktown boys maintain lead in Liberty District basketball action

By Dave Facinoli
The Yorktown boys won big Jan. 30 to remain in first place in district play (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

The Yorktown Patriots boys varsity squad (14-4, 7-1) routed the visiting Herndon Hornets, 74-33, on Jan. 30 for its fourth straight win.

The Patriots remain tied for the Liberty District lead with the Marshall Statesmen.

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Sports

Yorktown grad named Offensive Player of the Year in Division III football conference

By Dave Facinoli
Mason Cunningham was chosen as the ODAC Offensive Player of the Year (courtesy of Hampden-Sydney football)

For a season-long performance worthy of comeback-player-of-the-year honors, Arlington’s Mason Cunningham was chosen as the 2025 Offensive Player of the Year in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

The Yorktown High School graduate and senior football standout for the Division III Hampden-Sydney College Tigers received the award, in addition to being chosen first-team all-conference, as a result of impressive statistics in 10 games as a wide receiver.

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Sports

O’Connell swim and dive teams win local Catholic championship meets

By Dave Facinoli
The O'Connell girls and boys swim and dive teams display championship trophies (courtesy of O'Connell swim and dive team)

In keeping with longstanding tradition, the Bishop O’Connell Knights are enjoying a strong winter season in girls and boys swimming and diving.

In the busy high-school squad’s past three meets, the girls and boys each won a significant championship, with solid finishes in the other two.

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Sports

Wakefield girls hoop team in positive place through 14 games

By Dave Facinoli
Wakefield plays tight defense in a game against Fall Church (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

With the regular season past the halfway mark, the improved Wakefield Warriors girls varsity basketball team has a 7-7 overall record, leaving the squad in a positive place it hasn’t been in a while.

The .500 mark through 14 games is Wakefield’s best start since being 8-6 back in the 2019-20 campaign.

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Sports

W-L girls rout county opponents in recent basketball rivalry contests

By Dave Facinoli
Hannah Kelley looks to pass the ball for Washington-Liberty against Yorktown (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Arlington public-school basketball teams had the opportunity to square off against one another in action over the past week.

As the regular season passed the halfway mark and playoffs began to loom on the horizon, Liberty District games involving the Wakefield Warriors, Washington-Liberty Generals and Yorktown Patriots were played over a three-day stretch.

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