Mike Woods is coming home, where there is so much longstanding family history.
The 1986 graduate of Washington-Liberty High School (then named Washington-Lee) recently was named the new head girls varsity soccer coach for the upcoming spring season.
Sports
The Washington-Liberty Generals drew a little closer with a recent win, but still trail in victories this decade against their top rival Yorktown Patriots in girls varsity basketball action.
Washington-Liberty defeated host Yorktown, 46-33, in that Liberty District high-school meeting. The Generals led 23-17 at halftime, then pulled away a bit more in the second half.
So why have the Yorktown Patriots been so strong in boys basketball so far this season?
The reasons for the high-school team’s success are multiple.
After falling just short last year, the Bishop O’Connell Knights had the necessary added incentive to win this season’s Northern Virginia Catholic swimming and diving team championships.
O’Connell won both the girls and boys high-school titles Saturday (Jan. 18) at the 15th annual event, held at Freedom Center in Manassas. The girls won with 400 points and the boys with 404.
Some high-school postseason action for winter sports teams are set to begin, with the Liberty District swimming and diving and track-and-field championships for the Wakefield Warriors, Washington-Liberty Generals and Yorktown Patriots.
The coming week also includes plenty of regular-season basketball, wrestling, gymnastics, ice hockey and track-and-field action for Arlington teams.
Home losses in consecutive conference basketball contests over a four-day stretch snapped a six-game winning streak for the Bishop O’Connell Knights boys team.
O’Connell (13-5, 3-2) shot poorly in both outings as it lost to the Bishop McNamara Mustangs, 59-39, then to the Gonzaga Eagles, 56-47, Friday (Jan. 17) in high-school action.
With two straight significant victories, the Washington-Liberty Generals boys basketball team has entered the conversation as a contender in the Liberty District.
The Generals snapped a three-game losing streak with league wins over the host Langley Saxons, 65-57, then the visiting Wakefield Warriors, 58-44, on consecutive nights.
A victory by one diver and a second by another helped the Bishop O’Connell Knights girls and boys teams enjoy top-10 finishes at the National Catholic Swim & Dive Championships.
O’Connell freshman Raito Detten won the boys diving competition with a 253.46 point total, as the Knights finished seventh in the high-school meet. O’Connell’s Isabel Smith was second in girls diving, helping her team place fifth.
Led by standout wrestler Cameron Millsapps, the Wakefield Warriors enjoyed a strong performance at the La Luchadora Classic girls high-school competition.
Millsapps won the individual championship at 152 pounds at the 28-team event. She dominated the weight class with a 4-0 record and four pins.
Another consistent and unselfish performance on the basketball court gave the Yorktown Patriots sole possession of first place in the Liberty District with a 3-0 record.
The boys high-school team (11-1) moved into that spot with a 67-32 home blowout victory over its Arlington rival Wakefield Warriors (8-5, 3-1) Tuesday night (Jan. 14).
The Bishop O’Connell Knights girls and boys swim and dive teams will be in action in at the Northern Virginia Catholic Championships in an event that will highlights a busy sports schedule for varsity high-school teams in Arlington.
The meet is set for Saturday, Jan. 18.
The Marshall Statesmen and Wakefield Warriors on Monday (Jan. 13) played another of their low-scoring, physical boys basketball games that sometimes resemble a hard-checking NHL-playoff match.
Host Wakefield won the Liberty District seesaw high-school contest, 35-34, when Marshall’s Osteen Fraser failed to sink a baseline jump shot at the buzzer.