In its 22-year history, the George Long Holiday boys basketball tournament has become a popular annual high-school sporting event in Arlington County — and beyond.
Each season, eight teams from different jurisdictions, public and private, have participated in the three-day event at Wakefield High School, usually beginning Dec. 26 or 27.
They finished fourth with a 1-2 record, suffering two lopsided losses in their own holiday basketball tourney, yet the experience was beneficial, according to the Wakefield Warriors varsity boys head coach.
Host Wakefield (5-4) won its seesaw first game, 55-53, over the West Springfield Spartans in the annual eight-team, three-day George Long Holiday Tournament, now in its 22nd year.
The coaching staff of the Washington-Liberty Generals frequently has used a dozen or more players in games early in the 2024-25 boys basketball season.
The Generals (4-8) did so again in all three of its contests in the recent George Long Holiday Tournament at Wakefield High School, finishing sixth with a 1-2 record.
Jon Malatesta and Ian Crowley, top players for the Washington-Liberty Generals 2024 district-champion football squad, were Virginia High School League Class 6 all-state selections.
Each was chosen to the second team, Malatesta as a wide receiver on offense and Crowley as an all-purpose player on defense.
Shane Morrison scored the first points for the Wakefield Warriors boys basketball team on a three-pointer, and then the last of the game on a winning backdoor layup.
In between those baskets, a lot happened in Wakefield’s 55-53 seesaw victory over the West Springfield Spartans in an opening-round boys high-school contest of the George Long Holiday Tournament.
In boys girls and boys meets, the Bishop O’Connell Knights are off to a strong start to the swimming and diving high-school season.
Each team has won a number of early-season matches, including victories over the Knights’ top rival in the St. Paul VI Catholic Panthers. The girls won 152-134 and the boys 164-118.
By dominating the time of possession, the Yorktown High School ice-hockey club team defeated host Fauquier/Patriot, 4-1, at Haymarket Iceplex to cap the first half of its regular season.
Yorktown took 65 shots on goal in the win and allowed only nine.
With the Christmas and New Year’s holidays ongoing, the sports schedule for varsity high-school teams in Arlington continue to be limited, but there are basketball and wrestling tournaments that involve local teams.
The Wakefield Warriors are hosting the three-day, eight-team George Long Holiday boys basketball tournament that includes Wakefield and the Washington-Liberty Generals.
The Wakefield Warriors (3-4) defeated the host Westfield Bulldogs, 51-39, in non-district girls high-school basketball action Dec. 19.
Wakefield began strong in the game, taking a 6-0 lead on two three-pointers by Lucy Strawn. Harris added four points in the early going and Ryan Seeley made a three-pointer as the Warriors led 22-9 at halftime.
The Wakefield Warriors (4-2, 1-0) warmed up for their upcoming George Long Holiday Tournament by finishing with a 1-1 record in boys basketball action last week.
Wakefield defeated the Langley Saxons, 59-36, in a Liberty District high-school contest, then lost to the Westfield Bulldogs, 64-42, in non-league play.
The heir apparent has been chosen as the new head football coach at Yorktown High School.
On Dec. 20, longtime Yorktown assistant coach Alec Hicks, a former player and 1999 graduate of the school, was named to replace Bruce Hanson as the leader of the Patriots’ Arlington program.
With their latest victory, the Yorktown Patriots completed the pre-winter-break portion of the boys basketball team’s schedule with a 7-1 overall record.
Win number seven came on the road Friday night (Dec. 20) by a 59-57 score over the Marshall Statesmen in the first Liberty District action of the campaign for the Patriots.
