For Dick Abood, coaching high-school lacrosse has become a habit with no firm end in sight. He’s been doing so for 38 years.
Turning 69 this month, the grandfather likes the work so much, he continues in his current position for a third year as an assistant junior-varsity boys coach at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington.
With two opening-round victories, the top seed and undefeated Bishop O’Connell Knights (16-0) have reached the championship game of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference girls softball tournament.
Three-time defending champion O’Connell won both of those high-school contests on its home field at Tuckahoe Park. The Knights blanked the Bishop Ireton Cardinals, 13-0, behind 14 hits in the quarterfinals, then downed the St. Paul VI Catholic Panthers, 8-0, in the semifinals.
In addition to his vast success as a high-school basketball coach throughout the metro area, the late Jim Spiridopoulos is being remembered for his unique, passionate and tireless involvement and dedication to the sport and to his players.
Spiridopoulos, known to many as “Spiro”, died April 29 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 80.
The high-school regular-season sports schedules for Arlington’s teams wrap up this week and early next as postseason competition begins.
For the private-school Bishop O’Connell Knights, postseason action already is underway with conference and district action.
With an 11-game winning streak, the Bishop O’Connell Knights baseball team finished the regular season very strong.
Now the postseason begins for the 20-4 high-school team as the No. 2 seed in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference tournament, followed by the Division I private-school state tourney.
The Bishop O’Connell Knights boys and girls track and field teams enjoyed some significant highlights at the famous Penn Relays.
Now in its 129th year, the relays are America’s oldest and largest track-and-field competition, held since 1895 at the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in west Philadelphia.
The high-school sports schedule for Arlington’s three public high schools continues in full swing, with a full slate of competition in the many spring sports.
The regular seasons last only another week or so, followed by the start of postseason action.
The Yorktown Patriots (8-6) split two games with their Arlington public-school neighborhood baseball rivals in recent days, defeating the Washington-Liberty Generals, 4-2, then losing to the Wakefield Warriors, 8-4.
The win over W-L was the Patriots’ 15 straight against the Generals (10-6).
Bishop O’Connell High School graduates helped two different Division III women’s college soccer teams enjoy significant postseason success in recent weeks.
Sophomore midfielder Sophie Viscovich helped the Washington University in St. Louis Bears win the national championship, finishing with an unbeaten 23-0-2 record.
A number of former baseball players from Yorktown and Bishop O’Connell high schools had seen significant action for Division I and III college teams this spring through April 21 games.
The list from Yorktown includes James Tallon (junior pitcher, Duke University), Kyle Langley (sophomore outfielder, James Madison University), Jack Rucker (freshman pitcher, Richard Bland College), Chase Rubin (junior pitcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Ketz Murray (sophomore pitcher, Marymount University).
With just nine potential games remaining on its schedule, the undefeated Bishop O’Connell Knights (11-0) have no room for error in order to continue the squad’s long streak of winning 20 softball games in one season.
The girls high-school team has won 20 or more times for 30 straight spring campaigns.
The high-school sports schedule for Arlington’s three public high schools is back in full swing after spring break, with a full slate of competition.
The regular seasons last only a couple of more weeks, followed by the start of postseason action.
