Email signup

Madison HS sports program crowned this year’s best in Northern Virginia by WaPo

Bryce Eldridge pitching for James Madison High School’s baseball team (photo by Jackie Desimone)

The Madison Warhawks have a new award to add to their ever-growing collection of championship trophies.

James Madison High School’s athletic program ranked as the best among Northern Virginia public schools for the 2022-2023 academic year, The Washington Post has decreed based on a scoring system that the paper describes as “well-considered — if unscientific.”

Boasting strong performances from individual athletes and teams across sports, the Vienna school edged out rival Langley High School for the top spot, even though the Saxons actually won five state titles to Madison’s three.

“The Madison Warhawks, long a consistent Class 6 power, top our rankings for the best public program in the Northern Virginia suburbs,” the Post said. “The Warhawks were boosted by their success in several sports. They finished with three state championships (baseball, boys’ lacrosse, girls’ basketball), and six of their programs finished their respective seasons in our top 10 or top 20 rankings.”

Securing its sixth state championship ever and second in three years in June, Madison’s baseball team grabbed the national spotlight last week when star pitcher and slugger Bryce Eldridge got drafted by the San Francisco Giants.

Eldridge was named player of the year by the Washington Post, one of 26 Warhawks to make the paper’s annual All-Met teams recognizing the top student-athletes in the D.C. area — another factor considered in the new best program awards, along with title wins and end-of-season rankings.

The boys’ lacrosse team concluded 13-game winning streak on June 9 with its second consecutive state title, while the girls’ basketball team took the court in March for its ninth title game — the most in Class 6 history — and emerged with a fourth straight championship.

Ranking second on the Post’s list of Northern Virginia’s best high school athletic programs, Langley High School in McLean landed state championships in golf, both boys and girls’ tennis, boys’ swim and dive, and girls’ track and field in the 2022-2023 season.

The Saxons also had 27 All-Mets selections, including coach of the year for girls’ tennis head coach Ellie Wallace, but only one of its teams ended its season in the Post’s top 10 or 20 rankings.

Fairfax, Robinson and West Springfield high school also made the Post’s list of the best public school sports programs in Northern Virginia, landing at no. 7, 8 and 10, respectively.

To come up with its lists, which also honored the top public and private school programs in D.C. and Maryland, the Post’s high school sports staff developed a scoring system that awarded points based on state champion and runner-up status, All-Met selections, and its end-of-season rankings.

While a championship and no. 1 rank were worth 20 points, the most of any factor, a player or coach of the year award garnered more points (10) than an All-Met first-team selection (5) or honorable mention (1), for example.

The full lists and further explanation of the points system can be found in the Post’s story.

Recent Stories

German-owned grocery chain Lidl is almost ready to unveil its brand-new location in the heart of Tysons. Next week, the chain is opening a new store in Pike 7 Plaza…

A Bailey’s Crossroads resident has been arrested after allegedly threatening violence at a church in Haymarket. Rui Jiang, 35, posted multiple “threatening” messages to his Instagram account on Sunday (Sept….

Morning Notes

Get Prepared for Flu Season — “The Fairfax County Health Department is encouraging everyone six months and older to prepare for flu season by getting a flu vaccine and reminding…

FFXnow Daily Debrief for Sep 25, 2023

Good Monday evening! Today we published 7 articles that were read a total of 9063 times on FFXnow alone, so far. 📈 Top stories The following are the most-read articles…

If you have been thinking about buying your first home or haven’t owned one in the last three years, THIS IS FOR YOU!

In the DMV area, it can be difficult to save the downpayment necessary for you to get into your own home. We have a solution. The Funder’s Summit!

We have assembled a summit with different municipalities to tell you how to access their funds for your home purchase.

Read More

Submit your own Community Post here.

Our local therapy practice is delighted to welcome Stacey Cali, Resident in Counseling, who has openings now for new clients. Stacey specializes in therapy for women, couples, teens and families. A graduate of George Mason University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Masters Program, Stacey is also passionate about working with people with addiction.

Stacey’s approach: “Therapy’s a powerful combination of reflection, support and action. You’ll find sessions are filled with empowerment, compassion, goal setting and a metaphorical shovel to dig deep to find the root of your difficulties and how to move past them.”

Adds Stacey, “As a therapist who works with women, teens, couples and families, I use a personalized style of counseling, tailored to you as an individual. You’re the expert in your life, I’m just here to guide you towards transformation and healing.”

Read More

Submit your own Community Post here.

Reston Home Tour

Celebrate Reston’s diverse and inspiring architecture on this self-guided tour of seven stunning properties. The Tour showcases spectacular homes, each transformed by its owners’ style. By capitalizing on Reston’s lush green space, many with lake views, these homes highlight what

Active Bystander: Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) Training

The Active Bystander Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) Certification course, also known as Active Bystander, is the premier training program to prepare civilians for how to respond during an intentional violent event and to address life-threatening emergencies.

Similar to FEMA’s

×

Subscribe to our mailing list