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

Concorde District continues as a perennial prep football power

By Dave Facinoli
Oakton and Madison play in the Concorde District (photo by Deb Kolt)

With the perennial success the teams have enjoyed for decades, the Concorde District is often referenced as the mighty SEC of high school football in Northern Virginia.

SEC stands for the Southeastern Conference, which arguably is the best league in college football.

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News

Photos: Wreaths Across America gets escort from Springfield to Arlington National Cemetery

By Dave Facinoli
A police motorcade escorts Wreaths Across America trucks out of the Interstate Van Lines parking lot in Springfield (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

A parking lot in Springfield played a major role this year in Wreaths Across America’s annual tribute to fallen military service members at Arlington National Cemetery.

The Interstate Van Lines building at 5801 Rolling Road in Springfield served as a major staging area for dozens of tractor-trailer trucks that transported wreaths to the cemetery, where Wreaths Across America laid tributes at every single gravesite last Saturday (Dec. 14).

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Sports

Madison sweeps Marshall in basketball doubleheader

By Dave Facinoli
Madison's Michael Dinkelacker catches a pass (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

The annual girls and boys neighborhood varsity basketball doubleheader between the Madison Warhawks and Marshall Statesmen didn’t provide much suspense this year.

The host Warhawks swept the high-school games by comfortable margins the night of Dec. 13. In front of a large crowd, including loud-cheering student sections, the Madison girls won the opener in Vienna, 45-29, and the boys took the nightcap 55-43.

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Sports

Madison’s football season unfolded as coach expected

By Dave Facinoli
Oscar Espanol (2) and Matthew Vojta (36) were top defensive players (photo by Deb Kolt)

The Madison Warhawks’ football season unfolded pretty much as the squad’s head coach had envisioned back when practice for the 2024 high-school campaign began in August.

Back then, coach Justin Counts said the team’s defense, with more experienced players, would have to carry the Madison load and lead the way during the early going while a less-experienced offense developed.

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Sports

Madison nearly pulls out a Hail Mary finish in state football final

By Dave Facinoli
Madison's Dominic Knicely had 264 combined yards in the state final (file photo by Deb Kolt)

The finish came down to a couple of Hail Mary passes at the end, one a big success and the other so close to working, as the Madison Warhawks fell a point short of winning their first state football championship.

The undefeated Oscar Smith Tigers of Chesapeake (15-0) nipped Madison, 21-20, in a seesaw Dec. 14 championship game of the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 state final at James Madison University in Harrisonburg.

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Sports

Flint Hill, Potomac School football players chosen to all-state teams

By Dave Facinoli
Richard Perry (33) makes a diving tackle (photo by Deb Kolt)

Three players from the Flint Hill Huskies and one from the Potomac School Panthers were chosen to the 2024 Division I all-state private high-school football teams for their performances during the 2024 high-school season.

From Flint Hill, senior quarterback Caleb West was chosen to the first team on offense while his teammate, senior wide receiver Victor McNeal, made second team.

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News

Madison knows what to expect from its state-final football opponent

By Dave Facinoli
The Madison offense wants to control the ball in the state final (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

When it comes to the Madison Warhawks’ undefeated opponent in the Class 6 state-championship football game, there are no secrets.

The Warhawks know from first-hand experience that the Oscar Smith Tigers (14-0) of Chesapeake are very good, talented, fast and big. The Tigers routed Madison in the 2021 Virginia High School League Class 6 state final, 42-17.

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Sports

Missed foul shots cost Marshall in team’s first loss of hoop season

By Dave Facinoli
Marshall's Trey Lonardo looks to make a pass (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

In the final stages of the fourth quarter, the Marshall Statesmen boys basketball team held a five-point lead and appeared poised to improve to 4-0.

Then the visiting Statesmen hit a couple of late-game bumps in the road, resulting in a 59-53 overtime road loss to the Lake Braddock Bruins (1-2), who won for the first time this high-school season.

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Sports

Lake Braddock boys basketball team wins a close one in overtime

By Dave Facinoli
Lake Braddock's Tyee Clayton controls the ball (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Finally, the Lake Braddock Bruins won a close basketball game.

After opening their season with two- and three-point losses, the boys high-school team rallied to win a tight contest by defeating the visiting Marshall Statesmen, 59-53, in overtime in non-district action Dec. 10.

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