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

Flint Hill, Potomac School football teams miss state-playoff tourney

By Dave Facinoli
Potomac School's Akim Iscandari (file photo by Deb Kolt)

This season the Division I private-school state football playoffs will not include the Flint Hill Huskies or Potomac School Panthers.

The overall records of the high-school teams were not good enough to earn one of the four berths. Potomac School finished 5-4 and Flint Hill 1-8.

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Sports

Madison tops Oakton, setting stage for a possible 10-0 season

By Dave Facinoli
Madison runningback Dominic Knicely (file photo by Deb Kolt)

With one more victory, the Madison Warhawks will match the football program’s only other undefeated 10-0 regular season — one that occurred 46 years ago.

Madison improved to 9-0 Nov. 2 with a 28-6 road win over its neighborhood rival Oakton Cougars in Concorde District high-school action. The first-place Warhawks improved to 4-0 in the district. Oakton fell to 4-5, 1-3.

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Sports

Potomac School girls win third straight conference tournament soccer championship

By Dave Facinoli
The champion Potomac School team (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

With the postseason under way, the Potomac School Panthers are in a familiar place, having captured one soccer-tournament crown and looking to defend their title in another.

On Friday (Nov. 1), the second-seeded girls high-school team won the Independent School League’s AA Division tourney for the third straight time with a 2-1 overtime victory over top seed Georgetown Day in the championship match at Episcopal High School in Alexandria.

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Sports

Centreville, Langley, McLean, Oakton bring home district cross-country championships

By Dave Facinoli
The Oakton girls start the district race (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Of the four winning teams at the Liberty and Concorde district cross-country championship meets, three finished first by thin margins — and the fourth by a more substantial amount.

In the girls races, the Langley Saxons won the Liberty crown by five points and the Oakton Cougars the Concorde by a comfortable 12. In boys, the McLean Highlanders (Liberty) and Centreville Wildcats (Concorde) each won by seven.

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Sports

Potomac School football team has playoff hopes riding on final game

By Dave Facinoli
Potomac School quarterback Sean Sutherland leaps for a snap (staff photo by Deb Kolt)

It’s a tall order, but the Potomac School Panthers hope to gain a state football playoff berth with a big win in the team’s final regular-season game.

To do so, the Panthers (5-3) have to defeat the host North Cross Raiders (7-1) of Roanoke Nov. 2 at noon, then get some help.

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Sports

Herndon resident wins fencing silver medal at USA American Cup

By Dave Facinoli
Matthew Li accepts his silver medal (courtesy of USA Fencing)

Herndon resident Matthew Li, 16, recently won a silver medal at the USA Fencing North American Cup Division I competition.

Division I represents the highest level of fencing competition in the U.S. Li competed against many older participants.

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Sports

Former Potomac School basketball coach is returning to the bench

By Dave Facinoli
Levi Franklin remains a football coach at Potomac School (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

Just months after departing as boys head basketball coach at Potomac School, Levi Franklin will be back on the bench — on the other side of the Potomac — this winter.

Franklin recently was hired as the head coach of the MacArthur Mammoths’ public-school boys team in D.C. He will remain at Potomac School as a math teacher and defensive coordinator with the varsity football team.

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Sports

Potomac School boys soccer team eyes conference-tournament title

By Dave Facinoli
Potomac School's Marshall Lloyd heads the ball (photo courtesy Cooper Schirmeier)

This year, the Potomac School Panthers want to finish the job and win the boys Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference boys soccer tournament.

As they are this fall, the Panthers also were the top seed in the 2023 event as a result of winning the regular-season title, but lost badly, 5-2, to Sidwell Friends in the high-school tourney-championship match.

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Sports

Regular season ends, playoffs ongoing for N.Va. senior softball league

By Dave Facinoli
The Fairfax Gold play in the fall season (courtesy Northern Virginia Senior Softball)

With 13 or more victories, three different teams recently won Northern Virginia Senior Softball League regular-season fall championships.

The Reston Green won the five-team National Conference crown with a 13-3 record. Reston finished four wins ahead of the runner-up McLean Light Blue (11-7) and five in front of the third-place Alexandria Navy Blue (18-8). The Fairfax Royal Blue and Springfield Maroon each were 5-13.

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