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

Multiple cross-country runners from Fairfax schools are all-state

By Dave Facinoli
Elijah Post, left, and Tristan Thurneysen were chosen all-state (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

An individual state champion and members of a state-title team are among those chosen to Virginia High School League Class 6 all-state girls and boys teams for the 2024 fall season.

Chantilly Chargers’ senior Tristan Thurneysen, who won the Class 6 state championship, heads the all-state boys team. He also won district and region titles preceding the state meet.

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Sports

Chantilly basketball team finishes strong in holiday tournament

By Dave Facinoli
Chantilly's Vivaan Desai, left, plays defense in the tourney (photo by Rena Schild)

After a rough start, the Chantilly Chargers finished second at the George Long Holiday tournament at Wakefield High School.

The boys basketball team finished fifth with a 2-1 record at the eight-team, three-day event held Dec. 26-28 in Arlington.

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Sports

Two Fairfax teams top finishers at Woodbridge wrestling tourney

By Dave Facinoli
McLean's Phillip Davis, right, placed at the Battle at the Bridge (file photo by Deb Kolt)

The West Springfield Spartans continued their strong start to the wrestling season with a second victory at a big invitational high-school meet.

The squad’s most recent title came at the 58-team Battle at the Bridge event Dec. 27-28 at Woodbridge High School. The Spartans won with 228 points, having seven wrestlers finish in the top eight.

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Sports

South County has another strong showing in holiday hoop tourney

By Dave Facinoli
South County huddles during the tournament (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)

For a fifth straight season, the South County Stallions had a strong showing in the annual George Long Holiday boys basketball tournament.

The Stallions (5-2) finished third with a 2-1 record, defeating the host Wakefield Warriors, 53-37, in the consolation game of the eight-team, three-day event at Wakefield High School.

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Sports

Langley grad nearly achieves second 4,000-yard milestone in college

By Dave Facinoli
Tre Vasiliadis was a standout college football player (courtesy of Carnegie Mellon athletics)

During his high-school football career for the Langley Saxons, Tre Vasiliadis gained more than 4,000 all-purpose yards over four years.

In college, Vasiliadis came oh so close to  that 4,000-yard all-purpose milestone, as well.

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Sports

West Springfield a savior, then nearly spoiler, at hoop tournament

By Dave Facinoli

By nearly upsetting the host team, the West Springfield Spartans went from a much-welcomed 11th-hour replacement savior of sorts to a spoiler at the George Long Holiday boys basketball tournament at Wakefield High School.

The Spartans eventually lost to the host Wakefield Warriors, 55-53, in a seesaw opening-round Dec. 26 game of the eight-team, three-day high-school tourney.

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Sports

Madison High grad following in footsteps of high-school coaches

By Dave Facinoli
Brad Leydig, left, and Kevin Roller (courtesy of Chopticon basketball)

As he continues head-coaching duties of a boys varsity high-school basketball team in Southern Maryland, Brad Leydig credits two people for influencing his career path.

Those impressions were made when Leydig was a student/athlete at Madison High School in Vienna, learning from the Warhawks’ late head football coach Lenny Schultz and current head boys hoops coach Kevin Roller.

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Sports

Justice wrestlers win Saxon Invitational tournament

By Dave Facinoli
The champion Justice Wolves wrestling team (courtesy of Justice athletics)

With a dozen wrestlers finishing among the top four in their weight classes, including three champions, the Justice Wolves won the recent eight-team Saxon Invitational high-school match.

Justice finished with 160.5 points, with the Herndon Hornets second with 131 at Langley High School.

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Sports

Langley senior scores 1,000th career point in girls basketball

By Dave Facinoli
Anya Rahman, holding the ball, scored her 1,000th point (courtesy of Langley athletics)

On a turnaround 12-foot jump shot in the middle of the lane, Anya Rahman scored her 1,000th career point for the Langley Saxons girls basketball team in a recent high-school game.

The basket came with 2:39 left in the second quarter against the Bishop O’Connell Knights on Langley’s home court, giving the Saxons a 20-9 lead.

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