If an undefeated record over the course of a dozen games qualifies as a strong start — and it does — the Oakton Cougars are off and running in the girls high-school basketball season.

Two lopsided victories in recent days and a 3-0 mark in its own holiday tournament give the Cougars a 12-0 record, the team’s best start since beginning 13-0 in the 2021-22 campaign.


Local youth soccer players Y-Lan Nguyen from Fairfax and Otu Bisong of Herndon recently were named National Youth Girls and Youth Boys Players of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches.

The players earned the honors as a result of their strong play and production in youth soccer with their Virginia Development Academy (VDA) club teams. Bisong plays for a Herndon team and Nguyen for a squad in Woodbridge.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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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