<b>New Girls Basketball Coach</b>
Yorktown High School announced last week it has hired Dave Garrison to become head varsity girls’ basketball coach this upcoming winter. Garrison coached the boys’ freshman team at the school the past six seasons and will take over for Kim Cordell.
Garrison was once the head boys’ varsity basketball coach at George Mason High School. He has 14 years of coaching experience, but this will be his first foray into girls’ basketball. Yorktown went 14-10 last winter, losing in the first round of the Northern Region tournament to Westfield.
“From watching the girls in the past, the foundations of a solid program are already in place, I’m just joining it,” said Garrison. “I’m really excited about this opportunity.”
“Dave is an excellent communicator and brings extensive basketball knowledge and experience to the girls varsity team,” athletic director Mike Krulfeld said in an email. “His enthusiasm for coaching and working with young adults, coupled with his familiarity with our school and prior varsity coaching experience, makes him the perfect selection for this position. We are excited to have him at the helm as we continue the tradition of the past few years on and off the court.”
<b>Bandits Win Summer Classic</b>
The Arlington Bandits defeated the Falls Church All Stars 10-0 in the 11-and-under championship game on Sunday, Aug. 2 at the Doc Bonnacorso Summer Classic baseball tournament at Barcroft Field. The Bandits put on a display of outstanding pitching, including a no-hitter, together with solid defense and timely hitting on their way to a 5-0 record in the tournament. Bandits’ pitching combined for a total of four shut-outs, including the no-hitter by Will Burgess and a one-hit game thrown by Daniel McCreedy. Pitcher Jackson Freeman received the 11-under Most Valuable Player award for the tournament.
<b>Rebels Win Another Title</b>
The 10-and-under Arlington Rebels capped a successful (19-10) all-star season with a championship in the Doc Bonaccorso Memorial Tournament at Barcroft Park on Sunday. The Rebels won all five of their games en route to the championship, including an exciting come-from-behind 14-11 win over Winchester in the final game.
The Rebels trailed 7-1 after three innings in the championship game, but rallied with three runs in the top of the fourth, as Alec Glasser, Gavin Andersen and Frank Sammartino each singled and then David Judkins blasted a double to deep centerfield to shift the momentum back in favor of the Rebels. The Rebels and Winchester each scored two more in the 5th inning to make it a 9-6 Winchester lead going into the final frame, with Jack Karangelen and Alec Glasser delivering the big hits for the Rebels. Tony Burke led off the sixth inning with an infield single, Frank Sammartino walked and David Judkins was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Michael Lowen and Will Stengle each singled to tie the game and Ethan Heckler singled to put the Rebels on top for good. Andy Collins and Gavin Andersen added base hits to provide much needed insurance runs. Andrew Keane and Steve Dierkes made the defensive plays of the game with two outstanding catches in the outfield.
Ethan Heckler, Will Stengle, Andy Belilos and Frank Sammartino were each named player of the game during the tournament — an award selected by the opposing coach in each game. Ethan Heckler was chosen the tournament MVP. The tournament’s namesake, Doc Bonnacorso, was instrumental in the formation of Arlington Babe Ruth more than 40 years ago.
<b>Lange Booked</b>
After headlining the previous seven professional boxing shows at George Mason University’s Patriot Center, Great Falls native and Bishop O’Connell graduate Jimmy Lange will return to Fairfax on Saturday, Sept. 26 to defend his World Boxing Council (WBC) U.S. National Boxing Championship (USNBC) 154-pound title against Jonathan Reid. Lange is familiar with Reid, too, as both spent time on NBC’s “The Contender,” which is a reality boxing show. Lange (30-3-2, 21 KOs) and Reid (34-11, 19 KOs) will meet in the card’s 12-round Main Event. Tickets, which range in price from $30-$500, are available at the Patriot Center box office and through all Ticketmaster outlets. Lange last appeared at Patriot Center in May, scoring a fifth-round TKO of Frank Houghtaling.