Leesburg, Va. — For the Woodgrove High School softball program, playing in a state championship game has become second nature. In the eleven seasons since the school opened, the Wolverines had appeared in eight state championship games, winning it all five times. But 2023 was different. None of the girls on this Woodgrove team had ever played in a state championship game. Their 2020 season was cut short before it even started due to COVID. In 2021, the Wolverines fell in a region semifinal. Then in 2022, Woodgrove lost to Hickory in a VHSL Class 5 State semifinal. So when…
Author: Owen Gotimer
Owen Gotimer
Owen Gotimer is an award-winning journalist and small business owner from Leesburg, Virginia. After graduating from Heritage High School, Owen spent his college years at Syracuse University, where he studied broadcast and digital journalism in the renowned Newhouse School of Public Communications, before earning a Masters degree in social media, culture, and society from the University of Westminster. Owen owns OG Media, a full-service marketing partner specializing in website design & development, content creation, and graphic design & print. Additionally, Owen is the president of of the Jeffrey C. Fowler Memorial Scholarship.
Leesburg, Va. — Every time Nansemond River took the lead, the Independence High School baseball team had a near immediate response. Never trailing for more than a half inning, the Tigers showed their resiliency, overcoming first- and fifth-inning deficits, before rallying in the eighth to trump the Warriors, 6-3, in a VHSL Class 5 State semifinal on June 9 in Leesburg. “We have not played from behind a lot this year; in most of our games, we’ve scored first and kept leads. But we always talk about being able to take a punch,” Independence head coach Joe McDonald said. “This…
Leesburg, Va. — When you throw strikes, play solid defense, and execute the small details on offense, you’re priming yourself to have success. That’s just what the Heritage High School baseball team did when they issued just two free 90s, played clean defense, and got some clutch at-bats in the third and sixth innings in their 6-3 win over rival Loudoun County High School on May 17 in Leesburg. The win capped off a 12-2 Dulles District schedule for Heritage, earning the Pride their first regular season title in program history. “I can’t really put it into words, I’m just…
Ashburn, Va. — Coming off a 3-0 win over previously unbeaten Independence, the Riverside High School boys soccer team was looking to turn their 5-game winning streak into six when they traveled to Ashburn to battle rival Stone Bridge in a Potomac District clash. Having already beaten the Bulldogs, 2-1, in their first matchup of the season on April 13, the Rams got right to business in the rematch, taking the lead in the 22nd minute, adding to it in the 28th minute, and putting the game out of reach in the 55th minute, before eventually blanking the Bulldogs, 5-0,…
Leesburg, Va. — When the final whistle of overtime was blown, the Loudoun County and Park View High School boys soccer teams walked off the field in a 1-1 draw. Despite not adding a tally to the win column, both the Captains and Patriots were pleased with the result in the first Dulles District match on April 17 in Leesburg. “We knew Park View would be one of our main competitors this year,” Loudoun County head coach Chris Mazzatenta said. “We haven’t beaten them in at least three years, so a draw is an improvement.” [adrotate banner=”29″] Having settled in…
Ashburn, Va. — Coming off a state runner-up finish in 2022, the Tuscarora High School girls soccer team wanted to get an early indication of where they stand in their 2023 season, so they traveled to Brambleton to tango with reigning VHSL Class 5 State champion Briar Woods on March 20 in Ashburn. The Huskies got on the board early on a miscue by the Falcons’ defense then added an insurance goal midway through the second half to win 2-0, handing Briar Woods just its second loss since the beginning of the 2021 season. “Playing a state champion is always…