Leesburg, Va. — When Woodgrove High School senior ace Christian Hile toed the rubber in the bottom half of the first, he knew we was in for a battle. Riverside High School senior leadoff hitter Michael Walsh made Hile earn every pitch of his first strike out of the night, fouling off four pitches in a row before going down looking on an upstairs breaking ball. From there, Hile settled in striking out the side in the first—all looking—before cruising through the next six innings while striking out 11, as the Marshall University-commit picked up the complete game win, 4-1,…
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.
South Riding, Va. — When the Freedom High School volleyball team entered the VHSL Region 5C tournament as the overall No. 6 seed, they knew they had an uphill climb. The Eagles had put together an impressive regular season but tallied four losses in the competitive Potomac District, putting themselves in a hole to start the postseason. However, five matches into the truncated playoff schedule, the Eagles found themselves in a brand new position: hosting the VHSL 5A State championship game. “We ended the regular season on back-to-back losses. After we beat J.R. Lewis in the first round of the…
Leesburg, Va. — For most high school student-athletes, playing in a state championship game is a once in a lifetime opportunity. But, for the girls who play volleyball at Loudoun County High School, it has become more of a routine. Despite the expectation they’ve created for themselves to not only play in, but win, a state championship every season, the opportunity to play in a game of that magnitude isn’t any less exciting and winning one isn’t any less memorable. And that couldn’t have been more true as the Captains won their ninth straight volleyball state title—this one a VHSL…
Ashburn, Va. — In one of the oddest seasons of high school football on record, the Briar Woods High School football team was excited to suit up when it mattered most: the playoffs. Led by a core group of seniors, the No. 2 Falcons executed in all three phases of the game to cruise to a, 26-8, win over No. 3 Woodgrove in a VHSL Region 5C semifinal on April 9 in Ashburn. The Briar Woods’ offense was slow to get going as senior quarterback Christian Greene threw an interception in the Falcons’ first-and-only possession of the first quarter. However,…
Leesburg, Va. — A pass by sophomore libero Alayna Johnson, a set by junior setter Sarah Jordan, and a monster kill by senior middle Ella Solomon on the first play of the game really set the tone for the Captains. And in front of a capped but sold out crowd, No. 1 Loudoun County used the energy from that first play to dismantle No. 2 Loudoun Valley—25-16, 25-14, 25-15—to claim their eleventh straight Dulles District tournament title on April 8 in Leesburg. “It’s just the best feeling to have worked hard and have that hard work pay off,” Solomon said.…
Purcellville, Va. — After defeating the Titans in their regular season matchup, the Loudoun Valley Vikings knew they would have their work cut out for them against a tenacious Dominion defense which defends every part of the floor and can hit at all six positions. However, led by senior hitter Faith Nguyen, senior middle Kayla Bolen, and junior setter Rebecca Nguyen, the Vikings were able to navigate past the Titans—25-18, 25-21, 25-18—on April 6 in Purcellville. “My girls played every ball, they were going after every ball. We have such a great group of kids. They’ve worked really hard to…