Frederick, Md. — Growing up, Nick Stewart always dreamed about putting on a Keys uniform. An avid baseball fan and rising star, Stewart and his family would often make the short trip from Loudoun County to Frederick to watch the then-Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles play at Harry Grove Stadium. Just over a decade later, Stewart gets to live his childhood dream. “Sometimes I start to get sidetracked and I start to think a little bit too much, so I’ll just sit down here at the ballpark and think about when I was a kid coming to Keys…

Leesburg, Va. — For the first time in NWSL history, fans in Loudoun County were able to cheer as the Washington Spirit took the pitch on July 2 in the team’s first ever fan-attended game at Segra Field in Leesburg. Despite the hometown crowd cheering them on, the Spirit fell, 1-0, to a well organized Chicago Red Stars team. “The results were a little disappointing,” Washington head coach Richie Burke said. “But the performance was very pleasing.” With plans to eventually move all technical, support, and training staff to Leesburg, the Spirit will bounce between Audi Field in D.C. and…

Leesburg, Va. — Issuing back-to-back walks to start the state championship game probably would’ve had most pitchers in panic mode. But Connor Hale was in complete control. Giving up a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth in the state championship game probably would’ve had most pitchers stressed out. But Connor Hale was in complete control. Allowing a baserunner to reach on an error on your 110th pitch with two outs in the top of the seventh in the state championship game probably would’ve had most pitchers in a sweat. But as he jogged out to right field,…

Leesburg, Va. — It took the Riverside High School boys lacrosse team just 10 seconds to get on the board. Fifteen seconds after that the Rams had a 2-0 lead. And before three full minutes had elapsed, Riverside had extended its lead to 3-0. For the Rams, there was no looking back. Riverside had been here before. A state championship environment was nothing new to them having won VHSL state titles in both 2017 and 2019. But this year was different. Like everyone else Riverside missed its 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and as recently as three months…

Leesburg, Va. — After striking out six of the first seven batters she faced, it was shaping up to be a big night for Tuscarora High School sophomore ace Lindsey Mullen. In her first high school postseason, Mullen had already tossed a perfect game—and while a hit by pitch in the second stopped any hopes of a second one—Mullen was in complete control throughout the night, no hitting Amherst County through seven complete innings. Trailing 1-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth, Mullen also provided the Huskies with their big spark offensively, blasting a line drive solo home run…

Ashburn, Va. — For the spring sports teams at Independence High School, COVID-19 meant not donning their school uniforms for another full year. After opening their doors in the fall of 2019, like everyone in the VHSL, the Tigers missed out on their spring 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. So when the Independence girls soccer team finally got the opportunity to put on their red, white, and blue kits, they were going to make the most of it. In 2021, the Tigers navigated a daunting Dulles District schedule—falling just three times in the regular season to three of…