Tiny George Mason Stands Tall Among N.Va. Giants

But for those outside the Mason community, it's hard to shake the perception that "Northern Virginia school" does not necessarily mean "big school." There really is no room for the city to expand unless other structures get torn down.

"Around the state, that is the constant question: 'How in the world does George Mason stay single A?' " said Horn, also the school's football coach and former baseball coach. "Our growth potential is limited. No one around the state can really believe that."

George Mason's most defining characteristic, though, is that it is a community high school perhaps like none other in the area. One of the reasons that Falls Church broke off from Fairfax County was to establish its own school system. More than 90 percent of parents of students in the system are PTA members. And 14 students from outside the City of Falls Church are attending George Mason this year at a tuition of $15,300 apiece, so the school must be doing something right.

Of the 151 graduates last year, 107 were involved in the International Baccalaureate program, and the average SAT score is 1737, 217 points higher than the state average. Forty-five of the school's 80 winter sports athletes boasted grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher. In spring sports, 360 students are involved.

"If we're not providing the kinds of opportunities to challenge kids and lead them to be successful in the classroom and on the field, we have people who will call us on it because it's a town school," Horn said.

So what if trying to describe George Mason, or its location, devolves into an Abbott and Costello routine, or that because the road trips are so long, parents prepare meals for the athletes to eat on the bus? Headed into the state tournament, the girls' basketball team had traveled an estimated 1,770 miles this season, the equivalent of a drive to Denver.

Most of the time, the George Mason confusion is a minor inconvenience. On occasion, it can be more serious.

A few years ago, a Mustangs baseball player broke his arm. An ambulance was called. When several minutes had passed and no help had arrived at the Mason field, Horn called 911 again.

Horn: We're still waiting for help.

Dispatcher: They're on site.

Horn: No, they're not.

Dispatcher: Yes, they are. They're right on the baseball field.

Horn: I'm standing on the baseball field. It's not that big. I don't see them.

The ambulance, of course, had gone to Marshall.

Varsity Letter is a weekly column about high school sports in the Washington area. E-mail Preston Williams atwilliamsp@washpost.com.