For nearly a decade, local resident Ron Diehl has become a familiar face on the sidelines, in the stands, and around the athletic facilities of Gaithersburg High School.
Through his Instagram account, @ghs_sports_snaps, Diehl has captured thousands of moments for student-athletes, parents, coaches, and alumni, helping preserve memories that might otherwise be lost once the final whistle blows.
Diehl’s involvement with Gaithersburg athletics began in 2018 while photographing teams his children participated in. “I started shooting for Gaithersburg High School back in 2018, mainly shooting sports for the team my kid was on at the time,” Diehl told The MoCoShow. “Then it just kind of branched out from there.”
What began as a personal photography account eventually evolved into one of Montgomery County’s most-followed high school sports pages. During the fall sports season, the account regularly exceeds one million views over a 30-day period. “It started as more of a personal account and morphed into what it is today,” Diehl said. “I wanted a place to put photos of the athletes and bring light to what the kids are doing. Not just football or basketball, but girls sports, boys sports, everybody deserves to be seen.”
For Diehl, the most rewarding part isn’t the views or followers. It’s seeing the reactions from the athletes and families themselves. “It’s pretty cool to see their faces when they see a photo right on the camera after a game,” he said. “A lot of parents really appreciate it because these are shots they can’t get themselves.”
He believes the photos become even more meaningful as students graduate and move on to the next chapter of their lives. “I think they’re memories that parents will hold onto, especially for kids who may not play at the next level,” Diehl said. “When your kid finishes high school, it’s kind of the end of a run as a parent. It’s cool to be a small part of preserving that.”
Among the many teams and athletes he has covered, Diehl says one of his favorite memories was watching the Gaithersburg boys basketball team’s 2023 Final Four run. He also served as a public address announcer for Gaithersburg basketball games and enjoyed creating graphics to support the program. “It was a really good group of kids,” he said.
Two summers ago, Diehl gained additional attention after recreating Montgomery County high schools in EA Sports’ NCAA 25 video game using the Team Builder feature. The project began while recovering from hernia surgery. “The doctor told me not to move much for a week,” Diehl said. “After work and dinner, I’d sit on the couch and make jerseys, teams and helmets.”
His creations included accurate uniforms, logos, and stadium designs for schools across Montgomery County, including Gaithersburg, Clarksburg, Wheaton, Northwest, Damascus, Walter Johnson, and more. Some schools proved more challenging than others. “The QO logo that’s on the Quince Orchard helmet isn’t really out there,” Diehl said. “I had to take a photo I had taken and flatten the logo out to get it right.”
He also enjoys recreating historic uniforms, including the 1996 Wheaton High School football uniforms worn during the school’s state championship season. The response from students, alumni, and fellow sports enthusiasts exceeded his expectations. “That was pretty wild,” Diehl said. “I’ve made friendships from just doing these jerseys in the video game. The reaction from the kids was really neat.”
This is something he did for NCAA 26 and something he plans to do for the upcoming NCAA 27, which will be released next month. Looking ahead, Diehl plans to continue creating schools for future versions of the game and hopes EA Sports eventually revives its college basketball franchise as well.
For him, however, the photography remains the heart of what he does. “I hope kids take away that it’s important to be involved in your community,” Diehl said. “It doesn’t matter what the score is or what the record is. Everybody deserves to be seen and included.”
In an era often dominated by negativity online, Diehl believes local sports photography can provide something positive. “I think it’s important for kids to be seen for what they do and the amount of work they put into it,” he said. “Whether it’s tennis, cross country, baseball, basketball, field hockey, whatever they’re playing. I think it’s important for there to be a positive place where kids can see their friends, classmates, and teammates being celebrated.”
For thousands of Gaithersburg athletes and their families, @ghs_sports_snaps has become exactly that.
