Training Camp Day 8: Dominion Titans
STERLING, VA - Last season, the Dominion Titans maintained a .500 record late into the season before dropping their final two games. Mike Dougherty's team has improved steadily since starting the program 5 years ago, and with an upsurge of experience and depth, this year's squad figures to be Dominion's best ever.
The Titans kicked off their 4th annual "Black & Silver" intra-squad scrimmage game Friday night with a renewed excitement about the 2007 season. After the first week of camp, the Titans must address the following questions before the season opens on August 31st.
Will lack of depth plague Dominion yet again?
Dougherty had yet to field a team of more than 45 players, but this year's squad numbers in the mid-sixties. The coach felt this would factor huge, noting that it "brings competition and...a better product." The Titans were 4-4 at one point last season, but injuries took their toll as Dominion dropped their final two. This increase in depth gives them greater resilience against injuries, and concurrently a team better prepared for the stretch run.
What poses their biggest obstacle?
This one's a close argument between injuries and turnovers, but since I addressed injuries in the last question, let's go with turnovers. The Titans lost the football at many pivotal moments last season, and this needs to change for the Titans to make a splash in the Dulles District. Said Dougherty, "We seem to shoot ourselves in the foot quite a bit and take us out of big games."
Who will they look to for leadership?
Dominion returns eight key seniors on both sides of the ball, giving them ample experience. Defensive lineman Nonye Onwuka (first-team All-District), defensive back Victor Williams (first-team All-District), Todd Lancaster (60-plus carries, 6 TD's), and Casava Easterling (no.1 receiver) head the team from a leadership standpoint.
What's the latest on the quarterback race?
It consists of four quarterbacks at the moment, but is narrowing quickly. Britten Miller replaced Craig Carlson when he went down for the season in '06 and filled in admirably, helping defeat the Heritage Pride on their homecoming. He and Geoff McCowatt, who comes off an ACL injury, are the frontrunners at the moment. Andy Pont and Jon Owens are competing for the role of signal-caller as well. Technically, two jobs are up for grabs, as Dominion will likely implement a two-quarterback system. To describe this system, as Dougherty put it, "one is more of a thrower and one more of a non-thrower- they're both going to run".
What's their greatest strength?
Speed. At the team camp combine, over two-dozen players clocked sub-4.9 times in the forty, and a handful of guys ran under the 4.5 mark. The Titans will utilize their speed by implementing a more spread out and aggressive offense. On defense, the Titans will go with a three-man line, with five linebackers stacking the box, which Dougherty feels with help them fly to the ball.
Scrimmage Notes:
This was the Titan's 4th annual intra-squad "Black vs. Silver" scrimmage, which culminates a long, arduous, 2-a-day practice week each August. The teams are chosen as they would in a backyard football game; The assistant coaches split up to comprise the opposing coaching staffs. After a "Rock-Paper-Scissors" session to determine who gets the 1st pick overall, the "draft" begins. Victor Williams was chosen first overall for Black, followed by Todd Lancaster for Silver. The scrimmage is controlled, with each team staying on offense for a pre-designated amount of plays.
Though they avoided the suffocating 94-degree mid-day heat, evening conditions remained extremely humid. Onwuka did not participate due to dehydration, and others suffered cramping. Still, the team moved quickly and seemed to be in relatively good shape.
According to Dougherty, 30-40 kids showed up to their off-season conditioning program each day; and it shows. Only a week and a half into training camp, the squad seems far from sluggish.
Scrimmage Highlights:
Derek Lewis made an excellent out-stretched interception in the red zone. Brandon Whipple, Britten Miller, and Todd Lancaster seemed to be everywhere on defense. Henry Lobo ran like a freight train- even bowling over his own teammates on the sideline- and would receive my nod as the scrimmage MVP.
