Day 2: Dominion Begins a New Era
Last Year, The Dominion Titans Ran The Ball As Well As Anyone. In 2008, They Hope They Can Turn The Corner With Wins Under New Head Coach Karl Buckwalter....
Photo By: Derek LeComte
Dominion's Deandre Reaves takes a handoff in Tuesday's practice. Reaves led all rushers in the Dulles District last year as just a freshman.
Photo By: Derek LeComte / Gameday Magazine
New Dominion head football coach Karl Buckwalter has been in the corporate world for the last few years, but his name is still known around Northern Virginia. He's the head master that brought McLean's team from a dormant state through the Liberty District and all the way to No. 1 in the Washington Post rankings. He then went on to build up the Colonial Forge program from the ground up and brought them to prominence.
His newest project is the Dominion Titans and lifting that team from the lower portion of the Dulles District. And judging by the first day of camp for the Titans, Buckwalter seemed to be making the first step on the way to another successful rebuilding project. Whether it was the team or the brand new coaching staff, everyone on the field seemed to have an extra giddy-up in their step.
While Buckwalter has said repeatedly that the offense and defense will all have a different look and feel than previous years, two constants will be Deandre Reaves and Tre Baxter. This year will be a pivotal year for the Titans and if they are to go anywhere in the Dulles District, it will be on the legs of these two boys. It may have been early in training camp and the team was still out of pads, but these two did not disappoint. Baxter doesn't stand too tall, but runs much bigger.
At one point in the team drills Reaves broke through the left side of the line and scampered for about eight yards, before bouncing off a tackling dummy and tripping to the ground. The sophomore popped up in disgust and almost desperately pleaded with his teammates to believe that he simply tripped. That was all the convincing he needed to do. Almost talented beyond his years, Reaves excelled at every position he stepped into. He lined up in the backfield and displayed a powerful finesse through the line, but was also spread out wide and showed off his soft hands and the ability to gain yards after the catch. It's hard to imagine, but the performance was almost expected, even from a young man still waiting for his driver's license.
The one player that was catching the eye of most in attendance was quarterback Chris Taylor. Also a star at third base for the Dominion baseball team, an accurate arm is expected from the senior. What is not assumed is the touch that Taylor displayed on his deep ball. Taylor, while missing his receivers a few times, showed the potential to throw nearly every route. His receivers were also fairly impressive. Aaron Goode hauled in a one-handed catch and Henry Lobo seemed to be a viable target as well.
Usually the last position to develop under a new coach and gain cohesiveness is the offensive line. This was evident in the team's first organized practice. The critical element of timing was still being polished over, but there was promise with the bulky unit.
Buckwalter still has a lot of tweaking on his plate in his first year at the helm if he wants to duplicate his past success. But when looking at the skill position players he has in camp, he's definitely off to a good start.
