Blood, sweat, and tears.  This was the sight of the Dominion Titan football players after the heartbreaking and devastating loss to Briar Woods High School (BWHS), which ultimately ended a phenomenal season.

        The football team this year came the closest they have ever been to a playoff berth under the coaching of Karl Buckwalter. 

        This season started out shaky and reminiscent of past Dominion football seasons, but the away game at Wakefield High School changed the way the Titan football program was viewed by the community and by themselves.  When the Titans were down 21-7 at halftime, the team figured it was over.  But that was far from accurate, the Titans came back to win 28-24.

        The players and coaches cited this specific game as a significant turning point in the season that helped the team to truly pull together and become one unit.  After this win, things only got better for the Titan football program with a big first-time win over rival Potomac Falls and winning our first ever homecoming game against South Lakes High School. 

        With these wins the entire school and community began to notice the Titan football program as a dominant threat on the field that needed to be taken seriously.  Coach Buckwalter said that the team started putting more emphasis on the little things and paying more attention to details that turn into bigger things and help them win.  “Making sure we know where to go [is the main idea],” Buckwalter said.

        As the Titans began to win numerous games, the thought of playoffs became more probable, and attainable.  The season ended up coming down to two games- if we won either of them the team would advance to the playoffs for the first time ever.

        However, for the first game, the Titans were not able to prevail over Park View High School, due to a number of situations.  It was Trey Baxter’s first game back since his shoulder injury that kept him from playing his usual position of quarterback, which was taken over primarily by Deandre Reaves. 

        Coach Baker stated after the game that the practices that were held the week leading up to the game were not as solid as necessary, leading to the timing on plays being off. The Titans also drew more penalties in that one game than in the eight that they had played so far. 

        Despite the outcomes, Baker felt that the offense really turned up the intensity, especially sophomore Kenny Sisson.  The team figured out ways to win in an unconventional way.   Baker said the offense came together after numerous injuries and the coaching staff needed to find a remedy, so they decided to try new people in new places.  This ended up working out very well for the offense in the long run. 

        After a devastating loss to BWHS, the Titans’ truly spectacular season came to a bitter close.  Baker said that blocks broke down in crucial situations, and that the feelings the team had at the end of this season should drive the underclassmen to strive for more next season.

        Buckwalter and the rest of the coaching staff applauded the seniors who had played in their final Dominion football game.  He specifically thanked them for giving our school a meaningful game, and praised them for putting the team and school in that position. With a heavy heart he now dubbed the seniors alumni.