Washington-Lee spoils Buckwalter's debut at Dominion
By Carl Lukat
Washington-Lee rushed for 314 yards and returned a pair of Dominion turnovers for touchdowns en route to a 41-7 victory against the host Titans Sept. 1 in Sterling.
The season opener for both teams originally was scheduled for Aug. 29 but was delayed three days due to rain causing undesirable field conditions.
The Generals exploded for 35 points within a nine-minute span of the second and third quarters to spoil Karl Buckwalter's coaching debut at Dominion.
"You have to give [Washington-Lee] all the credit," said Buckwalter, who previously coached at McLean and Colonial Forge. "They played hard and came after us and did exactly what they had to do."
Charles Fuller rushed for 197 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries for Washington-Lee. He also returned a fumble 85 yards for a touchdown to close out the game's scoring late in the third quarter. Keith Johnson added 103 yards on the ground.
"They made the plays and we didn't," Buckwalter said. “We've got a lot to work on. The good thing is, as I tell the kids, is we got it out of our system."
Deandre Reaves, who rushed for nearly 1,300 yards as a freshman in 2007, scored Dominion's lone touchdown on a dynamic 46-yard run in the third quarter. Reaves collected 132 rushing yards on 15 carries.
Titan senior Chris Taylor, a baseball standout who has not played football since his freshman year, completed eight of 15 passes for 57 yards and an interception in his varsity debut at quarterback. Andy Pont manned the quarterback spot in the fourth quarter after Taylor took a big hit late in the third. Buckwalter said Taylor would have returned if the outcome had been in doubt.
Buckwalter expects his team to “buckle down and get after it” in upcoming practices. The Titans have a bye this week before returning to action Sept. 12 at Millbrook.
"We are just not crisp yet," Buckwalter said. “It's going to take a little time. It's going to take more time than I thought."