Sometimes a loss can be worth more than a win. After falling just inches short of victory in their season opener August 29^th against archrival Potomac Falls, Dominion’s football team has focused their efforts on making every remaining game this season count—and, with a record since of 3-1, they’ve clearly flipped the switch.

This week’s homecoming game will see the Titans take on 4A North foe Loudoun County in a battle for first place in the conference.  Both teams are 3-2, yet County is 0-1 away—and this matchup is on the Titans’ home turf.

Kickoff is at 7 tonight and weather looks to be a factor with greater than a 50 percent chance of rain. With both teams favoring the pass recently, it may come down to who can gain the yards on the ground. Look for Clemson commit Chad Smith, who won the game last week blocking an extra point, to have a large role in his last homecoming game.

Currently, County stands in 9^th place in the 4A North Region standings with Dominion in 12^th. This game is important for future playoff seeding with both teams easily in the playoffs if they started today.

Leading the Titans tonight will be quarterback Scotty Forbes, who came in from Briar Woods this season. His 873 passing yards ranks him 21^st in the area and his 10 touchdown passes has already set a school record.

Perhaps the greatest challenge County presents is that of their quarterback, Takwan Crews. He is just behind Forbes with 788 passing yards with 9 touchdowns so far in the season. “[He] can run, throw, and make plays,” said Dominion head coach Karl Buckwalter. “We’ll need to be disciplined on defense. On offense, we can’t afford lots of turnovers.”

However, Buckwalter remains steadfast in his belief that the Titans will prevail. “We aren’t one-dimensional,” Buckwalter said. “Our defense flies to the ball, and offensively we have the ability to run and throw. There is no game on our schedule we feel we can’t win.”

Brandon Ruffin, Dominion’s star cornerback and running back, feels similarly. “We weren’t a factor the first couple weeks, with the losses to Potomac Falls and Broad Run, but we are now. We have a lot of playmakers and speed. We’re a tough team to beat.”

Nevertheless, Ruffin believes fan support will be a crucial factor in the Titans’ success. “When they’re hyped, we’re hyped. We missed that at Champe, and that’s why the game was so close.” Another transfer starter, strong safety and running back Tucker Strycharz, agreed, “[D-Block] gets everyone pumped up and excited. When they’re not there, the hype isn’t there.”