Lake View Begins 2026 on the Road at Fort Stockton

SAN ANGELO, TX — With fall camp in the books, the Lake View Chiefs are ready to begin the 2026 football season on a high note when the Chiefs travel to Fort Stockton on Friday, Aug. 28.

Coming off the Chiefs' best season in 29 years with a 7-4 record, anticipation and excitement are high around the north side. Can Lake View continue to build off that success?

Chiefs head coach Hector Guevara gave his thoughts on the scrimmage against state-ranked Seminole last week before previewing the Week 1 matchup against Fort Stockton at his opening press conference on Monday. Watch that press conference above.

"There were many good things that we saw (against Seminole), and several things we still need to work on," Guevara said. "But we are excited for Friday. The build-up is here, and the kids have been working hard, putting the time in, having each other's backs, so we are excited."

In the scrimmage against Seminole, the Chiefs showed continued flashes of offensive brilliance behind senior quarterback Chris Alvizo. He will be the one to lead Lake View the distance if the Chiefs are to be successful this season. 

"I think the intangibles that quarterbacks need to have, Chris has them," Guevara said. "Being vocal, being here on time, working hard, yes sir, no sir, and the kids complement him. They run the routes right, catch the football, and blocking. It goes without being said, but they respect him. Hopefully, he has a great season."

Another positive note was sophomore receiver/cornerback Andrew Young. The young man put on noticeable height and weight over the past year and should be a dominant force on both sides of the football.

Defensively, the Chiefs had an up-and-down showing. While there were times when the defense locked down the talented Seminole 'air raid' offense, big plays and missed tackles happened. Guevara said that this was expected as Lake View has several young guys stepping up under the Friday night lights for the first time. Lake View needs to continue to develop this young defense, so that the Chiefs will be ready come district play.

Week 1 - Lake View vs. Fort Stockton

Both Lake View and Fort Stockton are familiar with each other, facing off six of the last eight seasons. The Panthers have dominated this series for the most part over the past decade. It was not until last season that the Chiefs finally took a game back, in impressive fashion, 42-7. Still, 1-5 in the last six meetings means that Lake View will still have its hands full with Fort Stockton come Friday.

Last year, Alvizo threw for four touchdown passes against the Panthers' defense in a game that Fort Stockton never truly threatened to win. After falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter, the Chiefs rattled off 42 unanswered points to break the losing streak against the Panthers.

However, Fort Stockton will not be the same team as last year, after the Panthers named Xavier Rangel as the new athletic director and head football coach back in May. Rangel looks to reenergize the program after Fort Stockton finished 6-5 and third in their district, with a bi-district playoff loss to Lubbock Estacado.

If Lake View is to repeat last year's win with a similar result Friday, the Chiefs must take care of the football. Because Fort Stockton has a new head coach, the Panthers may look different in every aspect of the game. With little to no game film available to the Chiefs this early in the season, Lake View will need to play sound defense and take advantage of every possession on offense to secure a win.

"That battle is going to be won in the trenches, I believe," Guevara said. "Our d-line has a lot to prove and needs to continue to grow. That's where the game will be won. Obviously, that's probably every coach's view, but we have to be able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball."

Adding to that, the big boys up front have a lot to prove this weekend. Lake View has several new faces that still need to mesh with the older guys to protect the quarterback on offense. Look for defensive lineman Connor Williams to show what he can do against the Panthers. If Williams has a big day stopping the run and getting after the quarterback, the Chiefs should come home 1-0.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Panther Stadium in Fort Stockton.