KGKL Pick’em Contest – Story of the Week: The Lake View Chiefs

Wow…another week of high school football is behind us. And what a week it was. With all the story lines this weekend brought us, it might be hard to pick the one that stands out to you. Not for me. Even with Central scoring a team record 84 points against Menlo-Atherton (CA)…Or the Wall Hawks avenging its only regular season loss in two years against Merkel…Or TLCA dropping 75 points on Ranger. The biggest story of the week for me is the Lake View Chiefs and their 35-28 victory over Ft. Stockton.

Sure, you can talk about how Mickey Scott has already racked up 821 all-purpose yards in only 2 games for the Bobcats. Or how he has scored 13 TDs in those two games. That would be justified, and make for some really great conversation. But I want to talk about a team that entered the game with not only a 9-game losing streak, but a road losing streak that spanned 4 years. Let that sink in. The Chiefs had not made the bus ride back home from a road game as a winner in 4 years. I have to imagine that the after-game burger tasted better than ever!

Or you might want to talk about how the Wall Hawks have compiled a 21-1 regular season record since 2011. Or even better how they avenged that only loss by blanking the Merkel Badgers on Friday night, and throwing half a hundred points on the Badgers before the third quarter ended. Wall mercifully took their foot off the gas in the fourth to finish the game with a 50-0 win. 

Instead, I would like to look at a group of young men that overcame a tragedy to come together as a team after 17-year-old senior defensive end Jason Roberts died in a drowning accident back in July. The Lake View players have grown closer and used each other as strength. That strength showed on Friday night. Trailing 14-7, and having just lost their starting quarterback Nick Martinez, the Chiefs rallied to take a 21-14 lead into halftime. They never trailed again.

And by no means will I, or anyone else, hold it against you if you want to brag about the TLCA Eagles going 2-0 to start the season for the second year in a row. This coming after going winless the previous 2 seasons. The Eagles are flying high, and looking to get over the hump and make the playoffs this year.  This is a team that has learned how to win.  But me, I am going to focus on a team that is learning how to win. Leading 35-28 late in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs had the chance to give the game away. After throwing an interception with 2:18 left in the game, Lake View needed another stop to secure the win.  Think about it…knowing what has happened so many times before…the pressure of trying to snap a 9 game losing streak…the weight of a 4-year road losing streak…the memory of a fallen teammate…

This is the time when a team either rises up or falls short once again.  Not only did these Chiefs rise up and get the stop they needed…Ft. Stockton couldn’t even get a first down, allowing backup quarterback Brandon Lee to end the game in victory formation and take a knee. The most satisfying kneel down of his life.

So let’s wait until next week to talk about the Central Bobcats as they open district play in El Paso against the Mustangs of Coronado. And let’s wait to talk about the #4 ranked Wall Hawks as they prepare for their top 10 showdown with #7 Sonora. And let’s hold off on talking about the TLCA Eagles going for 3-0 against a tough Roby Lions team in Roby.  For now…For this week…Let’s talk about the Lake View Chiefs. They've earned it!

For all local scores click here.

And now for the Pick ‘Em Challenge…

Every Monday I will post the games to pick.  I will choose 3 local games.  There will be a favorite and an underdog, based on Max Preps state rankings. To play, you need to submit your picks below along with your name and e-mail address (so that I can contact you when you win your free stuff). For every correct pick you get 1 point.  Also. If you correctly pick an underdog to win, you get an additional 1 point.  I will also choose one of the games for a tiebreaker.  When you submit your picks, also give me your tiebreaker final score. Each week the person who has the most points and the closest final score will win $10 giftcard from Chili’s Bar and Grill and one additional point.

At the end of the season, the person who has the most points will get a Dinner for 4 at the Chili’s bar and Grill, with the option of having KGKL and the Scoreboard Show DJs join you.  Don’t worry, we won’t eat your free dinners.

So send in your submissions.  Only 1 submission a week! And let’s see if you are the high school football expert…

THIS WEEK'S CONTEST IS CONCLUDED