Lake View Looking To Compete With Youthful Roster
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By David Shelton
Senior Writer
Lake View – It is not uncommon for small schools with limited numbers of students to have to rebuild football rosters on a yearly basis.
The 2025 Lake View High football team was stocked full of underclassmen, but also had some key seniors in positions. That young team managed a 5-5 record as head coach Daryl King and his staff spent the season working on developing the young talent.
King, it should be noted, is a Lake View lifer. H played football at Lake View, graduating in 1994. After college, King came back to Lake View as an assistant coach. He took over as head coach in 2007 for the legendary Jewell McLaurin. King played on a state championship team at Lake View in 1991. As head coach, King took his 2011, 2014, 2016 and 2020 teams to the state finals, winning the state title in 2016. He has more than 110 career wins as the head coach. Lake View has won 10 state football titles, which ranks fifth in state history.
King, entering his 28th season as a Lake View coach, his 19th as head coach. He will be the head coach of the South all-star team for thee North-South all-star game in December.
Much of the youth that saw extensive playing time last season is back for 2026. A year of experience has helped the players grow physically and mentally.
Lake View has opened the 2026 season with two wins, posting victories over Johnsonville (30-28) and McBee (53-12). In the win over Johnsonville, the Wild Gators rallied from a 21-6 in the third quarter.
“I think we showed some maturity in being able too stay focused and continue playing,” King said. “I don’t know if we win that game a year ago. Our kids showed a lot of heart and they continued to play with great effort. We have 13 seniors but we also play a lot of underclassmen. It was good to see us respond the way we did. If this group will play hard every week, I think they have a chance to win some games.”
Offensively, King is pleased with sophomore Hayden Smith at quarterback. Smith has been the starter in both games, but sophomore Ty’Ty Bethea is getting reps as well.
Jalen Clarke is the most experienced running back and will be the lead ball carrier. Christopher Rice and Aiden Matthews also will get carries. The top receivers are Terrance Alford and AJ Johnson. Jashawn McCullough is the starting tight end.
Left tackle Alonzo Hamilton is the lone senior starter on the offensive line. He is joined by Zymere Wheeler, Riley McCormick, Zaiden Burroughs and Richard Thompson.
“It’s a good unit up front and they are working well together,” King said. “As long as they continue to gel they should be good.”
As is often the case, many of those same names appear as starters on defense. McCullough is a starter at end, with Thompson and Wheeler also working along the front. Aiden Blue is the fourth starter up front.
Smith is one of the starters at linebacker, joined by Gabe Lee and Desmond Owens. In the secondary are Alford, RJ Johnson and Clarke, along with Kaiden Johnson. Alford returned an interception for a touchdown in the win over Johnsonville. Smith has two interceptions and AJ Johnson has a pick early on. The Wild Gators’ defense forced six turnovers against Johnsonville, but King says his unit did not tackle well.
“I think we know what we have and that’s a group that will play hard,” King said. “ Football is about effort and execution. We have to work hard and stay focused on getting better each week..”
