SAN ANGELO, TX — Robert Ontiveroz understands the rebuilding project he has inherited at TLCA San Angelo.
The Eagles football team hasn’t won a game since 2023, and they have’t been particularly close with 10 shutout losses during that time.
To climb a mountain, you have to take the first step, and Ontiveros believes the Eagles have at least started the journey.
“As a coaching staff and as a football team, we’re working each day to get better and just to lay down a foundation,” said Ontiveros, who took over the program after going 12-11 in two years at Crane. “The seniors are wanting to leave some positivity to the program and allow the underclassmen to built from it.
“So that’s our motto right now — just build from the ground up. We understand we haven’t won a game in two years, so there isn’t really anywhere else to go but up.”
The Eagles have some building blocks to work with as they return seven starters on both sides of the ball.
It starts with junior running back Jackson Chacon, who earned first-team all-district honors last year with 621 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
“He brings obviously the leadership part of it, which will be great for the locker room,” Ontiveroz said. “He played every single game last year despite the hardships they faced. He put his head down and went to work, and he’ll be a major part of the offense with (quarterback Jonah Munoz) in the backfield.”
Munoz is another returning junior who was thrown into the fire last season. He’ll have his top receiver back, senior Justin Reynolds, who had 567 yards and four TDs.
“(Reynolds) brings some skill to the table and some speed, so I’m excited for him with the experience he has,” Ontiveroz said.
Junior slot receiver Etienne Trevino is another returning receiver who is versatile and intelligent, Ontiveros said.
The Eagles’ offensive line will be comprised of five juniors, led by Collin Soto and Oakley Robertson.
What they lack in experience, they’ll make up for with familiarity.
“It’ll be a learning curve for our offensive line just because they’re a little inexperienced. But they are familiar with each other with them being in the same class. They played junior high football together, so they work well together,” Ontiveroz said.
Defensively, Chacon is also the leader on that side of the ball at linebacker, where he’ll be joined by Trevino.
The secondary could be a strength with returners like senior cornerbacks Joseph Luna and Reynolds. Sophomore safety Xavier Constancio is a promising player with speed and height, Ontiveroz said.
TLCA has a schedule that includes six road games and only four at home. The Eagles have some games in which they could be competitive early, but their path to the playoffs will be a difficult one.
TLCA was placed in District 3-3A Division I with three state-ranked teams — No. 6 Wall, No. 14 Llano and No. 17 Ingram Moore. Even the team projected to finish fourth, Early, tied for a district title last year.
Ontiveroz said his team is simply focusing on getting better each day.
“Right now, I think the team understands what they were doing in the past could use some improvement,” Ontiveros said. “We’re trying to get it going. The buy-in of the kids has been great, and they’ve done everything we’ve asked them to so far.”
TLCA’s season will kick off Aug. 28 at Tahoka. The Eagles’ home opener will be Sept. 11 against Winters.
TLCA San Angelo Eagles
2026 schedule
Aug. 28 at Tahoka
Sept. 4 at Abilene TLCA
Sept. 11 Winters
Sept. 18 at Sonora
Sept. 25 at Merkel
Oct. 2 Eldorado
Oct. 9 Early*
Oct. 16 at Wall*
Oct. 23 Ingram Moore*
Oct. 30 at Llano*
Nov. 7 OPEN
*District 3-3A Division I game
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