BISD to kickoff football season with local scrimmages

July 17, 2025

By Clay Whittington

The Belton Journal

Football season is coming, and once it arrives, the schedule is consuming. In just weeks, the Tigers and Broncos will return to the field for preseason preparations with their lone scrimmages set for Aug. 21, when Belton hosts Killeen Shoemaker and Lake Belton travels to Copperas Cove. Then, things become serious as both teams hit the road for the opening contest Aug. 29. The Tigers play at Pflugerville Hendrickson, and the Broncos will be at College Station A&M Consolidated. Playing in the eight-team District 8-5A, Division I, the outing marks one of only three non-league games before postseason hopes are on the line. Lake Belton encounters Round Rock McNeil (Sept. 4) on the road prior to hosting Killeen in its home opener Sept. 11. Last season, the Broncos went 2-1 against the teams against the trio. A Week 4 bye allows Lake Belton an extra week of preparation for its first district game — a home contest against Leander Rouse. It will be followed by games at Georgetown East View (Oct. 3), against Leander Glenn (Oct. 10) and versus Leander (Oct. 17). The Lions will serve as the first of three consecutive games against the district’s other playoff qualifiers from a year ago. The Broncos also play at Cedar Park on Oct. 24 and host defending champion Georgetown on Halloween. The Eagles were 9-1 in the 2024 regular season. Lake Belton closes the campaign at Killeen Chaparral on Nov. 6. Last year, the Broncos entered the playoffs with a 7-3 record before falling to Midlothian 35-30 in the first round to fall short of a bi-district championship for the third season in a row. The Tigers are looking to bounce back from a two-win campaign that surprisingly resulted in the program’s fourth straight trip to the postseason. Belton lost its first seven games before collecting critical District 10-5A, Division II victories against Bryan Rudder and Waco. Now, the Tigers hope to avoid a similar situation and intend to gain revenge on the teams responsible for aiding in last year’s slow start. Sandwiching road games around a pair of home contests, Belton faces Georgetown (Sept. 5), East View (Sept. 12), San Angelo Central (Sept. 19) and Cuero (Sept. 26). Following a district-wide bye in Week 5, the Tigers play three of their final five regular-season games at home, beginning with the league opener against visiting Killeen Ellison (Oct. 9). Depending on how things unfold at Waco University (Oct. 17), versus Bryan Rudder (Oct. 24) and Waco (Oct. 30) and at Brenham (Nov. 7), Belton could emerge with its third league championship in four years. While district titles are nice, both the Tigers and Broncos are yearning for playoff wins. Lake Belton has never experienced success in the postseason, and Belton only has two playoff victories (2022, 2023) since 2016.