Fort Stockton head football coach Mike Peters was named the 33Lead Athletic Club Football Coach of the Year this past week.

Peters led the Panthers to greater heights than Fort Stockton’s program had ever seen before this past season.

The athletic director for the Fort Stockton Independent School District led his team to the second round of the Class 4A-1 playoffs after the Panthers won their first contested-postseason game in school history following a co-district championship.

The Panthers head coach has drastically changed the trajectory of Fort Stockton’s football program during his tenure.

Fort Stockton amassed a 6-14 record in his first two seasons as head coach before accumulating a 29-15 record in the previous four seasons. In that span, Peters has led three teams to the playoffs and two squads to the area round of the postseason.

Additionally, the Panthers won a district title for the first time in 11 years during their 2020 campaign.