As of press time, several Albany High School tennis players were already guaranteed spots at the regional level after day one of the district tournament on Tuesday, April 2 at Rose Park in Abilene.

Freshman Sarah Cotter was named the district girls singles champion, and a couple of local doubles teams were to be determined at playbacks on Wednesday. Details will be reported next week.

Local players performed well in a tough Abilene High Invitational Tournament last week, according to coach Sara Wilson.

Albany is hosting the District 8-2A high school track meet today, and as of press time, volunteers were still needed to help run the concession stand.

Athletes, coaches, and fans from seven area schools will be here today.

“About 250 athletes are expected to compete, and with these teams will come lots of parents, families, and visitors,” said Athletic Booster Club secretary Tisha Wilkins. “This meet lasts all day, so there are several time slots that need volunteers. We need everyone’s help, even if your child doesn’t participate in track.”

Local junior Alayna Koemel was the sole Albany High School golfer who competed in the second round of the district golf tournament Monday at Maxwell Municipal Golf Course, maintaining her status as the second place medalist and advancing to the regional tournament. 

Koemel recorded an 18-hole total of 127 on a windy course this week, following up her 119 total the previous week.

The regional tournament will be held at Ratliff Ranch Golf Course in Odessa on Wednesday and Thursday, April 24-25.

Dax Neece, a 2018 graduate of Albany High School and a current member of the Texas Tech Red Raider football team, is getting a chance to play spring ball for Tech.

Neece played a couple of downs last fall during the Red Raider game against Lamar on Sept. 8 in Lubbock, but the wide receiver sat out most of the 2018 season as a “redshirt” freshman.

All four junior high track teams competed in the local junior high meet on March 25, with the eighth grade boys placing fourth with 68 points to lead the Albany contingent.

The seventh grade boys placed fifth with 38 points, while the eighth grade Lady Cubs were sixth with 47 points. The seventh grade girls finished seventh with 38 points.

The Cubs and Lady Cubs will travel to Roscoe on Saturday for the district track meet. Field events start at 9:00 a.m., with the running events beginning at 1:00 p.m. or one hour after the field event portion of the meet.

The Moran High School tennis team participated in the district match on Monday, April 1 in Eastland.  

“The boys doubles team of Kobee Lapp and Harley Schafer will advance to the regional meet,” said coach Jo Hise. “Our girls doubles team of Kaylin New and Hannah Rogers won the district championship!”

The winners of first and second place in district tennis contests qualify for the regional contest. First and second place contestants in the regional tournament at Whitney on April 18-19 will advance to the state tournament in College Station on May 16-17.

The Moran Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs competed at the Albany Roaring Lions Invitational track meet on Thursday, March 28, and Kobee Lapp won first place in boys varsity triple jump with a distance of 43 feet two inches.

Also earning medals for Moran were Sondra O’Keefe with gold in JV girls pole vault (6-06), Johnnie Hise with bronze in JV girls triple jump (29-06.25), and Lyric Huskey with a bronze in JV boys triple jump (38-06).

Addison Asher qualified for regional in four journalism events at the University Interscholastic League District 8 Academic Spring Meet held at Hawley High School on Tuesday, March 26, and eight of her peers, including Sidney Bartee who earned first place in Science and also won the Top Biology award, will also advance to regional.

“I am very pleased and proud of our students,” said UIL coordinator Rick Davis. “They did great! We have five students who advanced and/or placed in multiple contests!”

This week Fandangle rehearsals moved outside to the lot next to the Bank Park and began a twice-a-week schedule, with practices at 7:30 p.m. on both Monday and Thursday evenings.

“The outside rehearsal on Monday was great,” said artistic director Lorna Ayers. “Transitioning to a new location is nothing to this group of professional Fandanglers.”

The next rehearsal is scheduled to take place this evening, April 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the lot next to the Bank Park.

A Monday morning special meeting scheduled for Shackelford County elected officials to travel to Abilene in order to look at a seven-passenger van was spent instead at the Courthouse planning a strategy for a vehicle purchase.

The commissioners hope to find inexpensive transportation for a work crew from the Walker--Sayle Unit in Breckenridge.

Judge Robert Skelton explained that the deal on the van that he had found “fell through” last week.