By Donnie A. Lucas

The Lion basketball team opened the second half of District 10-2A competition last week with a 58-50 win over Hawley, avenging the 51-50 loss to the Bearcats in the first half of the district schedule.

The Lions continued with a win this week in Hamlin on Tuesday, 79-52, improving to 6-2 in district.

Albany will host the district-leading Cisco Loboes on Friday. The JV boys will play at 6:00 p.m. in the auxiliary gym, while the varsity will play at 7:15 p.m. in the main gym following the varsity girls.

By Donnie A. Lucas

A total of 55 boys and girls signed up for the Little Dribblers basketball season that will start Feb. 6.

The registration period ended last week and the eight teams were drafted on Monday in preparation for the four-week season that includes each Saturday in February, according to league organizer Joe Tidwell.

Four girls teams and four boys teams will play two games each Saturday in the old gym at the high school.

Games will start at 9:00 a.m. each Saturday.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Members of Albany’s state-tournament qualifying volleyball team received another round of awards in the last week.

Three local players were selected for the first-team All-Big Country Team named by Big Country Preps.

Senior Alli Hill and juniors Sarah Cotter and Clara Holson each received first team recognition, while senior Torie Fuentes received Honorable Mention Defensive Specialist.

Albany coach M.J. Reneau was tapped as coach of the year.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Three of the five junior high basketball teams earned wins on Monday against Haskell as the 2020-2021 season winds down at the seventh and eighth grade level.

The Cubs and Lady Cubs will play Stamford next Monday in the season finale.

The girls will play in Stamford, while the boys will host the Indians. Games will start at 5:30 p.m. at both locations.

The Lady Cubs split games on Monday at home against Haskell, with the Red team losing 28-10 and the White team picking up a 25-20 win.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Two of the four youth basketball teams didn’t play last Saturday due to conflicts with the local stock show.

The final Saturday tournament is set this week on Jan. 30 with both the fifth and sixth grade boys playing at Hawley High School. The sixth grade team will play at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., while the fifth graders are scheduled for 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.

The fifth grade girls will play at Eula High School this week at 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon. The sixth graders are playing at Jim Ned High School at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

By Sandy Morris

Thirteen pointers and one English Setter were entered in the sixth annual Region 7 American Field Trial Clubs of America (AFTCA) Amateur All-Age Championship and the M.G. Perkins Amateur All-Age Derby Classic held on Friday, Jan. 22.

Trainers, owners, and highly skilled hunting dogs from across Texas and surrounding states traveled to the Crooked Tree Ranch in Shackelford County for the regional championship that is a qualifying trial for the AFTCA National Amateur Invitational Championship.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Registration for Albany Little League teams, including T-ball, Coach Pitch, Little League Majors and Minors, Intermediate and Junior League, started this week and will continue through Feb. 8.

Students at Nancy Smith Elementary had forms sent home on Wednesday, with the deadline to return registration forms by the Feb. 8 deadline.

Students attending Albany Junior High will be able to pick up forms in the school office. Completed paperwork needs to be returned to the school by Feb. 8.

By Sandy Morris

Albany High School athlete Wesley Estridge is off to a strong start in powerlifting this season. 

Estridge traveled to Brownwood on Thursday, Jan. 21 to compete in his second powerlifting competition of the year. 

Estridge had a successful meet, placing first individually in the competition and hitting his all-time best in deadlift.

The Albany senior squatted 650 pounds, benched 385 pounds, and dead-lifted 500 pounds for a total of 1,535 points.

By Sandy Morris

The Albany Cub Scouts annual Pinewood Derby race was held on Monday, Jan. 25 at the Scout Hut with Matthew Key coming out the overall winner.

Cubmaster Jacey Shack and Den Leader Dan Key organized the event with the help of committee chair Terri Lucas. 

“All the kids did a fantastic job building their cars,” said Shack. “We saw some different styles of cars that performed really well. We could tell the kids really spent some quality time on their own and with their parents working on the cars.”

By Sandy Morris

Twenty-twenty will be remembered for many unusual things, but Shackelford County weather isn’t going to fall into that category.

According to Hector Guerrero with the National Weather Service out of San Angelo, local weather was not the big story of 2020.

“Overall, the weather just wasn’t that horrible last year,” said Guerrero.

Shackelford County saw snow on Jan. 11 with 2.0 inches and again on Feb. 6 with another 2.3 inches.