By Donnie A. Lucas

Homecoming 2021 is set for Friday, Oct. 1, with organizers breathing a little easier this year compared to the restrictions last year due to the ­COVID-19 pandemic.

The annual homecoming parade is set to roll through downtown at 5:00 p.m., followed by the Albany vs. Olney football game at 7:00 p.m.

Homecoming royalty will be presented at halftime, including the crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen. Nominees from the senior class were selected by the four high school grade levels last week, along with a Prince and Princess for grades 9-11.

By Sam Waller

The Moran Lady Bulldogs dropped both of their varsity volleyball matches, while the junior high team opened its season last week.

On Aug. 31, the Lady Bulldogs lost 25-18, 25-19, 25-20 at home to Gustine.

“They showed a lot of improvement from when we played Gustine Aug. 17,” coach Jo Hise said. “They hustled for every point.”

On Saturday, Moran lost 25-13, 25-17, 21-25, 25-10 in a District 2-6A match at Newcastle. Hise said extending the match after falling behind 2-0 was a significant step for her team.

By Sam Waller

The Moran Bulldogs showed some improvement last Friday in their second outing of the football season, but not enough to avoid a 51-6 loss to Class 1A Division I opponent Evant in their home opener at Bulldog Field.

“There was a little progress,” Moran coach John Hughes said. “There are things to work on, but our biggest problem is still our numbers. We made it past halftime, and that was a big positive.”

The Bulldogs (0-2) finished with 25 total yards and three turnovers.

By Sam Waller

Albany Junior High School football teams opened their seasons last Thursday against Dublin.

The Cubs eighth grade team won 40-8, while the seventh grade engaged in a controlled scrimmage with Albany posting a 3-0 scoring advantage.

In the eighth grade game, Shawn Keen and Huffman Heatly each scored two touchdowns. Mason McCloy had an interception, and Brodey Oliver recovered a fumble on defense.

“The Cubs had a good first outing,” eighth grade coach David Fairchild said.

By Sam Waller

Seven Albany athletes opened the cross country season Sept. 1 by competing at the Haskell Cross Country Meet.

“This first meet gave the kids a chance to see where they are and where they need to be as far as conditioning and pace,” Albany coach Tate Thompson said. “It also shows how important the workouts are – how important it is for them to push themselves in practice so that they are able to perform in meets.”

Because of a malfunction with the timing system, official times were unavailable. Reported times were kept by the coaches.

By Sam Waller

The team of Walker and Anderson cruised to a six-stroke victory Sunday in the Championship Flight at the annual Albany Labor Day Golf Tournament.

Walker and Anderson posted a two-day score of 120 to finish ahead of Channer and Everett (126) and Barton and Owens (127).

A total of 40 two-person teams competed in the scramble format.

By Sam Waller

The Albany Lions junior varsity football team defeated Dublin 44-6 last Thursday at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium to improve to 2-0 on the season.

Lute Wheeler passed for three touchdowns, and Ashton Bailey scored three times, twice on punt returns. Cason Fairchild caught two scoring passes, and Branson Beal also had a receiving touchdown.

Fairchild, Bryson Herr­ing, and Tyler Chapman had interceptions.

By Sam Waller

Albany’s junior high volleyball teams opened their seasons Aug. 31 by sweeping their respective matches at Woodson.

The seventh grade Lady Cubs got things started with a 25-13, 25-17 victory.

Amber Miramontes was high server with 18 points, followed by Charlee Hefner with five, Zayne Lefevre and Tatum Grady with three apiece, and Ashlyn Miller with two.

“The girls played well and are figuring out their positions,” seventh grade coach Ginger Norton said.

In the eighth grade match, Albany won 25-12, 25-18.

By Sam Waller

The Albany Lady Lions had their way against a pair of Class 1A opponents last week in District 2-6A volleyball action last week, sweeping both matches in three sets.

On Aug. 31, Albany defeated Woodson on the road, winning 25-6, 25-8, 25-10. 

On Saturday at home, the Lady Lions dispatched Abilene Texas Leadership Charter Academy (TLC) 25-3, 25-4, 25-5.

By Sam Waller

After an unexpected delay, the Albany Lions finally got to kick off their football season last Friday.

While there were some rough spots and miscues along the way, the Lions got things straightened out well enough to take a 48-21 victory over the Dublin Lions at Dublin’s Bob and Norma Cervetto Field.

Albany (1-0) scored on five consecutive possessions in the second half to take control after struggling through a scoreless first quarter.