By Sam WallerThe Albany Lions took the first step in the Class 2A Division II football playoffs with a 49-13 victory over the Eldorado Eagles on Friday, Nov. 11, at Sweetwater’s Mustang Bowl.

By Sam WallerThe Albany Lady Lions claimed eight spots on the All-District 6-2A volleyball team, including three superlative honors.Albany went 24-9 overall and 7-1 in district to share the championship with Hawley.

By Sam WallerThe Albany Lady Lions opened their basketball season on a successful note, beating Paint Creek 50-6 on Saturday, Nov. 12, at home.The Lady Lions made their first road trip of the season Tuesday, Nov. 15, with a visit to Gordon, losing 59-12. Details will be reported next week.

By Sam WallerSeedings held up as all three division winners of the Albany NFL Flag Football League claimed their respective Super Bowl titles Saturday, Nov. 12 at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium.The Cowboys completed a perfect season in winning the Kindergarten-First Grade division.

By Sam WallerThe Albany Junior High Cubs and Lady Cubs basketball teams opened their seasons Monday, Nov. 14, with games against Abilene Christian.The teams will take on Cisco on Monday, Nov. 21 in their second outings. The girls will play at home with the White team tipping off at 4:00 p.m.

By Melinda L. LucasPhoto packages of flag football players that were ordered last month are now available for pickup at The Albany News, open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.Packages that weren’t paid or couldn’t be charged to an existing account can still be purchased and ordered.

By Sam WallerThe Albany Chest is continuing to accept donations toward its fundraising goal of $47,000 for the 2022 campaign.As of Tuesday, Nov. 15, the drive had raised $15,648, up more than $1,900 from the previous week.The Albany Chest helps meet the needs of two dozen local organizations.

By Donnie A. LucasFour new COVID-19 cases were reported last week, as the number of local cases rose slightly but continues to remain low based on information provided by Albany’s two health clinics.

The News will be printing Santa letters and holiday essays in the Christmas issue to be published on Thursday, Dec. 22.Students at Albany and Moran schools will be writing letters at school, which will be submitted to the News office by their teachers.

By Sam WallerEvery member of the Moran Lady Bulldogs earned a spot on the All-District 14-1A volleyball team.Moran made program history this season, winning the school’s first bi-district championship in volleyball.