By Donnie A. Lucas

Although the regular school year ended last week for the summer, some Albany ISD students will be returning for three weeks of summer school starting Monday, June 12.

Summer school classes will be held from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon on Monday through Friday, ending on Friday, June 23. Both campuses will follow the same schedule.

Parents of students who are required to attend should have been notified already, according to school officials. However, anyone who has questions can contact either the elementary or secondary offices for assistance.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Students at Nancy Smith Elementary School participated in the annual track meet held Tuesday, May 23, with results kept in many of the third through sixth grade competitions.

Contests and activities for the younger students, as well as some for the older grades, were “just for fun,” with no places awarded.

Following are the results for third and fourth grades, with those for the fifth and sixth grade students to be printed over the next couple of weeks.

Third Grade

By Sam Waller

After being limited to just one tournament last summer, Albany’s 7-on-7 program will get at least two in this year.

Albany will attend the Texoma tournament Saturday, June 3. The local team, coached by Kevin Hill and Tony Wheeler, is also entered in the Abilene tournament on Friday, June 9.

Both events allow Albany opportunities to qualify for the 7-on-7 State Tournament, scheduled for Thursday-Saturday, June 22-24, at College Station.

By Sam Waller

Albany Junior/Senior High athletes begin preparations for 2023 fall sports as the school’s summer conditioning program gets underway on Monday, June 12.

The program is open to all incoming seventh through 12th graders who plan to participate in interscholastic sports.

Summer workouts are subject to UIL regulations.

Boys sessions will be held Monday through Thursday each week through July 20. Workouts will be from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. each day and include weight lifting, agility drills and conditioning.

By Sam Waller

Several openings are available for the Albany Golf Club’s Father’s Day Tournament.

The three-person scramble will be played Saturday-Sunday, June 17-18 at Albany Golf Course. Entry fee is $300 per team, which includes one mulligan per person each day.

Tee times for the first round are 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Most available spots are in the morning flight with a few openings remaining in the afternoon. Teams will be flighted after the first round.

The field will be capped at 42 teams.

A limited number of rental carts are available.

By Sam Waller

Summer sports camps conducted by Albany coaches continue next week with the Albany Basketball Camp.

The camp is scheduled for Monday-Tuesday, June 5-6 at the Albany High School gym with instruction by Tate Thompson and Ryder Peacock.

Sessions are 9:00-10:15 a.m. for kindergarten through third grade and 10:30-11:45 a.m. for fourth through ninth grades.

Registration fee is $30 per child.

Registration forms should be mailed to Ryder Peacock, 375 Ranch Road 1, Albany, Texas 76430.

By Sam Waller

Three Albany teams advanced to the semifinals of the Texas West District 5 tournament County Bracket before being eliminated.

Four Albany teams hosted games on Tuesday, May 23, but thunderstorms in the area forced two games to be suspended and completed the next night.

In the Majors division, the Oilers were the first local team to be eliminated, losing 5-4 to Clyde 2.

By Sam Waller

Nine recent Shackelford County graduates will put the finishing touches on their high school careers next week by participating in the 2023 Big Country FCA All-Star Festival.

The festival, scheduled for June 4-10, features 350 of the area’s top student-athletes competing in seven sports held in four cities.

By Sam Waller

Depth and quality were two hallmarks of the Albany Lions pitching staff this spring.

An ill-timed injury cut into the depth, and the inability to escape trouble with minimal damage eventually led to the end of Albany’s season.

The Lions (24-5) were eliminated from the Class 2A playoffs, losing 2 out of 3 to fifth-ranked New Home in the regional semifinal series, played Thursday, May 25 and Saturday, May 27. It was the second year in a row the Leopards ousted Albany from the playoffs, following a sweep in the 2022 regional final.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Blood drive dates in Albany are being changed back to Thursdays, according to Lauren Spindler, Marketing and Business Development Manager at Hendrick Regional Blood Center in Abilene, with the next one set a couple of weeks later than originally planned.

The first two dates of the 2023 series were moved to Fridays, but as of June, will go back to Thursdays from 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m.