By Sam Waller
Eight Albany graduates took to courts and fields for the last time as high schoolers last week during the 2023 Big Country FCA All-Star Festival.
Local participation started Friday, June 9, with the 10th annual FCA All-Star softball and baseball games at San Angelo. On Saturday, June 10, basketball games were played in Brownwood while volleyball and football games were held in Abilene with Albany cheerleaders providing support.
Softball
By Sam Waller
Albany’s Parker Henry exceeded his expectations in his first time competing in the USS Strongman National Championships, placing ninth among 24 competitors in the Open Men’s Middleweight class (198 pounds or less).
Henry finished with a total of 65.5 points despite “zeroing out” in one of five events in the meet, held Saturday, June 3, at Hyatt Regency Dallas.
By Sam Waller
The Albany Athletic Booster Club is selling raffle tickets for a custom autographed football commemorating Albany’s 2022 Class 2A Division II state championship.
The raffle is to raise money for the project to place monuments celebrating the school’s three state football titles at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium.
Tickets are $20 each or five for $100. To purchase tickets, visit the Booster Club’s website (www.albanyathleticboosterclub.com) and click on the link under Featured
Items.
By Sam Waller
Two Albany Little League teams competed in a Machine Pitch tournament last week with two more beginning postseason play this week.
Albany hosted a four-team, double-elimination bracket in the Machine Pitch tournament with opponents from Breckenridge and Cisco.
“Cisco advanced to Abilene and got beat by Wylie,” Albany Little League organizer Paul Hamilton said. “We had two teams in it, and our 7-year-olds actually beat our 8-year olds, then got beat by Cisco and Breckenridge. It was a good tournament.”
By Sam Waller
The field is filling up for the Albany Golf Club’s Father’s Day Tournament.
Tournament director Shawn Sutton said five openings, all in the morning flight, remained as of Monday, June 12, but said it may be possible to juggle things to allow one or two more teams into the afternoon flight.
The three-person scramble will be played Saturday-Sunday, June 17-18, at the Albany Golf Course. Entry fee is $300 per team, which includes one mulligan per person each day.
By Sam Waller
Approximately $6,800 was raised to benefit the Albany Softball Association with the Midnight Slow Pitch Softball Tournament held Friday and Saturday, June 9-10 at Webb Park.
The co-ed double-elimination event drew 14 teams with games going all night. Street Dawgs out of Abilene won the championship, defeating Albany’s Balls Deep in the final round.
A planned home run derby was not held, but the event was quite successful, ASA board president Beth Roysdon said.
By Sam Waller
Albany Junior/Senior High’s summer conditioning program for prospective athletes got underway this week with solid participation for both boys and girls.
The program is open to all incoming seventh through 12th graders who plan to participate in interscholastic sports.
“The first couple of days have been good with good turnouts,” Lions head football coach Denney Faith, who oversees the boys workouts, said. “We had 30 the first day and 38 the second, so we’re getting good numbers. We’ve had a good mixture of classes, seventh through 12th.”
By Donnie A. Lucas
A three-person scramble is set for July 22-23 at the Albany Golf Course benefitting renovations by Shackelford County Youth and Livestock Association at the county show barn.
The event is limited to the first 36 teams with paid registration of $125 per person.
Tee times are 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., with a meal on Saturday night included.
A Calcutta will be held after the meal on Saturday.
All proceeds will be used for the current renovations being made at the county show barn.
To enter, contact Reggy Spencer at 325-370-8990.
By Sam Waller
Seven current or former Moran FFA members will receive state and national degrees later this year.
In July, recent graduate Alyssa Allred and returning students Zech Henderson, Cotton Campbell, Allen Hebel, and Ellis Hise will receive their Lone Star Degrees at the state convention in Dallas.
In October, Moran grads Johnnie Hise and Hannah Rogers will receive the American Degree at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. They are the first Moran FFA students to attain that level.
Heifers Purchased
By Sam Waller
Registration remains open for the Albany Volleyball Camp, but space is running out, according to camp director M.J. Reneau.
The camp is scheduled for Monday-Wednesday, June 26-28, for students entering first through ninth grades.
“There are still a couple of spots available, but
I have over 70 campers, almost 80,” Reneau said. “That’s the best turnout I’ve had in the last five years.”
Cost for the camp is $25 per camper. The camp fee includes a camp T-shirt with sizes ranging from youth small to adult extra-large.
