8th graders finish undefeated
By Sam Waller
The Albany Junior High Cubs split their final separate games last Thursday with the eighth grade winning 30-0 at Santo, while the seventh grade suffered a 38-12 loss at Eastland.
The seventh and eighth grade teams will combine to play their final game of the season at 5:00 p.m. Thursday (today) against Cross Plains at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium as part of a doubleheader with the junior varsity.
Eighth Grade
The eighth grade Cubs struck for big plays on offense and special teams to improve to 8-0 for the season.
Albany scored the only points it would need when Calhan Fairchild’s deep kick on the opening kickoff resulted in a safety.
Shawn Keen scored on runs of 65 and 55 yards as the Cubs increased the lead to 16-0. Lane Helle ran for the conversion following the first touchdown.
Huffman Heatly then returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown with Helle again adding the conversion.
Breylon Billington scored the final TD on a 50-yard run.
“The defense played well, and the offense had some big runs,” coach David Fairchild said.
Seventh Grade
The Cubs stepped up a couple of levels in taking on Class 3A Division II Eastland, which coach Ryder Peacock said was a good learning experience.
“This was a tough game for us on both sides of the ball, but our guys kept battling,” Peacock said. “While the score didn’t go our way, there were some areas where we got better. At the end of the game, we always talk about walking off the field a better team than when the game started, and I felt like we did that.”
Jack Nail accounted for all of Albany’s scoring with an 80-yard kickoff return and a 15-yard run.
“This was the best defense we have had to play against this season,” Peacock said. “The guys really came along and made some adjustments in the second half, and we moved the ball well. We had to open up the playbook as we were playing from behind, but I was proud of the way the guys responded and kept fighting.”
Peacock said the Cubs (5-2) had to make some defensive adjustments as well.
“I thought the guys played much better against Eastland’s scheme in the second half once we did that,” he said.
