Albany to face Roscoe for Homecoming
LIONS
49
CROSS PLAINS
0 The Albany Lions took another step forward in the District 6-2ADivision II football race Friday, Oct. 13 with a 49-0 victory at Cross Plains.
The Lions (7-0 overall, 2-0 district) host Roscoe for homecoming at 7:00 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20 in a matchup of district leaders.
The win at Cross Plains gave Albany back-to-back shutouts in district for the second year in a row. Last season, Albany blanked the Buffaloes and Roscoe as part of a string of three shutouts in four games.
“I thought we played really well,” Lions head coach Denney Faithsaid.“Itwasacleangame, only two penalties.”
It was also the first game for which all varsity players were available. Lineman Lanxton Viertel (shoulder) was the only one limited, playing exclusively on offense.
Adam Hill rushed for 90 yards and three touchdowns, Tyler Chapman ran for 56 yards with two scores, and Chip Chambers was 9 of 14 passing for 143 yards and two TDs. Cason Fairchild gained 70 yards on four receptions, while Calhan Fairchild (2-37) and Branson Beal (2-21) pulled in TD passes.
“The goal every day is to get better,” Chapman said. “We’re trying to become better every week. That way, when we get into the playoffs, it becomes easier.”
And the Lions accomplished that by jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter.
“The goal is to execute every play the way they need to be executed,” Chapman said. “We need to keep playing hard.”
Albany finished with a relatively modest 328 total yards thanks to outstanding field position. The Lions’ average starting point was the Cross Plains 47-yard line with four of 10 possessions starting inside the Buffs 40.
A large part of that was due to Albany’s special teams. Beal returned a punt 43 yards to the CrossPlains6,HuffmanHeatly recovered a muffed kickoff at the 31, and Zane Waggoner blocked a punt to give the Lions the ball at the 17.
“Special teams were big,” Faith said. “Coverage teams were good, and we had the blocked punt, picked up the fumbleonthekickoff,andBranson had the long return. Short fields were also a big part.”
Meanwhile, the Lions defense was all but impenetrable in holding Cross Plains, which took just six snaps in Albany territory after starting all but two possessions inside its own 30, to 110 total yards. Albany forced punts on seven of nine possessions with six coming on three-and-out series.
Wyatt Windham and Chapman each had eight tackles
See Foot ball, pg. 6B
ALBANY OPPONENTS WEEK 8
Lubbock Trinity (6-1) beat FW Lake Country 48-7. Dublin (1-6) lost to Millsap 49-14. Seymour (6-1) beat Electra 44-6. Hawley (5-2) beat Winters 48-12. Comanche (3-4) lost to Jacksboro 30-22. Miles (5-2, 1-1) beat Hamlin 63-8. Cross Plains (2-5, 0-2) lost to Albany 49-0. Roscoe (6-1, 2-0) beat Abilene TLC 57-0 Hamlin (5-2, 1-1) lost to Miles 63-8. Abilene TLC (1-6, 0-2) lost to Roscoe 57-0.
SCORING SUMMARY Albany – Hill takes handoff on 21-yard run for a score. Zane Waggoner’s PAT kick is good. 1st qtr - 5:40 - 7-0 Albany – Chip Chambers passes to Calhan Fairchild for 9-yard scoring play. Waggoner’s kick is good. 1st qtr - 2:45 - 14-0 Albany – Hill takes handoff on 1-yard run for a score. Waggoner kick good. 1st qtr - 0:32 - 21-0 Albany – Hill runs 34 yards for touchdown. Kick by Waggoner good. 2nd qtr - 8:27 - 28-0 Albany –Chapmanrushes7yards for TD. Waggoner kick good - 2nd qtr - 5:50 - 35-0 Albany – Chambers completes 10 yard pass to Branson Beal for score. Waggoner’s kick is good. 3rd qtr - 7:02 - 42-0 Albany – Chambers passes to Chapman for 26-yard scoring play. Waggoner kick good. 3rd qtr - 2:46 - 49-0 to lead the defense. Luke Marshall, Jaxson Hoel, and Waggoner each had five with Waggoner getting the only tackle for loss.
“It sets a really good tone for down the road knowing that we’ve put two goose eggs on the board during district,” Waggoner said. “Coach (Jimmy) Fuentes puts us in the right spot every play, so we just execute.”
After losing the ball on downs at the Cross Plains 32 on their opening possessions, the Lions scored on the next five to lead 35-0 at halftime.
Hill capped a quick four-play drive with a 20yard run with 5:40 left in the first quarter. Beal’s punt return led to Calhan Fairchild’s 9-yard TD reception with 2:45 left in the quarter. Heatly’s recovery set up Hill’s 3-yard score with 32 seconds to go.
Cross Plains picked up its first first down on the final play of the opening period, but lost the ball on downs at the Albany 43. Four plays later, Hill raced 34 yards for his third TD.
Waggoner’s blocked punt resulted in Chapman’s 7-yard scoring run for a 35-0 lead with 5:50 left in the half.
Cross Plains put together its best drive of the night, reaching theAlbany 28 as the half ended.
Hill had just two carries in the second half, but Chambers completed four consecutive passes as Albany moved 81 yards in four plays for Beal’s 10-yard TD catch. Cason Fairchild had a 32-yard reception with Calhan Fairchild catching a pass for 28 yards on the drive.
Followinganotherpunt, the Lions drove 55 yards in four plays. Chapman scored on a 26-yard run with 2:45 left in the third quarter.
With a running clock in the fourth quarter,Albany ran off the last nine-plus minutes with an 11-play march that went from the Lion 25 to the Cross Plains 29. The possession accounted for more than a third of Albany’s 29 rushing attempts.
Facing Roscoe
For the second year in a row, the Lions and Plowboys (6-1, 2-0) meet to determine sole possession of first place in the district standings.
The Plowboys are coming off a 57-0 victory over Abilene TLCA after opening district with a 57-21 win at Cross Plains. Roscoe’s lone loss was 22-15 at No. 3 New Home.
“Roscoe is playing really well right now on both sides of the ball,” Faith said. “We’re going to expect a battle from them. It should be an exciting football game.”
The winner can clinch a playoff spot if Miles beats Abilene TLCA, and HamlinbeatsCrossPlains.
“We know this is a chance to win district right here,” Waggoner said. “We’re going to capitalize on every opportunity to get better and have a great ballgame.”
Quarterback Jace Arnwine (77-125-2–1,088, 13 TDs passing) has been the trigger for Roscoe, which is averaging 35.7 points per game. Ivan McCann (115-608, 4 TDs rushing) is the main ball carrier. Seth Wilcox (28520, 8 TDs receiving) and Parker Gleaton (24-357, 4 TDs) are Arnwine’s main targets.
“They’re pretty balanced throwing and running,” Faith said. “They have a good, big running back, a receiver who’s really fast and can go get it and another receiver who’s a big, strong tight end type theyusealotinthepassing game. Defensively, they play real hard, put a lot of pressure on you, lot of stunts and blitzes.”
