Albany Advances To 7-on-7 State Tournament
Albany’s 7-on-7 football team advanced through state qualifying play Friday in Abilene and will compete in the Texas 7-on-7 State Tournament June 25-27 in College Station after a strong all-around performance highlighted by offensive execution and defensive playmaking.
Albany’s roster includes Bennett Neece, Colter Edgar, Rhyland Parsons, Lyle Wheeler, Aiden Vickers, Wesley Gleitz, Cash Edgar, Christian Hernandez, Landrin Archuleta, Blake Britting and Jakobi Roberson.
Coach Cade Fairchild said the team grew quickly after an uneven start and found consistency across pool play.
“Our first game was Roscoe, and we won 20-6,” Fairchild said. “We started off a little slow, then got going and took care of business. The second game against Breckenridge was more of a defensive battle.”
Albany won that one 14-6.
As the games progressed, Fairchild said the offense stabilized behind quarterback play from Lyle Wheeler.
“Lyle was throwing good balls throughout the day,” he said.
Weston Vickers, who helped with the coaching duties along with Dax Neece, agreed that early pool play served as a settling-in period for a lineup adjusting to new roles, including Wheeler at quarterback.
“Lyle threw the ball really, really well,” Vickers said. “He was able to look through his progression and find people, and he did a good job all day.”
Starting bracket play, Albany’s third game was against Wink, but because Wink had already qualified for state, the two teams faced off for only about 10 minutes, Fairchild said.
The local team then closed qualifying play with its tightest contest of the day, a 20-19 win over Merkel that secured advancement to state.
“They controlled most of the game until the last minute,” Fairchild said. “We were down 19-12, then hit Blake on a Hail Mary to get to the 2-yard line. We scored, then decided to go for two and threw it to Blake again for the win.”
Fairchild said defensive pressure helped set the tone throughout the tournament.
“Bennett, Aiden and Blake had some interceptions, and Christian deflected a few balls,” he said. “We were around the ball a lot.”
Weston Vickers said Albany’s receiving corps created matchup problems as the day went on.
“Aiden and Blake can outrun anybody, and then you’ve got inside threats with Jakobi and Wesley,” Vickers said. “It’s hard to run a defense against a team like that.”
Vickers also pointed to Bennett Neece’s leadership on the defensive side.
“Our defensive side of the ball is really good too, led by Bennett,” he said. “He’s easy to listen to and leads really well.”
Albany now turns its attention to the state tournament in College Station, where it will compete for a 7-on-7 championship June 25-27 at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex.
Community members who would like to support the team’s trip to the Texas 7-on-7 State Tournament can make donations through Venmo at Kim-Fuentes8. Contributions will help cover housing, food, drinks and player entry fees during the tournament in College Station.
