Albany digs in to hold off Buffaloes
It was perhaps a tougher game than expected for the Albany Lions when they hosted Cross Plains last Friday, holding on for an 18-10 win to remain undefeated in district play.
But the win locked the Lions into the District 7-2A playoff picture with two more games remaining in the regular season.
Albany will travel to Haskell this week for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff in Indian Stadium.
Haskell is entering the fray with a 1-2 district record, with hopes of hanging on to the possibility of a playoff spot.
“We will be getting their best shot since it is a home game and they are fighting for a playoff position,” head coach Denney Faith said. “Beating us would put them in the playoffs.”
The Indians are coming off of a 48-28 win over Roscoe, having lost earlier in district to Hamlin, 48-7, and Cross Plains, 19-14.
“Haskell always has tough, solid kids,” Faith said. “And they always play well at home, so we are expecting another hard-fought game.”
A win for the Lions this week would likely set up a showdown next Friday, Nov. 9 against Hamlin for the district championship. The Pipers are also 3-0 at this point, facing Cross Plains this week before the regular season finale in Albany.
Lions Win Despite Errors
Albany had three interceptions and lost two fumbles against Cross Plains.
“We shot ourselves in the foot several times with turnovers and penalties,” Faith said. “We should have been able to capitalize on several opportunities that got by us.”
While the coach was happy with 367 yards of offense the team produced, he wasn’t happy with the failure to put more points on the scoreboard.
“We had over 200 more yards of offense than they did, so the score shouldn’t have been as tight as it was,” he said. “We did some good things on offense, but several times when we got into position to score, we let penalties or turnovers keep us out of the end zone.”
Faith praised the defensive effort of the Lions.
“The defense played well, giving up less than 150 yards of offense,” he said. “We are tackling better, and we made some big plays including causing a couple of turnovers – one that we returned for a touchdown.”
Faith said that a second half drive by the Buffaloes kept the Lions off balance.
“They were able to score on us, but we recovered,” he said. “They were driving again on the last series, but we made some big plays including a huge sack to end the game.”
The coach said that overall, he was happy with the win that puts the Lions tied with Hamlin for the lead at 3-0.
“The kids are playing well and getting ready for another tough game this week,” he said.
Scoring Summary
Albany – Ben West completes 10 yard pass to Ryan Hill for touchdown. PAT by Hill blocked. 1st quarter – 8:01. Score 6-0.
Cross Plains – Caleb Hernandez picks up blocked PAT and runs 88 yards for a safety. 1st quarter – 8:01. Score 6-2.
Albany – West completes 24-yard pass to Hill for touchdown. Two-point conversion pass from West to Blaine Kayga no good. 2nd quarter – 3:19. Score 12-2.
Albany – Hill intercepts a Cross Plains pass and returns for touchdown. Two-point conversion run by Cameron Dacus fails. 3rd quarter – 9:04. Score 18-2.
Cross Plains – Hernandez 26-yard pass to Jevon Tillery for touchdown. Two-point pass from Ty Tipton to Corey Proctor is good. 3rd quarter – 6:29. Score 18-10.
