Albany to face Ralls today in area playoff
By Donnie A. Lucas
After a three-week break, the Albany Lion football team will finally see action Thursday (today) in the Class 2A-Div 1 area playoff against the Ralls Jackrabbits at Snyder.
The second-round playoff bout will kick off at 7:00 p.m.with the Lions serving as the home team.
Tickets are selling for $6 for adults and $4 for students and must be purchased online by accessing a link on the Albany ISD website. A small processing fee will be added to each ticket sold.
The Lions (9-1) advanced to the second round automatically after Chico forfeited the bi-district game, which was scheduled last Thursday, due to the number of COVID-19 cases in their school.
Ralls (8-3, 3-1) defeated Seymour 54-13 last Saturday for the bi-district title to advance. The Jackrabbits are the second place team behind Hamlin from District 5-2A Div. 1.
The Lions were undefeated (5-0) in their quest for the District 8-2A championship.
“Ralls has a power running game, and they have a couple of good running backs,” head football coach Denney Faith said. “They don’t throw much, but when they do, they’re good at it because it’s unexpected.”
The coach said the Ralls defense is not big, but they are athletic and quick flying to the ball.
“Our defense is going to have to stay disciplined this week,” Faith said. “Ralls uses a lot of misdirection, so we are going to have to stay home and take care of our responsibilities.”
For the Lions’ offense to be successful, the coach said they must eliminate penalties and score when the opportunity is there.
“Ralls uses the clock well,” he said. “They don’t play fast, but they limit their opponent’s opportunities to score.”
The coach said that the Lions may come out a little slow this week, since they haven’t had a game in three weeks due to an open date and the forfeit by Chico.
“Three weeks is a long time to go without playing a game,” Faith said. “The challenge early in the game is going to be getting back to game speed. It may takes us a little while to get back to where we were.”
The coach added that the players are anxious to get back on the field.
“We have to play with a sense of urgency now, because each game could be our last,” he said.
Faith reported that Devon Henson may be back in the lineup this week, but Rylan Roberson and Robert Bailey are still healing from injuries.
The winner of the area game will advance next week to play the winner of the Windthorst vs. Archer City game.
