Albany scores big homecoming victory
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lions enjoyed a happy homecoming Friday, Oct. 14, defeating Cross Plains 56-0 at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium.
The Lions (5-2 overall, 2-0 District 6-2A) visit the Roscoe Plowboys at 7:00 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28 in a showdown for sole possession of first place in the district standings.
Albany got some very good news when quarterback Cole Chapman, who has missed four games, was cleared to practice this week. Lions head coach Denney Faith said Chapman’s availability for Roscoe is to be determined.
“Cole will be evaluated after he practices, and we see how it goes,” Faith said. “We’ll have to keep giving London (Fuentes) reps in practice just in case it doesn’t go well.”
Against Cross Plains (5-2, 0-2), Fuentes passed for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth, Coy Lefevre scored three times, and Adam Hill added two TDs in addition to making several key defensive plays as the Lions recorded their first shutout of the season.
Albany’s defense turned in a dominant effort, allowing a season-low 123 total yards with eight first downs. Cross Plains took just six snaps in Albany territory, five of them on the game’s final possession. The Buffaloes’ deepest penetration was the Albany 24-yard line.
The Lions forced eight punts in 11 possessions. Cross Plains went three-and-out six times, including its first three drives as Albany built a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. Hill and Wyatt Beard each blocked a punt.
The Buffaloes had one turnover and had possession at the end of each half.
Wyatt Windham led the defense with 12 total tackles. Koy Cauble added eight and Hill seven with two sacks. Cason Fairchild had six tackles and an interception he returned for a touchdown, while Jayden Lucas added five tackles.
“Cross Plains did some things that could have hurt us if we hadn’t been prepared,” Faith said. “I thought our kids adjusted well, tackled well, and played well defensively.”
And being prepared was the key to success, Lucas and Fairchild said.
“We prepared all week and were ready for them,” Lucas said. “We came out and played the best we could and held them.”
Fairchild said the work during the week put him in the right place at the right time.
“We knew what to expect because we studied film a lot,” he said. “I saw that coming. The quarterback was staring the receiver down, so I took a chance and went after it.”
Fairchild’s 18-yard interception return in the fourth quarter would have been enough for a win, but the Lion offense took any suspense out of the game by scoring on its first seven possessions. Albany rolled up 474 total yards, averaging 13.2 yards per play. The Lions’ first three drives took a total of six plays.
Fuentes, making his third start at quarterback, was 8 of 11 passing for 182 yards after attempting just four passes a week earlier. He connected with Lefevre for a 53-yard score on Albany’s first snap, adding TD passes of 41 yards to Hill and 1 yard to Tyler Chapman. He also scored on a 29-yard keeper.
“I’m really proud of the way London has come in and played,” Faith said. “He’s done a great job for us at quarterback. He’s quick enough to use his feet when he gets in trouble.”
Lefevre rushed for 127 yards on just six carries, scoring on runs of 83 and 10 yards. Hill added 76 yards on five carries, scoring on a 63-yard run.
The pair also lined up at receiver with success. Hill caught three passes for 89 yards with Lefevre gaining 78 yards on two receptions.
“Cross Plains was playing press coverage, so we ran a little stop-and-go like we did the first play of the game, and London put the ball in there,” Faith said. “Coy made a good catch and a good run to get it into the end zone. Our game plan was if they were going to play man coverage on us, we were going to try to go over the top and do some different things on them, use some motion out of the backfield.”
Lefevre’s 53-yard catch and 83-yard run gave Albany a 14-0 lead barely five minutes into the game. Hill’s TD reception came with 5:01 left in the opening quarter.
The Lions put together a nine-play drive for Fuentes’ rushing touchdown, overcoming third-and-26 on a pass to Lefevre. That was followed by an eight-play drive for Tyler Chapman’s TD reception, which came a play after Windham raced 32 yards with a reverse on second-and-21.
Albany struck quickly again at the end of the half to make it 42-0. Beard’s blocked punt and Lucas’ 5-yard return gave Albany the ball at the Cross Plains 35 with 37 seconds left. Lefevre carried twice, scoring with seven seconds remaining.
Hill’s 63-yard run came on the second play of the third quarter.
Albany failed to score on its last two possessions, missing a 41-yard field goal attempt on one and punting the ball away on the other. Zane Waggoner’s 53-yard punt was downed at the Cross Plains 12, and Fairchild made his interception on the next play.
“Our PAT kicking game was good (Fuentes was 7 of 7), and Zane is placing the kickoffs well.” Faith said. “If you can pin them deep and make them go the entire length of the field, that helps your defense.”
Facing Roscoe
Roscoe (4-2, 2-0) is coming off a 64-12 win over TLC.
“Roscoe always plays well on their home field,” Faith said. “Both teams are undefeated in district, so we’re expecting a hard-fought game. We’ve battled them many times, so we know what kind of effort they’re going to give.”
The Plowboys have relied on the passing of quarterback Jax Watts, who has thrown for 660 yards and seven touchdowns.
“He can sling the ball around to two or three good receivers,” Faith said. “When they need to run the ball, they’re capable of doing that, but they’re going to live and die by the pass.”
