Cinderella season ends at semifinal
The end to what was one of the best comeback seasons ever, the Lion football team was stopped by the Gruver Greyhounds just one step away from a storybook ending of reaching the state championship game last Thursday.
Albany lost the Class 2A Div. 2 semifinal playoff 30-17 despite leading until midway through the third quarter.
Both teams had to fight a constant 30 MPH north wind, but the Lions also had to overcome injuries to a couple of key players.
“It was a tough game against a very good team,” head coach Denney Faith said. “The wind affected the game, but we were able to take advantage of it in the first quarter to help us get the lead.”
With the wind against them in the second and third periods, coupled with the loss of key senior running back Cutter Edgar to a knee injury, the momentum shifted away from the Lions.
“We tend to throw the ball more than they do, so when we went into the wind it really affected our passing game,” Faith said. “Then we lost Cutter just before the half, which really hurt our running game. We had to shift people around on both sides of the ball to try to cover, but we couldn’t keep them off balance as much because we went more to our passing game.”
The coach said that the Lions suffered a second blow when freshman linebacker Brooks Neece went out with a shoulder injury early in the fourth quarter.
“With Brooks and Cutter out, we had to move people into positions they weren’t as familiar with,” the coach said.
The Lions finally got the wind back in their favor in the fourth quarter to score on a pass from quarterback Ben West to Ryan Hill to draw within five points of Gruver with three and a half minutes left in the game.
But the Greyhounds broke loose with a 29-yard scoring run that put the game out of reach with a minute and half remaining.
Faith said that the Lions had a great season.
“It was really a tremendous season, especially after the 0-5 start in pre-district,” he said. “I am very proud of the way the guys responded after being down five straight games to come back to win the district and play five rounds into the playoffs.”
The coach credited the leadership of the five seniors on the team.
“The senior leadership really helped us,” he said. “They didn’t let the team quit during district, and there were some close games. I’m really proud of those five guys.”
The coach also thanked all the fans who followed the team through the regular season and into the playoffs.
Scoring Summary
Albany – Ryan Hill kicks a 27-yard field goal. 1st quarter - 7:35. Score 3-0.
Albany – Pass from Gruver’s Keegan Kelp is intercepted by Hill for an Albany touchdown. Kick by Hill good. 1st quarter - 5:31. Score 10-0.
Gruver – Creed Callaway runs four yards for a score. Two point conversion run by Jalin Conyers is good. 2nd quarter - 4:29. Score 10-8.
Gruver – Connor Haynes passes to Conyers for 38-yard touchdown. Two point conversion run by Matthew Felderhoff is no good. 3rd quarter - 5:59. Score 10-14.
Gruver – Haynes runs for 28 yard score. Two point conversion run by Conyers is good. 4th quarter - 4:24. Score 10-22.
Albany – 27-yard pass from Ben West complete to Hill for score. Kick by Hill is good. 4th quarter - 3:34. Score 17-22.
Gruver – Conyers runs for 29 yard touchdown. Two point conversion by Callawy is good. 4th quarter - 1:46. Score 17-30.
