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Cubs sweep games at Hawley

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Albany News

By Sam Waller

The Albany Junior High Cubs football teams swept their games Thursday, Sept. 15 at Hawley with the seventh grade winning 28-0 and the eighth grade winning 38-32.

The junior high teams return to the road Thursday, Sept. 22 at Comanche. The seventh grade will kick off at 4:30 p.m. with eighth grade and JV to follow.

Last week’s JV game was cancelled.

Seventh Grade

The seventh grade Cubs recorded their second shutout in a row to improve to 3-0.

“Aiden Vickers, Senio Togia, Graham Ceder, Ace Vickers, Jakobi Word, Bennett Neece, and Clay Chapman all had several nice tackles,” coach David Fairchild said. “Togia had two nice plays at the end of the game to keep Hawley out of the end zone.”

Word rushed for two TDs, with Neece and Chapman each scoring once.

“All three backs ran well,” Fairchild said. “I was proud of Hunter Sutton on his shotgun snaps.”

Word opened the scoring with a 55-yard run and added the second touchdown on a 12-yard run. Chapman ran for the conversion each time to give Albany a 16-0 lead.

Neece crossed the goal line from 3 yards out after a big run by Chapman got the Cubs close. Chapman closed the scoring with a 12-yard run.

Eighth Grade

Wesley Gleitz ran for three touchdowns, including the deciding score in the fourth quarter, and Jack Nail added a pair of TDs as the eighth grade Cubs won a back-and-forth affair.

Albany improved to 2-1, bouncing back from a frustrating loss to Seymour.

“We stress to the guys the importance of making sure that we get better each time we walk off the field, and I felt we did that,” coach Ryder Peacock said.

Albany trailed 26-22 at halftime, but held Hawley to just one touchdown the rest of the way.

“Defensively, we did a good job at times, but we gave up big plays that led to touchdowns,” Peacock said.

Both teams scored five times, but the Cubs were successful on four conversion attempts while stopping Hawley four times. Gleitz ran for each of Albany’s PATs.

Nail struck first with a 50-yard interception return to tie the game at 6-6, then scored on a 50-yard run. Gleitz’s conversion gave Albany a 14-12 lead.

After Hawley regained the lead, Gleitz responded with a 56-yard touchdown run and conversion to put the Cubs ahead 22-20.

Gleitz did all Albany’s scoring in the second half. His 4-yard TD run put the Cubs ahead 30-26, and he added a 7-yard score to give Albany the lead for good.

Peacock said the offense was able to keep pace with a number of big plays.

“Jack and Wesley carried the load this week and did a great job of finishing runs,” Peacock said. “Both guys were right at or over 100 yards rushing for the game. I was proud of the way our offensive line came off the ball and gave the guys a lot of space to work. “