Jr. high teams split games against Comanche
By Sam Waller
The Albany Junior High Cubs football team split a pair of games against Comanche on Thursday, Sept. 21 at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium.
The seventh grade suffered its first loss, falling 12-6, while the eighth grade rallied for a 28-16 victory.
The junior high teams are off this week as most of the Albany program takes its open date. The Cubs return to action Thursday, Oct. 5 at Miles.
Seventh Grade
A rough start put the seventh grade Cubs in a hole they couldn’t dig out of as Comanche held on for the win.
Albany’s opening possession lost 18 yards and a blocked punt gave the Indians the ball at the Cubs’ 8-yard line. Comanche converted on third-and-goal from the 16 to take the lead.
The Cubs responded by driving inside the Comanche 25 only to lose a fumble on the first play of the second quarter. The teams exchanged punts, and the Indians kept the 6-0 lead at halftime.
Comanche drove the second-half kickoff 55 yards in 11 plays, scoring on third-and-goal from the 4 to extend the lead to 12-0 with five seconds left in the period.
Albany responded with its touchdown, a 14-yard pass from Lyle Wheeler to Blake Britting with 3:35 left in the game. The Cubs moved 56 yards in seven plays, scoring on fourth down.
After forcing a punt, the Cubs took over at their 36 with 2:18 remaining. They crossed midfield, but a penalty left them facing fourth-and-12 from their own 47, and Britting’s halfback pass fell incomplete, allowing Comanche to run out the clock.
Albany finished with 67 total yards while Comanche gained 95. Wheeler was 8 of 12 passing for 63 yards. Slayton Parsons caught three passes for 45 yards and Britting caught four for 12 yards.
Eighth Grade
Jakobi Roberson ran for three touchdowns and Bennett Neece ran for one as the eighth grade Cubs overcame an early deficit.
Roberson, who carried 11 times for 134 yards, raced 70 yards on the first play of the game to give Albany a 6-0 lead.
Comanche responded with a long kickoff return, and a penalty against the Cubs put the ball at the Albany 10-yard line. The Indians scored on third down from the 9 and converted to take an 8-6 lead with 5:55 left in the first quarter.
Both teams lost the ball on downs in plus territory before Albany took the lead for good. Roberson’s 3-yard TD run capped a five-play, 58-yard drive with 2:08 left in the half.
Slayten Kelly’s interception with nine seconds to go kept Albany ahead 12-6 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Cubs stopped Comanche on downs at the Albany 37 and started an eight-play drive to extend the lead. Roberson scored on a 4-yard run, and Aiden Vickers passed to Clay Chapman for the conversion, making the score 20-8 with 6:45 to go in the game.
The Cub defense again held on downs, and the offense needed just four plays to cover 42 yards. Neece scored on an 18-yard run, and Chapman ran for the conversion with 1:52 remaining.
Comanche added the final touchdown and conversion with 15 seconds to go.
Albany finished with 235 total yards while holding Comanche to 124, 54 of which came on the final drive.
Neece accounted for 100 yards from scrimmage, rushing for 72 on seven carries and catching a pass for 28.
Chapman was 3 of 4 passing for 27 yards and rushed for 25. Vickers and Roberson also caught passes.
