Lion turnovers give edge to Comanche
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lions couldn’t make a fast start hold up as they concluded nondistrict play Friday, Sept. 23 with a 31-28 loss to the Comanche Indians at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium.
The Lions (3-2) have their open date this week before opening District 6-2A Division II play Friday, Oct. 7 at Miles.
Albany dropped to No. 9 in the Class 2A Division II state rankings with its second consecutive loss, the first back-to-back losses for the Lions since 2019.
Against Comanche, Albany jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first 3½ minutes before the Indians rallied, scoring 31 of the next 38 points. All five Comanche scores came after Albany turnovers.
“We played a really tough football game, and I thought we played well, but some turnovers hurts us offensively,” Lions head coach Denney Faith said. “We outgained them by 70 yards, but in the end they wore us down. I was really proud of the way our kids fought the whole game.”
Adam Hill rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns, while London Fuentes passed for 172 yards and two scores in his first start at quarterback. Cason Fairchild caught eight passes for 146 yards and a TD.
Koy Cauble was in on 12 total tackles to lead the defense, while Wyatt Windham had eight tackles and an interception. Hill and Jayden Lucas were each in on seven tackles with Lucas and Lanxton Viertel recovering fumbles.
Fuentes became the third starting quarterback for the Lions in three weeks as Cole Chapman missed his second game with an injury.
Running back-linebacker Coy Lefevre and receiver Branson Beal were also again sidelined by injury. Faith said there is no timeline for their return.
“The injuries really hurt, but we threw in London and he did an amazing job,” said senior Keatin Russell, who had five tackles. “When Cole comes back, he’ll do good. We’ll heal up this week, and we’ll be fine.”
Faith said Albany is in the position it needs to be heading into district.
“We’ve had five hard-fought football games, but I think they’ve gotten us ready for district play and beyond,” he said. “Because of the injuries, some of our other kids have gotten a lot of experience. Later on, if we have other injuries, we know we’ve got guys who can step up and make plays.”
Senior Samuel Rosas, who rushed for 35 yards and made four tackles, said keeping the proper frame of mind despite the issues the team faces is important for the Lions.
“We have to get back to work,” he said. “We’ve got to get healthy and be ready for district.”
The Lions outgained Comanche 362 total yards to 291, but the Indians overcame early struggles to take a 10-point lead late in the game. Sawyer Wilkerson rushed for 181 yards and two scores. Cayden Davis took over at quarterback in the second quarter and added 107 yards and a score. Miguel Martinez intercepted three passes, returning one for a score.
Albany did exactly what it needed to do at the start before Comanche regrouped. After forcing a punt on the game’s opening possession, Hill raced 50 yards to score on the Lions’ first snap. Windham followed with an interception he returned to the Comanche 14-yard line, setting up Hill’s second TD from 5 yards out three plays later.
Comanche responded by driving to the Albany 2 in 10 plays, but the Lions held as Viertel recovered a fumble.
Then things started going sour for Albany. A lost fumble gave Comanche possession at the Lions 33, leading to Wilkerson’s first TD four plays later. Martinez tied it with a 65-yard interception return on Albany’s next series.
The Lions regained the lead with 17 seconds left in the half as Fuentes connected with Windham for a 10-yard score.
Albany lost a fumble to open the second half and the Indians turned that into Carlos Esquivel’s 30-yard field goal, closing to within four points.
Martinez’s second interception not only denied Albany points, but resulted in Davis’ 55-yard scoring run to put the Indians in front 24-21. The third theft led to Wilkerson’s 5-yard score with 2:38 to go, making it 31-21.
The Lions battled back to give themselves a chance. Fairchild took a short pass for a 52-yard gain and scored on a 7-yard reception with 15 seconds left, but Comanche recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.
“That’s why I’ve been proud of these guys all year long,” Faith said of the final drive. “They’re not going to lay down and quit; they’re going to fight.”
Open Date
The Lions’ focus now turns to getting ready for district. Faith said that starts with getting rested this week.
“It’s been a hard five weeks, so we’re going to give the guys a break,” he said. “We’ll practice and work on some things technique-wise, but we’re going to let bodies heal up a little bit. Even kids who aren’t injured are sore and tired. Bodies need to recoup, and we’re going to give them that opportunity.”
Russell said the players are focused on the next five games.
“We played these tough games at the beginning so we’d be ready for district and the playoffs,” he said.
Rosas said the experience will pay off.
“Down the road, these close games will give us an advantage over the other teams we’ll play,” he said.
Faith said the last two weeks have helped the Lions.
“We have some kids who can play multiple positions,” he said. “Even with the lack of bodies, we have some depth now because of that. We feel good about going into district.”
