Lions continue to hone skills prior to state tourney
By Nolan Davis
Albany’s 7on7 team members continue to compete and hone their skills as they prepare for the state tournament in College Station on June 27 and 28.
The local team recently competed in a qualifying tournament in Abilene on June 14. While the team had already qualified for the state tournament thanks to their efforts in a previous qualifying tournament, the Abilene tournament was a chance to practice and improve their play, according to their coaches.
The team was divided up into two separate teams for the tournament – a varsity and a JV.
Former high school football standouts Adam Faith and Cameron Dacus stepped in to coach the JV squad, who went 0-3 in losses to Electra, Winters, and Merkel’s varsity teams.
Faith was happy with what the players showed even in losses.
“The JV guys played well and got better as the day went along,” said Faith. “Even though they were playing against varsity teams, they competed well and did a good job of representing Albany.”
The varsity team, coached by Anthony Cedar and Spencer Newsom, went 1-1-1 during the all-day event. The team started the tournament with a victory over Coleman, winning by two scores.
The team then squared off against Dublin, who had knocked Albany out of the state tournament in the previous year. The team ended up tying with Dublin, and they were not allowed to finish the game as both teams had already qualified for the state tournament.
The team’s final opponent of the tournament was Gunther, who narrowly beat Albany to end the day.
The team has also been competing in exhibition games in Abilene, with their final set of games on Monday, June 17.
Albany played two games Monday, beating Haskell 49-6 and Merkel 49-0.
The players and coaches are optimistic about their chances in the state tournament.
“I think that we have a great chance to succeed in the state tournament,” said Newsom. “We play tough, and we’re solid on both sides of the ball.”
Teams from across Texas ranging from class 1A to 6A are eligible to qualify for the 7on7 state tournament. Teams that qualify are divided up into divisions based on their classifications. Teams may bring up to 20 players to the tournament.
