Lions dominate Buffaloes in Thursday night matchup
When rain chances threatened to disrupt Friday night football, Albany and Cross Plains coaches decided to move their district game up a day. The matchup kicked off Thursday evening in Cross Plains after a joint decision was made Wednesday morning between Albany head coach Denney Faith and Cross Plains head coach Jared Sanderson.
Because of the schedule change, officials were unavailable for junior high and JV games, but local volunteers stepped in to ensure sub-varsity players didn’t miss out. “We wanted to make sure those kids got their games,” Faith said. “They work hard all week, and it’s important to reward them for that.”
Faith said the quick turnaround didn’t significantly impact varsity preparation. “We were able to get our walk-through in Thursday morning during our class period,” he noted. “Game-day routine didn’t change much from Friday to Thursday.”
When kickoff came, the Lions looked ready. Albany controlled the game on both sides of the ball, piling up 413 yards of total offense while holding the Buffaloes to 138 yards in a 42–0 shutout.
Quarterback Clay Chapman completed 15 of 19 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. He also added 32 rushing yards on nine carries. On the ground, the Lions were led by Shawn Keen, who ran for 99 yards and a 73-yard touchdown, and Breylen Billington, who contributed 60 yards and a score.
Albany’s other rushing touchdowns came from Woods Peterson and Chapman.
In the air, Calhan Fairchild caught four passes for 61 yards, while Jaxson Street added 66 yards, Huffman Heatly with 34 yards, and Hollis Yeates hauled in 21 yards.
Despite the dominant showing, Faith said there’s still room for improvement. “We had nine penalties for 100 yards,” he said. “If we want to make a good run in the playoffs, we’ve got to clean that up.”
Defensively, Albany limited Cross Plains to 86 rushing yards and just 52 passing yards, forcing two interceptions while keeping the Buffaloes out of the end zone. “They run an option-style offense that looks simple but is hard to defend,” Faith said. “You have to stay disciplined, and for the most part, our guys did a good job of that.”
Next up for Albany is a Friday night home game against Roscoe on Halloween night, which will also serve as Senior Night. “Roscoe’s better than their record shows,” Faith said. “They’ve got good running backs and a tough defense. It’s going to be a challenge, but our seniors will be ready. That night always means a lot to them.”
