Lions to face Buffaloes in homecoming bout
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lions started District 6-2A Division II play off on a positive note, beating the Miles Bulldogs 49-18 on Friday, Oct. 7.
The Lions (4-2 overall, 1-0 district) make their second district outing at 7:00 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14 when Cross Plains visits Robert Nail Memorial Stadium for homecoming. A victory would all but clinch a playoff berth for Albany, which moved up to No. 8 in this week’s Class 2A Division II rankings.
“A win is always important,” Lion head coach Denney Faith said. “It starts you off on the right foot. Hopefully, we’ll be able to build on it and go for two this week.”
At Miles’ Gary Krejci Memorial Stadium, Albany relied on its running game to amass 506 total yards, scoring on five of their first six possessions. The Lions attempted just five passes while rushing for 477 yards, missing having three 100-yard rushers by a single yard.
Quarterback Cole Chapman was held out again, but Albany saw the return of Coy Lefevre and Branson Beal from injuries, with Lefevre having an immediate impact.
The Lions averaged 9.0 yards per carry, with 15 plays gaining 10 yards or more.
“We have two strong running backs in the backfield, and we really leaned on them,” Faith said. “We challenged our offensive line. Our game plan was to move the ball on the ground, and the offensive line did a good job of blocking.”
Faith said the Lions performed well in all three phases of the game.
“I thought our kicking game was good,” he said. “We pinned them inside the 5 one time on a punt, and Zane Waggoner was able to get several touchbacks on kickoff. The coverage teams were good, and London Fuentes was 7 for 7 on extra points.”
Lefevre scored on his first carry in more than a month and finished with 167 yards on 12 carries with four total touchdowns.
“It was awesome,” Lefevre said of playing for the first time since the Dublin game on Sept. 2. “I missed it like crazy. Sitting out was the worst thing I’ve had to do.”
Lefevre has been through the situation before, missing the first five games and six total in 2021.
“It doesn’t ever get any easier sitting on the sidelines,” he said. “It feels the same every time, and it’s not a place you want to be.”
Adam Hill added 143 yards and two scores on 14 carries, while Samuel Rosas carried 11 times for 99 yards and a TD.
Waggoner, who helped man the offensive line and also blocked the extra point after Miles’ first touchdown in addition to his kicking duties, said teamwork was the key up front.
“We were able to work as a team and control the front,” he said. “The line is the backbone of the team. Working together is the main goal, and we accomplished that.”
Defensively, Albany allowed 306 total yards, two-thirds of which came on four plays. Miles quarterback Hayven Book completed 11 of 24 passes for 169 yards and two scores, but the Bulldogs punted on six of 11 possessions.
Koy Cauble led the Lions with six total tackles, while Rosas, Jayden Lucas, Hill, and Tye Edgar were each in on four stops. Hill forced and recovered a fumble, the game’s only turnover, while Lucas recorded a sack, and Rosas had three pass breakups.
“We’ve been playing good defense all year long,” Faith said. “Miles hit some big plays during the game and was able to capitalize on them. But other than those plays, our defense played really well – several tackles for loss, a sack, a turnover, forced six punts – against a team that’s pretty good offensively.”
Lucas’s sack on the game’s opening possession forced Miles to punt from its own 10-yard line. Lefevre returned the kick 18 yards to the Miles 20, setting up his first score on a 14-yard run two plays later.
“I don’t think I really got touched because our O-line was blocking so well,” Lefevre said. “You could have driven a truck through there. I was proud of them.”
Lefevre took a pass from London Fuentes 14 yards to score on Albany’s next drive. It was the only completion for Fuentes, who finished 1 of 4 passing and rushed for 30 yards in his second start at quarterback.
Lefevre added a 30-yard TD run on the second play of the second quarter to put Albany ahead 21-0. Lefevre’s second 14-yard TD run and Hill’s 21-yard score gave the Lions a 35-12 halftime lead.
Hill’s second TD on a 5-yard run capped the opening drive of the second half before the backups took over. Rosas added the exclamation point with a 54-yard run with 5:05 to go in the game.
Facing Cross Plains
The Lions resume one of their longest current rivalries in Cross Plains.
“Cross Plains is always going to play us tough,” Faith said. “We’ve been playing them for 14 or 15 years straight now, being in the district with them. We pride ourselves on playing well at homecoming, and I think we will this week, too, but they’re going to challenge us.”
The Buffaloes (5-1, 0-1) opened district with a 28-6 loss to Roscoe last week after starting the season 5-0.
Cross Plains quarterback Kade Purvis has completed 61 of 96 passes for 693 yards and nine touchdowns, while running back Noah Moses has rushed for 688 yards and nine TDs.
