Lions make academic all-state

By Sam Waller

Three Albany Lions football players were honored for their achievements in the classroom with inclusion on the Texas High School Coaches Association’s Academic All-State team.

Cole Chapman earned second team honors, while Coy Lefevre and Keatin Russell received honorable mention.

More than 4,100 students from across Texas achieved the honor.

“I think it says a lot about those guys to be able to excel in the classroom as well as on the field,” Lions head coach Denney Faith said. “With all the time and sacrifice we ask of them in football, to still be able to have that A average in the classroom is a great accomplishment on their part. I think how intelligent your kids are has a lot to do with how good your football team is.”

The THSCA Academic All-State Teams recognize high school athletes who excel in GPA, class rank, and ACT/SAT score. To be nominated for Academic All-State, a student must be an athlete, student trainer or manager in good standing with the team, of good moral character, a senior, and have an overall grade point average of 92 or above for their high school career.

Honorees are divided into Elite Team, First Team, Second Team, and Honorable Mention. To make the Elite Team, an honoree must have near-perfect scores in all categories.

The Academic All-State team included 567 first-team selections, 1,657 second-team selections and 2,350 Honorable Mention selections.

With three selections, Albany led District 6-2A Division II schools. As a group, district members had seven Academic All-State selections. All were players.

The Albany trio also excelled on the field, helping Albany to a 14-2 record and the Class 2A Division II state championship.