Lions receive state honors

Five Albany Lion football players were selected for the Class 2A all-state team selected by the Texas Sports Writers Association recently.

Seniors Ryan Hill and Cameron Dacus both received first team picks, while fellow senior Payne Hebel was named to the third team. There were also three honorable mentions.

Hill was picked for first team offense as a tight end, while Dacus received a first team defensive back spot. Hill also earned honorable mention as defensive lineman at the defensive end position.

Senior Payne Hebel, who missed a large portion of the regular season due to an injury, was named to a spot on the third team as an offensive guard.

Receiving honorable mention were junior Tyler Beard at offensive guard, senior Cutter Edgar at running back (he also missed several games due to an injury early in the season), and Hill at defensive lineman.

The Lions came back from an 0-5 start in 2018 to sweep the district portion of their schedule and win the district title. Albany advanced to the state semifinal game, losing to Grover for an overall record of 9-6.