Lions seal playoff spot with Roscoe shutout
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lions officially clinched a playoff berth and took sole possession of first place in the District 6-2A Division II race last week with a 55-0 victory over the Roscoe Plowboys.
The Lions (6-2 overall, 3-0 district), who moved up a spot to No. 7 in the Class 2A Division II state rankings with the win, can clinch the district’s top playoff seed Friday, Oct. 28 when they visit the Hamlin Pied Pipers. Kickoff is 7:00 p.m. at Piper Stadium.
“We set a goal of winning a district championship and took another step toward that against Roscoe,” Lions head coach Denney Faith said. “That was the main thing we wanted to take care of.”
In addition to securing a playoff berth Friday, Oct. 21 at Roscoe, Albany benefitted from the return of quarterback Cole Chapman, who passed for three touchdowns after missing four games with a knee injury. Chapman was 5 of 11 passing for 105 yards in his first action since Sept. 9 at Seymour.
“It felt good to finally get to contribute to the team,” Chapman said. “I have a good physical therapist and worked hard in therapy. It took a little bit to figure things out on the field, but once I got it, I felt like I was back.”
Faith said getting Chapman on the field is important as Albany has two games left to get ready for the playoffs.
“I know he’s been itching to get back in,” Faith said. “Being able to have that opportunity, I think he came in with his adrenaline really flowing hard. He was throwing about 95 mile-an-hour fastballs there at the start, so it was good to get him in and settled down.”
Adam Hill scored touchdowns three different ways, London Fuentes caught two TD passes and accounted for 13 kicking points, and Coy Lefevre ran for two scores.
Albany finished with 260 total yards, taking advantage of favorable field position to score on eight of 11 possessions. Despite starting two series inside their own 10, the Lions’ average starting point was the Roscoe 41. Just two possessions lasted longer than three plays as Albany took a season-low 37 snaps.
“We’re playing efficiently on offense,” Faith said.
Lefevre rushed for 94 yards on nine carries,while Fuentes had 97 receiving yards on just two catches.
For the second game in a row, Albany did enough to win even without offensive production, making Chapman’s job that much easier. Hill returned a blocked punt on the game’s opening series 13 yards to score, and the Lion defense stopped Roscoe on downs at the Albany 2-yard line later in the first quarter.
“We’ve shown teams we can score from anywhere, whether we have the ball or not,” Hill said. “Anyone on the field can make a play. As long as our defense keeps putting zeroes on the board, we’re going to win.”
The defense gave up a season-low 94 total yards, including minus-4 rushing as a series of errant snaps cost the Plowboys (4-3, 2-1) 45 yards in losses. Roscoe was without quarterback Jax Watts, and Ivan McCann went 8 of 15 for 98 yards in his place.
Albany blocked two punts and forced four turnovers in 13 defensive series.
“It was just good, complimentary football,” Faith said. “Our defense and special teams are playing really well. All phases are clicking, and we need to make sure we keep that going.”
Wyatt Windham led the Lions with 12 total tackles, and Koy Cauble also reached double figures with 10. Hill was in on nine stops, including a sack and three tackles for loss.
Wyatt Beard, Jayden Lucas, Samuel Rosas, Tyler Chapman, and Tye Edgar each recorded six total tackles. Parker Shelton recovered two fumbles, and Laithe Leech one, with Keatin Russell causing two. Rosas intercepted a pass, and Zane Waggoner blocked a punt while averaging 54.5 yards on his two punts.
Beard said Albany’s line play has been a key factor in district.
“We’re pretty good, but we’re never as good we want to be,” he said. “A lot of it’s the mindset and knowing what the plays are. There are very few physical deficiencies.”
After Hill’s return TD to open the game, Rosas intercepted a pass on the next play at the Roscoe 31. Fuentes quarterbacked the first drive, which Hill capped with a 1-yard plunge.
Albany led 14-0 and Fuentes had a 40-yard punt return before Chapman took his first snap in six weeks. A 27-yard run by Lefevre made it 21-0 before Chapman took a second snap.
Most of Roscoe’s yardage came as McCann completed passes for 48 yards to Eli Aguayo and 15 yards to Parker Gleaton, giving the Plowboys a first down at the Albany 6. On fourth down from the 2, McCann was swarmed for no gain.
Albany’s longest possession – eight plays – ended with Hill making a one-handed catch in the back corner of the end zone for a 4-yard score from Cole Chapman. After Lefevre’s 26-yard TD run, another blocked punt was recovered by Lucas at the Roscoe 5. Chapman found Fuentes for a touchdown on the next play for a 42-0 halftime lead.
Chapman and Fuentes connected again to start the second half. A miscommunication on the kickoff pinned Albany at its 7 yard line, but Fuentes got free down the left sideline for a 92-yard score on the second play.
Fuentes wrapped up the scoring with field goals of 24 and 41 yards after missing from 33 yards earlier in the game.
Facing Hamlin
As district opponents again after a two-year hiatus, Albany and Hamlin (5-3, 1-2) face another late-season rivalry that has playoff implications for both teams.
“Hamlin is one of those rivalry games for us,” Faith said. “I think both schools enjoy playing each other. We’ve had some pretty intense games in the past, and I wouldn’t expect this one to be any different, because they’re fighting for a chance to get into the playoffs.”
The Pipers are coming off a 54-19 loss to Cross Plains, but have made significant progress in their second season under coach Chris Evans. After going 0-10 in 2021, Hamlin put together a five-game winning streak earlier this year.
Quarterback Swenson Benavides has accounted for 1,237 yards and 10 touchdowns passing and running. Colten Spalding has rushed for 474 yards and six TDs, while leading receiver Zayiman Montoya (11-183) has three TD catches.
“They’re playing a lot better this year,” Faith said. “Coach Evans is doing a good job with them. They were really young last year, so they have a year of experience under their belt, and I think they’re going to continue to get better.”
