Lions start #1, push through injuries to end #1
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lions entered the 2022 football season ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 2A Division II.
Despite some bumps along the way, they lived up to that lofty billing with their 41-21 victory over the Mart Panthers on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium.
Four previous trips to the championship game under head coach Denney Faith ended in losses. Faith said the difference between state champ and state runner-up is often minimal.
“It’s just a fumble here or there, a penalty here or there,” Faith said. “Four other times we were really close and just never got it done. This group was able to do it.”
So, what made this team different?
“I think the stars aligned,” Faith said. “Everything was set for us. These guys were able to execute and get it done.”
One of the best things about winning the title, Faith said, was rewarding Albany fans for nearly four decades of unwavering support. In addition to having the bulk of the championship game crowd, announced at 6,504, the community feted the team, coaches, cheerleaders and band with a downtown parade on Sunday, Dec. 18.
“I’m just so glad for our community that wanted this so bad,” he said. “I can’t say enough good things about the kids growing up in a small town and playing football in a town like Albany, Texas, that is passionate about the game, passionate about the kids. It’s just an awesome, awesome feeling.”
Reactions for some may have been a little delayed.
“My first emotion wasn’t as much excitement as I thought it would be; it was more like relief,” junior running back-defensive end Adam Hill said. “I was glad we could finally get Coach Faith’s first state title. The first thing that hit me was like a lot of pressure coming off my chest.”
But it didn’t take long for excitement to set in.
“Once my teammates got over to me, and we got our medals, the excitement started to hit,” Hill said.
The season saw Albany endure a rash of injuries to key players, which contributed to the Lions suffering back-to-back losses, to Hawley and Comanche, for the first time since 2019. Quarterback Cole Chapman and running back-linebacker Coy Lefevre each missed four games, with both sitting out the two losses. Running back Branson Beal also missed four games, while lineman Zane Waggoner missed two, including the state quarterfinals.
The setbacks dropped Albany to No. 9 in the state rankings. The Lions climbed back to No.6 by the end of the regular season.
In sweeping to the District 6-2A Division II title, Albany asserted a level of dominance it maintained through the championship game. The Lions built leads of at least 21-0 in all five district games as well as the bi-district playoff against Eldorado.
As the postseason progressed, the level of competition increased, but Albany maintained its front-running ways. After losing to Comanche in its final nondistrict game, Albany trailed for a total of 1 minute, 55 seconds the rest of the season.
That came in the area round against Muenster with Albany reeling off seven unanswered touchdowns to turn a 10-7 deficit late in the first half into a 56-10 victory.
The final four rounds saw Albany dispatch No. 4 Wink, No. 6 Collinsville, unranked New Home, and No. 1 Mart by an average margin of 24.5 points. Only Wink stayed within 20 points of the Lions, and only Mart managed to pull even after Albany scored first.
Faith said the key was being able to force those four opponents, who boasted a combined record of 52-2 entering their meetings with the Lions, to play from behind.
“We had to make them uncomfortable,” he said. “When you can make a team uncomfortable, then they’re more prone to making mistakes. That just goes back to our defensive coaches putting together a great plan and teaching our kids how to execute it.”
The level of difficulty was exacerbated by Albany playing its last four games on a short week, going from playing Wink on Saturday, Nov. 26, to facing Collinsville on Friday, Dec. 2, then New Home on Thursday, Dec. 8, before the Wednesday final. Faith said being able to hold up physically through that stretch despite the accumulation of more bumps, bruises, sprains, and strains was a testament to the players’ determination to finish the job.
“There’s no way any of them were going to sit out, especially those last three games,” he said. “We had kids who were really banged up. We had some injuries that, during a regular-season game, we probably wouldn’t have played them, but when you get that far in the playoffs, everybody was going to give everything they had.”
