Lions start district in Miles after open week
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lions enjoyed an open date last week in advance of the start of district play. Now the games start counting.
The Lions (3-2 overall) enter their District 6-2A Division II opener coming off back-to-back losses against Hawley and Comanche. Albany hits the road to take on the Miles Bulldogs (4-1) at 7:00 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7 at Gary Krejci Memorial Stadium.
Albany head coach Denney Faith said the main goal for last week was to rest and heal after going nearly two months without a break since preseason practice started in August.
“It’s been a tough first seven weeks with two scrimmages and five pretty physical games,” Faith said. “It’s nice to get through the first part of the season, have a break and give everybody a chance to let some of the bruises and bumps heal up a little bit. Some of our injuries got a week along without having to play on a Friday night.”
And injuries have been a key issue for the Lions in the early going. Running back-linebacker Coy Lefevre is expected to play after missing three games.
Faith said quarterback Cole Chapman will not play this week, but could possibly return for the homecoming game against Cross Plains on Oct. 13. Receiver Branson Beal’s return is still undetermined.
Both Chapman and Beal have been sidelined since Albany played Seymour on Sept. 9.
The Lions didn’t have the week off completely, though.
“We spent a lot of time going back to some basic things, some of the things we did during two-a-days, and we tried to stay in condition,” Faith said.
The coach said despite the injury situation, the Lions are in position to be competitive in district.
“We challenged the players the first five games of the season, and I think we’re a better team now than we were when we started,” Faith said. “We’re excited about getting district games started and making them count.”
Midseason Breakdown
Albany has averaged 390.6 total yards and 28.6 points per game. Junior Adam Hill (93-719, 9 TDs rushing; 5-99, 2 TDs receiving) has shouldered most of the offensive load in the absence of Chapman and Lefevre.
Chapman completed 27 of 44 passes for 274 yards with two touchdowns before being injured. Lute Wheeler (6-16-3–106, 1 TD) and London Fuentes (16-25-3–224, 2 TDs) have started at quarterback the last two games.
Fuentes (11-129, 1 TD) still ranks second in receiving despite moving to quarterback. Cason Fairchild (15-191, 1 TD) moved to the top of the list in the Comanche game. Beal (6-85) ranks third despite missing two games, but seven other players have receptions.
Defensively, Albany has allowed 307.2 total yards (176.2 rushing, 131 passing) and 19.8 points per game. The Lions have been especially tough in the red zone, holding opponents scoreless on 10 of 18 trips inside the 20-yard line.
Koy Cauble leads the team with 49 total tackles. Hill is next with 44, including a team-high 22 solo stops, with Jayden Lucas third at 41 total tackles. Hill has eight tackles for loss, and Tye Edgar has four sacks to lead those categories.
Fuentes shares the team lead in both fumble recoveries (with Jayden Lucas) and interceptions (with Wyatt Windham) with two of each. Fairchild joins Windham and Fuentes with at least one fumble recovery and one interception.
Despite losing five turnovers against Comanche, Albany still holds a 15-11 edge in takeaways.
The District
Entering district play, three Albany opponents have winning records. Cross Plains (5-0) is the only unbeaten team, while Miles and Hamlin are both 4-1. Abilene TLC is the only district member without a win.
“It looks like it’s going to be similar to what we thought,” Faith said of the district race. “The teams we thought would play well have played well.”
Facing Miles
The Bulldogs suffered their first loss in Week 5 against Ozona after starting 4-0.
“We open up with a really good opponent who was the 7-on-7 state champion,” Faith said. “They’ve got a good quarterback who can sling it around and a couple of really good receivers. We’re going to have to be prepared.”
Miles edged Albany 13-12 in June at the Abilene State Qualifying Tournament for a trip to the 7-on-7 state tournament. Faith said the summer meeting will have little bearing on Friday’s game.
“They’re going to put some pressure on our secondary and our pass rush,” he said. “We’re going to have to be disciplined in our pass rush because the quarterback can move around pretty good.”
