Lions start practice in good shape

By Sam Waller

It’s said that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

After a season of dealing with the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Albany Lions began preseason practices Monday under cool, cloudy conditions.

Head coach Denney Faith and his staff welcomed 46 players for the initial practice at the high school practice field.

“We had a really good workout this morning, starting at 8:00 a.m. issuing equipment,” said Faith. “We had 46 kids show up, which was about the number we were expecting and is about average for what we’ve had in the past.”

The Lions return 14 lettermen from 2020’s 10-2 campaign, giving the program a solid foundation with which to work, Faith said.

“We’ve got a good group returning,” he said, “and we have some young ones who are going to step up to the varsity and be able to help us.”

Faith added that the players are evenly distributed across the four high school grades with 11 seniors, 12 juniors, 10 sophomores, and 13 freshmen.

“We’ll have about 22 varsity kids and 24 or so JV kids,” he said. “Right now, that’s how the split’s working. We’ve got a pretty good balance.”

A Look at 2020

Albany won its 12th district title in 13 seasons last year and advanced to the regional round of the Class 2A Division II playoffs. The Lions had one regular-season game cancelled because of ­COVID concerns.

After advancing with a forfeit against Chico in bi-district, the Lions defeated Ralls 56-22 in area before ending the season with an 18-13 loss to Windthorst.

Faith said he was proud of how last year’s team handled the situation with the pandemic.

“There were a lot of adjustments that had to be made,” he said.
“They just stepped in and did what we asked them to do. We had to wear the mask, didn’t wear the mask, then wear the mask.”

There were also 10-day quarantines with several different players.

“Kids had to step in and play different positions, and we had players who had to do other things to make up for the protocols that were going on,” Faith said. “I was really proud of just being able to adjust on the fly last year.”

Looking Forward

The coach added that he was pleased with how the 2021 Lions picked right up when work started on Monday.

“We really caught a break weather-wise,” Faith said, noting that temperatures were in the mid-70s. “I’m hoping it wasn’t the weather that made it look like we were in better shape than we have been in the past.

Faith felt that the players were in decent shape coming in to practice on Monday morning. 

“It looked like a bunch of them had done some work over the summer to get their bodies ready,” he said. “We were excited about that.”

In addition to the team’s physical condition, the coach pointed out that players didn’t require excessive instruction while performing drills.

“With the good nucleus we’ve got coming back, we were able to do some things that you don’t necessarily get to do a lot on the first day,” Faith said. “There was a lot of retention from last year. We’re pretty excited about where we’re at right now.”

Faith, who is entering his 35th season as head coach, attributed part of that to the stability of an established program.

“These seniors have been running the same things offensively and defensively, both sides of the ball, for six years now,” he said. “They pretty well know what to expect.”

The coach said the plan won’t change during two-a-days.

“We have the routine we like to go through during two-a-days,” he said. “They just stepped right in and knew what to do, and they could have had practice without us (coaches), but they need somebody yelling at them. We need to be there for that.”

The Lions were scheduled to have four days of non-contact drills before donning pads on Friday.

“We’ll give them the weekend to rest up after that first day live with some pads,” Faith said. “Then Monday, we’ll start with full-pad workouts.”

2021 Schedule

Albany has scheduled two controlled scrimmages before opening the season Aug. 27 at Colorado City. Start times for both scrimmages are to be determined.

The Lions will visit Dublin Sept. 3 and Hamlin Sept. 10 before hosting their first home game against Haskell on Sept. 17 at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium. They will host again when the Anson Tigers come to Albany on Sept. 24.

Albany will take on Olney for homecoming on Oct. 1 and visit Meridian on Oct. 8 in the District 8-2A Division II opener.

First Test

On Monday afternoon, Faith said that the first test facing the team was its second day of practice.

“We know that some of them are going to come in a little sore,” he said. “This is not an easy game to play. It takes kids with some courage and some fortitude, kids who love the game.” 

Faith said that coaches always look for players who have a love for football.

“Football is not a game for everybody – it takes a special kind of person to enjoy it,” Faith said. “We think that Albany has a lot of those kind of kids, the ones who enjoy playing the game.”

Faith said he’s looking forward to a less hectic season after dealing with COVID-19 issues in 2020.

“Hopefully, it will kind of settle down this year,” he said, “and not be quite as chaotic as last year with all the different things that were going on.”

The coach is especially hopeful that the season will be better for Lion fans.

“You had to buy tickets online for out-of-town games, and you couldn’t just show up at a game and walk in the gate, Faith said. “Hopefully, all that stuff will kind of get back to normal.”

Junior High

The junior high football program will begin practicing once school starts on Aug. 18, Faith said.

“Our junior high players have all gotten a letter this summer,” said the coach. “We’ll need to make sure they have all their paperwork ready to turn in that first day.”

Those who haven’t had a physical will need to make sure they get one before they can practice.

Any student who didn’t get a free physical exam at school last spring must have one conducted on his own time and expense.

Both local clinics will conduct physical exams, but a fee is charged and appointments are required. 

Students should take the required form, which can be obtained at the school or on the school website, with them to the exam.