By Melinda L. Lucas
The Lady Lions ended another rocky softball season last week with losses to Anson and district winner Stamford, both of whom are advancing to the playoffs.
The mostly young Albany players finished with 2-7 district record.
Veteran team members Carisa Barrera and Gabby Lopez were recognized during a Senior Night celebration at the last home game on April 8.
By Melinda L. Lucas
The Albany High School tennis team got its final tune-up prior to the district tournament with a partial lineup involved in practice games Monday, April 14 against Abilene High School JV players.
The local athletes will report next Monday and Tuesday, April 21-22 for the district tournament at Abilene’s Rose Park Tennis Center.
Coach M.J. Reneau said scores were not recorded at Monday’s matches, nor at the Vernon quad meet on April 8.
By David H. Waller
We have a winner. After weeks of games and hours of pretending to understand college basketball, The Albany News Bracket Challenge has officially crowned a champion: Shelby Coffee.
Shelby came out swinging with a strong bracket—boldly picking three of the four No. 1 seeds to reach the Final Four. A true visionary. Of course, it just so happens that this was the first time since 2008 that all four No. 1 seeds actually did make it to the Final Four, but we’re not here to nitpick. Luck? Strategy?
By David H. Waller
The Albany Lions and Lady Lions battled through tough fields at last week’s district track meet in Cisco, with a strong amount of athletes advancing to the area meet set for this Thursday (today) in Graham.
Lady Lions head coach Lauren Peacock said her small but determined group showed up strong. “I took three girls over there that competed at the varsity division, and all three of them made finals in all of their events,” Peacock said. “Two of them advanced to area. So overall, it was a really good day for them.”
By Melinda L. Lucas
For the second week in a row, the Lions split district outings, losing a close 8-9 game against Hawley on April 1, then outscoring Haskell 14-4 in a make-up game on Monday, April 7 to start the second half of district action.
As of press time on Tuesday, Albany was 5-4-3 overall, 3-3 in district.
Albany hosted Anson on Tuesday, with those results to be published next week. The Lions will be on the road Friday, April 11, with a 7:00 p.m. start time in Stamford.
By Melinda L. Lucas
Cold and rainy weather on Friday delayed Albany’s softball action against Haskell until Monday night and forced back-to-back district games with an outing against Anson on Tuesday, April 8.
Losses to Hawley on April 1 and to Haskell puts the Lady Lions’ district record at 2-5 prior to Tuesday’s game. They are in fifth place among the six district teams.
By Melinda L. Lucas
Mimi Ivy and Cade Fairchild topped the chart as mixed doubles champions last week at the Sharon Wartes Abilene High Tournament, defeating several “big school” JVs and “small school” varsity teams.
“Mimi and Cade obviously played very well again, and I’m also super proud of our consolation winners,” Reneau said. “They got a tough first draw but battled back to get the consolation trophy.”
By Melinda L. Lucas
Two Moran High School students will move on to regional UIL academic competition after placing in the top three at the district UIL competition last week in Eula.
Ellis Hise placed first in ready writing out of 12 contestants. He also competed in mathematics.
Ezekiel Henson was second in social studies and was entered in spelling as well.
The two MHS students will travel to San Angelo for the regional contest April 25-26.
Upcoming Events
By David H. Waller
Albany’s high school track teams closed out their home meet with a solid showing on March 27, at the Albany High School track. Both the Lions and Lady Lions used the meet as a final tune-up before heading into this week’s district competition.
The District 10-2A Meet was held Wednesday, April 2, in Cisco. Results from the district meet will appear in next week’s edition of The Albany News.
By David H. Waller
The Albany golf team entered district play with momentum after winning the Haskell Tournament on March 25. The tournament featured several district opponents, including Hawley and Haskell, giving Albany a chance to measure its progress before the postseason.
The Albany 1 team placed first overall, while Albany 2 finished fourth. Head coach Tate Thompson said the win helped set the tone for the following week.
