For three decades, fans entering Robert Nail Memorial Stadium have been greeted by a familiar voice. This fall marked the final season for longtime public announcer John Tate, who retired after 30 years behind the microphone at Albany Lions home games.
The Albany Lions opened their basketball season last week with a dominant road win over Eastland, posting a 73-point performance and setting an early tone for the year. Head coach Ryder Peacock said the defensive effort led the way in the 73–14 victory, noting that the team created turnovers, rebounded well, and turned stops into scoring chances.
“It was our overall defensive effort,” Peacock said. “We really got after it, rebounded well, and created a lot of scoring opportunities.”
The Albany Lions’ season came to an end Friday, November 28, in a 28–7 loss to defending state champion Muenster in the regional semifinal round in Graham. The matchup continued what has become one of the most familiar postseason pairings in Class 2A Division II.
The Albany Lions were well represented on this year’s all-district football teams, with four players earning superlative awards and nineteen total receiving first and second-team recognition across both sides of the ball.
The Albany Lions battled through a slow first half and a ball-control strategy from Quanah before surging in the second half to earn a 35 to 15 win Friday night in Holliday. The playoff victory sends Albany into a highly anticipated regional matchup against defending state champion Muenster.
The Albany Lions opened the playoffs with a strong showing Thursday night in Graham, powering past Santo 34–18 to secure the Bi-District championship and extend their postseason run.
Albany controlled the pace from the start, stacking up 429 yards of total offense and moving the chains 24 times. The Lions leaned on a balanced attack that kept Santo guessing—154 yards rushing paired with 275 yards through the air.
For the first time in school history, the Albany Lions completed district play without allowing a single point, defeating Hamlin 33-0 on Friday night to claim the outright District 6-2A Division II championship.
For Brian Woodyard, the rush of a wrestling crowd never really goes away. Once the walk-out music hits — in his case, “Blood” by Dropkick Murphys — he says it all comes back like riding a bike. That was the feeling Saturday, Nov. 1, when he stepped through the curtain at the DoubleTree Hilton in Abilene and returned to the ring for the first time in two years.
Woodyard is known in the wrestling world as Conor Murphy, the Pub Rat — an Irish-accented brawler with a catchphrase ready for any challenger: “I’m serving up a pint of beatdown.”
The Albany Lions closed out their home schedule in dominant fashion Friday night, shutting out Roscoe 34-0 for their fourth straight district shutout. The victory moves Albany to 7-2 on the season and keeps the Lions perfect in district play heading into this week’s championship matchup at Hamlin.
The Albany Lady Lions’ season came to a close Thursday night in Clyde, where they fell to Coleman in the bi-district round, 19-25, 27-29, 19-25.
Albany entered the match shorthanded after Ashlyn Miller rolled her ankle in practice Tuesday. Her replacement was then injured early in the opening set, forcing the Lady Lions into a lineup shift from the start.
“It was not our best game, but the girls gave a great effort,” head coach MJ Reneau said. “Not having Ashlyn out there definitely hurt us, and then losing another hitter made it that much harder.”
