The Albany Lady Lions fell to Hawley in three sets Saturday, losing 5-25, 16-25, 18-25. With the victory, Hawley clinched the district championship, while Albany secured the number-one seed for small schools heading into postseason play.

Despite the loss, the Lady Lions’ playoff position remains unchanged. Head coach MJ Reneau said the team is locked into first place among the small schools in their district, regardless of this weekend’s results.

The Albany Lions opened district play in dominant fashion Friday night, defeating the Miles Bulldogs 48–0 on the road. The trip—a two-hour bus ride for the Lions—ended with one of the team’s most complete performances of the season, combining a stifling defense with a powerful offensive showing that totaled 529 yards.

The Albany cross country teams competed Wednesday, Oct. 8, at the district meet in Haskell, with strong performances across all levels, highlighted by Chance Stewart’s first place finish that earns him a spot at the regional meet in Arlington on Oct. 20.

The Albany Lady Lions improved to 5-1 in district play Tuesday night with a four-set victory over the Roscoe Lady Plowgirls, winning 25-16, 25-15, 18-25, 25-16. The win keeps the Lady Lions near the top of the district standings with only two matches remaining before postseason play begins.

Thirteen teams competed in the annual PTO/Sam Tidwell Memorial Scholarship Tournament held this past weekend at Albany Golf Club.

The event, which benefits the Albany PTO and the Sam Tidwell Memorial Scholarship, featured two flights of play with competitive scores across the board.

Championship Flight Results

1st – Boyd, Strauss, Waller, 60-59—119

2nd – Benton, Ford, Hill, 58-63—121

3rd – Barrett, Kitchens, Jaco, 63-59—122

The Albany Lady Lions turned in one of their best performances of the season Tuesday night, defeating Colorado City in four sets—25-20, 25-16, 23-25, 25-23—to close out the first half of district competition.

Coach MJ Reneau said the win was one of the team’s most complete games of the year, as every part of their play came together on the court.

“Our serving, passing, hitting—everything came together,” Reneau said. “Even in the set we lost, it wasn’t from a lack of focus or effort. It was just a tough, close game.”

The Albany Lions will begin district play this Friday, October 10, with a road matchup against the Miles Bulldogs. The game marks the start of a five-game district schedule following a pre-district slate that tested the Lions against a range of playoff-caliber opponents.

The Albany Lions came up short against the Anson Tigers on Friday, September 26, falling 22–6 in what Coach Denney Faith described as a hard-fought and emotional game. The loss marks the first time Anson has beaten Albany since 2001, ending a 24-year streak and highlighting the Tigers as a serious contender in Class 2A this season. Anson now sits at 5–0 with a physical, playoff-ready team that made an impression on the Lions’ longtime head coach.

The Albany Lady Lions volleyball team battled through a tough district matchup on Tuesday, Sept. 30, ultimately falling to rival Hawley in three competitive sets: 17-25, 23-25, and 20-25. Despite the loss, Head Coach MJ Reneau praised the team’s performance, especially at the net.

“That was the best blocking game we’ve had this season,” Reneau said, noting that multiple players contributed key blocks that helped generate energy and momentum. However, serving errors continued to cause trouble for the team.

In one of the most emotionally charged games of the season, the Albany Lions came up just short against a much larger Class 3A Coahoma team on Friday night, falling 15–12 in front of a packed homecoming crowd.

“It was a great high school football game,” said Head Coach Denney Faith. “Two good football teams played each other, and I think both teams are better because of it.”