By Sam Waller
Sarah Cotter returned to the girls singles final at the Class 2A state tennis tournament this week, dropping just five games in a trio of straight-set victories to claim the gold medal.
Cotter, last year’s state runnerup, was one of three Albany entries at Blossom Tennis Center in San Antonio.
Luke Marshall reached the boys singles semifinals before being forced to withdraw because of an injury, and received the bronze medal during ceremonies on Wednesday.
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lady Lions split their final two District 8-2A softball games last week and start the playoffs this week.
Albany defeated Gorman 7-0 on Tuesday, April 19 on senior night at Webb Park before falling 7-5 on Friday, April 22 at Cisco.
Seniors Ana Balliew, Kam Browning, Ansleigh Garcia, and Sara Smith were recognized during the evening.
“Overall, it was a good week,” coach Jimmy Fuentes said. “We continued to play well.”
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lions and Lady Lions make their bid for a berth at the state track meet this weekend at the Regional II-2A meet at Porcupine Stadium in Springtown.
Albany has 10 boys and six girls qualified in individual events and relays. The teams have qualifiers in 11 boys and seven girls events, totaling 21 entries.
Running prelims will be held Friday, April 29, with finals on Saturday, April 30. Field events will be spread over both days.
By Sam Waller
The Moran Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs track and field teams qualified nine athletes and relay alternates for area competition last week at the District 13-1A meet.
The Moran girls finished fourth in the team standings with 84 points, while the boys placed sixth with eight points.
By Sam Waller
Three members of the Albany tennis program will take their shots at claiming a state championship next week at the Class 2A state tournament.
Girls singles players Sarah Cotter and Sidney Russell and boys singles player Luke Marshall take the court Tuesday-Wednesday, April 26-27 at Blossom Tennis Center in San Antonio. Quarterfinals and semifinals will be played Tuesday with championship matches on Wednesday.
By Sam Waller
Albany junior high tennis players competed in their first event of the season Wednesday, April 20 with a dual match against Winters.
“Everyone’s going to get a game in,” Reneau said on Tuesday. “We’re just trying to get them some practice before they have to compete at their district meet.”
The district tournament will be played Monday, May 2 at Rose Park Tennis Center in Abilene.
“It’s been really busy with regional and state trying to get junior high practices in,” Reneau said.
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lions officially punched their ticket for the baseball playoffs last week with victories over Stamford and Haskell.
On Tuesday, April 12, the Lions defeated Stamford 8-2 at home behind a complete game from pitcher Cole Read. On Friday, Albany won 16-6 in six innings at Haskell.
On Tuesday, April 19, the Lions hosted district-leading Anson, losing 10-4. Details will be reported next week.
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lady Lions softball team moved another step closer to the playoffs Tuesday, April 12 with a 7-2 victory over Eula at Webb Park.
The Lady Lions had the weekend off because of the area track meet.
Albany (10-12-1 overall, 7-1 District 8-2A) closed out its home schedule Tuesday, April 19, by beating Gorman 7-0 on senior night at Webb Park. The Lady Lions’ four seniors – Ana Balliew, Kam Browning, Ansleigh Garcia, and Sara Smith – were honored before the game. Details of the game will be reported next week.
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lions and Lady Lions track and field teams advanced 21 of 24 entries to regional competition Thursday, April 14 at the area meet at Graham’s Newton Field.
The top four finishers in each event at the area meet, which pitted athletes from District 9-2A against Albany’s District 10-2A, qualified for the Region II-2A meet. The regional meet is scheduled for Friday-Saturday, April 29-30, at Porcupine Stadium in Springtown.
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lions golf team is heading to state after finishing second in the boys team standings at the Region II-2A tournament.
The regional tournament was played Monday-Tuesday, April 18-19 at Old Brickyard Golf Course in Ferris.
Albany carded a 36-hole team score of 667, finishing 45 shots back of winner Lindsay in the 16-team field. The Lions were four strokes ahead of third-place Hamilton.
