By Donnie A. Lucas
The shortened seasons for Albany Little League major teams came to an end this week, with the Raiders winning the league title.
Play continues for both the intermediate league and junior league through July 22.
Likewise, games also ended for the minor league teams last week, along with T-ball and coach pitched games the week before.
Official standings were not kept for the minor league teams and younger.
By Donnie A. Lucas
A record amount of donations was raised by Albany High School baseball parents on Monday during the annual “Long Ball” fundraiser to benefit the program.
The event brought in $17,200 for the baseball program, almost double the previous record and over three times the average $5,000.
“That was by far the best fundraiser we have ever had,” said baseball coach David Fairchild. “I never expected they would raise that much, so now we are figuring out to use the money.”
By Kathy Thomson
A dozen Moran high school and junior high boys and seven or eight girls are participating in summer strength and conditioning practices at MISD.
The athletes have been supervised by Moran athletic director John Hughes and coaches Matthew Hise, Jo Hise, Robert Londerholm, and Phillip Huskey.
“We have had a good group of kids who have spent the time to make themselves better,” said Hughes. “All of their hard work will pay off when two-a-days begin.”
By Donnie A. Lucas
Strength and conditioning workouts will continue on Mondays through Thursdays through the end of July, with the exception of a couple of blackout periods in July.
Athletes entering grades 7-12 in August are continuing to meet for morning strength and conditioning sessions, with afternoon sport specific workouts available on various days according to the sport.
The number of students participating declined slightly over the last week, but the combined total reported this Monday was still over 50 students.
By Donnie A. Lucas
About 80 elementary age students took part this week in what may be the only youth sports camp offered this summer.
The all outdoor camp was divided into two sessions, with about 55 registered in the K-3 group and 25 in the 4-6 grade level.
This was the first time that boys and girls have attended the same camp.
“We were limited in what we could do since we couldn’t use any inside facilities,” coach Ryder Peacock said. “I think we were able to really work with the kids and practice skills that touched on almost every sport.”
By Donnie A. Lucas
Golfers entered in the annual Fathers Day tournament sponsored by the Albany Golf Club were able to get in two days of golf with good weather conditions.
A total of 84 players participated in the annual tourney.
“The tournament went really well,” organizer James Waters said. “We had a few teams cancel, but the numbers were still better than the last couple of years.”
He noted that the weather was windy but cooler than normal, making the event more enjoyable.
By Lynsi Musselman
Moran High School alumna and now Hardin-Simmons University graduate Sydney Ten Cate was recently named the 2019-2020 Academic All-Conference female cross country athlete of the year.
HSU Track and Field representative said Ten Cate is “without a doubt the best cross country athlete the HSU program has ever seen.”
Ten Cate owns the top 11 5k times and the top six 6k times in the history of the HSU women’s cross country program.
By Donnie A. Lucas
Albany coaches reported larger than usual attendance at daily conditioning workouts for high school and junior high aged students that started last week.
The morning sessions for strengthening and conditioning will continue on Mondays through Thursdays through the end of July, with the exception of a couple of blackout periods in July.
The boys will meet for morning strength and conditioning from 7:00 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. on Monday through Thursdays.
By Donnie A. Lucas
Local elementary aged youth have the chance next week to participate in what will probably be the only youth camp held this summer.
Two local coaches are hosting an All-Sports Outdoor Camp for both boys and girls starting Monday, June 22 and continuing through June 24.
The camp will be split between two age groups, with students entering grades K-3 meeting at 9:00 a.m. until 10:20 a.m. each day. Students entering grades 4-9 will meet at 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon.
By Donnie A. Lucas
Over 80 local athletes entering grades 7-12 in the fall showed up for the first day of summer conditioning on Monday at the high school.
This is the first time that student athletes have been allowed back to use the school’s facilities since schools across Texas were closed on March 16 by the Texas Education Agency due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
Strength and conditioning programs were approved to start June 8 as officials slowly begin reopening certain facilities for the first time since spring break.
