The Lion football team battled the weather and a very physical Hawley Bearcat team last Friday at Wylie’s Bulldog Stadium, suffering their fourth straight loss in what is turning out to be an extremely atypical start to the season.
The injury-plagued Lions fell 32-7 to the Bearcats to go 0-4 for the year thus far, the worst start since the 1956 season when Albany posted a 2-8 record.
The junior varsity Lions remain undefeated after a 46-0 rout over the visiting Hawley Bearcats last Thursday.
The JV will host Roscoe’s JV on Thursday following the junior high games that start at 4:00 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. The JV is expected to begin about 6:30 p.m.
The JV is now 4-0 for the season after the win over Hawley.
Robert Bailey scored three times for the Lions on runs of 2, 76, and 40 yards, plus running in a two-point play.
The junior high Lady Cubs have been busy over the last week, with the 7A team winning their division at a tournament on Saturday in Hawley.
The pace will slow down over the next week, with only one game scheduled next Tuesday, Oct. 2 against Strawn at 4:00 p.m.
Hawley Tournament
The Lady Cubs entered three teams in the Hawley tournament last Saturday.
The 7A girls won their bracket, beating three teams for the title.
After a 30-minute rain-delayed start, the visiting Rotan Yellowhammers flew circles around the Bulldogs, and handed them a 38-7 loss last Friday, Sept. 21.
The Moran varsity football team will face the Strawn JV this Thursday, Sept. 27, at 7:30 p.m. for their last home game before district.
The ’Dogs travel to Chillicothe on Oct. 5, Three Way on Oct. 12, and Gustine on Oct. 19 for 7:30 p.m. non-district games. The Bulldogs will host Blackwell to the district opener on Oct. 26.
The JV Lions remain undefeated after a 28-7 victory last Thursday in Eastland over the JV Mavericks.
The 3-0 Lions will host Hawley on Thursday (today) at about 6:45 p.m. following the two junior high games.
Albany scored on the opening drive in Eastland last week, with Brooks Neece scoring the first of four tallies on a three-yard run. The two-point attempt failed.
Eastland took the lead 7-6 with a touchdown and a PAT in the third period.
Albany answered with a four-yard score by Neece to regain the lead 12-7. The conversion attempt failed.
The Lady Cubs volleyball teams earned a pair of wins at home over Hawley on Monday.
The junior high teams have a busy schedule over the next week, playing in a tournament in Hawley on Saturday and traveling back to Hawley on the Monday.
Albany has entered three teams in the Hawley tournament for Saturday, with games starting at 9:00 a.m. for the local squads.
Three teams will also return to Hawley on Monday starting at 4:30 p.m.
The 7A travel team will also be on the road on Tuesday, Sept. 25 for a 4:00 p.m. match in Woodson.
Game Details
The Lady Bulldogs split games last week, defeating Strawn in three sets on Tuesday, Sept. 11, and then falling in straight sets to Newcastle last Saturday.
The junior high and varsity teams hosted Hawley on Tuesday, Sept. 18, but results were not available at press time.
The varsity team will be in Albany this Saturday, Sept. 22 for a 10:00 a.m. matchup with the Lady Lions.
Both Moran teams travel to Abilene Christian for games starting at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25.
Jr. High Volleyball
Coach Denney Faith and his Albany Lions find themselves in unfamiliar territory with a 0-3 start to the 2018 season.
However, Faith isn’t in panic mode. In fact, despite the losses, he says he feels good about where his team is after playing three powerful 3A opponents.
The Lions will travel to Hawley this week to face the Bearcats, a 2A Div. I team with a 2-1 record that includes wins over Bangs and Roscoe. The team’s lone loss was to Hamlin last week, 32-6.
Kickoff in Hawley is set for 7:30 p.m.
The Lady Lion volleyball squad is off to a slow start in district after suffering a pair of losses last week to drop to 1-2 in league action.
The teams were off earlier this week with a bye, but the varsity will host Moran on Saturday, Sept. 22 in a 10:00 a.m. game.
Albany will be on the road Tuesday, Sept. 25 with a set of games in Woodson. A junior high game will start the action at 4:00 p.m., followed by one JV game at 5:00 p.m. The varsity will take the floor at 6:15 p.m.
Close Loss to Newcastle
The team of Justin Noble, Tyler Driskill, Josh Robinette, and Jeff Wilkerson won the Albany Kiwanis Charity Golf Tournament last Friday with a score of 57 strokes.
The 11th annual John Rose and Jim Law Memorial Tournament was held at the Albany Golf Club on Friday, Sept. 14.
“It was perfect golf weather,” said coordinator Steve Waller. “We had a big crowd and a good lunch! Fifteen teams competed in the tournament for the first, second, and third prizes.”
