By Melinda L. Lucas

Almost 400 runners were on the Albany Golf Course last week for an FCA-sponsored cross country event that saw five local junior high athletes earn medals by placing in the top 10.

Albany junior high and high school runners participated in the district meet held Wednesday, Oct. 10 in Hawley, but results weren’t available at press time. 

High school students who medaled in Hawley will begin gearing up for the regional competition in Lubbock on Oct. 22, according to coach Tate Thompson.

The JV Lion football team remained perfect for the season with a 6-0 record after handing the visiting Winters Blizzards a 32-0 shutout last Thursday.

The JV has an open date this week since Baird does not have a JV team. Albany’s JV will return to the gridiron on Oct. 18 to host the Roscoe Plowboys in their first district game.

The Lions stopped the Blizzards’ opening drive when Cooper Fairchild recovered a fumble. Brooks Neece ran the ball around the right side for a 15-yard touchdown, followed by a two-point conversion by Robert Bailey.

Weather permitting, the fourth annual Jr. Garcia Memorial Golf Tournament will take place this Saturday, Oct. 13, at the Albany Golf Course, and a few morning tee times are still available.

Proceeds from the tournament, meal, and auctions are used to help support local charities and scholarships for local graduates.

Entry fees are $300 per team for the four-person best ball golf scramble, with tee times at 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. However, all of the afternoon tee times have been claimed.

Albany High students Max Balliew and Riley Green, accompanied by adult boat captain Jerry Green, spent Saturday, Oct. 6 at Lake Granbury where the two anglers fished in the season opening tournament of the West Division of the Texas High School Bass Association.

The Albany team hooked three keepers for a total of 4.89 pounds, to snag 53rd place out of the 226 teams entered.

One of three teams from Glen Rose High School ended the day with five bass in their live well, totalling 17.93 pounds, to reel in the first place scholarship award.

The Lady Cubs dropped all three matches against the visiting Hawley Bearcats on Monday at the local gyms.

The 7A and 8A teams will play in the Graham tournament on Saturday, and two squads will travel to Wylie on Monday, Oct. 15 for games at 5:45 p.m. in two different gyms.

One team will make the trip to Moran on Tuesday, Oct. 16 for a match there at 5:00 p.m.

The season will end on Monday, Oct. 22 with Albany hosting Ranger for two games.

The eighth grade girls lost 18-25, 22-25 to Hawley on Monday.

The junior high Cubs were supposed to open the district race this week against Baird, but the Bear Cubs are not fielding 11-man teams this year.

Albany picked up games on the road against Stamford starting at 4:00 p.m. with the seventh grade. The eighth grade Cubs will follow at about 5:15 p.m.

Junior high games normally precede the JV game, but the JV is off this week.

An enthusiastic but smaller than normal group enjoyed the 15th annual Friends of Fort Griffin Gala Saturday night at the “Flat” on the Collins Creek Ranch.

The Gala, held the second weekend of October each year, is sponsored by Friends of Fort Griffin as a fundraiser. Proceeds are earmarked to restore buildings at Fort Griffin State Historic Site, where the frontier military post was located.

SPOKEN: Ardon B. Judd Jr. Oral History Project opened to the public this Tuesday, and all visitors to the Old Jail Art Center can now view the recorded stories and life histories of several Albany residents anytime the museum is open, according to archivist Molly Sauder. 

Both of the Moran football teams brought home wins from Chillicothe on Friday, Oct. 5. This week the junior high boys will host Three Way on Thursday (tonight) at 5:00 p.m., but as of press time, the varsity did not have a game.

“Three Way does not have enough players to field a team, so they had to forfeit,” said Bulldog coach Harley Ethridge. “We are hoping to pick up a game.”

Varsity Details

The Bulldogs beat the Chillicothe Eagles 54-30.

The Moran Lady Bulldogs split games last week, losing to Ranger on Tuesday, and coming back to defeat Strawn in straight sets.

Ranger Game

Ranger slammed Moran in the first set of the 6:00 p.m. game on Tuesday, Oct. 2. 

The varsity girls recovered and kept it closer the rest of the night, but lost in four sets 4-25, 21-25, 25-19, 22-25.

Victory in Strawn 

The Lady Bulldogs played in Strawn on Saturday, Oct. 6, at 10:00 a.m. and won in three sets, 25-19, 25-11, 25-22, to improve to 3-5 in district play.