By Melinda Lucas

Albany’s 7-on-7 team is on the practice field this week as players get ready for their upcoming trip to the Division III State Tournament, set for June 26-27 in College Station.

Albany punched its ticket at an Abilene state qualifier on June 6 with four straight wins – beating Merkel, Dublin, Miles, and edging Tolar 21-19 in the championship – to earn its sixth trip to the state event since 2015 and the first since 2023.

The Albany 7-on-7 football team earned a trip to the state tournament after going undefeated in four games at a Division III state qualifying tournament held Friday, June 6, in Abilene.

Albany played all of its games at The Fieldhouse, while the other half of the tournament took place at the Shotwell Annex. The Lions opened pool play with a 20–14 win over Merkel, followed by a 35–13 victory over Dublin in the second game. They wrapped up pool play with a 33–20 win over Miles to finish 3–0 and claim the top spot in their bracket.

Three senior athletes from Albany and Moran represented their schools at the 2025 Big Country FCA All-Star Festival held last week in Abilene and Brownwood.

Albany’s Abi Hale competed in the Bev Ball All-Star Volleyball Classic, held Thursday, June 5, at Abilene Christian University’s Moody Coliseum. Her classmate Myleigh Leveridge served as an FCA all-star cheerleader during the volleyball game, both basketball games, and the 26th annual Myrle Greathouse All-Star Football Classic on Saturday, June 7, at Shotwell Stadium.

Albany High School cheerleaders are inviting incoming Pre-K through sixth grade students to participate in their annual Mini Cheer Camp, set for July 28–30 at the AHS gym. Camp will run each morning from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Participants will learn cheers, chants, and basic routines from the Albany High School cheer squad and coaching staff.

The registration fee is $40 and includes a camp T-shirt. Organizers are asking families to register early to ensure each camper receives the correct shirt size. The registration deadline is Sunday, July 21.

By Melinda L. Lucas

A trio of senior athletes – two from Albany and one from Moran – will represent their two schools at the 2025 Big Country FCA All-Star Festival taking place this week in Abilene and Brownwood.

Albany’s Abi Hale is slated to take the court in the Bev Ball All-Star Volleyball Classic, which begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 5, at Moody Coliseum on the Abilene Christian University campus. 

By Melinda L. Lucas

Albany Little League teams closed out district tournament play last week and now look ahead to All-Star season, which begins this week with practices and pool play.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Nine Albany Lions earned all-district recognition following a successful season that saw the team reach the third round of the Class 2A playoffs.

Junior Brody Oliver was named as recipient of one of the district’s superlative awards, highlighting the postseason accolades for the Lions.

Senior Chip Chambers, junior Calhan Fairchild, and freshmen Aiden Vickers and Clay Chapman earned first-team all-district honors.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Two Albany seniors and one from Moran will represent their schools at the 2025 Big Country FCA All-Star Festival, scheduled for June 5-7 in Abilene and Brownwood.

Albany’s Abi Hale will compete in the Bev Ball All-Star Volleyball Classic on Thursday, June 5, at 7 p.m. at Moody Coliseum on the campus of Abilene Christian University. Myleigh Leveridge has been named to the all-star cheer squad and will participate in events held in Abilene throughout the week.

By Melinda L. Lucas

With the 2024-25 school year wrapped up, Albany Junior/Senior High athletes are already turning their attention to the upcoming athletic seasons as summer conditioning begins.

Summer workouts will once again be a key part of off-season development, with coaches encouraging all incoming 7th through 12th grade athletes to participate if they’re in town.

Summer sports camps conducted by Albany coaches continue the next two weeks with basketball and volleyball camps.

The All-Sports Camp was held earlier this week. 

Registration with QR codes and contact information for the remaining two camps is available on Lauren Peacock’s and M.J. Reneau’s Facebook pages.

The Albany Basketball Camp is scheduled for Monday-Tuesday, June 2-3 at the Albany gym. The camp is open to boys and girls who will be entering kindergarten through seventh grade.