With two weeks of the summer vacation and a couple of summer sports camps already in the past, local youth still have the opportunity to participate in additional camps coming up in both June and July.

The boys all-sports camp and basketball camps drew large numbers of participants over the last two weeks, but students out for the summer still have more camps to look forward to.

Volleyball Camp

The 2019 version of the Albany Volleyball Camp is set for June 10-12, with coach M.J. Vickers Reneau heading up the instruction.

Albany’s 7on7 football team went 1-2 in their first games of the season, as they prepare to enter tournament play. 

The local team played three games at the Lee School Complex in Abilene on Thursday, May 30 to start their season.

Eight players made the trip to Abilene, where they competed against Haskell, Merkel, and Merkel JV.

The team lost to Haskell 35-21, lost to Merkel 14-7, and then beat Merkel JV 49-6.

Albany was shorthanded because many local players are still involved in baseball playoffs.

Beth Roysdon was elected president of the Albany Softball Association at the organization’s annual officer election meeting last Tuesday.

Amy McDaniel will remain vice president.

“Due to a light turnout, elections of other officers were tabled until our next meeting,” McDaniel said.

The Softball Association will meet again at the Shackelford County library at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18.

Two local Little League 10 and under teams worked through the competition in the county bracket of the District 5 tournament last week, with the Albany Reds beating the Albany Indians to advance to the overall district championship against city bracket winner Wylie Hooks on Monday.

The Reds lost to the Hooks in the championship game, 10-5, according to coach Clint Chapman. Wylie was the winner of the city bracket of the tournament against other Wylie and Abilene teams.

Four Albany seniors will be competing in the annual Big Country Fellowship of Christian Athletes All-Star games this weekend.

Cameron Dacus and Cutter Edgar were both selected to play in the FCA All-Star football game. Dacus and Edgar will be playing against each other, since the football teams are not determined by geography.

Dacus will be a member of the Red team, coached by Jeff Cordell of Sonora.

Edgar will play for the Blue team, coached by Ben McGehee of Sweetwater.

An Albany 13 and under travel baseball team won their State Tournament in Euless May 18-19.

The team, made up of local youth with the exception of two players from area towns, won the event after also competing this spring in tournaments at Brownwood and Wichita Falls.

The team goes by the name of the Yard Goats and is coached by Tony Wheeler and Justin Read.

The team was 5-1 at the state event, losing only in their first pool game on Saturday.

The Yard Goats then won five games in a row, including an 11-3 win over Pro Source in the championship game.

By Kathy Thomson

The Moran Bulldogs are looking for a new head coach for the upcoming season.

Harley Ethridge served as the 2018-19 coach, but he recently resigned and has accepted a position in the Oglesby school district.

“If you know of a good coach, please send them our way,” said superintendent Danny Freeman.

Moran plays six-man football in District 6-1A. Last fall they were 5-4, barely missing the playoffs. 

The job is posted on the Region 14 website.

The Lion baseball team battled the Hale Center Owls and the West Texas wind last week to sweep the Region I-2A regional semifinal round in two games.

Albany picked up a 2-0 win in Game 1 last Thursday, returning Saturday to clinch the set with a 5-2 win. Both bouts were played at Hermleigh’s all-weather faciltiy, but that didn’t help either team deal with 30 to 40 mph winds.

“The wind was a huge factor in the series,” coach David Fairchild said. “It was blowing straight in towards home base and really shrunk the field. The outfield had to play up close to the baselines.”

While one sports camp was held this week for local youth, several more are still planned over the summer to help kids stay busy.

Basketball and pole vault camps are set for next week for both boys and girls, with a volleyball camp for girls to follow the week after. Tennis and cheerleading camps are also planned later.

Basketball Camp

A two-day basketball camp for both boys and girls is planned for Monday and Tuesday, June 3-4 at the local gym.

The Lion baseball team picked up a pair of decisive wins over Haskell last Thursday in the regional quarterfinal series held at McMurry University in Abilene, advancing to the fourth round of the Class 2A playoffs.

Albany (19-6) now moves on to play the Hale Center Owls (20-8) in the semifinal series with Game 1 set for Thursday (today) with a 6:00 p.m. game in Hermleigh. The first pitch for the second game is set for 1:00 p.m. Saturday, May 25 in Hermleigh. A third game, if needed, will be played 30 minutes following the end of Game 2.