Albany senior Tristan Howe was named the 2025 Big Country Blitz Class 2A Division II Defensive MVP after a dominant season in the trenches for the Lions.

Howe anchored Albany’s defense throughout the fall, consistently disrupting opposing offenses and setting the tone up front in what was another deep playoff run for the Lions.

Senior Calhan Fairchild was also recognized by the publication as one of the area’s offensive standouts, earning a spot on the Big Country Blitz offensive stars list.

The Albany Lions closed out the pre-district schedule with a perfect 4-0 showing at the Windthorst Tournament before opening district play with a hard-fought home win over Stamford, continuing a strong start to the 2025-26 season.

Albany defeated Vernon 64-56, Poolville 73-47, Archer City 83-40 and Bellevue 81-39 across the two-day tournament on Dec. 29-30, finishing as co-champions alongside Windthorst and Nocona. Coach Ryder Peacock said the unusual three-way tie was something he had never seen before.

The Albany Lady Lions traveled to Haskell on Tuesday, Jan. 6, for district basketball action.

The girls lost 21-52, with full results to be reported next week.

The Lady Lions secured their first district win of the season last Friday, Jan. 2, defeating Stamford with a strong defensive performance that head coach Ashlyn Bevel said set the tone for the night.

“Defense was what won that game,” Bevel said. “We knew going into it that we had to play tough defense to top off the win and that’s what we did. We held their best player to three points.”

The Albany Lions boys basketball team went 4-0 to win the Lingleville Tournament last week, highlighted by steady scoring and strong defensive pressure throughout the three-day stretch.

Albany opened Thursday with a 62-34 win over Olney, then returned Friday morning for an early start against Bluff Dale, followed by a second game later that day against Coleman. The Lions closed the tournament Saturday with an 86-18 win over Eastland.

Albany Lady Lions varsity and junior varsity teams were active on the court last week, highlighted by a varsity win over Munday.

The Lady Lions lost Tuesday’s game 36-51 at Hawley. Details will be reported next week.

Albany varsity lost to Aspermont 63-23 on Dec. 9 and then beat Munday 55-49 on Friday, Dec. 12.

Welcome to The Albany News College Football Playoff Pick ’Em Challenge! To enter, simply fill out your bracket and submit a photo of it by December 19 at 5:00 p.m. Entries may be emailed to news@thealbanynews.net, texted to (325) 238-6128, or dropped off at The Albany News office. Scoring is simple: every correct pick earns one point, and the contestant with the most points at the end wins. If there’s a tie, the tiebreaker will be the predicted final score of the National Championship game, with the closest prediction taking the prize.

For three decades, fans entering Robert Nail Memorial Stadium have been greeted by a familiar voice. This fall marked the final season for longtime public announcer John Tate, who retired after 30 years behind the microphone at Albany Lions home games.

The Albany Lions opened their basketball season last week with a dominant road win over Eastland, posting a 73-point performance and setting an early tone for the year. Head coach Ryder Peacock said the defensive effort led the way in the 73–14 victory, noting that the team created turnovers, rebounded well, and turned stops into scoring chances.

“It was our overall defensive effort,” Peacock said. “We really got after it, rebounded well, and created a lot of scoring opportunities.”

The Albany Lions’ season came to an end Friday, November 28, in a 28–7 loss to defending state champion Muenster in the regional semifinal round in Graham. The matchup continued what has become one of the most familiar postseason pairings in Class 2A Division II.

The Albany Lions were well represented on this year’s all-district football teams, with four players earning superlative awards and nineteen total receiving first and second-team recognition across both sides of the ball.