By Sam Waller

The Albany Junior High Cubs and Albany Lions JV get their football seasons underway Thursday, Aug. 31 (today) with games at Dublin.

The action starts with the seventh grade at 4:30 p.m., followed by the eighth grade at 6:00 p.m. and JV at 7:30 p.m.

Albany athletic director Ryder Peacock, who is coaching the junior high with Tate Thompson, said he expects the seventh grade to be conducted more as a scrimmage than a full game.

“I’m not sure what the plan is,” Peacock said Monday. “We’ll just play it by ear and see.”

By Sam Waller

The Albany Junior High Lady Cubs split a pair of volleyball matches against Hawley on Monday, Aug. 28, at home as the season entered its second week.

All three teams – Red, White and Silver – will be in action Thursday, Sept. 7 at Bangs in their first road matches. The Silver team will play at 4:30, followed by the White team. The matches will be Thursday because of the Labor Day holiday.

By Sam Waller

The Albany Lady Lions volleyball team closed out tournament play last week by winning the Aspermont tourney for their second title of the season, going 7-0 for the second week in a row.

The Lady Lions (17-3) carried a 14-match win streak into their Tuesday, Aug. 29 match against Abilene Christian. Albany won a hard-fought four-set match 25-27, 25-15, 26-24, 25-17. Details will be reported next week.

By Sam Waller

For the second year in a row, the Albany Lions eked out a narrow season-opening victory over the Lubbock Trinity Christian Lions, rallying from a two-touchdown deficit Friday, Aug. 25 to win 22-21.

Albany (1-0) makes its 2023 home debut Friday, Sept. 1 when it hosts the Dublin Lions at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium.

By Sam Waller

After facing five teams in two scrimmages over the last two weeks, the Moran Bulldogs have the luxury of facing one team at a time as the 2023 season begins.

Moran opens its season at 7:00 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25 when Lohn visits Bulldog Field.

The Bulldogs hosted a four-team scrimmage Saturday, Aug. 19, with Lue-ders-Avoca, Azle Christian, and Temple Holy Trinity.

By Sam Waller

Despite an unexpected coaching change, the Albany cross country program opened its season Saturday, Aug. 19 with five runners competing in Jim Ned’s Warpath Invitational at Tuscola.

The runners’ next meet will be Wednesday, Aug. 30 at Haskell.

By Sam Waller

The Albany Junior High Lady Cubs put three teams on the court Monday, Aug. 21 for their opening matches against Abilene Christian at the Albany gym.

The Lady Cubs return to action Monday, Aug. 28 at Hawley.

High school coach M.J. Reneau said the plan is to continue with three teams whenever possible, but next week against Hawley will have just two matches. All three teams contain a mixture of seventh and eighth grade players.

By Sam Waller

Coming from a small town, Taren Farmer has had his horizons expanded as a walk-on with the Tarle-ton State Texans.

Farmer, a 2022 Albany graduate, spent last year as a redshirt as he learned the ropes of playing football at the FCS level.

“It’s been fun so far,” Farmer said. “I wish I’d been able to play a game, but I was still glad to be a part of it, practicing with the team. It gives me focus.”

By Sam Waller

The Albany Junior High Cubs began football practice Thursday, Aug. 17 with the start of the new school year.

Seventh and eighth grade teams will open the season Aug. 31 at Dublin.

Albany ISD athletic director Ryder Peacock, who will coach the teams with Tate Thompson, said 27 players have come out this year. Both teams got right to work despite Thursday also being the day of the high school program’s scrimmage at Early.

By Sam Waller

The Albany Lady Lions dropped one set in seven matches last week, closing out the second week of competition by winning the championship of the Electra tournament.

The Lady Lions (10-3) began the third week of play Tuesday, Aug. 22, with a match at Bryson, winning 25-18, 25-14, 25-9.

Albany will make its final tournament appearance Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 24-26, at Aspermont.

“We’re getting in lots of games, which is good,” Lady Lions coach M.J. Reneau said. “We need as much court time as possible to get prepared for district.”