The annual Labor Day Tournament at Albany Golf Club brought 26 teams to the course on Saturday and Sunday, August 30–31. Play went smoothly on the opening day, but severe weather on Sunday morning forced officials to shorten rounds for two flights before conditions improved for the afternoon groups.

Saturday’s first round featured clear skies and steady play across all flights. After finishing their rounds, players and guests gathered in the clubhouse for a meal and raffle prizes, a long-standing tradition of the event.

Young girls who participated in Albany’s summer cheer camp had the chance to take the field Friday night during halftime of the Lions’ varsity football game against Stamford.

Wearing red and white and led by Albany junior high and high school cheerleaders, the group performed a routine that included cheers, chants, and a dance they learned during the annual camp held earlier this summer. The performance marked the first time the campers were featured during halftime of a varsity game at Faith Field.

The Albany Lions wrapped up their final tune-up last Thursday in Early and now turn their attention to the season opener this Friday night at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium, where they will host rival Stamford.

Head coach Denney Faith said he was pleased with the way his defense performed in the scrimmage, which featured three interceptions, a fumble recovery, and limited the Longhorns to only one significant play.

The Albany Lady Lions had a full schedule this past week, starting with tournament play in Eastland before facing Abilene Christian on Tuesday and now turning their focus to hosting their own tournament at home.

Eastland Tournament

The Lady Lions competed in the Eastland tournament on Aug. 21 and 23, with the JV squad playing on the 22nd. Albany finished first in pool play, defeating Aspermont and Strawn. They then advanced through bracket play with a strong showing before meeting host Eastland.

Parents and supporters of the Albany Athletic Booster Club gathered at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium on Saturday morning to give the front entrance a much-needed facelift ahead of football season.

Albany Golf Club has begun replacing three of its greens after a winter fungus severely damaged the turf. Crews recently tore out the affected areas, and new sod is now being installed, Club President Ronnie Anderson said. “We hope to start playing on them in about four to six weeks,” Anderson said.

Anderson explained the problem developed as the course came out of dormancy in the spring. “Fungus got them this winter,” he said. “And by the time you notice it, the grass where it hit is already dead.” Despite treatments, the three greens were too far gone to recover, he said.

Albany head coach Denney Faith said he was pleased with the effort and physical play his team showed in last Friday’s scrimmage against Coleman, though there are still plenty of areas to sharpen as the season draws closer.

“We were physical,” Faith said. “I thought our conditioning was further along than I expected, and I was pleased with the way we executed without any turnovers.”

The Albany Lady Lions were back on the road Tuesday, Aug. 19, traveling to Eastland for their third match of the season. The night ended in straight-set losses for both varsity and junior varsity, but head coach MJ Reneau said the games were another important step in the team’s growth.

Varsity fell by scores of 13–25, 7–25, 16–25, while the JV girls dropped their match 12–25, 25–20, 10–15.

Season tickets for the Albany Lions 2025 football season are now available through the Albany administration office with all prices being the same as last year.

Adult season tickets are $30 for five games with student packages costing $20. Returning ticket holders have the right to claim the same seats they had last season, but must do so through administrative assistant Lynsi Perry in the Albany ISD administration building. Season tickets cover only varsity home games.

The Albany Lions are closing out their second week of practice and will travel to Coleman tomorrow night for their first scrimmage of the season. Head Coach Denney Faith says the matchup will be an important first step in evaluating the team under game conditions.

Unexpected rain on Tuesday did not slow the Lions down. The team was able to get outside and complete its planned workouts before the weather worsened. “The field was a little muddy, but that’s good for us,” Faith said. “You never know when you’ll have to play on a wet field, so it’s good experience.”