money Albany football team unfazed by No. 1 state preseason ranking
ALBANY – The Albany Lions have a lot to live up, especially after Texas Football magazine picked them No. 1 in its Class 2A Division II preseason poll.
Some coaches would cringe seeing that in print, knowing it can be a two-edged sword. There’s a lot of pressure that comes being the team to beat in Class 2A Division II. That ranking sometimes can lead players to slack off, thinking they’re already arrived.
Denney Faith, who begins his 41st year with the Lions’ program - his 36th as the team’s head coach - doesn’t mind being the preseason favorite.
“All these guys are mature enough to know that really doesn’t mean anything right now,” Faith said. “If we’re still No. 1 and it’s December, then it may mean something. Right now, it’s something for the fans to read.”
Faith, who has 330 career wins, would like nothing more than to end the year with the Lions’ third state title.
It doesn’t take a preseason ranking or any kind words by any publication to set the bar high for the Lions – that comes with the uniform.
“We always think we’re No. 1 every year anyway,” Faith, 62, said. “Our goal when we start is win a state championship. It doesn’t matter if they have us ranked No. 1 or not. Our goal is to play that last game (in the state championship) anyway.”
Coy Lafevre, a senior running back and linebacker, echoed those sentiments.
“It’s normal for us to have that target on our back,” Lafevre said. “Everybody is either wanting revenge for what we’ve done to them in past year, or they just want to say they’ve beaten Albany.”
The road to the state title game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington began Monday at the Lions began fall practice.
“It’s always exciting,” Faith said. “It’s always fun to get out here for the first day of two-a-days. The kids are excited. The coaches are excited. It’s hot. The practice had a lot of energy. We’re excited just to get another season started.”
There’s a lot of familiarity for Faith and the Lions. Everyone on his staff has been with the program for at least 20 years.
“A lot of continuity,” Faith said. “Everybody knows what to expect. Expectations are high and always are.”
Lions must fill some holes
Albany returns 12 players, including six starters on both sides of the ball, from a 13-1 state semifinalist team. Stratford, which beat the Lions 35-14, won the state title.
“We’ve got to find some people,” Faith said. “We lost a good group of seniors, and there’s some positions we’re looking for. There’s a great core coming back. We feel like we’ve got a good senior class that’s going to be good leaders for us. But there’s a few positions that are wide open, and the way the first practice went, I think the kids are going to be fighting for them, too. That’s encouraging.”
The Lions scrimmage Coleman, the No. 9 team in Texas Football’s Class 2A Division preseason poll, on Aug. 12 and rising power Early the following week – all in Albany. Albany plays Lubbock Trinity, Dublin, Seymour, Hawley and Comanche in non-district.
Hawley was a Class 2A Division I state finalist last year.
“Our scrimmages and all five pre-district games are going to be very challenging for us,” Faith said.
Albany has seven state title game appearances, the last in 2016. The Lions won their last title in 1992. If the Lions are going to get back, they’ll have to earn it on the field – not on paper.
“It’s definitely a thing that will get us going at the first of the year, but it’s also just somebody’s opinion,” Lafevre said. “Nothing’s proven yet. Still have a long way to go. We have to go out there and prove we are No. 1.”
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Albany Lions aim to live up to high expectations on football field
