Is this the year for Albany head coach Denney Faith?
Faith has been in charge of the Lions since 1987, but under his watch, Albany is yet to win a state title game in four attempts.
The Lions will get another chance against a Mart team that has grown fairly used to competing in AT&T Stadium on Wednesday at 7:00 in the 2A Division II State Title Game.
Wednesday night will be Mart’s fifth state title game appearance in six years. The Panthers won three titles in a row from 2017-2019 before a shocking 22-21 loss to Windthorst back in 2020.
Meanwhile, Albany is making its first trip since 2015 when it fell to Bremond 35-20.
Here’s what to watch for in the nightcap on Wednesday.
Albany Lions (13-2)
Head Coach: Denney Faith (36th season; 343-110-4)
Distance from AT&T Stadium: 153 miles
2022 Playoff Results
Bi-District: W 49-13 vs. Eldorado
Area: W 56-13 vs. Muenster
Regional Semifinals: W 35-18 vs. Wink
Regional Final: W 66-34 vs. Collinsville
State Semifinal: W 53-25 vs. New Home
Key Players and Storylines
Much of the storylines surrounding Wednesday night’s game will be around Faith and whether he can finally get the state title that has eluded him for so long.
If Albany is going to win this game, it will likely be on the back of its rushing attack.
Coy Lefevre (1,074 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns) and Adam Hill (1,424 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns) are a two-headed monster out of the Albany backfield that Mart will have to contain.
The Lions rushed for 316 yards and six touchdowns on 53 rushing attempts in their win over New Home in the state semifinals.
Faith said the presence of both can help keep defenses off balance.
“Both run behind an offensive line that has been outstanding,” Faith said. “Having two threats in the backfield [means] defenses can’t key on one player.”
Joining them in the backfield is experienced senior quarterback Cole Chapman, who has done a great job of protecting the football this season with 19 touchdowns to just one interception.
When the Lions do go through the air, London Fuentes (502 yards and six touchdowns) and Cason Fairchild (489 yards and four touchdowns) have been the two most popular targets for Chapman along with Lefevre and Hill out of the backfield.
Defensively, Hill (100 tackles and 21.5 TFLs) has been extremely disruptive from his middle linebacker position as well.
Alongside him, Coy Cauble (119 tackles and 8 TFLs) and Jayden Lucas (119 tackles and 12 TFLs) make up a trio of linebackers that will need to make plays against Mart’s explosive and dynamic offense.
Up front, Mart will have to find a way to deal with Tye Edgar (90 tackles and 14.5 TFLs), while on the backend, Wyatt Windham (122 tackles and 5 INTs) leads the Lions secondary along with Fuentes (6 INTs) and Fairchild (6 INTs).
Mart Panthers (15-0)
Head Coach: Kevin Hoffman (8th season: 106-11)
Distance from AT&T Stadium: 108 miles
2022 Playoff Results
Bi-District W 67-14 vs. Linden-Kildare
Area: W 77-7 vs. Cushing
Regional Semifinals: W 58-0 vs. Simms Bowie
Regional Final: W 56-6 vs. Lovelady
Ste Semifinals: W 41-14 vs. Burton
Key Players and Storylines
Mart head coach Kevin Hoffman retired for all of 10 days back in January.
But as he thought about his decision, he decided that he wasn’t quite ready to step away from the profession and his Mart Panthers.
Hoffman announced that he would return for his eighth season as Mart head coach back in late January, and the Panthers haven’t looked back since.
They’ve been dominant as they currently sit with a 15-0 record, outscoring opponents 855-96.
Offensively, the Panthers are led by dual-threat quarterback Jonah Ross (2,423 passing yards, 1,009 rushing yards, and 57 total touchdowns). In addition to the gaudy stats he has put up this year, he has done a good job taking care of the football, with just three interceptions so far this season.
When Ross isn’t making plays, look for the Panthers to turn to running back JD Bell. Bell is coming off a 10-carry, 173-yard performance against Burton where he had rushing touchdowns of 42 and 65 yards.
Meanwhile, out at receiver, Brandon Lundy (879 yards and 18 touchdowns) has led the way for the Panthers. He has big-play ability and had touchdowns of 48 and 64 yards in the state semifinals against Burton.
And while Jonah Ross leads the offense, his twin brother Abram anchors the Panthers’ defense. He leads Mart with 147 tackles from his linebacker position.
Hoffman said both make their opponents feel their presence on the football field.
“Both Jonah and Abram are hard-nosed football players,” Hoffman said. “They are tenacious on the field, whether on offense or defense.”
But Hoffman said despite being twins, Jonah and Abram lead in very different ways for the Panthers.
According to Hoffman, Jonah does an exceptional job of studying opponents and learning their tendencies like the back of his hand. Abram, meanwhile, is a vocal leader for the Panthers who serves as a motivator for his teammates.
Up front, look for the Swaners to try and wreak havoc on the Albany run game. Monte has racked up 110 tackles and 29 TFLs this season, while Keen has 71 tackles, including 11 for loss.
When teams do go through the air, Lundy has proven to be a ballhawk defensively as well, with five interceptions on the year. That ties him for the team lead with Jonah Ross.
Final Thoughts
Mart has a knack for blowing opponents away early, with an average margin of victory of 50 points this year.
Expect the Ross brothers to make plays on both sides of the ball throughout the night.
In order to have a path to victory, Albany will need to find a way to control Mart’s dynamic offense and not let the Panthers jump out to an early and insurmountable lead.
If the Lions can establish their rushing attack and limit Mart’s possessions, it might give the Lions a good shot at the upset victory.
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