Photos by Pat Carrigan / Championship game coverage brought to you by Ja-Mar Roofing & Sheet Metal
Wednesday night was a long time coming for Albany head coach Denney Faith and his football team.
After 36 years as Albany’s head coach, Faith finally won his first state title as the Lions knocked off Mart 41-21 in the 2A Division II State Championship game. It was Albany’s first title since 1961.
“I’m so proud of our kids,” Faith said. “I’m so glad for our community that wanted it so bad. It’s a great great feeling. This 2022 team won it not only for themselves, but they won it for a lot of other guys [before them] that sacrificed to get in this position. I love every one of those guys that have played for us in the past.”
Albany senior quarterback Cole Chapman, who finished 129 yards rushing and 93 yards passing, has been playing football under Coach Faith’s watch since seventh grade. His dad Clint was the quarterback for Albany when they played Schulenburg in the 1991 state title game.
With that much history, he said that it was special to finally get Faith that elusive title.
“It feels amazing, especially [because] we finally got him a ring,” Chapman said. “He means a lot, especially being here for awhile as he has. He creates a bond with every player. We all love him.”
In addition to Chapman, Adam Hill and Coy Lefevre also had big games on the ground for the Lions. Hill rushed for 102 yards and a score on 13 carries, while Leferve added 65 yards and four rushing touchdowns.
Faith said Leferve’s toughness was on display throughout the game.
“Just an unbelievable athlete,” Faith said. “I have puke on my shoe because he’s coming off the field throwing up. I take him out of the game, and he gets mad at me. I’m like, “Coy, you’re throwing up all over the field.’ And he said, ‘I don’t care. I want to play.’ That’s the kind of kid he is. Competing, playing hard, doing everything he had to do on both sides of the ball.”
Mart’s night didn’t get off to a great start as the Panthers accidentally chose to kick despite Albany deferring its option to the second half. That meant that Mart had to kick off both halves.
Mart head coach Kevin Hoffman said errors like that one were the difference in the game.
“When you’re playing a great team like Albany, you can’t make mistakes,” Hoffman said. “We didn’t do that tonight starting from the very beginning. Our kids played hard. It just boiled down to too many mistakes.”
Albany’s defense came up with the first big play of the night as London Fuentes secured an interception on an overthrown pass by Mart quarterback Jonah Ross.
Leferve drew first blood on a one-yard touchdown run on the ensuing possession, but Mart answered as Brandon Lundy juked a couple of Albany defenders out of their shoes on a 16-yard pass from Ross.
Lefevre kept rolling as he added two more touchdowns in the second quarter either side of a four-yard touchdown run by Mart running back JD Bell.
But even as he continued to rack up touchdowns, it wasn’t all offensive heroics for Lefevre.
On Mart’s drive following his third touchdown, he tipped a Ross pass to himself for an eye-catching interception. Yet again, Mart turned an Albany turnover into points as Hill broke free around the left end for a 27-yard touchdown scamper to give Albany a 28-14 halftime lead.
LIONS STRIKE AGAIN ON THE GROUND 💪
RB Adam Hill storms into the endzone to extend the lead!
@AHSLionSports 🦁: 28@MartSchoolDistr 🐆: 14@uiltexas | #TXHSFB | 📺: BSSW Extra pic.twitter.com/OPlKuR7OAJ— BallySportsTXHS (@BallySportsTXHS) December 15, 2022
“Turnovers were huge,” Faith said. “Not only when you create a turnover but when you can score off of it, that’s huge because it gives you that extra position.
After halftime, Albany took full advantage of receiving the kickoff again, driving 68 yards on seven plays as Leferve scored his fourth touchdown of the night.
Mart looked like it was going to get back into it after Ross connected with Lundy for a 45-yard catch-and-run touchdown on a wide receiver screen, but a sack by Albany defensive lineman Tye Edgar on Mart’s next possession prevented the Panthers from gaining too much momentum.
The dagger came late in the third quarter. Chapman had been hobbled earlier this year with a knee injury, which meant Albany protected him towards the end of the regular season and in the playoffs.
But on Wednesday night, the training wheels were off and it paid dividends as Chapman sprinted for a 52-yard touchdown that put Albany up 41-21 and the game beyond reach.
HASTA LA VISTA BABY😆 🙌
QB Cole Chapman takes it 50 yards to the house!
@AHSLionSports 🦁: 41@MartSchoolDistr 🐆: 21@uiltexas | #TXHSFB | 📺: BSSW Extra pic.twitter.com/Apm2XFvHnl— BallySportsTXHS (@BallySportsTXHS) December 15, 2022
“I’m glad he finally turned me loose,” Chapman said with a smile on his face. “Our offensive line blocked real well. Our receivers blocked well on the outside and made holes for me to run through.”
Unfortunately for Mart and Hoffman, Wednesday wasn’t the storybook ending they desired. Hoffman retired back in January before deciding to come back ten days later. Despite the loss, he said he was glad he got to experience this season with his players.
“These guys are the reason I came back,” Hoffman said. “After I retired and still went to work every day, I just knew that I didn’t make the right decision. I wanted to continue to be a part of these kids lives. This senior class has some great kids. It’s hard not to finish this thing, but they’ll be remembered by me for everything they accomplished.”
Albany finishes the season 14-2, bringing Faith’s career win total to 344.
And after an illustrious career in Albany, Faith said he has no thoughts about retirement after Wednesday night.
He just wants to celebrate.
“I’ve had one thing on my mind this year and that was to get to this point and help get these guys a ring.” Faith said. “We’re going to celebrate that and think about those other things later.”
Offensive MVP: RB Coy Leferve, Albany
Leferve displayed his hard-nosed running ability all night long, finishing with 65 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries.
Defensive MVP: DB Wyatt Windham, Albany
Windham led the Albany defense with 11.5 tackles on the night, including one tackle for loss.
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