Goal reached: Legendary Albany coach Faith claims elusive state championship
ARLINGTON — The 344th win for Albany's Denney Faith will be unlike any other the legendary Lions leader has had before.
And there have been a lot for the second-leading active coach in career wins.
Albany's 41-21 win against Mart at AT&T Stadium in the Class 2A Division II title game gave the 37-year head coach his first state championship, the one accomplishment that had eluded him for all his success with the Lions.
He had taken Albany teams to the finals in 1991 (loss to Schulenburg), 2009 (loss to Cayuga) and 2014-15 (both losses to Bremond).
Even in the afterglow of his greatest on field accomplishment, Faith was deflecting the credit and saying the title was for more than just him and the current crop of Lions but for hundreds of players that came before.
"This 2022 team has won a state championship, not only for themselves but for a lot of other guys that have sacrificed and done everything they could to get themselves into this position," Faith said. "This group was just able to get over the top.
"I'm so proud of them and glad for our community that wanted this so bad. Can't say enough good things about growing up in a small town and playing football in a town like Albany, Texas ,that is passionate about the game, passionate about their kids. This is an awesome feeling."
The win Wednesday not only allowed Faith to hoist a state championship trophy for the first time, but it moved the coach into the Top 5 in coaching wins all-time in the state and within 50 victories of Gordon Wood.
Albany grabbed momentum early with an interception by London Fuentes, snagged another huge one-handed interception from Coy Lefevre just before halftime that allowed the Lions to open a 28-14 lead.
But when momentum was hanging in the balance, it was Tye Edgar's sack on third-and-3 with 2:47 left in the third quarter that put it firmly on the Lions sideline.
From then it was a formality until one of the all-time coaching legends in Texas finally led a team to a state championship in his fifth try in four decades at Albany.
Lefevre, who had four touchdowns, an interception and was the game's Offensive MVP, like most with any connection to Faith and the Albany program was proud to help the coach win a championship.
"That man is awesome," Lefevre said. "I feel like I've said it 17 times tonight. He's te best man I've ever met. He deserves the world. I feel like the smallest thing I could give him was a state championship.
"It might be the biggest to him, but I wish I could five him more than a state championship."
Despite being installed the No. 1 team in the state the preseason, injuries took their toll early in the season, notably to quarterback Cole Chapman and Coy Lefevre, casting doubt on what the team could accomplish, but the team got healthy for the stretch run and playing to its potential.
Chapman, the son of Clint Chapman, who quarterbacked Faith's first state finalist in 1991, was worried when he went down.
"It feels amazing, especially thinking we would have never been here when I got hurt," the younger Chapman said. "Getting back and finally getting one for coach, feels amazing, to finally get him a ring."
Clint Chapman, one of many former players in Arlington for the game, said before the injuries, it appeared the pieces looked like they were finally in place for Faith to win his first state title with the Lions.
"When Dave Campbell's magazine picked us No. 1, I told them this was their destiny," Clint Chapman said. "The goal was set and all year they went out and gave it everything they had. Cole got hurt, but he worked four days a week, came back and the team bonded. They just kept getting wins. I don't know what point when we knew we had it, but it was a great feeling knowing they fulfilled it.
"Albany is a tight community, the experience that Cole has is one that I had. When you go this far, you aren't teammates you're family. That is how they played. Coach has been a great influence. I still call him coach."
When Faith was handed the trophy on the field after the game, he appeared as excited as his teenage players, before raising it in the air, in the process sending the team and assembled fans into a roar as they celebrated the feat.
"I've been coaching for 41 years in Albany, and Cole's dad Clint was my quarterback when we played Cayuga in a monsoon in 1991 for a state championship," Faith said. "You can't find those relationships just anywhere. When a coach coaches kids like Cole and Clint and a million others that have come through our program, I love those guys and they love me.
"There is no better feeling in the world than for a former player to walk into your office and still call you coach. I love all those guys that played in the past and I'm happy for those guys, too."
Faith deflected questions about his future in Albany and about moving into fifth on the all-time career wins list, thinking not about the 343 wins he had previously, but instead about the one he picked up Wednesday in Arlington.
"It will be something one of these days, I'm sure I'll be really proud of," Faith said, "but right now I'm really glad we got that one tonight."
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Albany's legendary Faith claims elusive state championship
