ALBANY — One of the better rivalries that’s developed during the Big Country Preps era is a battle for Class 2A supremacy between Hawley and Albany.

The two teams met for the seventh time since the start of the 2018 season on Friday night at Faith Field at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium, and the 2026 matchup might go down as one of the more memorable ones in that span.

Albany used a fourth-down stop in the second quarter to overcome an early two-score deficit and shift the momentum, helping the Lions open Denney Faith’s 40th year as head coach with a 34-27 win over the Bearcats.