Sam Waller

A Long Time Coming: A Waller finally makes it to state

• By Sam Waller
• Posted December 17, 2009 9:58 PM
• 0 Comments

As many Wallers as have gone through Albany High School, and as many times as the Lions have made the state finals, you'd think at least one of my relatives would have played for a state football championship by now.

Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case.

For three generations, Wallers and the state finals just haven't crossed paths. That's finally going to change -- well, sort of -- Saturday as the Lions take on Cayuga for the Class 1A Division II title.

First, a little background. Starting in the 1940s, six of my close relatives and a few more distant ones have suited up for the Lions with varying degrees of success. They are, in order:

Clarence Waller (my uncle), Class of '46: Clarence played on the first Albany team to play a full schedule following the end of the war. Albany canceled its 1943 season and went 3-5 in 1944. With Clarence on the team, the Lions finished 2-8 in 1945, but one of the wins was over archrival Baird.

While the war was over, there were still shortages and good equipment was hard to find. According to Clarence, every player on the team used duct tape to cover the rips in their uniform pants. I don't know what the Lions would have done had duct tape been rationed like gas, meat and sugar.

Weldon "Jigger" Waller (my dad), Class of '50: Dad played in 1948-49 and helped Albany go 9-1 both seasons, but that still wasn't good enough for the Lions to make the playoffs. A 19-13 loss to Anson kept the Albany at home in 1948, while a 20-7 loss to Haskell did them in the next year.

In what was to become something of a trend where my family is concerned, Albany did make the playoffs the season after Dad graduated. That started a string of 11 district championships in 14 years. Along the way, the Lions made the state finals three times, winning Class 1A titles in 1960 and '61.

It was a few years before any more Wallers attended Albany High School, but there was still a family connection as my Aunt Winifred (Clarence's wife) taught in the school system for a decade or three. The next generation was their kids.

Melissa Waller, Class of '70: A cheerleader (this is important for later on) in the late '60s, Melissa saw Albany post winning records each of her last three years in high school, but the Lions never made the playoffs. A six-year postseason drought ended the fall after she graduated, which brings us to ...

Steve Waller, Class of '73: Albany made the playoffs both his sophomore and junior years, reaching the 1A state quarterfinals in 1971, but limped to a 6-3-1 record his senior season with district losses to Wylie and Baird. Naturally, the Lions went back to the playoffs the season after he graduated with a roster that included ...

Jim Waller, Class of '76: Jim was a sophomore when Albany made the 1973 playoffs, but the Lions posted losing records the next two years. Jim's senior season ended early when he suffered a broken collarbone in a preseason scrimmage.

In something of an upset, the Lions did not make the playoffs the season after Jim graduated. They waited until the next one, 1977. Unfortunately, that was the last postseason appearance for Albany until 1989, the drought finally ending in Denney Faith's third season as coach.

Which brings us to the next generation, Steve's kids.

Andy Waller, Class of '03: Andy got to stand on the sidelines in 1999 and 2000 as freshman and sophomore. The 2000 team, Albany's last qualifier in Class 2A, reached the Division II quarterfinals, then the Lions dropped off to 3-7 the next year.

Andy started at fullback on the 2002 team, which lost to eventual state champion Petrolia in the first round. That team also included the more-distantly related Will Waller (second cousin twice removed, or something like that) at linebacker, making it what is believed to be the only Albany team to reach the playoffs with two Wallers on the roster. You may draw your own conclusions.

David Waller, Class of '07: The first Waller to never miss the playoffs, but the Lions' best showing during his high school years was the quarterfinals in 2003 when he was a freshman (that's a variation on the trend mentioned earlier). Albany was eliminated in the third round each of the next two years and in the second round his senior season.

Which finally brings us to the point of all this:

Katie Waller, Class of '10: No, Katie doesn't play for the Lions. She's a cheerleader (I told you that was important), and has been for the past three seasons. But she's the first family member to represent Albany on the field at a state championship game, so I'll take it.

And just like the players she'll be cheering on Saturday afternoon, she's ready to go.

"It's pretty amazing," Katie said of her team, which has been ranked No. 1 in the state most of the season, reaching the finals. "All these years in football, everybody's said we're taking it to state. But nobody's done it in a long time. Being a senior and it's actually happening is awesome because I get to be there right on the field with our guys cheering them on."

(A quick aside: I must chalk up Katie's "in a long time" comment to her youth. For some of us, 1991 was not all that long ago. For Katie, it was a whole lifetime ago.)

As a native West Texan and, by extension, expert on football, Katie quickly pinpointed the reason this year's Albany team has made it to the finals.

"I just think these guys have so much heart," she said. "Years before, our football guys have had heart, but these guys ... you can just tell they want it so much more.

"They put everything on the line every single week. They don't do anything to mess it up during the week. They're always focused. They just want it so bad, more than any other team that I've seen while I've been in high school."

Katie's mom, Susan, provided a little tidbit that should be of interest to the Lion faithful. Susan's mom, Sharon Hooks Siewert Knaus, was a senior varsity cheerleader at Abilene High in 1955 when the Eagles won a state championship. Sharon still lives in Abilene.

Molly Ann Galbraith (Katie's cousin, Susan's niece, Sharon's first granddaughter) was a senior varsity cheerleader at Wylie in 2004 when the Bulldogs won their state title. The recent Texas Tech grad was on hand last week to lend her support as Albany beat Stratford in the semifinals at Wolfforth.

Which makes Katie the third senior varsity cheerleader on the Siewert side of the family to cheer in the state finals. Does that mean it's preordained that the Lions will bring home the big prize?

"I hope so," Katie said. "It seems like it's in our blood. I just feel like we're going, we might as well win."

Another nugget courtesy of Susan would also suggest that Albany is a team of destiny. During the Lions' run to the 1991 finals, most of this year's Albany senior players and cheerleaders were newborns at the playoff games or (Susan's words here) "momma was preggers!"

If that formula holds up in the future, then 2027 should be another special season for the Lions. And if everything goes just right, there could finally be a Waller playing for the title. My nephew Eli is almost four months old now and would be a senior that fall. I just have to convince my brother to move his family to Shackelford County and teach the boy to deep snap.