August 5, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Zoie Shiflett fires a pitch. The Lady Canes defeated Villa Rica 4-3 on Wednesday night to win their home opener and the first game at the new softball facility at Dellinger Park. The visiting Wildcats scored three runs in the top of the second to take an early lead, but Cartersville scored single runs from the second through the fifth innings to secure a one-run victory. Cartersville pitcher Zoie Shiflett struck out 12 batt

August 4, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com The 2026 high school softball schedule got underway on Tuesday night for three local schools, with Cartersville exploding offensively in extra innings for a win at Cedartown, while Woodland and Cass came up short in their respective starts. CARTERSVILLE 10, CEDARTOWN 2 (9 innings) Two long balls and eight runs in the top of the ninth inning lifted Cartersville to a season-opening 10-2 win on Tuesday night at Cedartown. Ceda

August 4, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Bartow Sports Zone asked local high school softball coaches to answer a series of questions as a preview of the 2026 season. Adairsville Tigers, head coach Justin Evans The Tigers are coming off a 15-15 season last year and were 5-13 in Region 7-AAA. Adairsville went 15-14 in 2024; 6-18 in 2023; 9-13-1 in 2022; 6-16 in 2021; and 14-12 in 2020. What are some of the biggest improvements you’ve seen for your team during summe

August 3, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com The Adairsville Tigers softball team outhit host LaFayette eight to five on Monday evening, but came up short in their season-opening game, 5-4. Adairsville held an early 1-0 lead, but the Ramblers scored three times in the bottom of the third inning to take the lead for good. The Tigers posted a run in the fourth, narrowing the margin to 3-2, but LaFayette answered with two runs in the sixth for a 5-2 advantage. Adairsvi

August 3, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Bartow Sports Zone asked local high school volleyball coaches to answer a series of questions as a preview of the 2026 season. Adairsville Tigers, head coach Clint Decker (1st season as head coach at Adairsville) Adairsville finished 10-29 last season and was sixth in their region. The Tigers seek their first winning season since going 24-16-1 in 2021. Adairsville went 12-30 in 2024, 10-25 in 2023, and 16-23-2 in 2022. What

August 3, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Two former Cartersville Purple Hurricanes faced each other this past week in Major League Baseball action, with Athletics' pitcher Mason Barnett making a start on the mound and Red Sox second baseman Anthony Seigler leading off for the Boston offense. MLB / MiLB MASON BARNETT — MLB Athletics; 5th-year pro; Auburn; Cartersville HS) … made a five-inning home start with no decision last Thursday in Sacramento against the Bosto

August 2, 2026 Starting with the 2026-27 school year, the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) will implement its most significant postseason qualification change in many years. Instead of relying solely on regional standings to determine playoff participation, all sports with a 32-team state tournament bracket will use a statewide ranking formula to select and seed teams. The Postseason Rankings were utilized for the Class A, AA, AAA, and Private classifications last schoo

August 1, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Bartow Sports Zone is featuring each of the four local high school football programs with previews of the 2026 teams. Each local head coach responded to a questionnaire. Head Coach Steve Gates Cass head football coach Steve Gates begins his seventh season at Cass. Steve Gates begins his seventh season as the head coach at Cass with a current record of 38-31. The Colonels have qualified for the state playoffs each of the las

August 1, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Bartow Sports Zone is featuring each of the four local high school football programs with previews of the 2026 teams. Each local head coach responded to a questionnaire. Head Coach Conor Foster Cartersville head coach Conor Foster begins his eighth season leading the Canes. Conor Foster begins his eighth season as head coach at Cartersville after stints as an assistant at Carrollton and as defensive coordinator with the Hur

July 31, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Bartow Sports Zone is featuring each of the four local high school football programs with previews of the 2026 teams. Each local head coach responded to a questionnaire. Head Coach Andy Scott Woodland head coach Andy Scott begins his third season leading the Wildcats. Andy Scott begins his 17th season as a head coach in Georgia and his third at the helm of the Wildcats. Scott was the head coach at Perry (2005-2009), Kennesaw