December 28, 2025 Results from the opening round of the 2025 Adairsville Christmas Clash. CALHOUN 77, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 76 The Purple Hurricanes' season-opening eight-game winning streak came to an end on Saturday with a 77-76 loss to Calhoun in the first round of the Adairsville Christmas Clash at Adairsville High School. The Canes were ahead 24-23 after a quick-paced first quarter, but by halftime, they fell behind 41-35. Calhoun led 61-52 at the end of the third quarter an

Catch up with all your local high school sports teams heading into the Christmas break. Listen to the Bartow Sports Zone Podcast https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/bartowsportszone/episodes/2025-12-23T11_59_14-08_00 This episode includes: -- a final wrap on the 2025 high school football season -- updates on wrestling, swimming, and basketball -- PLUS the BSZ Benchwarmers reflect on the College Football Playoffs First Round with commentary on the games and look forward to th

December 22, 2025 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Woodland placed third, and Adairsville was fourth of eight teams in combined scores this past Saturday at the Whoville Invitational Swim Meet at Adairsville High School. Starr’s Mill won the meet with a score of 796. Jackson County followed at 720 with Woodland (542), Adairsville (504), and Newnan (414) rounding out the top five combined scores. Rome (360), Union Grove (302), and Northwest Whitfield (168) also competed a

December 22, 2025 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com A weekly update on the professional and collegiate athletes from Cartersville and Bartow County for the week ending December 21. NFL TREVOR LAWRENCE — Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL, 5th-year pro; Clemson; Cartersville HS) …threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score this past Sunday, leading the Jaguars to an impressive 34-20 win that snapped the Denver Broncos’ 11-game winning streak. Lawrence has been hot in recent w

December 22, 2025 Woodland wrestling participated in the Knockout Classic in Kissimmee, Florida, last weekend, with athletes in 11 out of 14 weight categories. The Wildcats secured 42nd place out of 68 teams in this event, which typically features one of the most formidable lineups in the southeastern U.S. Although none of the Wildcats earned podium spots at the event, Adrian Zapata (126 pounds) went 4-2 to lead at least six Woodland wrestlers with at least two bout wins. Th

December 20, 2025 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes stayed perfect on the season, capturing the championship of the SMI Carroll County Christmas Tournament with an 87-59 victory over the host Central-Carroll Lions on Saturday. Cartersville led 20-17 after a competitive first quarter before pulling away with a 25-14 second period to take a 45-31 halftime advantage. The Hurricanes continued to dominate in the third, outscoring Central 21-1

December 20, 2025 The Excel Christian Academy Eagles improved to 11-3 on the season with an impressive 89-76 victory over the visiting Trion Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon in Emerson. The Eagles led 24-14 after the first quarter and 44-36 at halftime before winning the third period 30-19 for a 74-55 advantage heading into the final period. Mason McKinney led the balanced Excel attack with a team-high 20 points. Damir McBride added 18 points, while Karden Wingard contributed 1

December 20, 2025 Kyron McClendon scored 23 points Friday night in the Hurricanes' 72-58 semifinal win over Bowdon at the SMI Carrollton Holiday Tournament. The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes remained unbeaten on the season with a 72-58 victory over the Bowdon Red Devils on Friday night in the semifinals of the SMI Carrollton Christmas Tournament, played at Villa Rica High School. Cartersville (7-0) took control in the middle two periods to pull away and never looked back, ad

December 19, 2025 The Adairsville High School wrestling team won two dual matches Wednesday night at home, defeating Pickens and Rome as the Tigers celebrated their 2025-26 seniors. Adairsville defeated Pickens 42-30 and Rome 44-35. Senior David Coon led the Tigers with pinfall victories in both of his 175-pound bouts. He improved his senior-season record to 23-5. Fellow seniors Sam Bailey (126), Victor Singer (150), and William Dinafrio (215) were also recognized. The Tiger

December 19, 2025 The 2025 high school football state championship games were completed earlier this week in Atlanta, and the six polling organizations in Georgia have released their final rankings for the year. In Class 4A, the Creekside Seminoles finished off a 15-0 season and were the unanimous choice for No. 1 in the classification. Creekside defeated Benedictine 42-39 in the title game, and the Cadets (11-3) were the unanimous No. 2 selection in the final polls. Cartersv