The visiting Dalton Catamounts led Cartersville 21-7 in the second quarter Friday night. However, the Purple Hurricanes dominated from that point with 35 unanswered points to capture the Region 7-5A championship and a 42-21 win at Weinman Stadium. Dalton scored first with an 11-yard touchdown run by Adriel Hernandez with 9:55 remaining in the first quarter. After the Canes missed a 31-yard field goal attempt, the Catamounts grabbed a 14-0 lead with 3:40 left in the opening period on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Long to Bubba Tanner. The Canes cut the lead in half with their next possession. Khristian Lando finished off the Cartersville scoring drive with a 2-yard run to make the score 14-7 with 0:26 remaining in the first quarter. Dalton pushed its lead back to two scores at the 9:40 mark of the second quarter. Long connected with one of his tight ends, Bannon Phelan, for a 7-yard scoring pass that gave the Catamounts a 21-7 lead. The Cartersville comeback started with their next score with just 1:23 left in the half. Quarterback Nate Russell hooked up with Brady Marchese on a 23-yard scoring strike that made the score 21-14 at the intermission. The third quarter belonged to the Hurricanes. Lando finished off three straight scoring drives with touchdown runs of 40-, 5-, and 15-yards as the Canes built a 35-21 lead. Turner Abernathy then picked off a pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown that put Cartersville up 42-21 with 1:08 left in the third quarter. Cartersville kicker, Ryan Johnson, converted all five of his PAT attempts. Neither team scored in the final period securing the region title for the Purple Hurricanes. Lando finished the night with 236 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Dalton (7-3, 3-2) slips to the No. 3 seed with their loss meaning the Catamounts will open the state playoffs on November 10 on the road. Cartersville (10-0, 5-0) has a bye week as the rest of the state finishes up the regular season. The Canes will host a first-round state playoff game on November 10 against the No. 4 seed from Region 6-5A. HIRAM 27, WOODLAND 0 The visiting Hiram Hornets spoiled Woodland’s final home regular season game of the year Friday night by shutting out the Wildcats 27-0. Hiram, the highest-scoring offense in the Class 5A classification, led 20-0 at halftime and added only one additional touchdown in the third quarter. Combined with the other results in Region 7-5A games on Friday, the Hornets’ victory secured a home playoff game in two weeks and the region’s No. 2 seed. Kaden Hamilton scored the Hornets' first touchdown with 8:37 remaining in the opening period on a 4-yard run. Quarterback Ryan Strickland then added a pair of touchdown throws in the second quarter. Strickland connected with Chase Tyler for an eight-yard score with 9:12 left in the half and added a 61-yard strike to Hamilton with 2:04 remaining before the intermission. The final Hiram touchdown was a Kendrick Brown 4-yard run with 5:40 left in the third quarter. The Woodland offense reached the red zone three times with scoring opportunities but was denied each time. Strickland passed for 158 yards and two touchdowns for Hiram. Hamilton had 142 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 12 touches. The Hornets improved to 8-2 and will host the No. 3 seed from Region 6-AAAAA in the first round of the state playoffs on November 10. Woodland’s season ends with a 2-8 record.

October 27 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Cass football started fast Friday night and kept their foot on the gas pedal in a surprising blowout of visiting 10th-ranked Calhoun at Cochran Stadium. Cass quarterback Brodie McWhorter accounted for four total touchdowns and running back Braylon Hill had a breakout game as the Colonels built a 31-7 lead through three quarters. The two teams traded scores in the fourth quarter with Cass holding on for a 52-29 win. The Colonels’ victory secured their third consecutive state playoff berth in Class 5A and it ended a string of 23 straight playoff appearances for the Yellow Jackets. A creative opening kickoff return by the Colonels helped set the tone for the night. Calhoun pooch-kicked to Cass up-back Elijah Slocum around the 25-yard line attempting to avoid dangerous returner Sacovie White. Slocum immediately fired a lateral back to White at the 10-yard line as the Colonels’ return team set up a wall along the right sideline. White returned the kick to the Yellow Jackets 41-yard line before being shoved out of bounds. The exciting and successful play gave Cass an early emotional lift. Just a few plays later, McWhorter connected with White for a 4-yard touchdown that gave the Colonels a 7-0 lead with 10:22 left in the initial period. Calhoun marched right back down the field on their first possession to knot the score with 6:18 to go in the first quarter. Caden Williams, from a Wildcat formation, finished the Yellow Jackets drive with a 3-yard run making the score 7-7. The second Cass possession ended on the first play of the second quarter. McWhorter’s 18-yard scamper on a bootleg keeper put the Colonels up by a touchdown with 11:51 showing in the second quarter. Austin McArthur converted the second of his seven successful PAT kicks to give Cass a 14-7 lead. After stopping Calhoun on their next possession, Cass engineered another scoring drive to take a 21-7 lead with 3:33 left in the half. Gambling a bit on a fourth down play at the Calhoun 9-yard line, McWhorter scrambled to his right and found White sprinting across the back line of the end zone. The Colonels got the ball back one more time before the intermission and drove to the Yellow Jackets’ 10-yard line. McArthur made a 26-yard field goal with 1:11 remaining in the half giving Cass a 24-7 advantage. A short kickoff gave Calhoun a final chance to get on the scoreboard before the break, but the Jackets missed a 42-yard field goal attempt as time expired in the first half. Both Calhoun and Cass had time-consuming possessions in the third quarter. The Colonels’ defense stiffened to stop Calhoun on downs in the first half of the third period. Then Cass drove for another touchdown with McWhorter completing the drive on a 1-yard keeper. The touchdown gave the Colonels a 31-7 lead with 1:21 remaining in the third quarter. The Yellow Jackets raced back down the field on their ensuing possession and scored on the first play of the fourth quarter. Quarterback Trey Townsend hit Bryant Arnold for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 11:50 remaining in the game. A two-point conversion attempt failed leaving Cass with a 31-13 lead. The first of three onside kickoff attempts by Calhoun in the fourth quarter gave Cass good field position for their next scoring drive. Hill, who had a fumble recovery and rushed for 136 yards on 21 attempts in the game, capped the Cass drive with the first of his two touchdown runs. His 18-yard jaunt with 8:46 left in the game put the Colonels ahead 38-13. Again, Calhoun scored quickly. A long pass completion from Townsend to Emaree Winston set up a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Williams. The Jackets added a two-point conversion pass cutting the Cass lead to 38-21 with 7:25 left. The Colonels responded with back-to-back touchdowns to put the game away. Hill weaved his way through traffic for a 26-yard touchdown with 3:18 to play and Jachai Baldwin returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown that gave Cass a 52-21 lead with 2:38 left in the game. Calhoun’s Cohen Chadwick caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from Townsend with 2:01 remaining in the game. The pass was deflected by two different Cass defenders before it was collected and run in for a touchdown by Chadwick. He then caught a two-point conversion pass making the score 52-29. One final onside kickoff attempt by Calhoun was recovered by the Cass hands team and the Colonels were able to run out the clock. Unofficially, McWhorter finished 11-for-17 passing for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 11 times for 87 yards and two more scores. White had five catches for 37 yards and two touchdowns. He also had one rushing attempt for six yards. Devin Henderson had 17 carries for 79 yards. Chase Tatum caught three passes for 66 yards and Colton Cotton had one reception for 53 yards. In all, the Colonels rushed for 308 yards and totaled 462 yards. Cass (5-5) will have a bye week before going on the road for the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs at Kell on November 10. The Longhorns, who close out their regular season slate this Friday (Nov. 3) at Chattahoochee, have already secured the Region 6-5A championship.

October 27, 2023 The Adairsville Tigers secured the Region 6-AAA championship Friday night in Tiger Valley by defeating the Bremen Blue Devils, 28-21. The two rivals entered the night unbeaten in region play. Adairsville quarterback Jonathan Gough threw three touchdown passes to Tre Winters and Jamarian Pullum added a fourth-quarter touchdown run in the Tigers’ victory. Bremen led at halftime, 14-14. Gough and Winters finished off a five-play, 63-yard drive at the 8:37 mark of the first quarter to give Adairsville an early 7-0 lead following the PAT kick by Cooper Souders. Bremen answered with a pair of first-half touchdowns. Trent McPherson scored on a 9-yard run to culminate the Blue Devils' first scoring drive with 5:15 left in the opening period. The play completed a 66-yard drive for Bremen that took seven plays. In the second quarter, the Blue Devils drove 86 yards in eight plays to take a 14-7 lead. McPherson scored on a 15-yard run. Back-to-back Adairsville touchdowns in the third quarter enabled the Tigers to regain the lead. Gough, who left the game early in the second quarter with injury, returned to begin the second half and connected with Winters for a 98-yard touchdown pass just 0:50 seconds into the third quarter. The long touchdown strike tied the game 14-14. Later in the third, Adairsville regained the lead on another long pass play from Gough to Winters. This time it was an 85-yard play with 2:39 remaining in the period. The PAT kick failed, but the Tigers held a 20-14 advantage. Adairsville gained possession again just before the end of the third period but failed to score after missing a 34-yard field goal attempt. Most of the fourth quarter was a stalemate, but the final minutes were filled with excitement. Bremen took 14 plays to drive 80 yards to regain the lead 21-20 with only 2:28 left in the game. Kaleb Booker had the Devils’ 8-yard touchdown run but Adairsville was not done. The Tigers, who started with great field position at the Bremen 49-yard line, scored seven plays later on a 31-yard touchdown run by Jamarian Pullum with 1:22 left to play. Ethan Blome ran in a two-point conversion for a 28-21 lead. On Bremen’s final possession, L.J. Smith picked off a Blue Devils pass and the Tigers were able to run out the clock to secure their second straight region championship. Bremen (7-2, 5-1) will be a No. 2 seed in the state playoffs and host the No. 3 team from Region 7-AAA on November 10. The Blue Devils will complete the regular season this Friday (Nov. 3) at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe. Adairsville (7-2, 6-0) travels to Coahulla Creek for the regular season finale this Friday (Nov. 3) against the Colts. The Tigers will then host their first-round state playoff game on November 10 against the No. 4 seed from Region 7-AAA.

Cartersville softball was eliminated from the GHSA Class 5A Final Eight Championship Tournament in Columbus Thursday night following a 5-4, ten-inning loss to the Cambridge Bears. Lady Canes freshman pitcher Zoie Shiflett worked all ten innings in the circle for the Purple Hurricanes and suffered the tough-luck pitching loss without allowing an earned run. She allowed ten hits and two walks while the Cartersville defense committed seven errors. Cartersville led 1-0 through 4-½ innings on a Shiflett sacrifice fly. Cartersville’s Jordan Bishop and Kennedy Crenshaw later hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the fifth to give the Lady Canes a 4-0 lead but Cambridge did not fade. The Bears took advantage of an infield error and scored one run on an RBI single in the top of the sixth to narrow their deficit to 4-1. They then added three more runs in the top of the seventh inning to knot the score at 4-4. Two base hits and a pair of Hurricanes infield errors produced the Lady Bears’ unearned runs in the seventh and sent the contest into extra innings. Following a scoreless eighth inning, the Canes had their best chance of extra innings in the ninth when they loaded the bases with two outs but failed to score. Beginning in the tenth inning by rule, each team begins the inning with a base runner at second base. Cambridge scored in their half of the tenth on a one-out, RBI single to go ahead 5-4. The Bears then loaded the bases again before Shiflett escaped the additional threat with a popup and a groundout. Cartersville failed to score in its half of the tenth inning and their historic season had come to an end. The Bears improved to 20-10 on the year and advanced to another elimination game Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. against Northgate. The Lady Canes, who qualified for the Final Eight for the first time in school history, had their season end with a second consecutive Region 7-5A championship and a 21-11 mark.

The Cartersville boys won Region 7-5A on Tuesday at Dellinger Park by two points over Dalton. The Woodland boys were third with the Cass boys finishing fifth. Woodland’s Landon McSwain was the individual runner-up followed by Barrett Stepp of Cartersville in third. Woodland’s Andy Forsyth and Juan Mendoza finished 4th and 5th. Critton Gearhart of Cass was 7th and Cartersville’s Hayden Mitchell was 8th in the 42-runner race. The Woodland girls finished in second place, just six points behind Dalton on Tuesday. The Cartersville girls finished third another 30 points back. Miranda Pelow (21:10) and Olivia Berry (21:42) finished second and third, respectively, for Woodland. Abby George (22:05) was fifth and Kimberly Guerra (22:40) was tenth for Cartersville. The Adairsville boys finished fourth Tuesday at the Region 6AAA Championship at LaFayette where Bremen won the region title. The Tigers’ Griffin Bozeman (18:09) finished fifth of 41 runners to lead the Adairsville boys. Although the Adairsville girls did not field a full team for scoring, Callie Viktora won the individual Region 6AAA title with a 5K time of 20:46. The Class 5A State Championship meet will be on Friday, November 3 at Carrollton High School. The Class 3A State Championship meet is scheduled for Saturday, November 4 at Carrollton High School.

The Ola Mustangs mounted five of their six total runs in the fourth and fifth innings Wednesday afternoon to defeat Cartersville 6-4 in the opening round of the double-elimination Class 5A Final Eight softball tournament at South Commons Park in Columbus. The Lady Canes led 3-1 in the middle of the fourth inning but Ola tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a solo home run, a double, and an infield error. Cartersville regained the lead in the top of the fifth on LaKiaya Banks' RBI double that scored Erin McCrary. The Mustangs responded in the bottom of the inning utilizing three singles and a pair of walks to score three times and take the lead for good. Zoie Shiflett suffered the pitching loss for Cartersville. The freshman hurler allowed four earned runs on eight hits and three walks. She struck out four. Banks (two doubles, one RBI) and Allana Williams (RBI) led the Hurricanes’ offense with two hits each. Jordan Bishop had a leadoff solo home run in the top of the first inning. Layne Callan hit a solo homer in the top of the fourth inning. Kennedy Crenshaw and McCrary added one hit apiece. The Mustangs (28-3) advance to the second round on Thursday to face Harris County — an 8-7 winner Wednesday over Cambridge. Cartersville (21-10) falls to the elimination portion of the bracket and will face Cambridge (19-10) Thursday afternoon at 7 p.m.

October 23, 2023 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com A pair of Cartersville High School football standouts were inducted into the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame this past Saturday night in ceremonies held at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Former Hurricanes Keith Henderson and Ronnie Brown were among the 40 new members chosen from a 100-player ballot for the Hall of Fame Class 2023. The new members join the 45 players inducted in the 2022 inaugural class. Henderson was one of four players from the 1980s decade included in the 2023 class. Brown, who played in the 1990s at Cartersville, was included with 13 other players from that decade. Henderson was a rare three-time first-team all-state running back (1982-84) at Cartersville and was a Parade All-American and the AJC’s all-classification player of the year in 1984. As a senior, he rushed for 2,046 yards and 20 touchdowns on 191 carries in only 10 games for a team that ironically didn’t make the playoffs in an era when only region champions qualified for state. He rushed for 5,872 yards, scored 60 touchdowns in his career, and compiled 6,937 all-purpose yards, including receiving, passing, and return yards. Henderson rushed for a single-game state record 432 yards against Cass in 1984 and was featured in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd for the feat. Henderson led the University of Georgia in rushing as a true freshman (731 yards) and finished with 1,648 yards despite missing his junior season with a knee injury. The San Francisco 49ers drafted Henderson in the third round. He was the team’s leading rusher (531 yards) in 1991 on a team that featured Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. Henderson played four NFL seasons including a stint with the Minnesota Vikings. Brown was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft and enjoyed a 10-year NFL career. A standout running back at Cartersville High, he led the Canes to the 1999 Class AA title. During that championship season, Brown rushed for 1,931 yards and 25 touchdowns with 343 receiving yards and three touchdowns while snagging three interceptions on defense. In the 27-21 victory over Hart County in the AA final, Brown rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. The Georgia Sports Writers named Brown their Class AA Player of the Year. Brown went to Auburn, where he rushed for 2,707 career yards, which ranks seventh in school history. Brown rushed for 913 yards on Auburn’s 2004 13-0 SEC championship team that also featured running back Cadillac Williams. Their 2,078 yards together made the pair college football’s top backfield duo. Both went in the top five of the 2005 NFL Draft – Brown at No. 2 and Williams at No. 5. Brown, a 10-year NFL veteran, played with the Dolphins, Eagles, Chargers, and Texans. He rushed for 5,391 yards and 38 touchdowns for his career and added 1,966 receiving yards. He made the Pro Bowl in 2008. The complete list of those inducted into the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame is available at GeorgiaHighSchoolFootballDaily.com .

Former Cartersville High and Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence went from doubtful and injured to his team's leading rusher last Thursday night as the Jacksonville Jaguars won 31-24 at the New Orleans Saints. The win keeps the Jags in first place in the AFC South Division. Lawrence had three end-of-game kneel-downs that took away four rushing yards from his total. Without those, his final rushing stats would have read five carries for 63 yards, with several coming in key spots lifting Jacksonville's offense that sputtered a bit after a fast start. NFL TREVOR LAWRENCE — Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL; 3rd-yr. pro; QB; Clemson; Cartersville HS) … was 20-for-29 passing for 204 yards and one touchdown in the Jaguars’ 31-24 win last Thursday at the New Orleans Saints. He also ran eight times for 59 yards. Jacksonville (5-2) has a 1-1/2 game lead over the Houston Texans in the AFC South and plays at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon. COLLEGE FOOTBALL KOLBE BENHAM — Marist College (R-So., Cartersville HS) … recorded one tackle this past Saturday as the Red Foxes won 19-10 at Presbyterian College. Marist (4-3, 4-1 Pioneer Football League) plays at St. Thomas (Minnesota) on Saturday afternoon. HAYDEN CAGLE — Berry College (Jr., Cartersville HS) … a starter on the Vikings’ offensive line that helped produce 544 yards of total offense in a 61-23 win this past Saturday at Sewanee - University of the South (Tennessee). Berry (6-1, 4-1 Southern Athletic Association) hosts conference-foe Hendrix College (Arkansas) this Saturday afternoon. COLLIN FLETCHER — Reinhardt University (Fr., Cartersville HS) … made a pair of receptions for 27 yards this past Saturday in the Eagles’ 44-17 win at Point University. Reinhardt (5-2, 3-0 Appalachian Athletic Conference) hosts Union College (Kentucky) this Saturday afternoon for Homecoming. JONAH GAMBILL — University of Memphis (R-Jr., Cartersville HS) … a starter on the Tigers’ offensive line that helped produce 352 total yards in a 45-21 win at UAB this past Saturday. Memphis (5-2, 2-1 American Athletic Conference) plays at North Texas on Saturday afternoon. SHADRE HURST — Tulane University (R-Fr., Cartersville HS) … a starter on the Green Wave’s offensive line that helped produce 439 total yards in a 35-28 win this past Saturday over visiting North Texas. Tulane (6-1, 3-0 American Athletic Conference) plays Saturday afternoon at Rice. TYLER MARTIN — Berry College (So., Cass HS) … saw action in the Vikings’ 61-23 win last Saturday at Sewanee (Tennessee). Berry (6-1, 4-1 Southern Athletic Association) hosts conference-foe Hendrix College (Arkansas) this Saturday afternoon. SAM PHILLIPS — UT-Chattanooga (R-So., Cartersville HS) … caught six passes for 62 yards and also had a pair of punt returns totaling 17 yards as the Mocs defeated visiting East Tennessee State 34-3 this past Saturday. FCS 20th-ranked Chattanooga (6-2, 5-1 Southern Conference) plays at VMI on Saturday afternoon. COURTNEY SLOCUM — Mars Hill University (Sr., Adairsville HS) … made two tackles and blocked one kick as the Lions won this past Saturday at Carson-Newman University 21-17. Mars Hill (6-1, 5-1 South Atlantic Conference) hosts Virginia-Wise on Saturday afternoon. CROSS COUNTRY BILL ARCHER — University of Montevallo (Jr., Cartersville HS) … ran to an 80th place finish (28:06) of 105 runners at the 8K Gulf South Conference Championships hosted by the Falcons this past Saturday. Montevallo placed ninth of 12 teams. EMMA SEGARS — Georgia College (Fr., Woodland HS) … finished 38th (19:39) of 85 runners at the 5K Peach Belt Conference Championships this past Saturday in Gainesville. The Lady Bobcats placed fourth of 10 teams. DANIELLE THAYER — Augusta University (Fr., Woodland HS) … finished 50th (20:33) of 85 runners at the 5K Peach Belt Conference Championships this past Saturday in Gainesville. Augusta placed third of ten teams. DREW THAYER — University of Montevallo (Fr., Woodland HS) … finished 55th (27:00) of 105 runners at the 8K Gulf South Conference Championships hosted by Montevallo this past Saturday at John Hunt Park. The Falcons placed ninth of 12 teams. MADELYN ORTON — LaGrange College (So., Rydal resident; Cornerstone Prep) … had 10 digs this past Saturday in a three-set loss to Piedmont University played at Covenant College. She also saw action in two of three sets in a loss to the host Scots. LaGrange (3-17, 2-11 Collegiate Conference of the South) hosts Huntingdon College on Wednesday, Fort Valley State on Thursday, and Agnes Scott and Maryville College (Tennessee) on Saturday. MEREDITH ORTON — LaGrange College (So., Rydal resident; Cornerstone Prep) … in a pair of straight sets losses this past Saturday at Covenant College. Orton had seven digs and four kills against Covenant and seven kills with five digs and two blocks against Piedmont University. LaGrange (3-17, 2-11 Collegiate Conference of the South) hosts Huntingdon College on Wednesday, Fort Valley State on Thursday, and Agnes Scott and Maryville College (Tennessee) on Saturday. MARIA PILIPOSYANS — Reinhardt University (So., Cass HS) … in straight sets wins at home over Truett-McConnell University last Tuesday and at St. Andrews University (North Carolina) this past Saturday, Piliposyans contributed two kills and four blocks against TMU and five kills with one block against St. Andrews. Reinhardt (19-5, 12-4 Appalachian Athletic Conference) hosts Brenau University on Tuesday night, Milligan College (Tennessee) on Friday night, and the University of Pikeville (Kentucky) on Saturday morning. SOCCER ABBEY CRAIG — Reinhardt University (So., Cartersville HS) … was a starting forward in the Lady Eagles’ 5-0 win last Tuesday over the University of Pikeville (Kentucky) then entered as a reserve and took one shot this past Saturday in a 4-0 blanking of the Rams at Bluefield University (Virginia). Reinhardt (11-4-1, 11-0-1 Appalachian Athletic Conference) finishes its regular season this week with a home match on Wednesday against Tennessee Wesleyan and a road tilt on Saturday at Union College (Kentucky). BRADY CRAIG — Reinhardt University (So., Cartersville HS) … started as a defender in both 4-0 wins this past week as the Eagles blanked University of Pikeville (Kentucky) at home last Wednesday and won at Bluefield University (Virginia) this past Saturday. Craig took four shots, none on goal, in the victory at Bluefield. Reinhardt (9-2-4, 7-2-1 Appalachian Athletic Conference) hosts Tennessee Wesleyan on Wednesday before finishing the regular season on the road Friday at Truett-McConnell and Sunday at Union College (Kentucky) TENNIS EMILY BUSH — Young Harris College (So., Cartersville HS) … partnered with doubles teammate ?? Mercier last Thursday for the Mountain Lions’ only point in a 6-1 loss at Anderson University. Bush lost a 5-7, 6-2, 3-6 singles decision in that same match.

The Cass Colonels could not keep pace with the high-scoring Hiram offense Friday night in Paulding County in a 50-20 Region 7-5A loss to the Hornets. Hiram, who leads Class 5A in scoring at almost 44 points per game, led Cass 19-7 at halftime before blowing the game wide open in a turnover-plagued third quarter for the Colonels. The Hornets trailed Cass 7-3 late in the first quarter but took advantage of field position and Cass's mistakes to score 30 unanswered points in just over a 15-minute stretch of the game clock. Two fumbles, a blocked punt, and a failed onside kick attempt by Cass enabled Hiram to build a 33-7 advantage less than two minutes into the third quarter. The Colonels had also fumbled early in the first quarter to set up the Hornets' first field goal. Hiram running back Kendarius Brown rushed for four touchdowns for Hiram. He had short scoring runs of 1- and 3-yards in the first half and found the end zone with runs of 23- and 2-yards in the third quarter. Da’Shaun Williams had a 4-yard touchdown run for the Hornets in the third quarter. Jamarion Whatley hit paydirt with a 6-yard run in the final minute of the third quarter while UGA commit Oliver Castaneda booted three field goals. Castaneda’s kicks were good from 48-, 21-, and 42-yards. He did miss a pair of mid-range attempts in the first half and had one PAT kick blocked by the Colonels’ Kaden Ellis. Cass took a 7-3 lead less than four minutes into the game by driving 80 yards in six plays. Quarterback Brodie McWhorter hit Sacovie White on a tunnel screen pass that White took to the end zone from 21 yards out. Austin McArthur converted the PAT kick. After falling behind 33-7, the Colonels drove 83 yards on nine plays to score with 6:43 remaining in the third quarter. A long reception by Chase Tatum from McWhorter took the Colonels to the 3-yard line where Kevin Henderson punched in a short run. The PAT missed leaving the score at 33-13. After the Hornets had built a 50-13 lead, Cass drove 93 yards in just five plays. A 49-yard reception by White from McWhorter moved the Colonels into Hiram territory. Braylon Hill then got loose on a 34-yard scamper to put Cass in scoring position. McWhorter found Tatum on a slant route to culminate the drive from the 5-yard line. That made the score 50-20 and with a running clock, Hiram ran out the clock with their final possession. Hiram (7-2, 2-2) plays at Woodland on Friday night in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Cass (4-5, 1-3) can still make the state playoffs following Calhoun’s 28-21 loss Friday night at Dalton. The Colonels, who host Calhoun Friday night in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff, can claim Region 7-5A’s final playoff spot with a win over the Yellow Jackets (6-3, 2-2).

The Adairsville Tigers and the Cartersville Hurricanes both collected one-sided region wins Thursday night. The Tigers won 40-7 at Gordon Lee while the Purple Hurricanes won 43-0 at Woodland. The games were moved to Thursday to accommodate the current football officials shortage in the state of Georgia. ADAIRSVILLE 40, GORDON LEE 7 The Adairsville Tigers dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage Thursday night at Gordon Lee and overpowered the host Trojans in Chickamauga, 40-7. Adairsville built a 40-0 lead by halftime and closed out the second half by giving their reserves some valuable playing time. Jamarion Pullum scored three touchdowns in the Tigers’ victory. He scored on a 47-yard screen pass in the first quarter and had rushing touchdowns from 9- and 12-yards in the second quarter. Quarterback Jonathan Gough opened the scoring on Adairsville’s first possession. His 13-yard run capped a quick 48-yard drive that took only five plays. Ethan Blome also had a pair of touchdown runs in the opening half. His 4-yard touchdown from the Tigers’ jumbo-set finished off a 71-yard drive and he scored Adairsville’s late touchdown on a 1-yard run in the final minute. Gordon Lee’s only score came with just 3:12 remaining. A 6-yard touchdown run capped a 60-yard Trojans drive. Gordon Lee falls to 5-3 on the season and 3-2 in Region 6-AAA. Adairsville (6-2, 5-0) hosts Bremen next Friday, October 27 in what could be a showdown for the region title. CARTERSVILLE 43, WOODLAND 0 The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes improved to 9-0 on the season and 4-0 in Region 7-AAAAA Thursday night with a 43-0 shutout at Woodland. Running back Baylon Long and reserve quarterback Andrew Purdy had a pair of touchdown runs each for the Hurricanes. Khristian Lando and Luke McBride added one touchdown run each in the win. Long capped the Canes’ opening drive with an 11-yard run and Lando ran in a two-point conversion as Cartersville grabbed an early 8-0 lead less than three minutes into the game. Later in the first quarter after Woodland missed a field goal attempt, Lando broke off a long 50+ yard run that set up McBride’s short rushing score. The drive put Cartersville up 15-0 just five seconds into the second quarter. The score stayed that way until a scoring drive by the Canes late in the half. Quarterback Nate Russell had a key fourth down scramble play to extend Cartersville’s drive and Lando finished it with a 22-yard run with 1:01 left before intermission. Ryan Johnson, who made all of his five PAT attempts, kicked the extra point for a 22-0 Hurricanes lead at the break. Early in the third quarter, a nice kick return by Logan Shrewsbury set up the Canes' next score. Long completed the drive with a 6-yard run with 9:43 to go in the third quarter making the score 29-0. From there, the Cartersville reserves added a pair of touchdown runs by Purdy for a 43-0 final score. Woodland (2-7, 0-4) hosts Hiram next Friday, October 27. Cartersville (9-0, 4-0) hosts Dalton — also on Friday, October 27.

The Cartersville and Woodland volleyball teams both lost their first-round matches Wednesday evening in the Class 5A state tournament. The Lady Canes fell at home in three straight sets to Chattahoochee. The Lady Cats dropped three straight sets at Greater Atlanta Christian. The season for Woodland ends with a 13-27 record. Cartersville’s season ends with a 28-18 mark.

Cartersville softball beat the Jefferson Dragons in walk-off fashion twice Tuesday to win their Super Regional and advance to the Class 5A Final Eight State Tournament October 25-28 in Columbus. The Lady Canes won 4-3 in Tuesday afternoon's first meeting with the Dragons. Then after Jefferson eliminated Centennial, Cartersville beat Jefferson Tuesday night in the championship round, 8-7. Layne Callan had Cartersville’s walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh inning of the 4-3 victory. Reese Dumas had the Lady Canes’ walk-off hit in the bottom of the eighth inning of the 8-7 Super Regional clincher. Zoie Shiflett was the winning pitcher for Cartersville in both games. She worked 14 innings allowing six earned runs on 12 hits and two walks in the two games combined. Shiflett struck out three. Kennedy Stevens pitched one inning for the Canes allowing two earned runs on two hits. Stevens fanned one. LaKiaya Banks had four hits in the two games for Cartersville including a pair of RBIs. Shiflett had three hits including two doubles. Erin McCrary totaled three hits with a double and three RBIs and Jordan Bishop also contributed three hits including a double and a solo home run. Callan finished with two hits including a double and three RBIs while Dumas, Crenshaw, and Addi Burns added one hit and one RBI apiece. Jefferson’s season comes to a close with a 20-8 record. Cartersville (21-9) advances to the Class 5A Final Eight State Tournament in Columbus where the Lady Canes will open the double-elimination tournament against Ola (24-3) on October 25 at 1 p.m. Other teams in the Class 5A tournament in Columbus are Cambridge (17-9), Harris County (23-7), Northside-Columbus (26-7), Kell (26-7), Eastside (22-5), and Northgate (16-11).