August 31, 2023 Darianna Sosa (double, triple, four RBIs), Braelyn Franklin (two RBIs), KK Evans (RBI), and Payton Mize had three hits each as Cass softball pounded out 18 total hits in a 14-0 win Thursday night at Rome. Rainey Parham followed with two hits (RBI). Emma Gibson, Reese Howard (two RBIs), Cayce Brown (RBI), and Autumn Smith (RBI) added one hit each. Erin Clinard contributed one RBI for the Lady Colonels. Bailey York (2 IP, 0R, 0H, 0BB, 1K) and Gibson (3 IP, 0R, 1H, 3BB, 2K) shared the pitching duties for Cass in the shutout. Rome falls to 1-8 on the season with the loss. Cass (4-9, 1-4) hosts Trion Saturday morning at 11 a.m. and returns to Region 7-5A play next Tuesday at home against Dalton. CARROLLTON 6, CARTERSVILLE 4 Carrollton scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning Thursday night to take the lead and held on for a 6-4 win over visiting Cartersville. The Hurricanes, who out hit Carrollton nine to seven, led 4-1 through four innings and 4-2 heading to the sixth prior to the Trojans’ comeback. Reese Dumas (double, two RBIs) and Addi Burns (RBI) had two hits for Cartersville. Jordan Bishop (double, RBI), Kennedy Crenshaw, Layne Callan, LaKiaya Banks, and Allana Williams (double) contributed one hit each. Kennedy Stevens (5.1 IP, 6ER, 5H, 7BB, 8K) suffered the pitching loss for the Canes. Zoie Shiflett (1.2 IP, 0R, 2H, 1BB, 2K) also pitched for Cartersville. Carrollton improved to 5-8 on the season. Cartersville (7-4, 5-0) hosts Hiram Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. LaFAYETTE 7, ADAIRSVILLE 2 LaFayette built a 5-0 lead in the first four innings Thursday night and held on to win at Adairsville in a Region 6-AAA matchup, 7-2. Both Adairsville runs crossed in the bottom of the fifth inning off an Ashlyn Carlton double. Alissa Winters had two hits for the Tigers and Ashlynn Durden added one hit. Chelsea Bates (7 IP, 7R, 4ER, 12H, 3BB, 1K) pitched all seven frames for Adairsville. Adairsville (1-9, 0-4) plays at Ridgeland Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and visits Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe Thursday at 5:30 p.m. NORTHWEST WHITFIELD 3, WOODLAND 2 Northwest Whitfield walked off with a 3-2 win over Woodland Wednesday night in Tunnel Hill when Jolie Albertson hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Woodland led 2-1 going to the final half-inning after scoring both of its runs in the top of the fifth inning. Haley Collum (2 IP, 2ER, 3H, 1BB, 2K) was tagged with the Lady Cats’ pitching loss in relief of starter Peyton Dorn (4.1 IP, 1ER, 5H, 1BB, 2K). Elizabeth Hartsfield (RBI) and Ashlynn Baines had the only Woodland base hits. The Bruins improved to 6-9 with their win. Woodland (10-3, 3-2), ranked No. 6 in Class 5A, hosts 4th-ranked Calhoun Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Adairsville volleyball suffered a pair of losses on the road Thursday night falling to Dalton 25-12, 25-10 and Coahulla Creek 25-17, 25-18. Jayna Wilson had three kills and one block in the opening loss to Dalton. Makenzie Harris had one kill and three blocks. Addie Pearson contributed three assists. In the match with Coahulla Creek, Jenna Claire Hendley and Emma Ridley had three kills each. Wilson finished with three aces and Pearson added seven assists. Sherry Wells, Hendley, Adysen Garvey, and Pearson totaled seven digs each. “It was a rough night for the Tigers,” said Adairsville coach Kaylie Martin. “We are going to go back to the drawing board and refocus. We have some work to do but I’m confident in our potential.” Adairsville (2-7) hosts Cass and Sonoraville next Thursday.

August 29, 2023 On Tuesday, Woodland volleyball lost two home matches, falling to Murray County and North Paulding in straight sets. The loss to Murray County was 25-14 and 25-14. The loss to North Paulding was 25-4 and 25-9. Woodland (4-9) hosts Temple and Pepperell on Thursday.

Cartersville volleyball swept a pair of non-region matches Tuesday evening at Armuchee by defeating the host Indians and Model. In a 25-14, 27-25 win over Armuchee, Ailee England had eight kills and nine digs. Holly Dufrene totaled nine kills. Mckenzie Wilikie finished with nine digs and Aubree Barrett contributed 21 assists. In the Canes’ 29-27, 25-15 win over Model, England finished with 13 kills. Dufrene had eight kills. Wilkie contributed nine digs and Barrett added 27 assists. Cartersville (12-6) will face Kennesaw Mountain and North Paulding Thursday at North Paulding. ADAIRSVILLE SPIKES TEMPLE Adairsville volleyball defeated visiting Temple Tuesday evening 25-19, 25-23. Jayna Wilson totaled five kills and one block. Jenna Claire Hendley and Jordan Hartline finished with four kills each. Cara Harp contributed four aces and six assists. Adysen Garvey totaled five service aces and Sherry Wells added 14 digs for the Tigers. Temple slipped to 5-8 with the loss. Adairsville (3-4) plays at Dalton Thursday and will also face Coahulla Creek.

Kennedy Crenshaw’s RBI, and walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted 9th-ranked Cartersville to a 6-5 win Tuesday night over 4th-ranked Calhoun. The dramatic win was possible only due to Cartersville scoring twice in the bottom of the seventh inning. A Reese Dumas single and a Calhoun defensive miscue plated a pair of runs that sent the game to an extra inning. Zoie Shiflett pitched all eight innings for Cartersville to earn the win in the circle. She scattered eight hits and six walks while striking out two. One of the Jackets’ runs was unearned. Crenshaw led the Canes’ offense with three hits and two RBIs. Jordan Bishop and Allana Williams followed with a pair of hits each. Shiflett (double), LaKiaya Banks, Dumas (RBI), and Erin McCrary tossed in one hit apiece. The loss drops Calhoun to 7-5-1 overall and 4-1 in Region 7-5A. Cartersville (7-3, 5-0) hosts Carrollton on Thursday in a non-region game. WOODLAND 10, CASS 0 Every Woodland starter had at least one hit and the Wildcats totaled 18 hits in a six-inning, 10-0 win Tuesday at Cass. Jordan Hammonds (triple, RBI), Ashlyn Baines (two RBIs), and Elizabeth Hartsfield (double, RBI) led the Woodland offense with three hits each. Alana Carnes (triple, RBI), Peyton Dorn (double, RBI), and Mackenzie Araya (triple) collected two hits each. Harley Hannah (double, two RBIs), Kamryn Smith (RBI), and Bailey Ryan (RBI) added one hit apiece. Woodland pitcher Haley Collum pitched the entire way for the Lady Cats allowing no runs on two hits with no walks. She struck out four. Bailey York and Autumn Smith had one hit each for Cass. Cass (3-9, 1-4) plays at Rome on Thursday at 5 p.m. and hosts Trion on Saturday at 11 a.m. 6th-ranked Woodland (10-2, 3-2) visits Northwest Whitfield Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

The Cass volleyball team lost a pair of matches Monday night -- both going the full three sets -- in non-region action at Murray County. The Colonels lost to Gilmer 25-18 in the opening set but rallied to win the second set 25-22 before dropping the deciding set 15-10. Cass won the opening set of their match with Murray County 25-20, but lost the final two sets 25-18 and 15-10. Cass (2-13-1) hosts Cedartown next Tuesday, September 5.

August 26, 2023 Woodland softball needed just four innings to win at Wheeler on Saturday, 14-0. Bailey Ryan had three hits including a pair of doubles and one RBI to lead the Wildcats on offense. Ashlynn Baines followed with two hits including one double and two RBIs. Jordan Hammonds (RBI), Lainey Calhoun (RBI), Kamryn Smith, Alana Carnes, Elizabeth Hartsfield (double, RBI), Peyton Dorn (double, two RBIs), and Harley Hannah (RBI) added one hit each. Bailey Gerstner and Mackenzie Araya contributed one RBI each. Baines collected the pitching win for the Lady Cats. She tossed four innings of shutout ball yielding two hits and two walks. She struck out one. The loss dropped Wheeler to 1-7 on the season. Woodland (9-2, 2-2 Region 7-5A) plays at Cass Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. and at Northwest Whitfield Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

Cartersville volleyball finished 3-1 Saturday at the Kell Classic. The Lady Canes had straight sets wins over St. Francis, South Paulding, and River Ridge before falling in straight sets to Riverwood. In the 25-3, 25-6 win over St. Francis, Holly Dufrene had seven kills, Riley Jarrett finished with four aces, and Aubree Barrett added 12 assists. Cartersville defeated South Paulding 25-7, 25-21. Tennessee Abernathy totaled five kills, Mckenzie Wilkie contributed six digs. Barrett and Raylynn Brown combined for 18 assists. In the day's closest match, the Lady Canes edged River Ridge 26-24, 27-25. Ailee England had seven kills. Abernathy and Addison Marisko contributed six kills each. Barrett added 13 assists. Riverwood topped Cartersville 25-23, 25-17. England and Marisko had six kills apiece. Cartersville (10-6) visits Armuchee Tuesday to take on the host Indians and Model. Thursday, the Canes travel to North Paulding.

The Woodland girls placed eighth and the Woodland boys were 12th Saturday at the 31st annual Ridge Ferry 5K in Rome. The Adairsville boys finished 21st. Both races were won by Pace Academy. The girls' varsity race included 20 teams and 155 runners. The boys' race had 210 runners and 25 teams. Adairsville did not field a full girls' team, but Callie Viktora represented the Tigers with a 16th-place individual run in 21:02. Top results for each local team: WOODLAND GIRLS Miranda Pelow (25th, 21:48) Olivia Berry (36th, 22:23) Addison Brown (67th, 23:37) Autumn Lottner (73rd, 23:52) Abby George (76th, 23:57) WOODLAND BOYS Juan Mendoza (24th, 17:24) Andy Forsyth (29th, 17:31) Knox Koontz (74th, 19:10) Will Parker (113th, 20:04) Connor Smith (105th, 20:08) ADAIRSVILLE BOYS Griffin Bozeman (48th, 18:14) Aaron Souders (113th, 20:29) Dutch Hernandez (132nd, 20:42) Johnathan Parral (134th, 20:44) Aiden Ritchie (188th, 23:19) Cartersville cross country was scheduled to participate in the Allatoona Creek Quad Meet on Friday, but that competition was canceled. The Canes are scheduled for the Front Runner 5 Star Stride at Ringgold on Monday. Next for Woodland is their own Run at the Rock on the Wildcats’ campus. Cass will also participate in the Run at the Rock on Saturday. The next event on the Adairsville schedule is the Rocky Face Race on September 7 in Dalton.

Three of the four local high school football teams picked up wins Friday night with Woodland, Cartersville, and Adairsville earning non-region victories. Cass, the only local team to fall, scored in the final minute of their game to pull within one point and elected to go for the win with a two-point conversion pass that failed. CARTERSVILLE 24, JONESBORO 13 Cartersville’s Ja’Mauri Brice threw a 67-yard touchdown pass and caught a 15-yard scoring strike in the first half Friday as the Hurricanes defeated visiting Jonesboro 24-13. The Brice touchdown toss went to Kendrick Price on a gadget play on the Canes’ first possession. His reception was a 15-yard toss from quarterback Nate Russell with 10:58 to go in the first half. Baylon Long gave Cartersville a 21-0 lead with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter on a 3-yard run. The Cardinals scored two defensive touchdowns to narrow the Canes’ lead to 21-13 early in the final quarter, but a Ryan Johnson 23-yard field goal with 4:32 remaining in the game helped secure the Cartersville win. Jonesboro scored on a 55-yard fumble recovery and return with 0:11 left in the third quarter and Montez Redding returned a pick-six 45 yards for a Cardinals’ touchdown with 11:13 remaining in the fourth period. Jonesboro (1-1) hosts Dutchtown next Friday. Cartersville (2-0) entertains Allatoona Friday at Weinman Stadium in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. WOODLAND 35, COOSA 0 The Woodland Wildcats bounced back in Week 2 this past Friday night to win at Coosa in Rome, 35-0. Quarterback Brelace Williams threw three touchdown passes to help lead the Wildcats’ attack. The signal caller had a 20-yard TD pass to Josh McBroom early in the second quarter and connected twice in the second half with Isaiah Livsey for scores — one from 25 yards and another from seven yards out. Jay Walker’s 17-yard touchdown run gave Woodland a 6-0 lead in the first quarter and Christian Cothran had a 67-yard fumble recovery for a Wildcats’ touchdown. Coosa (1-1) hosts Gordon Central Friday at 7:30 p.m. Woodland (1-1) visits Model Friday for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff in Shannon. ADAIRSVILLE 21, CHEROKEE BLUFF 7 The Adarisville Tigers led 14-0 at halftime and held a 21-0 advantage early in the third quarter Friday night in Flowery Branch on their way to a 21-7 win over the Cherokee Bluff Bears. Adairsville scored on their first possession with a five-play, 80-yard drive. Following four straight runs, quarterback Jonathan Gough connected with wide receiver Tre Winters on a 63-yard touchdown pass. Cooper Souders booted the first of three PATs to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead. They added to their lead on the next possession. Adairsville marched 83 yards on ten plays to go ahead 14-0. Ethan Blome punched in the score with a 1-yard run with 6:31 remaining in the first quarter. There was no scoring in the second period although Cherokee Bluff threatened. The Bears took 14 plays to drive to the Adairsville 2-yard line but the Tigers defense broke up a pass play and denied a score on a fourth-and-goal play. The defensive stand allowed the Tigers to maintain a 14-0 advantage at the intermission. On Adairsville’s second offensive possession of the third quarter, the Tigers drove 68-yards on six plays to take a 21-0 lead. The drive included a key 52-yard run by Peyton Bowen and was culminated with a 2-yard keeper by Gough with eight minutes remaining in the period. The Bears scored their touchdown later in the third period. A 12-play, 65-yard drive was capped with a 2-yard touchdown run by backup quarterback Kaden Thompson with three minutes left in the quarter. The two teams traded possessions in the fourth quarter but the game ended with a 21-7 Tigers’ win. Cherokee Bluff (0-2) has a bye week before hosting Madison County on September 8. Adairsville (1-0) hosts Rabun County Friday at 7:30 p.m. ROCKMART 24, CASS 23 Cass rallied on their final possession to pull within one point at Rockmart Friday night and head coach Steve Gates made the decision to go for the win on the road. Down 24-17 and facing a 4th-and-2 at the Yellow Jackets’ 27-yard line, Cass quarterback Brodie McWhorter tossed a touchdown pass to UGA signee Sacovie White with 0:36 remaining in the game. The scoring strike culminated a 70-yard, six-play drive and set up a dramatic two-point conversion attempt for the Colonels. Following a timeout, McWhorter again tried to connect with White in the left side of the end zone but Rockmart’s Tristan Anderson deflected the pass away allowing the Yellow Jackets to hold on for a 24-23 non-region win. Rockmart led 10-0 with 7:04 to go in the first half. Nazhir Turner scored on an 11-yard run capping an 88-yard, 11-play drive. Jackets’ kicker Jose Alegria, who added the PAT, had earlier kicked a 28-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. Cass narrowed the lead to 10-7 late in the second period. Devin Henderson scored on a 23-yard jaunt to finish off an 80-yard, 12-play drive by the Colonels. Austin McArthur added the extra-point kick. A 21-yard field goal by McArthur in the third period pulled Cass into a 10-10 tie with 4:14 showing on the clock but Rockmart regained the lead on its next possession. The Yellow Jackets drove 52 yards in six plays to regain the lead. The big play in the drive was a 45-yard pass from J.D. Davis to Tristan Anderson that ultimately set up a 1-yard scoring plunge by Brent Washington with 1:27 remaining in the third quarter. The Colonels kept the ball on the ground with their next possession. Devin Henderson capped an 11-play drive that covered 70 yards to knot the score again at 17-17. His 21-yard touchdown run finished off the drive that was all rushing plays and took over six minutes. Rockmart, ranked 7th in Class AA, gained the lead for good on the ensuing possession. The Yellow Jackets marched 77 yards in 12 plays with Washington scoring on a 12-yard run for a 24-17 advantage with 1:48 left in the game. Rockmart (1-1) has a bye week before hosting Dalton in a non-region game on September 8 at 7:30 p.m. Cass (0-2) will seek its first win of the season on Saturday (September 2) in a non-region game against Drew Charter. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Southern Crescent Stadium in Riverdale.

August 24, 2023 Cartersville defeated East Paulding in three straight sets Thursday night in a best-of-five match. The Hurricanes won 25-10, 25-16, and 25-6. Addison Marisko, Holly Dufrene, and Ailee England (photo) each totaled six kills in the win. Aubrey Barrett and Raylynn Bowen finished with 12 and 7 assists, respectively. McKenzie Wilkie contributed 10 digs and Barrett led the Canes with five aces. Cartersville improved to 7-5 heading into the Kell Classic this weekend where they will face St. Francis, South Paulding, and River Ridge in pool play. WOODLAND VOLLEYBALL EARNS SPLIT At Rockmart High School, Woodland volleyball lost to Darlington 25-22, 25-18 before defeating the host Yellow Jackets, 25-22, 16-25, 15-11. Lili Womack had 14 digs, eight aces, and five assists. Kendall Condon contributed 13 assists, 13 digs, and six kills. Anastyn Jones totaled 14 digs and four kills. Woodland (4-7) hosts North Paulding and Murray County Tuesday.

Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com August 24, 2023 Cartersville softball scored three times in the top of the seventh Thursday night at Cass for a come-from-behind 6-5 Region 7-5A win. The game stayed knotted 2-2 through the first four innings before Cartersville scored in the top of the fifth to gain a 3-2 advantage. The Lady Colonels responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to gain a temporary 5-3 lead prior to the Lady Canes’ rally in the final frame. Cartersville out hit Cass 10 to 8 and both teams committed one error. Zoie Shiflett (7 IP, 5R, 3ER, 8H, 1BB, 7K) went the distance in the circle for the Hurricanes to collect the pitching win. Bailey York (7 IP, 6ER, 10H, 2BB, 4K) also worked a complete game for Cass but suffered the tough loss in the circle. Allana Williams had three hits for Cartersville including two doubles and scored three times to spark the Lady Canes’ offense. Addi Burns followed with two hits and three RBIs. Kennedy Crenshaw, Erin McCrary (double, RBI), and Shiflett produced one hit each. KK Evans had two hits including a triple and two RBIs for the Colonels. Braelyn Franklin (double) and Darianna Sosa (triple) also produced two hits. Autumn Smith added one hit and two RBIs in the loss. Cartersville (6-3, 4-0) hosts 2nd-ranked Calhoun Tuesday in region play at 5:30 p.m. Cass (3-8, 1-3) entertains 8th-ranked Woodland on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. WOODLAND 10, DALTON 2 Woodland scored eight runs in the bottom of the first inning and defeated visiting Dalton 10-2 in five innings Thursday night. The 8th-ranked Lady Cats out hit the Catamounts 13 to 2 in collecting the Region 7-5A win. Peyton Dorn (5 IP, 2R, 1ER, 2H, 2BB, 3K) collected the pitching win for Woodland. Elizabeth Hartsfield finished with three hits and one RBI to pace the Wildcats’ offense. Jordan Hammonds (RBI), Alana Carnes (triple, two RBIs), and Haley Collum (two RBIs) all tallied two hits each. Bailey Ryan (two RBIs), Mackenzie Araya, Ashlynn Baines (RBI), and Harley Hannah added one hit apiece. The loss kept Dalton (0-6, 0-4) winless on the season. Woodland (8-2, 2-2) plays a 1 p.m. game at Wheeler on Saturday and visits Cass next Tuesday for a 5:30 p.m. first pitch. RINGGOLD 11, ADAIRSVILLE 3 In a battle of two teams of Tigers, Ringgold defeated visiting Adairsville Thursday night 11-3 in five innings. Ringgold led 7-0 after two innings and added on in the fourth and fifth innings to close out the contest. Adairsville scored a run in the fourth and added two in the fifth to narrow the margin to 8-3 at the time. Chelsea Bates (2 IP, 7R, 2ER, 6H, 3BB, 2K) was tagged with the pitching loss for Adairsville. Jordan Clay (2.2 IP, 4ER, 3H, 6BB, 2K) also pitched for the locals. Gabi Becerra had two hits and one RBI for the Adairsville offense. Bates, Alissa Winters (RBI), Taylor Evans, Brie Patterson, and Clay contributed one hit apiece. Ringgold moved to 3-5 overall and 1-1 in Region 6-AAA. Adairsville (1-8, 0-2) plays a non-region game at Sonoraville Monday at 5 p.m.and hosts LaFayette in region play next Thursday.