The Woodland Wildcats made the trip to Canton Saturday and split games with Forsyth Central and host Cherokee. Woodland won the opener with Forsyth Central 6-4, but fell to Cherokee in their second game of the day, 7-3. WOODLAND 6, FORSYTH CENTRAL 4 The Bulldogs held a 1-0 lead through two innings but the Wildcats posted three runs in the third inning and two more in the fourth to gain control. Woodland outhit Forsyth Central eight to three but both teams struggled defensively combining for 10 errors. Austin Daves (4.1 IP, 3R, 0ER 3H, 2BB, 3K) started on the mound and earned the pitching victory for Woodland. All three runs against the starter were unearned. Zach Lambert entered for the Wildcats in the fifth inning and worked into the seventh. Coby Barrett was credited with a save, striking out the only batter he faced. Julian Wright had two hits and one RBI. He was one of four Wildcats to have a double in the contest. Jakiyon Porter, Ayden Ray (RBI), and Connor Lujan also contributed doubles for the Woodland offense. Rowan Billings, Chase Carson, and Brett Good added one hit each. The loss dropped Forsyth Central to 6-5 on the season. CHEROKEE 7, WOODLAND 3 Cherokee grabbed a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third Saturday night and never trailed in a 7-3 win over Woodland. The Wildcats narrowed their deficit to 3-2 in the top of the fourth but three more runs by the Warriors in the bottom of the fourth built a 6-2 lead for the hosts. Cherokee added one more run in the fifth and Woodland scored a single run in the sixth for the 7-3 final score. Alex Morales had three hits for the Warriors with one RBI. Jackson Bradfield drove in a run with two hits including a double. Alex Shaw hit a solo home run for Cherokee. Hunter Shirley (2 IP, 3ER, 2H, 6BB, 2K) started on the mound for Woodland and took the pitching loss. Coby Barrett (1 IP, 0R, 1H), Logan Bentley (1 IP, 3R, 0ER, 3H, 1BB), Zach Lambert (1 IP, 1ER, 2H, 1BB, 2K), and Ayden Ray (1 IP, 0R, 1H, 2K) each worked an inning of relief for the Wildcats. Chase Carson and Mason Williams had two hits each for Woodland. Brett Good (double, RBI), Julian Wright, Connor Stermer, and Jakiyon Porter added one hit each. Ray drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Cherokee, who also beat Forsyth Central earlier in the day, improved to 10-1. Woodland (6-4) visits Sonoraville Monday for a 5:30 p.m. first pitch.

The Adairsville Tigers traveled to White County Saturday and split a non-region doubleheader with the Warriors. White County won the opening game 9-5 and the Tigers started quickly in the nightcap to come away with a 9-4 win. ADAIRSVILLE 9, WHITE COUNTY 4 The Tigers started quickly in the second game of Saturday’s twin bill at White County scoring six runs across the first two innings. Adairsville added three more runs over the final five frames and held off the Warriors late for a 9-4 victory. The bats were lively in the second game with the two teams combining for 25 hits. The Tigers had 14. Jack Whitley (6.2 IP, 4R, 3ER, 11H, 1BB, 5K) started on the mound for Adairsville and earned the pitching win. His troubles in the seventh inning were snuffed out by Kaiden Coker (0.1 IP, 0R, 0H) who retired the only batter he faced with a fly out. Jarrett Scott had three hits and two RBIs in the Tigers’ win. Peyton Bowen and Evan Sanders both finished with two hits and one RBI. PJ Weeks also finished with a pair of hits. Chris Roper (RBI), Braxton Ryan (RBI), Grayson Belcher, Dawson Craig (double), and Landon O’Neal added one hit each. WHITE COUNTY 9, ADAIRSVILLE 5 In the first game of the day, the host Warriors scored five runs in the third inning and added on the rest of the way in an eventual 9-5 win in Cleveland. Adairsville actually led 2-1 going into the bottom of the third but did not add their other three runs until trailing 9-2 going to the top of the sixth. Jack Nelson (4.1 IP, 9R, 6ER, 10H, 3BB, 4K) started the opener and took the pitching loss. Dawson Craig (1.2 IP, 0R, 0H, 0BB) retired the final five outs on the mound for the Tigers. Kyler Mayo (RBI) and Kanaan Cleveland (2 RBIs) had two hits each for White County. Trevor Butler (5.1 IP, 5R, 3ER, 5H, 3BB, 5K) earned the pitching win by working into the sixth inning for the Warriors. Jarrett Scott (2 RBIs) and Chris Roper (double) had two hits apiece for the Tigers’ offense. Braxton Ryan contributed a double and two RBIs. Evan Sanders and Jack Whitley had one hit each. PJ Weeks added one RBI. The doubleheader split leaves White County with a 4-4 record for the season. Adairsville (6-2) will visit McEachern Monday at 5 p.m. and has a home-and-home series with Cartersville Thursday at Richard Bell Field and Friday at home.

The Purple Hurricanes split a pair of consolation games Saturday in Hoover, Alabama to wrap up their visit to the 2023 Perfect Game High School Showdown by splitting four games during the week. Cartersville defeated Cullman (Alabama) in the Canes’ first game Saturday before falling to Catholic-Baton Rouge later in the day, 5-1. Thursday, Cartersville beat Chelsea (Alabama) 1-0 and lost to DeSoto Central (Mississippi) Friday night, 5-1. CARTERSVILLE 3, CULLMAN (AL) 1 The Hurricanes strung together six singles in the inning and produced all three of their runs in the top of the third in an eventual 3-1 win over Cullman (Alabama) at the Hoover Sports Complex. Canes’ pitchers Sawyer Wilson (5 IP, 1ER, 4H, 1BB, 3K) and Phillip Schiltz (2 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 4K) made those runs enough by keeping the Bearcats (3-2) off-balance most of the day. Luke Miller, Caleb Daniel (double, RBI), and Miles Owen (RBI) had two hits apiece for Cartersville. Gavin Shrewsbury (RBI), Harrison Childers, and Paul Gamble added one hit each. CATHOLIC-BATON ROUGE (LA) 5, CARTERSVILLE 1 Catholic-Baton Rouge (Louisiana) posted five runs in the first four innings and Bears’ junior pitcher Ryan Ainsworth limited Cartersville to just three hits to defeat the Canes in their final PG High School Showdown consolation game Saturday afternoon. Ainsworth allowed just one run and struck out seven while tossing a complete game. Clayton Pourciav and Jack Ruckert both homered for Catholic and combined with Prescott Marsh for six of the Bears’ nine hits and four RBIs. Geoffrey Gore (1 IP, 3ER, 2H, 3BB, 1K) started on the mound for Cartersville and suffered the pitching loss. Nicholas Hruby (3 IP, 2ER, 4H, 1BB) and Dawson Bishop (3 IP, 0R, 3H, 3K) also pitched for the Hurricanes. Harrison Childers, Isaac McNair-Seigler, and Ryan Johnson had one hit each for Cartersville. Catholic-Baton Rouge improved to 7-2 on the season. Cartersville (6-2) hosts Adairsville Thursday at 5 p.m. and will play at Adairsville on Friday.

Georgia Highlands baseball improved to 13-5 on the season by winning four of their last five February 24-28. The Chargers beat Wallace State-Hanceville CC 8-1 on Friday (Feb. 24) and then won three of four in a home-and-home series with Chattahoochee Valley CC last Saturday (Feb. 25) and Tuesday (Feb. 28). Georgia Highlands won the first three matchups with the Pirates 5-3, 8-5, and 9-1 before dropping the second game at CVCC, 7-3. In the matchup with Wallace State at the Rome Braves’ Advent Health Stadium, the Chargers pounded out 11 hits including four doubles. Starting pitcher Oliver Wood struck out seven and scattered just two hits and one walk across seven innings to earn his first pitching win. In the three wins during the series with Chattahoochee Valley, Trey Baker tossed five innings with five strikeouts to earn his third win of the year. Chandler Anderson fanned three to collect his first pitching win, and Jeremy Gay allowed just one earned run in five innings with two strikeouts for his first win. Cason Rich retired the final five outs — striking out three — in the third game of the series for his second save of the year. The Chargers’ bats were alive in the four-game series led by Ryan Wideman’s seven hits that included a homer, three doubles, and three RBIs. Hudson Sapp completed the series with four hits including a pair of triples, a double, and two RBIs. Bryant Herring hit three home runs among his four hits and six RBIs and Austin Slate also had a four-hit series with a pair of RBIs. Zayd Brannigan (RBI), Jay Murdock (RBI, double), Connor Faulkner (2 RBIs, double), and Bryson Stripling (2 RBIs, double) each contributed three hits in the CVCC series. Georgia Highlands is scheduled for a three-game series with USC-Salkehatchie this weekend.and begins Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association play Tuesday with South Georgia State.

The Cass Colonels fell behind early, battled back to send the game into extra innings, but then fell to the Paulding County Patriots in nine innings Friday night at LakePoint in Emerson. Spencer Pethel hit a three-run home run in the top of the first inning to put the Patriots in front early and Paulding added another run in the second to go up 4-0. Cass responded with the game’s next four runs to knot the score. A pair of walks and two hit batsmen plated the Colonels’ first run in the bottom of the second. Jesiel Moctezuma followed with a sacrifice fly to cut the Cass deficit to 4-2. Neither team scored over the next three innings but the Colonels took advantage of a single by Chase Tatum, a dropped third strike, and a pair of walks to narrow the Patriots’ lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth. Down a run in their final frame of regulation play, a two-out single by Moctezuma was followed by Hunter Lovett’s RBI double to send the game to extra innings. Following a scoreless eighth inning, Paulding took advantage of an infield error and two singles to take a 5-4 lead. The Colonels got the potential tying run to second base with a walk and another single by Moctezuma, but were unable to complete another comeback. Hunter Redden (3.1 IP, 1ER, 3H, 2BB, 4K) was the winning pitcher for Paulding County in relief of starting pitcher Pethel (3 IP, 2ER, 1H, 3BB, 6K) and middle reliever Chris Carson (2.2 IP, 1ER, 4H, 3BB, 6K). Jack Shipp (four hits, two doubles), Josh Wilder, and Pethel combined for eight of the Patriots’ 14 hits and four RBIs. Devan Hutchinson (2.2 IP, 1R, 0ER, 3H, 0BB, 1K) was the tough-luck losing pitcher for the Colonels despite not allowing an earned run. Cayden Roberts (1.1 IP, 3ER, 4H, 1BB, 1K) started on the mound. Trenton Payne (3.2 IP, 0R, 5H, 1BB, 2K) and Wesley Collins (1.1 IP, 0R, 1H, 2BB, 1K) also pitched. Moctezuma finished with three hits and one RBI. Lovett had two hits including a double and one RBI. Connor Jenkins contributed a pair of hits and Tatum added the other Cass safety. Paulding County improved to 4-6 on the season. Cass (3-4) returns to action Monday at home against Central-Carroll at 5:55 p.m.

Cartersville baseball stood toe-to-toe with DeSoto Central (Ala.) for five innings Friday night in the quarterfinal round of the Perfect Game High School Showdown’s White Bracket, but a big sixth inning by the Jaguars ultimately secured a 5-1 win. A pair of DeSoto Central pitchers — Gavin Brassfield and Colton Coates — combined to limit Cartersville to just one hit. DeSoto Central opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first inning on three singles. From there, the two teams battled scoreless and stalemated for the next four and one-half innings. In the Jags’ half of the sixth, they produced three hits and took advantage of a hit batsman and a walk to build a 5-0 advantage. Trip Bradley singled to drive in a run in the Canes’ half of the seventh and Cartersville loaded the bases with two outs, but their threat ended with a groundout. Brassfield (5 IP, 0R, 0H, 5BB, 6K) worked five complete innings for DeSoto Central without allowing a run or a hit to collect the pitching victory. Coates (2 IP, 1ER, 1H, 3BB, 3K) closed out the final two innings for the Jaguars. Cartersville’s Ryan Johnson (5 IP, 2ER, 4H, 2BB, 4K) was tagged with the pitching loss. Geoffrey Gore (1 IP, 3ER, 2H, 1BB) retired the final three outs for the Canes. Luke Sides, Austin Kilpatrick, and Noah Smith combined for four of the Jaguars’ six hits and combined for four RBIs. DeSoto Central improved to 5-3 on the season and advanced to Friday night’s semifinal round to play Archbishop McCarthy (Fla.). Cartersville (5-1) will play a pair of consolation games Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET and at 2 p.m. on Field 3 at the hover Met Sports Complex. The Canes will play Hartselle (Ala.) in the later game. Their early game opponent had not been determined at the time of this article's release.

The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes got an RBI double off the bat of Kaden Stephenson in the second inning Thursday night and pitchers Caden Carroll and Phillip Schiltz made that run stand-up, in a 1-0 win over Chelsea (Alabama) at the Perfect Game High School Showdown in Hoover, Alabama. Carroll (6.1 IP, 0R, 1H, 3BB, 10K) started on the mound for the Canes and carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before giving way to Schiltz (0.2 IP, 2K) who struck out the final two batters to end a bases loaded threat. Cody Fortenberry had the lone hit for the Hornets and it didn’t come without controversy. It was a swinging bunt that rolled up the third base line that the Canes believed was off the foot of the batter. The roller was followed by a pair of walks to load the bases before Schiltz shut down the threat. Cartersville managed only two other hits in addition to the key double by Stephenson. Miles Owen and Caleb Daniel added one hit each. The Hurricanes (5-0) advance to the quarterfinals of the White Bracket to face Desoto Central (Alabama) Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET The winner will play again Friday night at 9:30 p.m. in the single-elimination bracket semifinals. The title game is secheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday at the Hoover Met Complex.

The Woodland girls and boys tennis teams both earned 3-2 match wins Wednesday at home over the Adairsville Tigers with the Lady Cats sweeping both doubles lines to secure victory while the Wildcats won all three singles lines. WOODLAND GIRLS 3, ADAIRSVILLE 2 Woodland singles: Line 1 — Jalyn Womack lost 3-6, 1-6 Line 2 — Abby Cates won 6-0, 6-0 Line 3 — Ally Schmanski lost 4-6, 3-6 Woodland doubles: Line 1 — Jolie Fanin/Kathryn Kovacic won 6-1, 7-6 Line 2 — Faith Owens/Diana Librado won 6-4, 6-2 WOODLAND BOYS 3, ADAIRSVILLE 2 Woodland singles: Line 1 — Cadyn Wade won 6-1, 6-1 Line 2 — Peter Heins won 6-1, 6-7, 10-5 Line 3 — Domenic Ciavarro won 6-2, 6-1 Woodland doubles: Line 1 — Titus Bagley/Jathan Camp lost 5-7, 3-6 Line 2 — Jack Gore/Mason Williams lost 3-6, 2-6 The Wildcats and Lady Cats host Model Monday in a 4:30 p.m. match and Allatoona Tuesday, also in a 4:30 p.m. start.

Pepperell scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh Wednesday night to break a 5-5 tie at Woodland as the Dragons escaped with a 7-5 non-region win. Pepperell led 3-0 early but the Wildcats scored three runs in the bottom of the third and added one more in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. The Dragons went back on top 5-4 in the fifth but Woodland tied the game with a single run in the bottom of the sixth. Ryan Ely (6 IP, 5R, 2ER, 6H, 3BB, 2K) started on the mound and picked up the pitching win for Pepperell (4-4). Woodland utilized a quartet of hurlers. Coby Barrett entered in the fifth inning and was tagged with the pitching loss. Rowan Billings started on the bump for the Wildcats. Ayden Ray (2.1 IP, 2R, 1ER, 0H, 6BB, 5K) and Hunter Shirley (0.1 IP, 0R, 0H) also pitched. Billings finished with two hits and one RBI for Woodland. Chase Carson also had two hits. Connor Stermer doubled with one RBI. Ray added a hit with two RBIs. Woodland (4-3) heads to Canton Saturday for games against Forsyth Central at 2 p.m. and Cherokee at 5 p.m. PAULDING COUNTY 6, CASS 3 With three runs in the bottom of the first and three more in the bottom of the fifth, the Paulding County Patriots held off visiting Cass Wednesday night, 6-3. The Colonels led 2-0 in the top of the first but did not score again until the sixth when they posted a single run. Alex Benitez (5 IP, 3R, 1ER, 4BB, 7K) earned the pitching win for Paulding County. Riley Jeffries (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 1K) and Tucker White (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 1K) worked a scoreless inning each for the Patriots. James Jones had two hits for Paulding (3-6). Cass starting pitcher Carson Hill (4.1 IP, 6R, 3R, 7H, 2BB, 5K) took the pitching loss. Devan Hutchinson (1.2 IP, 0R, 0H, 0BB, 2K) retired the final five outs on the mound for the Colonels. Connor Jenkins had two hits for Cass including one double. Cayden Roberts and Hill added one hit apiece. Cass (3-3) has a rematch with Paulding County Friday at Lakepoint at 5:55 p.m.

Local girls and boys high school soccer teams picked up two wins, two draws, and suffered four losses on the pitch Tuesday night. The Adairsville and Cartersville boys teams earned wins. The Woodland boys and Cartersville girls both played their opponents to draws while the other four local teams in action fell on Tuesday evening. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 4, PICKENS 0 Arthur Lefler scored two goals and Blade Benefield and JJ Grimaldo added one goal each as the Tigers earned a 4-0 non-region win at Pickens (0-4) Tuesday. Keeper Jaydon Hovarth was credited with playing his best game of the season while keeping a clean sheet. He was credited with multiple saves in key situations. Adairsville (4-5) travels to Temple Friday for a 5 p.m. kickoff. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 4, SONORAVILLE 1 The Purple Hurricanes, now 3-2-2 on the season, led 1-0 at the half and scored three more times in the final 40 minutes for a 4-1 non-region victory at Sonoraville. Cartersville scored three times in the final 15 minutes of play to clinch their win. Marvel Velasquez scored in the 24th minute with a penalty kick from just beyond the left side of the box. The kick curved over the Phoenix goalkeeper. Sonoraville tied the score midway through the second half but Cartersville took the lead for good just a few minutes later. Velasquez struck again with a left-footed kick into the upper right corner for a 2-1 advantage. Hector Galaviz redirected a corner kick for the Canes' next goal and Melvin Velasquez finished off the scoring with less than three minutes remaining. His right-footed kick found the lower left corner of the net. The Canes host Woodland to begin Region 7-5A play Friday night at 7:30 p.m. WOODLAND BOYS 1, HERITAGE-CATOOSA 1 (draw) The Woodland Wildcats earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw Tuesday night at Heritage-Catoosa (4-1-3) in Ringgold. Woodland (3-1-1) plays its first region match Friday night at Cartersville at 7:30 p.m. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 0, SONORAVILLE 0 (draw) The Lady Canes and Lady Phoenix played to a scoreless draw Tuesday night in Gordon County. Sonoraville is now 2-3-1 on the season. Cartersville (2-4-1) hosts Woodland Friday at 5:30 p.m. as both teams open Region 7-5A action. SOUTH PAULDING 3, CASS BOYS 2 The Colonels led 1-0 ten minutes into the match Tuesday night at South Paulding on a Jordan Solis goal from Christian Villela. The Spartans tied the score in the 20th minute on a corner kick set play. Cass regained the lead on a goal by Mason Madrid five minutes later. Camden Hillhouse assisted giving the Colonels a 2-1 lead at halftime. South Paulding scored the equalizer making the score 2-2 in the 55th minute on a 35-yard volley and scored the game-winning goal off a 45-yard free kick in the 77th minute. The Spartans improved to 3-3-1 with their home win. Cass (4-5) begins Region 7-5A play Friday at Dalton in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. PICKENS 1, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 0 The Lady Tigers controlled the action for much of the evening, but an early goal by the Lady Dragons held up as Pickens blanked Adairsville 1-0. Pickens improved to 1-2-1 on the season with their non-region home win. Adairsville (6-3) visits Temple Friday. SOUTH PAULDING 5, CASS GIRLS 0 The Cass girls soccer team was shutout Tuesday night at South Paulding 5-0 in non-region action. The Lady Spartans led 1-0 at the intermission but powered home four more goals in the second half to improve to 3-3-1 on the season. Cass (2-7) travels to Dalton Friday for their Region 7-5A opener at 5:30 p.m. HERITAGE-CATOOSA 10, WOODLAND GIRLS 0 The Heritage-Catoosa Lady Generals stayed unbeaten on the season Tuesday night with a 10-0 home win over the Lady Cats of Woodland. Heritage-Catoosa (6-0-2) led 8-0 in the first half and kept the Woodland girls off the scoreboard. Woodland (1-4-1) makes the short trip to Cartersville Friday to begin Region 7-5A play. The game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

The Cass girls and boys track and field teams finished second Tuesday at Calhoun High School in a five-way meet. The Heritage-Catoosa girls won with 100 points. The Lady Colonels scored 73 points followed by Southeast Whitfield (70) and Calhoun (70) in a tie for third with Coosa (33) fifth. Calhoun won the boys’ meet with 123 points. Cass scored 95. Heritage-Catoosa (88.5) was third followed by Southeast Whitfield (64) and Coosa (11.5). Event wins by Cass competitors: Girls 100M Dash — Kaitlyn Godwin (12.30) Girls 400M Dash — Kaitlyn Godwin (1:06.01) Girls 100M Hurdles — Nakayla KK Evans (18.27) Boys 200M Dash — Colin Holt (23.30) Boys 1600M Run — Critton Gearhart (4:57.39) Girls 4x100M Relay — Markayla Sanford, Nyliah Woods, Kiana McDaniel, Kaitlyn Godwin (51.18) Boys 4x200M Relay — Colin Holt, Braylon Hill, Jordan Powell, JaShaun Brown Whatley (1:36.08) Boys 4x400M Relay — Adam Pierce, Andrew Rampey, Jordan Russell, Critton Gearhart (3:49.08) Boys 4x800M Relay — Adam Pierce, Andrew Rampey, Critton Gearhart, Jason Wright (8:56.00) The next meet for Cass is the Southeast Invitational Saturday in Dalton.

Cass baseball exploded for eleven runs in the top of the sixth inning Tuesday night to win at Wheeler in Cobb County, 12-2. The Colonels trailed 2-1 through the fifth inning but took advantage of eight walks, three hit batsmen, a single, and a double in the sixth inning to post the double-digit frame. Three Cass pitchers combined to limit the Wildcats to two earned runs on four hits and six walks. Hunter Lovett (3 IP, 1ER, 1H, 4BB, 3K) made the start. Wesley Collins (1 IP, 0R, 1H, 2BB) wrapped up the fourth inning and Trenton Payne (2 IP, 1ER, 2H, 0BB, 1K) picked up the pitching victory by closing out the final two innings. JaHyren Kilbert had two hits for Wheeler (1-7). Jesiel Moctezuma had a three-hit game for Cass and drove in one run. Connor Jenkins doubled and finished with four RBIs. Lovett added a hit and two RBIs. Cass (3-2) visits Paulding County Wednesday at 5:55 p.m. and will host the Patriots Friday in a 5:55 p.m. first pitch. ADAIRSVILLE 4, ALEXANDER 2 The Adairsville Tigers posted a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning Tuesday night in Douglasville to break a 2-2 tie and defeat the Alexander Cougars, 4-2. Alexander led 1-0 after one inning before the Tigers scored single runs in the second and third innings to take a 2-1 lead. The Cougars knotted the score with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Jack Whitley (4 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 4K) picked up the pitching win for the Tigers in relief of starter Grayson Belcher (3 IP, 2R, 1ER, 5H, 4BB, 4K). Seven different Tigers had one hit each. Jack Nelson (RBI) and Whitley had doubles. Jarrett Scott (RBI), Chris Roper, Evan Sanders, Tyler Driggers, and Landon O’Neal added one hit apiece. The loss drops the Cougars to 5-4 on the season. Adairsville (5-1) is scheduled for a home-and-home series with White County Thursday at home and Saturday in Cleveland.