The Cartersville High School rifle team won its first-ever state playoff match Wednesday evening with a 1094-1027 win over visiting Paulding County. The playoff match was conducted on the Cartersville co-ed riflery’s new home rifle range on campus and marked the Canes' first post-season appearance in the team’s brief three years of existence. Sophomore Caleb Adams led Cartersville with a match-high score of 278. He was followed by team captain and senior Angelina Christ who fired a 277. Luis Rangel, Kaleb Wolfe, and Harper Cole Eubanks completed the Canes’ scoring with scores of 273, 266, and 250, respectively. Heather Groom led the Patriots with a 271 score. Cartersville advances to the semi-final round of the post-season Thursday, March 16 at the Ole Mill Range Complex in Griffin. The Canes will face East Coweta. The Indians are undefeated on the season and are the Area 5 champions.

Jesiel Moctezuma led off the game with a single Wednesday night at Central-Carroll. He later scored on an infield error by the Lions. That first inning run turned out to be the only score of the game as Cass won 1-0 and evened a home-and-home series with the Lions. Central-Carroll won at Cass on Monday night, 6-1. Three Colonels’ pitchers combined for the shutout Wednesday. Hunter Lovett (3 IP, 0R, 4BB, 2K) started on the mound. Trenton Payne (3 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 3K) and Devan Hutchinson (1 IP, 0R, 1H, 0BB, 1K) pitched in relief. Nic Wright and Cayden Roberts added one hit apiece for the Colonels. The loss dropped Central-Carroll to 5-8 on the season. Cass (5-5) begins Region 7-5A play Tuesday at Hiram in the first game of a three-game series.

The Cartersville High School track and field team competed with Walker, Kell, and Kennesaw Mountain Tuesday evening at Kennesaw Mountain High School with the Purple Hurricanes coming away with several personal bests for the season. Canes’ top three finishes: Thomas Smith won the 110M Hurdles in 18.97 Kemarie Mitchell won the 400M Dash in 51.90 Elizabeth Nelson won the 800M Run in 2:41.64 Anna Grace Boone won the 1600M Run in 5:41.94 Barrett Stepp won the boys' 1600M Run in 4:57.02 Malachi Vosburgh won the 3200M Run in 10:05.70 Leyla Booth won the 300M Hurdles in 51.26 Jade Nelson won the girls' Discus Throw (69-0) Cartersville girls 4x100M Relay teams finished first and second in 53.45 and 55.07. Cartersville boys 4x100M Relay team won in 44.22 Cartersville boys 4x400M Relay team won in 3:35.72 Cartersville girls 4x400M Relay teams finished first and second in 4:27.07 and 4:47.70 Amirra Davis was second in the 400M Dash in 1:10.02 Samantha Herrera was second in the 800M Run in 2:51.36 Hayden Mitchell was second in the boys' 1600M Run in 4:57.03 Elizabeth Hardy was second in the 300M Hurdles in 55.33 Jamilla Chatmon was second in the Triple Jump (29-2) Julia McDonald was second in Discus Throw (68-5) Jaylen Scott was second in Discus Throw (128-0) Paris Moultrie was second in Shot Put (27-6) Myles Forristall was second in Shot Put (42-0.50) Milena Bihm was third in the 200M Dash in 29.39 Preston Parker was third in the 400M Dash in 54.46 Hayden Mitchell was third in the 800M Run in 2:20.35 Vivi Vest finished third in the 3200M Run in 14:10.34 Daniel Pina was third in the 3200M Run in 11:19.49 Sydney Rhodes was third in the girls' 300M Hurdles in 55.49 Jimmy Channell was third in the boys' 300M Hurdles in 45.01 Anna Grace Boone was third in the girls' High Jump (4-6) Jordyn Woods was third in the boys' High Jump (5-4) Paris Moultrie was third in Discus Throw (68-5) Myles Forristall was third in Discus Throw (109-3) Taff Bradley was third in Shot Put (27-2) Nick Kennedy was third in Shot Put (40-10)

According to reports by multiple sources, including Charean Williams of NBC Sports and Matt Zenitz of on3sports, the Miami Dolphins are expected to hire Western Kentucky defensive line coach and former Woodland High School standout Kenny Baker as assistant defensive line coach. Most recently, Baker helped WKU rank second in C-USA in sacks, scoring defense, and opposing yards per carry last season. This will be his first opportunity at the NFL level. Baker played at Gardner-Webb from 2005-08 and began his coaching career in the high school ranks in 2010. He went to Berry College as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2013. Baker also has coached at Mercer (2014-18) and Chattanooga (2019) as a defensive line coach. He coached the defensive ends at WKU in 2020 before taking over the entire defensive line in 2021.

The Woodland High School tennis teams both dropped 5-0 decisions to Model on Monday night and Allatoona on Tuesday. Woodland results are listed below: MODEL 5, WOODLAND BOYS 0 Woodland singles: Line 1 — Cadyn Wade lost 4-6, 3-6 Line 2 — Peter Heins lost 0-6, 1-6 Line 3 — Domenic Ciavarro lost 6-3, 4-6, 6-10 Woodland doubles: Line 1 — Jathan Camp/Titus Bagley lost 0-6, 2-6 Line 2 — Jack Gore/Mason Williams lost 0-6, 0-6 MODEL 5, WOODLAND GIRLS 0 Woodland singles: Line 1 — Abby Cates lost 1-6, 1-6 Line 2 — Jalyn Womack lost 2-6, 2-6 Line 3 — Ally Schmanski lost 6-4, 4-6, 4-10 Woodland doubles: Line 1 — Jolie Fannin/Kathryn Kovacic lost 1-6, 1-6 Line 2 — Faith Owens/Diana Librado lost 2-6, 1-6 ALLATOONA 5, WOODLAND BOYS 0 Woodland singles: Line 1 — Domenic Ciavarro lost 0-6, 0-6 Line 2 — Peter Heins lost 2-6, 4-6 Line 3 — Cadyn Wade lost 0-6, 2-6 Woodland doubles: Line 1 — Jathan Camp/Titus Bagley lost 0-6, 1-6 Line 2 — Jack Gore/Mason Williams lost 0-6, 0-6 ALLATOONA 5, WOODLAND GIRLS 0 Woodland singles: Line 1 — Abby Cates lost 0-6, 0-6 Line 2 — Jalyn Womack lost 1-6, 1-6 Line 3 — Ally Schmanski lost 3-6, 1-6 Woodland doubles: Line 1 — Jolie Fannin/Kathryn Kovacic lost 1-6, 6-4, 6-10 Line 2 — Faith Owens/Diana Librado lost 2-6, 4-6 The Woodland teams return to action next Tuesday at Cass in Region 7-5A play.

The Cass girls and boys soccer teams suffered non-region losses Tuesday night at Bremen. The Lady Colonels fell behind 5-0 by halftime and lost 10-0 to the Lady Blue Devils (6-4). The Colonels trailed just 2-1 at the intermission with a goal by Christian Villela, but the host Blue Devils (8-1-1) poured in six goals in the second half for an 8-1 win. The Cass girls (2-8) and boys (4-6) return to the home pitch next Tuesday when they open Region 7-5A play against Hiram.

Cass pitchers Cayden Roberts and Chase Tatum combined Tuesday night on a three-hit, shutout as the Colonels blanked visiting Wheeler, 14-0, in five innings. The win came on the evening the Colonels recognized their 2023 seniors -- Wesley Collins, Todd Gaddy, and Carson Hill. Roberts (3 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 5K) picked up the pitching win with a three-inning start. Tatum (2 IP, 0R, 2H, 0BB, 3K) closed out the final two frames. Cass scored seven runs in the bottom of the first inning and tacked on seven more runs over the next two innings. Jesiel Moctezuma finished with a pair of hits including a double and four RBIs. Carson Hill had two hits including a double and one RBI. Tatum contributed one hit. Connor Jenkins, Wesley Collins, and Devan Hutchinson were credited with one RBI each. The loss dropped the Wildcats to 1-10 on the season. Cass (4-5) travels to Central-Carroll Wednesday afternoon. The game, which was originally scheduled for Thursday, was moved up a day due to impending weather.

Georgia Highlands softball swept a home doubleheader Tuesday, defeating Roane State CC 18-12 and 8-4. The victories mean the Lady Chargers have now won three of their last four after starting the year with just one win in their first fourteen outings. In the first game Tuesday, Georgia Highlands pounded out 20 hits to defeat the Raiders in a back-and-forth battle. Roane State totaled a dozen hits. The Chargers trailed 9-3 heading into the bottom of the third and trailed 9-8 through four innings. The Raiders added three more runs in the top of the fifth to lead 12-8 before GHC posted ten runs in the bottom of the fifth. Emma Veitch (4.1 IP, 3R, 0ER, 4H, 1BB, 3K) picked up the pitching win in relief of starter Jaycie Hand (2.2 IP, 9R, 6ER, 8H, 1BB). Allison Deweese had three hits including a home run and three RBIs. Jordan Blair finished the opener with three hits including a pair of doubles with three RBIs. Abigail Lathrop (2 RBIs) and Madison Dennis also contributed three hits in the Chargers’ win. Malone Aldridge (RBI) and Audrey Johnson (double, 2 RBIs) had two hits each. Brady Tharp (RBI), Taylor Justice, Avery Fisher (RBI), and Ansley Todd (double, 2 RBIs) added one hit each. In the second game, Rena Fraga (6 IP, 4ER, 9H, 2K) earned the pitching win for GHC. Jaycie Hand (1 IP, 0R, 1H) retired the final three outs in the circle in the seventh inning. Audrey Johnson had two hits including a home run, a double, and four RBIs. Malone Aldridge, Madison Dennis (double), Allison Deweese, Daisy Brown (2 RBIs), Jordan Blair, and Annsley Todd contributed one hit apiece. Roane State CC fell to 7-11 on the season with the two losses. Georgia Highlands (4-14) visits Snead State CC for a doubleheader Wednesday and will host Andrew College for two games Saturday opening Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association conference play.

The Adairsville girls' and boys' soccer teams both earned Region 6-AAA home victories Monday night as the Tigers swept visiting Ridgeland. The Lady Tigers scored twice in the final ten minutes to edge the Panthers 5-4 while the Adairsville boys cruised to an 8-0 win. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 5, RIDGELAND 4 The Lady Tigers found themselves in a back-and-forth battle Monday night with the visiting Lady Panthers of Ridgeland. Adairsville led 2-0 early on with goals by Lizzie LeMay and Gabi Becerra in the game’s first ten minutes. Each scorer assisted on the other’s goal. Ridgeland scored in the 19th minute to cut the Lady Tigers’ lead in half at 2-1. LeMay gave Adairsville a 3-1 lead five minutes later scoring off Jordyn Hartline’s direct kick. Ridgeland again cut the lead to one goal by halftime with a goal in the 33rd minute making the score 3-2. The Panthers tied the game 18 minutes into the second half but Adairsville found a response late in the game. Emma Ridley scored in the 70th minute to put the Lady Tigers back in front and Becerra added an insurance goal seven minutes later to build another two-goal advantage. Becerra assisted on the go-ahead goal and Gracie Cash had the assist on the final Adairsville goal. Ridgeland (1-6-3, 1-3) made it interesting in the final minutes with the Panthers’ fourth goal in the 78th minute, but the Lady Tigers held on for the win. The Adairsville coaching staff credited Piper Tordrup for her defensive play in stopping counterattacks and sending the ball back up the field. Adairsville (7-3, 2-0) hosts Ringgold in another Region 6-AAA match next Monday at 5 p.m. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 8, RIDGELAND 0 Blade Benefield scored three times in the first half Monday night as the Tigers built a 3-0 lead over visiting Ridgeland before the intermission. Benefield added one more goal to his hat trick in the second half and was credited with one assist as Adairsville tacked on five more goals in the final 40 minutes. JJ Grimaldo scored twice in the second half and finished the night with a pair of assists. Kyden Silverberg and Matthew Gollaz also scored goals for the Tigers. Arthur Lefler contributed a pair of assists. Adairsville (5-5, 2-0) hosts Ringgold next Monday in a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Central-Carroll starting pitcher Hayden Manson struck out 11 and worked into the seventh inning Monday night keeping the Cass Colonels off the scoreboard until late in a 6-1 non-region win at the Cass High Athletic Complex. Manson (6.1 IP, 1R, 0ER, 4H, 2BB, 11K) issued a walk with one out in the seventh and gave way to Tucker Lambert (0.2 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 2K) who eventually closed out the game with a pair of strikeouts. The Colonels managed their only run in the final inning on a single, a second walk, and an infield error by the Lions. Central produced single runs in the second, third, fifth, and sixth innings. The Lions then added two more runs in the top of the seventh to build a 6-0 lead. Korbin Dietrich had three hits including a double to lead the Central-Carroll offense. Davis Smith (double, 2 RBIs) and Vicari Swain (double) also had two hits for the Lions. Five Colonels finished with one hit each including Devan Hutchinson (double), Jesiel Moctezuma, Hunter Lovett, Connor Jenkins, and Carson Hill. Central improved to 5-7 on the season. Cass (3-5), will honor its seniors prior to its home game Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Wheeler. The Colonels will then visit Central-Carroll on Thursday.

The Cartersville girls and boys soccer teams were both winners Monday night at Hiram as the two teams opened play in Region 7-5A. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 5, HIRAM 3 Kiley McMichael finished with two goals and two assists to lead the Lady Canes. Yarzibel Pineda, Kaylana Pennington Brooke, and Mallory Nicklas rounded out the scoring for Cartersville. The Lady Canes led 4-2 at halftime and had their lead narrowed to 4-3, but the late goal by Nicklas regained Cartersville’s two goal advantage and sealed the victory. The loss dropped the Lady Hornets to 0-8-1 on the season and 0-1 in region play. The Cartersville girls (3-4-1, 1-0) play at Calhoun in another Region 7-5A match Friday at 5:30 p.m. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 3, HIRAM 1 The Canes controlled play for most of the match Monday evening in a 3-1 region victory. Cartersville led 1-0 at the intermission thanks to a Melvin Velasquez penalty kick. The Canes' second goal came on another penalty kick from Marvel Velasquez in the 57th minute but Hiram kept it close. The Hornets (0-8, 0-1) scored a few minutes later to make the score 2-1 but a late goal by Kaden Anderson closed out the victory. His long range tally came in the 78th minute. Cartersville (4-2-2, 1-0) travel to Calhoun Friday for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

The Woodland Wildcats and the Adairsville Tigers both suffered 6-3 non-region losses on the road Monday night. Woodland lost in extra innings at Sonoraville while Adairsville fell at McEachern. SONORAVILLE 6, WOODLAND 3 (8 innings) Sonoraville’s Zach Lyles hit a walk-off, three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning Monday night to lift the Phoenix to a 6-3 non-region win over visiting Woodland. The Wildcats opened the scoring with three runs in the top of the first. Julian Wright doubled home a pair of runs and Chase Carson added a RBI single. Sonoraville cut the margin to 3-1 in the bottom of the first via a walk and an infield error. In the bottom of the fifth, Lyles doubled and later scored on a single by Dawson Townsend to make the scored 3-2. Kannon England then launched a sacrifice fly that scored Jaxon Pate who had reached earlier on an infield error. Pate (1 IP, 0R, 1H, 2K) collected the pitching win for Sonoraville in relief of starter AJ Hensley (7 IP, 3ER, 3H 2BB, 6K). Lyles and Townsend combined for four of the Phoenix hits and four RBIs. Ayden Ray (3.1 IP, 3ER, 1H, 5BB, 3K) suffered the Tigers’ pitching loss. Rowan Billings (4 IP, 3R, 1ER, 4H, 1BB, 3K) made the pitching start and Coby Barrett (0.1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB) retired one out in the fifth inning. In addition to the hits by Wright and Carson, Jakiyon Porter and Connor Stermer added one hit apiece. Sonoraville improved to 5-1 on the season. Woodland (5-5) plays a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Marietta. McEACHERN 6, ADAIRSVILLE 3 McEachern scored three runs in the third and added three more in the fourth Monday night to defeat visiting Adairsville, 6-3, in Powder Springs. The Tigers led 1-0 in the second inning and threatened with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth but got no closer. Adairsville starting pitcher Grayson Belcher (3.1 IP, 5ER, 1H, 8BB, 6K) took the pitching loss. Kaiden Coker (2.2 IP, 1ER, 4H, 0BB, 1K) worked the final 2-⅔ innings on the mound for the Tigers. Landon O’Neal had two hits and two RBIs for Adairsville in the loss. Jarrett Scott, Evan Sanders, and Peyton Bowen added one hit each. The Indians improved to 7-5 on the year. Adairsville (6-3) visits Cartersville Thursday at 5 p.m. and will host the Hurricanes Friday at 5:30 p.m.