The Cass wrestling team came up just short Saturday at the GHSA Class 5A State Duals Championship at Jones County High School, falling to Jefferson in the state championship match, 37-33. “I love our guys,” said Colonels’ head coach D.L. Koontz Saturday night. “They battled and we came up short. I thank them for giving it their all. The coin toss was what we needed to win so we could report where we needed to win.” Cass beat Northgate and Ware County in the first two rounds on January 14 to reach Saturday’s Elite Eight. Woodland, also among the final eight teams qualifying for the Gray, Georgia event, defeated Northside-Columbus and Greenbrier one week ago to earn a Top Eight spot. Saturday, the Wildcats finished in a tie for fifth. Both teams opened the day with state quarterfinal wins. Cass defeated Eastside 66-15 while Woodland beat Cambridge 46-30. In the state semifinal round, Woodland fell to Jefferson 39-20 and Cass took out Ola 39-31. The Wildcats lost their first match in the consolation rounds to Harris County to finish tied for fifth with Cambridge. The duals championship by Jefferson is their 20th in the 22 years GHSA has conducted a state championship in the format. The Dragons have seven titles in Class A, six in AA, two in AAA, three in Class 4A, and now one in Class 5A. Woodland won the Class 5A title in 2019, ’20, and ’21 while Cass took the title last year. Both local teams will now transition into the traditional format for the remainder of the season. Woodland has won four traditional format state titles since 2003 including three consecutive between 2019 and 2021. Cass won the traditional format state championship in 2006 and 2022. Jefferson has to be considered one of the favorites again in the traditional format tournament. The Dragons have won 23 state championships in the traditional format since 1983. SATURDAY'S BOUT-BY-BOUT RESULTS Championship Bracket / State Quarterfinals / Cass defeated Eastside 66-15 106 - Lee Camp (Cass) over Unknown (Unattached) Forfeit 113 - Nolan Christian (Eastside Hs) over Angel Castenado (Cass) Fall 5:04 120 - Grayson Poynter (Eastside Hs) over Jayden Taylor (Cass) Dec 4-4 126 - Hayden Mills (Cass) over Hasaan Williams (Eastside Hs) Fall 3:00 132 - Jake Crapps (Cass) over Jordan Hittle (Eastside Hs) Fall 1:58 138 - Tanner Toups (Cass) over Jordan Amedee (Eastside Hs) Fall 1:19 144 - Tyler McKnight (Cass) over Tucker Edmondson (Eastside Hs) Fall 0:45 150 - Mason Tompkins (Cass) over Nathan Sinyard (Eastside Hs) Fall 0:30 157 - Kirecg Roe (Cass) over Damani Fleming (Eastside Hs) Fall 0:46 165 - Zach McKnight (Cass) over Grayson Carter (Eastside Hs) Fall 2:55 175 - Wyatt Bauer (Eastside Hs) over Michael Cameron (Cass) Fall 0:32 190 - Parker Dunn (Cass) over Michael Abernathy (Eastside Hs) Fall 0:24 215 - Kevin Henderson (Cass) over Logan Cowan (Eastside Hs) Fall 1:24 285 - Kail Ellis (Cass) over Unknown (Unattached) Forfeit Championship Bracket - Semifinal Match Cass defeated Ola 39-31 138 - J`Veion Redmon (Ola) over Tanner Toups (Cass) Maj 9-0 144 - Tyler McKnight (Cass) over Conner Kimbrough (Ola) TF 22-7 150 - Brian Papcun (Ola) over Mason Tompkins (Cass) Fall 1:11 157 - Kirecg Roe (Cass) over Jared Walker (Ola) Maj 13-5 165 - Zach McKnight (Cass) over Talon Cole (Ola) Fall 0:49 175 - Xander Dossett (Ola) over Michael Cameron (Cass) Fall 0:30 190 - Zion Smith (Ola) over Parker Dunn (Cass) Dec 11-5 215 - Colby Lejeune (Ola) over Kevin Henderson (Cass) Fall 2:58 285 - Travis Nollman (Ola) over Kail Ellis (Cass) Fall 1:39 106 - Lee Camp (Cass) over Wyatt Johnsey (Ola) Fall 0:54 113 - Hunter Barrett (Cass) over Lincoln Durden (Ola) Dec 7-3 120 - Ethan Harrington (Cass) over Jackie Black (Ola) Dec 7-3 126 - Rowdy Duck (Cass) over Landon Moss (Ola) Inj 1:40 132 - Jake Crapps (Cass) over Jobi Colbert (Ola) Fall 1:04 State Championship Match Jefferson defeated Cass 37-33 150 - Tyler McKnight (Cass) over Carson Goodwin (Jefferson) Fall 1:50 157 - Mason Tompkins (Cass) over Elias Vermillion (Jefferson) Dec 7-0 165 - Creed Thomas (Jefferson) over Kirecg Roe (Cass) TF 17-2 175 - Zach McKnight (Cass) over CLAYTON BEINE (Jefferson) Fall 2:46 190 - Luke Cochran (Jefferson) over Parker Dunn (Cass) TF 22-7 215 - Nolan Martin (Jefferson) over Kevin Henderson (Cass) Fall 2:53 285 - Sammy Brown (Jefferson) over Kail Ellis (Cass) Fall 0:38 106 - Lee Camp (Cass) over Barrett Clayton (Jefferson) Fall 1:01 113 - Roman Belardo (Jefferson) over Hunter Barrett (Cass) Fall 0:16 120 - Chaz McDonald (Jefferson) over Caden Alford (Cass) Fall 2:17 126 - Rowdy Duck (Cass) over Tucker Kazienko (Jefferson) Dec 10-8 132 - Jake Crapps (Cass) over Dallas Russell (Jefferson) Dec 4-3 138 - Tanner Toups (Cass) over Davis Dollar (Jefferson) Fall 4:08 144 - Dominic Haines (Jefferson) over Austin McArthur (Cass) Dec 6-3 Championship Bracket / State Quarterfinals / Woodland defeated Cambridge 46-30 132 - Paul Lanier (Woodland) over Mason Truncale (Cambridge) Dec 7-6 138 - Hayden Santora (Woodland) over Will Thomas (Cambridge) Maj 11-0 144 - Zachary Wallace (Woodland) over Ty Tossi (Cambridge) Dec 4-1 150 - Cullen Kane (Cambridge) over Christian Cothran (Woodland) Fall 0:33 157 - Jovante Luke (Woodland) over Wills Kelly (Cambridge) Fall 0:27 165 - Heath Tatum (Woodland) over Jonah Murdock (Cambridge) Fall 3:08 175 - Coleman Buschi (Cambridge) over Melvin Ramos (Woodland) Fall 0:55 190 - Owen Jones (Woodland) over Wyatt Smith (Cambridge) Fall 3:56 215 - Charles Higdon (Woodland) over Cameron Phillips (Cambridge) Fall 1:17 285 - Kwadrus Wilson (Woodland) over Gabe Chigwere (Cambridge) Fall 2:12 106 - Amari Kinnamore (Woodland) over Mykyta Liutyi (Cambridge) Fall 4:08 113 - Jacob Riggins (Cambridge) over Aiden Buchan (Woodland) Fall 1:18 120 - Kian Shenassa (Cambridge) over Samuel Askew (Woodland) Fall 1:20 126 - Hunter Keane (Cambridge) over Nathan Cates (Woodland) Fall 0:24 Championship Bracket / Semifinals / Jefferson defeated Woodland, Cartersville 39-20 138 - Hayden Santora (Woodland) over Davis Dollar (Jefferson) Dec 6-1 144 - Zachary Wallace (Woodland) over Dominic Haines (Jefferson) Dec 7-3 150 - Christian Cothran (Woodland) over Carson Goodwin (Jefferson) Fall 3:00 157 - Jovante Luke (Woodland) over Elias Vermillion (Jefferson) Dec 4-1 165 - Creed Thomas (Jefferson) over Heath Tatum (Woodland) Fall 1:02 175 - Clayton Beine (Jefferson) over Melvin Ramos (Woodland) Dec 7-4 190 - Nolan Martin (Jefferson) over Owen Jones (Woodland) Dec 10-4 215 - Luke Cochran (Jefferson) over Charles Higdon (Woodland Dec 12-5 285 - Sammy Brown (Jefferson) over Kwadrus Wilson (Woodland) Dec 3-2 106 - Amari Kinnamore (Woodland) over Barrett Clayton (Jefferson) Fall 3:59 113 - Roman Belardo (Jefferson) over Aiden Buchan (Woodland) Fall 1:19 120 - Chaz McDonald (Jefferson) over Noah Cates (Woodland) Fall 0:15 126 - Tucker Kazienko (Jefferson) over Nathan Cates (Woodland) Maj 10-1 132 - Dallas Russell (Jefferson) over Paul Lanier (Woodland) TF 26-11 Woodland's team score was adjusted by -1.0 for Unsportsmanlike Conduct Consolation Bracket Harris County defeated Woodland, Cartersville 37-36 144 - Davin Lundquist (Harris County) over Zachary Wallace (Woodland) Fall 1:00 150 - Christian Cothran (Woodland) over Davis Brooks (Harris County) Fall 1:00 157 - Jovante Luke (Woodland) over Kaden Schacht (Harris County) Fall 3:55 165 - Matthew Vonwettering (Harris County) over Heath Tatum (Woodland) TF 15-0 175 - Brock Johnson (Harris County) over Melvin Ramos (Woodland) Fall 0:43 190 - Owen Jones (Woodland) over DJ Maddox (Harris County) Dec 7-5 215 - Charles Higdon (Woodland) over Denver Degonia (Harris County) Fall 3:00 285 - Kwadrus Wilson (Woodland) over Wesley Sappington (Harris County) Fall 1:47 106 - Nick Nguyen (Harris County) over Amari Kinnamore (Woodland) Fall 2:26 113 - Aiden Buchan (Woodland) over Ethan Bresnahan (Harris County) Fall 4:32 120 - Aiden Byrd (Harris County) over Noah Cates (Woodland) Fall 1:11 126 - Tyler McGuire (Harris County) over Nathan Cates (Woodland) Dec 12-5 132 - Davis Culpepper (Harris County) over Paul Lanier (Woodland) Maj 18-6 138 - Hayden Santora (Woodland) over Lane Morris (Harris County) Fall 1:18 Woodland's team score was adjusted by -3.0 for Unsportsmanlike Conduct Harris County's team score was adjusted by 1.0 for Tie-break criteria

Cartersville’s Jaylen Scott made a layup off an inbound pass from Romo Pace with 1.5 seconds remaining Saturday to lift the Hurricanes to a 65-64 non-region win at Rockmart. The Yellow Jackets missed a desperation shot from near mid-court as time expired. The Canes led 35-26 at halftime and held a 56-44 lead heading into the fourth quarter but a rally by Rockmart in the final quarter set up the late-game drama. Tyler Crumley finished with 24 points for Rockmart. Dennis Sims followed with 14 and Tristan Anderson added 12 for the Yellow Jackets (10-9). Pace led Cartersville with 13 points. Parnel Gamble scored 10. Scott finished with nine points. Monte Tolbert contributed eight while Cedric McClinic and Kaden Baldwin added seven points apiece for the Purple Hurricanes. The Cartersville boys (8-9, 1-3 in Region 7-5A) carry a two-game win streak into Tuesday’s 7:30 p.m. region game at 3rd-ranked Hiram. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 79, ROCKMART 35 The Lady Canes won for the sixth time in their last seven games Saturday afternoon collecting a 79-35 non-region victory at Rockmart. Cartersville led 17-8 at the end of the first quarter; 33-15 at halftime; and 54-29 through three quarters on their way to a 44-point win. Ansley Griffin scored 14 points to lead the Lady Canes. Campbell Rogers followed with 12. Senai Camper and Taff Bradley finished with 11 points each. Jakayah Draughn contributed nine points. KK Arnold chipped in with eight. Nayel Camper posted seven points. Layne Callan tossed in four points. Jakya Garnigan and Miley Jo Williams added two points and one point, respectively. Emma Hindor led Rockmart (5-14) with 13 points. Cartersville (12-4, 3-1 Region 7-5A) returns to region play Tuesday at 3rd-ranked Hiram. ROME 86, CASS BOYS 72 The visiting Class 6A Rome Wolves built a big first-half lead Saturday night at Cass and held off the Colonels in the second half for an 86-72 non-region win. Rome led 28-20 after one quarter and 51-31 at the intermission. The Wolves were up 67-46 by the end of the third period. “We came out really flat tonight and Rome was better prepared to play,” said Cass head coach Kevin Cunningham. “We got down big and fought all the way back but it wasn’t enough. Rome closed better than we did. Hopefully, with a little rest, we can right the ship and be ready for Woodland.” Both teams had five players to reach double-digit scoring. Braxton Wade led Rome (12-9) with 19 points. Jonathan Heath scored 18 for the Wolves. Jamie Williams finished with 14. Cameron Keith and Darnel Collins added 12 points each. Jayden Foster led Cass with 16 points. Jakai Baldwin and Sacovie White contributed 13 points each. KJ Rogers and Devin Henderson added 10 apiece for the Colonels. Cass (8-10, 2-2 Region 7-5A) returns to region action Tuesday night at Woodland. The girls' game will tip at 6 p.m. with the boys to follow.

The Cartersville High School rifle team hosted all six Area 10 teams Saturday at the Storm Center and had two competitors finish in the top five. Angelina Christ and Lucy Evans of Cartersville placed second and fifth, respectively, out of 30 Area 10 competitors. In the Canes’ head-to-head match with top-ranked Cherokee, Cartersville dropped an 1114-1098 decision. Christ led Cartersville with a top score of 283. Evans fired a 281. Caleb Adams, Kaleb Wolfe, and Luis Rangel rounded out the Canes’ effort with scores of 273, 261, and 255. Cartersville, now 3-5 on the season, slips to fourth place in Area 10. The Hurricanes travel to Allatoona for a match with the Buccaneers on Thursday.

The Cartersville girls and boys basketball teams swept visiting Woodland Friday night at the Storm Center while three other local boys teams also collected wins. The Excel Christian Academy boys rallied for a one-point, non-region win at Dominion Christian. The Cass boys came from behind in the fourth quarter to beat visiting Dalton and the Adairsville boys improved to 8-1 in region play with a victory at Ringgold. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 56, WOODLAND 28 The Lady Canes, who led 19-15 at halftime, surged to a 42-21 advantage by the end of the third quarter Friday night and went on to beat visiting Woodland at the Storm Center, 56-28. Ansley Griffin led the Cartersville scoring attack with 10 points. Campbell Rogers and Kaitlyn Arnold followed with nine points each. Nayel Camper and Taff Bradley finished with seven points each. Jakayah Draughn scored six. Senai Camper posted five points. Jakya Garnigan and Layne Callan added three and two points, respectively. Morgan Echols led the Lady Cats with nine points. Libby Morgan and Megan Schultz finished with eight points each. Reagan Weightman added three for Woodland. Woodland (2-16, 0-4) plays next at home against Cass on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. Cartersville (11-4, 3-1) plays a non-region game at Rockmart Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 77, WOODLAND 41 The Purple Hurricanes led 24-18 at halftime and pulled away in the second half Friday night to defeat Woodland at the Storm Center, 77-41. Balanced scoring lifted the Canes to victory with five players reaching double digits. Jamauri Brice led the way with 15 points. Jaylen Scott finished with 13. DJ Cain and Sam Wiedetz contributed 11 points each while Jake Johnson added 10 for Cartersville. Brelace Williams led the Wildcats with 17 points. Isaiah Livsey and Zyon Heath added seven apiece. Woodland (2-17, 0-4) returns to action Tuesday night at home against Cass at 7:30 p.m. Cartersville (7-9, 1-3) travels to Rockmart for a non-region game Saturday at 3 p.m. EXCEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY BOYS 64, DOMINION CHRISTIAN 63 The Eagles trailed with three minutes remaining Friday night but utilized full-court pressure to generate a late rally and a come-from-behind win. Excel took the lead with just 26 seconds remaining and got a defensive stop at the end to secure their win, 64-63. The lead changed hands several times. Dominion Christian led 18-14 after the opening eight minutes but Excel carried a 33-31 lead to the halftime locker room. In the third period, the host Knights regained the lead 49-40. In the final period, the Eagles outscored Dominion 24-14 to pull out the victory. Jacob Taylor paced ECA with 20 points. Comari Nettles scored 17. Jakaden Barkley finished with 14 points. Kyron McClendon contributed seven points. David Jinks, Christian Viera, and Kamarion Profit added two points each for the Eagles. Brayden Graber scored 21 points to lead the Knights (12-5). Excel Christian (11-8, 6-0 GAPPS I-AA Region 1) returns to region play Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. at Shiloh Hills Christian. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 69, RINGGOLD 66 The Adairsville boys earned another close road, region victory Friday night. This time the Tigers outlasted Ringgold, 69-66. After Ringgold led 13-12 at the end of the first quarter, Adairsville led 30-29 at halftime. The Tigers extended their lead to 55-48 by the end of the third quarter and held off Ringgold over the final eight minutes for a three-point win. Five Adairsville players reached double-digit scoring led by Zach Postell’s 16 points. Xavious Nalls followed with 15. Tre Winters scored 14 points. Zach Weaver tossed in 12 and Tay Jackson added 10 points. Ringgold (6-13, 4-5) got 24 points from O’Reilly Matthews and 14 by Berlin Massengale. Adairsville (13-7, 8-1) hosts Ridgeland Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. CASS BOYS 70, DALTON 67 The Colonels trailed visiting Dalton at the end of each of the first three quarters Friday night before outscoring the Catamounts 21-15 in the final period for a 70-67 Region 7-5A win. Dalton led 19-13 after one quarter; 34-28 at the intermission; and 52-49 through three quarters. Jakai Baldwin led four Colonels in double figures with 20 points. KJ Rogers finished with 15. Sacovie White chipped in 14 points. Devin Henderson contributed 12. Jayden Foster tossed in seven points and Kevin Henderson added two in the Cass win. Chaz Ramsey led the Catamounts with 18 points. Jay Anderson finished with 17 for Dalton. Dalton slipped to 13-3 on the season and 2-2 in Region 7-AAAAA. Cass (8-9, 2-2) hosts a non-region game with Rome Saturday at 6 p.m. DALTON 71, CASS GIRLS 31 The Cass girls lost their fourth straight — all region games — Friday night, falling to visiting Dalton, 71-31. The Lady Cats led 40-10 by halftime and were never threatened. Grace Ridley led Dalton with 24 points. BB Bates and Gemara Washington both added 13 points. Olivia Woods led the Lady Colonels with 11 points. Mikaela Jackson added eight. Dalton improved to 12-5 overall and 2-2 in Region 7-AAAAA. Cass (12-6, 0-4) returns to action Tuesday night at Woodland at 6 p.m. RINGGOLD 47, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 34 Following a 12-12 first quarter, Ringgold took control of the game in the second quarter in an eventual 47-34 win over visiting Adairsville. Ringgold outscored Adairsville 16-3 in the fateful second period to lead 28-15 at halftime. The hosts maintained a 35-23 lead by the end of the third quarter. Kindly Forscott led Ringgold with nine points. Leiah Henderson and Allie Massengale scored eight points each. NaXyria Roberts led Adairsville with 13 points. Alissa Winters added seven. The Ringgold girls improved to 7-11 overall and 5-4 in Region 6-AAA. Adairsville (10-9, 5-4) hosts Ridgeland Tuesday night at 6 p.m.

The Cartersville High School rifle team defeated LaFayette Thursday afternoon at the Carl Boyd American Legion Post in Cartersville. The Canes’ rifles outscored the Ramblers 1101 to 1070. The result was the Cartersville team’s second-highest team score in program history. The win also avenged an earlier season loss to LaFayette and was Cartersville’s first-ever win over the Ramblers. Lucy Evans led Cartersville with a 282-point total. Austin Jenkins led LaFayette with 283. Other top shooters for the Hurricanes were Caleb Adams (277), Angelina Christ (275), Luis Rangel (267), and Harper Cole Eubanks (265). The two teams will face off again Saturday when Cartersville High School hosts the Area 10 tournament starting at 10 a.m. Cartersville opens the tournament against top-seeded and undefeated Cherokee High School.

The Cass High School swim team defeated Coahuila Creek Tuesday night in a head-to-head competition at the Adairsville High pool. Cass finished with 235 points in the 24 events while the visiting Colts totaled 112. Event winners for the Colonels included: — Girls 100-yard freestyle — Stacia Zappoli — Girls 200-yard freestyle relay — Jimena Perez, Monica Martinez, Addison Doolittle, and Stacia Zappoli — Girls 100-yard breaststroke — Sinclair Foy — Girls 400-yard freestyle relay — Stacia Zappoli, Monica Martinez, Jimena Perez, and Addison Doolittle — Boys 200-yard medley relay — Jake Wright, Vy Lam, Brandon Santana, and Manny Reyes — Boys 200-yard individual medley — Brandon Santana — Boys 100-yard butterfly — Brandon Santana — Boys 100-yard freestyle — Manny Reyes — Boys 200-yard freestyle relay — Brandon Santana, Manny Reyes, Adam Pierce, and Jake Wright — Boys 100-yard backstroke — D’Angelo Pham — Boys 400-yard freestyle relay — Justin Swinford, Brandon Silva-Escuen, Eliceo Silva-Escuen, and Jordan Russell The next meet for Cass is Tuesday versus Cartersville at the Adairsville pool. The meet will begin at 5:30 p.m. and both teams will be recognizing their 2022-23 seniors.

The Adairsville girls’ and boys’ basketball teams swept games at Gordon Lee Tuesday while the Excel Christian Academy boys earned a home victory. Meanwhile, the teams from Cartersville, Cass, and Woodland all suffered losses in Region 7-5A games. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 50, GORDON LEE 39 The Lady Tigers led at the end of each period Tuesday night at Gordon Lee and picked up a 50-39 Region 6-AAA win in Chickamauga. Aliya McBryde paced Adairsville with 20 points. NaXyria Roberts followed with 17 points. Alissa Winters contributed five while Zariyah Hicks and Darby Adams added four points apiece. The top scorer for Gordon Lee (3-11, 0-8) was Emma Phillips with 12 points. The Adairsville girls (10-8, 5-3) travel to Ringgold Friday night at 7 p.m. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 51, GORDON LEE 47 In a game that stayed close throughout Tuesday night in Chickamauga, the Adairsville Tigers held on to pick up a Region 6-AAA win at Gordon Lee, 51-47. The Tigers overcame a four-point, first quarter deficit to lead by two at halftime — 26-24. Adairsville led 38-35 at the end of the third quarter and held on in the final eight minutes for a four-point victory. Zach Postell led the Tigers with 20 points. Tre Winters followed with 10. Xavious Nalls contributed eight points. Ben Abernathy finished with four points while Zach Weaver, Tay Jackson, and Jamarion Pullam added three points each. Jordan Underwood and Hunter Holmes scored 10 each for the host Trojans. Adairsville (12-7, 7-1) plays at Ringgold Friday night in an 8:30 p.m. tip. EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 78, SHILOH HILLS CHRISTIAN 46 The Excel Christian Academy boys took command of the GAPPS I-AA Region 1 standings Tuesday night with a 78-46 win over visiting Shiloh Hills. The Eagles led 39-23 at halftime and extended their lead to 62-33 by the end of the third quarter. Comari Nettles led Excel with 24 points. Jakaden Barkley followed with 18. Jacob Taylor contributed 15 and Kyron McClendon scored 11 as the Eagles placed four starters in double figures. Walker Corbin led the Challengers (5-5, 2-1) with 10 points. Excel Christian (10-8, 6-0) plays at Dominion Christian Friday night at 6 p.m. CALHOUN 76, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 56 In a matchup of two girls’ teams with unbeaten region records, the host Lady Jackets led 33-23 at halftime and went on to defeat Cartersville, 76-56. Britya Curtis led four Lady Jackets in double figures with 18 points. Kaytlin Arnold led Cartersville with 19 points. Taff Bradley scored 15 and Jakayah Draughn finished with 13 points for the Lady Canes. Calhoun improved to 14-3 overall and 3-0 in Region 7-5A. 23 The Lady Canes (10-4, 2-1) host Woodland in another region game Friday night at 6:30 p.m. CALHOUN 59, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 55 The Canes led 15-9 after one quarter and 24-20 at halftime Tuesday night at Calhoun but the Yellow Jackets rallied in the second half to escape with a 59-55 win. Calhoun outscored Cartersville 21-12 in the third quarter to launch the comeback. Dylan Faulkner led Calhoun with 25 points. Romo Pace scored 18 points to lead the Canes. Kaden Baldwin finished with eight points. Calhoun improved to 10-7 overall and 3-0 in Region 7-5A. Cartersville (6-9, 0-3) entertains Woodland at the Storm Center Friday night in an 8 p.m. start. HIRAM 87, CASS GIRLS 17 The Class 5A 3rd-ranked Lady Hornets ran up a 58-3 first half lead at home against Cass Tuesday night and cruised to an 87-17 region win. Hiram improved to 15-2 overall and 3-0 in Region 7-5A. Cass (12-5, 0-3) returns to region action Friday night at home against Dalton. HIRAM 78, CASS BOYS 33 The 3rd-ranked Hornets raced out the gates to a 46-18 lead by halftime Tuesday night and swarmed the visiting Colonels, 78-33. Chase Tyler led Hiram with 14 points. Amir Taylor scored 12 and Jay Boyd finished with 10 points for the hosts. Jayden Foster led Cass with 12 points. Hiram improved to 15-2 overall and 3-0 in region action. Cass (7-9, 1-2) hosts Dalton Friday at 7:30 p.m. DALTON 61, WOODLAND GIRLS 22 Host Dalton improved to 11-5 overall and 1-2 in Region 7-5A. Woodland (2-15, 0-3) plays at Cartersville Friday. DALTON 65, WOODLAND BOYS 60 The Catamounts outlasted visiting Woodland Tuesday night 65-60 in a Region 7-5A tilt. Dalton improved to 13-2 overall and 2-1 in region action. Woodland (2-16, 0-3) plays at Cartersville Friday in an 8 p.m. tipoff.

The Georgia High School Association has released the Class 5A State Duals Championship bracket for Saturday's tournament at Jones County High School. Cass will attempt to defend its 2022 duals state championship while Woodland will seek a sixth duals state title since 2003. The state quarterfinals will begin on all four mats at 10 a.m. with semifinals and finals -- along with consolation matches -- to follow. The Wildcats were originally scheduled to square off with Ola in the first round. but a GHSA bracket change inserted Cambridge to face Woodland. The Colonels will go head-to-head with Eastside in the first round. CLASS AAAAA STATE DUALS CHAMPIONSHIP

ATHLETES BEYOND BARTOW Former Cartersville High School quarterback Trevor Lawrence helped lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to an improbable NFL Wildcard playoff win Saturday night and continued a statistic that may also seem improbable for any quarterback playing at the highest level of the sport. NFL TREVOR LAWRENCE — Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL, 2nd-yr. pro; Clemson; Cartersville HS … One of the most amazing stats for Lawrence is he has never lost a start on a Saturday as a high school, college, or NFL quarterback. That accomplishment almost came to halt this past Saturday, but the Jacksonville quarterback and the Jaguars overcame a 27-point deficit and rallied to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers 31-30 in an improbable Wild Card playoff win. Lawrence struggled heavily in the first half as the Jags fell behind 27-0. He had a 0.0 passer rating through his team’s first seven series. The second-year pro was 5-for-18 for just 35 yards and was picked off four times in those possessions. He finished with 288 yards and four touchdowns, however, as the Jaguars outscored Los Angeles 24-3 in the second half and completed the third-largest comeback in NFL postseason history. In his last five drives, Lawrence was 23-for-29 for 253 yards and four touchdowns, The rally began with a 9-yard Lawrence TD pass to Evan Engram with just 0:24 remaining in the first half. In the third quarter, the 23-year-old had a 6-yard scoring strike to Marvin Jones and connected with Zay Jones and a 39-yard scoring play to narrow the Chargers’ lead to 30-20. In the fourth quarter, a 9-yard touchdown pass to Christian Kirk followed by a crucial 2-point conversion lunge by Lawrence cut the Los Angeles lead to 30-28 with just over five minutes remaining. Following a defensive stop, Jacksonville was able to drive back down field on ten plays to set up a 36-yard, game-winning field goal by Riley Patterson as time expired. Lawrence finished the game 28-for-47 passing for 288 yards. He added one rushing carry for eight yards. Jacksonville (10-8) advances to the AFC Divisional round and will play at the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs Saturday afternoon. PRO BASKETBALL ASHTON HAGANS — Greensboro Swarm (NBA G-League; 3rd-year pro; Cartersville native; Kentucky; Newton HS) … averaged more than 12 points, just over four assists, four rebounds, and added one steal and one blocked shot as the Swarm went 2-1 last week. Greensboro lost last Tuesday at the Westchester Knicks and split games last Friday and Saturday at the Lakeland Magic. The Swarm (2-6) host the conference-leading Cleveland Charge Wednesday night and host the Windy City Bulls Saturday night. Greensboro is currently 13th in the NBA G League Eastern Conference. A.J. MOSBY — Sudbury Five (6th year pro; NBL-Canada; Alcorn State; Cartersville HS) … scored 17 points and had eight assists, three rebounds, and one steal in a 129-116 home win over the Windsor Express. Sudbury (3-0) plays at the London (Ontario) Lightning Thursday and at the Express on Friday. COLLEGE BASKETBALL BRAXTON BENHAM — Berry College (So., Cass HS) … coming off a foot injury and off the Vikings’ bench, Benham scored 16 points with three steals, three assists, and two rebounds last Friday night in a 75-62 home win over Sewanee-University of the South. Sunday he returned to the starting lineup, scored nine points with five assists, four steals, and three rebounds in a 78-59 conference win over Centre College (Kentucky). Berry (14-2, 5-0 Southern Athletic Association) plays at Hendrix College (Arkansas) Friday night and at Rhodes College in Memphis Sunday. CLAIRE DAVIS — Palm Beach Atlantic University (Fr., Cass HS) … made a start this past Saturday afternoon and scored six points, grabbed five rebounds, and made one steal in a 63-60 loss to Embry-Riddle University. PBAU (8-7, 4-5 Sunshine State Conference) plays at Barry University Wednesday night and at Eckerd College Saturday afternoon. JUSTICE HAYES — Point University (So., Cass HS) … scored three points and had one rebound and one assist Saturday as the Skyhawks lost 77-72 at Montreat College. Point (10-8, 10-5 Appalachian Athletic Conference) hosts Truett-McConnell University Tuesday night, plays at Milligan University Thursday night, and entertains Union College (KY) Saturday night. DiANTHONY HEATHCOCK — Columbia International University (Jr., Woodland HS) … finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and two steals this past Saturday as the Rams lost 71-66 at Bryan College. CIU (8-8, 7-6 Appalachian Athletic Conference) travels to Johnson University (TN) Tuesday night and plays at Montreat College Saturday afternoon. HALEY JOHNSON — Central Georgia Tech CC (Fr., Cass HS) … scored four points and had one rebound and one steal last Thursday in a 67-53 home win over Brenau University JV. The Titans also lost Saturday at East Georgia State CC but box score information was not available at the time of this release. CGTCC (6-13, 1-6 GCAA) hosts Albany Tech Wednesday evening and travels to Andrew College Saturday afternoon. KEARA McDANIEL — Toccoa Falls College (Fr., Cass HS) … had three rebounds and one steal in the Screaming Eagles’ 81-51 home win last Tuesday over Mississippi University for Women. Toccoa Falls (11-4, 3-1 National Christian College Athletic Association DII) plays at home Monday against Johnson & Wales (North Carolina) and travels to Welch College (Tennessee) Thursday night. JAYLON PUGH — Lander University (Grad student, Cartersville HS) … scored four points with two rebounds and one steal last Wednesday in an 81-78 loss at Augusta University. He also grabbed two rebounds this past Saturday as the Bearcats won at Clayton State, 76-63. Lander (11-4, 3-2 Peach Belt Conference) plays three conference games at home this week facing Clayton State Monday, Columbus State Wednesday, and Georgia Southwestern Saturday. LONDAISHA SMITH — Alderson Broaddus University (So., Cass HS) … had one steal last Wednesday in a 60-57 home victory over the University of Charleston (West Virginia). She then scored four points, had two rebounds, two steals, and one assist in a 112-49 loss Saturday afternoon at West Virginia State. The Battlers (4-11, 3-7 Mountain East Conference) play at West Liberty University Wednesday night and at Notre Dame College Saturday afternoon. NAKIYAH WASHINGTON — Piedmont University (Sr., Adairsville HS) … scored five points, grabbed nine rebounds, had five assists, and five steals as the Lions won at Maryville College (Tennessee) this past Saturday, 64-59. Sunday afternoon she scored 11 points with seven boards, four assists, two steals, and had one blocked shot in a 77-63 loss at Berea College (Kentucky). This week, Piedmont (8-6, 4-1 Collegiate Conference of the South) hosts Belhaven University (Mississippi) Friday night and Huntingdon College Saturday afternoon. SWIMMING GRAYSON BREEDLOVE — Lenoir Rhyne University (Jr., Cartersville HS) … in a 156-96 team loss at Queens University last Friday Breedlove placed third in the 200-yard backstroke (2:24.84); was 7th in the 100-yard backstroke (1:08.58); and was on a 7th-place 200-yard medley relay team (2:09.82). The Bears also won a home meet with King University 156.5 to 96.5 Saturday but those results were not available. LRU swims next at UNC-Pembroke this Saturday. HARPER POWELL — Florida Tech (So., Adairsville HS) … in a 168-94 team loss this past Saturday at Lynn University, Powell was on her team’s third place 200-yard medley relay team (1:55.91) and was on the Panthers’ fourth place 400-yard freestyle relay team (3:55.18). Individually, she was fifth in the 50-yard freestyle (27.47) and sixth in the 100-yard freestyle (1:00.80). Next for Florida Tech is a meet at Saint Leo University this Saturday afternoon. WRESTLING ANGEL BANDA — Reinhardt University (Jr., Adairsville HS) … won his individual bouts Saturday as 12th-ranked Reinhardt beat Brewton-Parker 42-3 and host Montreat College (North Carolina) 53-6. Banda, a 125-pounder now ranked 12th nationally as an individual in NAIA, won both of his bouts by pinfall. Next for the Eagles will be their own Reinhardt Duals Saturday in Waleska. KYLE GOLLHOFER — University of Northern Iowa (R-So., Woodland HS) … won his 125-pound bout 10-6 as 15th-ranked Northern Iowa won at Utah Valley last Friday night. The Panthers host 13th-ranked Oklahoma State on Saturday, January 28. CALEB HENSON — Virginia Tech (Fr., Woodland HS) … now ranked 11th nationally as an individual in the 149-pound division, Henson defeated 8th-ranked Jon Jon Milner of Appalachian State 6-4 Sunday as the 9th-ranked Hokies topped the 22nd-ranked Mountaineers 23-11. Virginia Tech returns to action Friday night at home against 5th-ranked N.C. State. BRYCE KRESHO — Franklin & Marshall University (Fr., Cass HS) … a 149-pounder, Kresho dropped a 10-2 decision Saturday in the Diplomats’ 23-13 team loss to Drexel University in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Franklin & Marshall hosts Gettysburg College Wednesday night and will face Long Island University and Hofstra University Saturday in New York. JAXON SMITH — University of Maryland (Fr., Woodland HS) … now ranked 11th nationally in the 197-pound weight class, Smith pinned his opponents from Oklahoma and Ohio University this past Saturday at the Virginia Duals. The 23rd-ranked Terrapins also won both duals 18-16 and 27-13, respectively. On Sunday, Smith lost both his bouts as Maryland fell to Campbell University 21-14 and beat host Virginia 22-14. The Terps return to Big Ten action on Friday night when they host 7th-ranked Ohio State. They will then travel to 25th-ranked Illinois on Sunday afternoon. JABRIL WILLIAMS — Midway University (So., Cartersville HS) … finished 1-2 in 165-pound bouts at the Central Baptist College Invitational this past weekend in Conway, Arkansas. The Eagles won the tournament claiming the program’s first-ever tournament victory. Midway finished 23 points ahead of second place Avila (Missouri). The Eagles wrestle next at the Missouri Valley Invitational in Marshall, Missouri this weekend.

The Adairsville High School swim team placed eighth last Friday and Saturday at the 25-team Northwest Georgia Swim and Dive Championship hosted at the Calhoun Aquatic Center. The meet was won by Blessed Trinity with Jefferson finishing second. Woodland was 13th and Cass placed 24th. Adairsville's Cooper Brown had the top performance among local competitors. Brown finished fourth in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:52.12. Other Adairsville swimmers that have qualified for the GHSA State Meet in previous events include: Adairsville boys' 200-yard medley relay -- Gabriel Greenway, Cooper Brown, Andy Barnett, and Landon Smrcina (1:50.33) Adairsville boys' 200-yard freestyle relay -- Cooper Brown, Luke Altizer, Brayden Rizer, and Andy Barnett (1:39.31) Brown is also a qualifier in the 200-yard individual medley (2:11.31) and 100-yard breaststroke (1:06.84) Complete results from the Northwest Georgia Regional are available here: (file download) The GHSA State Meet will be January 31 - February 4 at Georgia Tech.

The Excel Christian Academy Eagles took a 23-3 lead Saturday in the first quarter and led by 17 points by the end of the period but the host Unity Christian Lions came roaring back in the second quarter to cut the ECA lead to 38-33 by halftime of the game in Rome. Unity knocked down six three-pointers in the second period as they outscored Excel 27-15 in the quarter. After maintaining their five-point advantage through the third quarter, the Eagles extended their lead to 71-60 midway through the fourth only to have Unity cut the lead to 76-70 with 0:35 remaining. Excel was able to close out the win down the stretch. Kyron McClendon and Comari Nettles led the Eagles with 17 points each. Jacob Taylor finished with 15 points and Jakaden Barkley added 14 for Excel Christian. Austin Wilkerson led Unity Christian (4-10, 2-4) with a game-high 29 points. Excel Christian (9-8, 5-0 GAPPS I-AA Region 1) hosts Shiloh Hills Tuesday at 6 p.m. as the Eagles move into the second half of their region slate.

The Class 5A top-ranked Cass Colonels wrestling team advanced to the GHSA State Duals Final Eight with a pair of wins at home Saturday in the state tournament’s first two rounds. Cass defeated Northgate in the opening round 59-24 and eliminated 2-seed Ware County 55-24 in the Sweet 16 round. In the victory over Northgate, Angel Castenado (113), Jake Crapps (126), Richard Martin (132), Tanner Toups (138), and Mason Tompkins (165) all collected wins by pin fall for the Colonels while Jayden Taylor (120) won by technical fall. Cass also picked up forfeit wins at 106, 144, 150, and 157-pounds. The Colonels started quickly in the second round to defeat Ware County. Lee Camp (106), Hunter Barrett (113), Ethan Harrington (120), and Jake Crapps (126) each pinned their Gators’ opponent as Cass built an early advantage. Rowdy Duck (132) won a major decision. Tanner Toups (138) won by technical fall and Tyler McKnight (144) won by pin before the Colonels’ Eli Doolittle dropped his bout by medical forfeit. Kriecg Roe (157), Mason Tompkins (165), and Parker Dunn (190) added pins for Cass as they closed out the win. Cass advances to the state team duals quarterfinals next Saturday at Jones County High School in Gray. The teams will be re-seeded and wrestling will begin at 10 a.m. In addition to the Colonels, the final eight will include Harris County, Ola, Eastside, Locust Grove, Cambridge, Jefferson, and Woodland. WOODLAND ADVANCES TO ELITE EIGHT The Woodland Wildcats wrestling team won its four-team preliminary state duals sectional Saturday at Greenbrier High School near Augusta. Woodland, runner-up from Region 7-5A, defeated Northside-Columbus 58-18 in the first round and took down host Greenbrier 36-27 in the Sweet Sixteen round to advance. The Elite Eight finals for Class 5A will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at Jones County High School. CARTERSVILLE FALLS IN FIRST ROUND OF STATE DUALS The Cartersville wrestling team lost its state duals first round match Saturday at Harris County 43-27 but bounced back to beat Chattahoochee 54-30 in a consolation dual. Harris County went on to defeat Coffee, 41-31, to advance to the Class 5A Elite Eight at Jones County next weekend. Grant Adams (120) and Jachai Delgado (150) were both 2-0 on the day for the Hurricanes. Delroy Hurst (285) won his only bout. Julian Cline (106), Eaiden Neal (126), Grey Williams (132), Talan Nix (138), and Montgomery Tompkins (144) were each 1-1 on the day. ADAIRSVILLE ELIMINATED IN SECOND ROUND The Adairsville Tigers wrestling team reached the second round of the Class AAA State Duals Tournament Saturday but lost a closely contested match with host Pike County 39-30. Adairsville blanked Dougherty in the first round, 84-0. Pike County advances to the Class AAA Elite Eight at Stephens County High School Saturday, January 21 along with Franklin County, Gilmer, Gordon Lee, Ringgold, Bremen, LaFayette, and Columbus.