The Woodland girls and boys tennis teams lost matches at Etowah Tuesday night by identical 4-1 scores. Abby Cates earned a Line 2 singles win for the Lady Cats, 7-5, 6-3 while Domenic Ciavarro picked up the Wildcats’ win at Line 3 singles. Next for Woodland is a home match Thursday against North Paulding at 4:30 p.m.

The Cartersville High soccer teams split home soccer games Tuesday night with Villa Rica. The Canes came from behind in the second half for a 2-1 win but the Lady Canes dropped a 4-1 decision to the Lady Wildcats. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 2, VILLA RICA 1 The Cartersville boys pulled out a thriller Tuesday night after falling behind 1-0 about midway through the first half. Cartersville head coach D.J. Paradis noted an unfortunate defensive error by the Canes that led to the Wildcats’ goal. Ten minutes into the second half the Canes got the ball over the top of the Villa Rica defense with Santiago Eckert knotting the score on a breakaway. With the score tied 1-1, both teams had scoring chances but Cartersville had the final word when the Canes again sent the ball over the top of the Villa Rica defense for Melvin Velasquez. He beat his defender and then poked it through the goalie’s legs for what would be the game-winner. The Wildcats threatened again later, but the Hurricanes held on and improved to 2-1-1 on the season. Cartersville plays at Heritage-Catoosa on Wednesday night. VILLA RICA 4, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 1 The Lady Canes trailed 2-0 at halftime and trailed 4-0 late in the game in an eventual 4-1 loss. The lone Cartersville goal came from Kiley McMichael after the keeper dropped a loose ball in the box in the latter stages of the game. Cartersville (3-1) travels to Heritage-Catoosa Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff.

It was a tough night Tuesday for the local high school girls' basketball teams. All four teams in action dropped region contests. CALHOUN 65, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 56 The Lady Canes narrowed a nine-point first-half deficit to two points by the end of the third quarter, but the visiting Lady Jackets of Calhoun held on to earn a hard-fought region win Tuesday night at the Storm Center, 65-56. Calhoun led 21-15 after the opening eight minutes and 32-23 at halftime before Cartersville slashed the lead to 45-43 by the end of the third period. The Jackets outscored the Lady Canes 20-13 in the fourth quarter to earn their road win. Allie Duke led Calhoun (18-4, 9-1) with 16 points. Sarah Dorsey and Lauren Watson followed with 14 each. Britya Curtis chipped in 12 for the Yellow Jackets. Jakayah Draughn and Taff Bradley both scored 17 points to lead Cartersville. Kaitlyn Arnold finished with eight points. Ansley Griffin contributed six. Nayel Camper scored five and Senai Camper added three points for the Lady Canes. Cartersville (14-7, 5-4) hosts Hiram Friday night at 6 p.m. in both teams’ final region game. The Lady Canes will wrap up the regular season Saturday afternoon at home against Cedartown. BREMEN 59, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 55 The Lady Tigers struggled in the third quarter Tuesday night and lost their final Region 6-AAA regular season game to visiting Bremen, 59-55. Adairsville led 14-12 by the end of the first quarter but trailed 28-26 at halftime. The Blue Devils outscored Adairsville 16-9 in the third period to take a 44-35 lead and then held off the Lady Tigers down the stretch to secure a four-point road win. Mary House led Bremen (17-7, 10-4) with 26 points. Adairsville got 16 points from Analee Morris and 13 by Naxyria Roberts. Aliya McBryde, Darby Adams, and Alissa Winters added six each for the Lady Tigers. Adairsville (12-12, 7-7) finished the regular season region schedule in a fourth-place tie with Ringgold. Tournament seeding for the Region 6-AAA Championship at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe next week will be finalized on Wednesday. DALTON 62, WOODLAND GIRLS 25 Dalton led 20-0 after one quarter and 38-5 at halftime in an eventual 62-25 region win Tuesday night at Woodland. Grace Ridley led the Lady Catamounts (18-6, 6-3) with 19 points. Libby Morgan and Megan Schultz finished with five points each for Woodland. Woodland (2-21, 0-9) concludes regular season play Friday night at 6 p.m. at Cass. HIRAM 58, CASS GIRLS 48 The Lady Colonels stumbled out of the blocks Tuesday night, trailing Hiram 20-9 after the opening eight minutes. But the Lady Colonels made a contest of it the rest of the way before falling by ten points, 58-48. Hiram led 27-22 at halftime and 45-38 through three quarters. Hadiya Kennerly led the Lady Hornets with 16 points. Taylor Crawford added 14 for Hiram in their road victory. Kiana McDaniel scored 16 points to pace Cass. Mikaela Jackson followed with 11 and KK Evans added eight points for the Lady Colonels. Hiram improved to 19-4 on the season and 7-2 in Region 7-5A. Cass (13-10, 1-8) hosts Woodland Friday night at 6 p.m. SHILOH HILLS CHRISTIAN 52, EXCEL CHRISTIAN GIRLS 32 The Excel Christian Academy girls lost their GAPPS AA Region 1 tournament game Monday night to Shiloh Hills Christian, 52-32. The loss ended the season for the Lady Eagles who finished the year with an 0-17 mark.

The Excel Christian Academy boys basketball team secured a GAPPS (Georgia Association of Private & Parochial Schools) state tournament berth Tuesday night with a AA Region 1 semifinal win over Unity Christian School in Rome, 82-59. The Eagles took an early lead and stayed in front throughout the night. Excel led 20-13 after one quarter; 36-23 at halftime; and 58-39 through three quarters on their way to their 23-point victory. Jakaden Barkley led ECA with 24 points. Kyron McClendon followed with 19. Jacob Taylor scored 15 and Comari Nettles contributed 11 for the Eagles. KP Profit chipped in five points. David Jinks finished with four and Kingston Eleazor added two points for Excel. Austin Wilkerson led Unity with 18 points. Johnny Whitley scored 12 for the Lions. Excel (17-8) advances to the GAPPS AA Region 1 championship game Thursday night against Shiloh Hills Christian. The game will be at 8 p.m. back at Unity Christian School in Rome. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 69, CALHOUN 61 The Canes took the lead before halftime and held off visiting Calhoun in the second half Tuesday night in a 69-61 win at the Storm Center. Calhoun led 16-10 after one quarter but the Purple Hurricanes grabbed a 31-28 advantage by the intermission. Cartersville built their lead to a dozen by the end of the third quarter at 50-38 and outlasted the Yellow Jackets over the final eight minutes for an 8-point win. Kaden Baldwin paced the Canes with 22 points. Cedric McClinic posted 13. Jaylen Scott scored 12 points. DJ Cain contributed eight points while Romo Pace and Tyron Milner added six apiece in the win. Dylan Faulkner led Calhoun with 23 points. Andrew Purdy followed with 11 and Daniel Steele scored eight points for the Yellow Jackets. The loss drops Calhoun to 12-11 on the season and 5-4 in Region 7-5A. Cartersville (10-13, 3-6) hosts 3rd-ranked Hiram Friday night and wraps up the regular season Saturday afternoon at home in a non-region game against Cedartown. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 55, BREMEN 42 The Adairsville boys had already locked up a top-2 seed for next week’s Region 6-AAA tournament heading into Tuesday night’s matchup with visiting Bremen, but the Tigers actually finished in a tie atop the region standings following their 55-42 win. The Tigers’ win coupled with Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe’s loss Tuesday to Coahuila Creek means Adairsville and the Warriors finished their region slates with 12-2 marks. Tuesday night Adairsville trailed the visiting Blue Devils throughout the first half. Bremen led 14-9 after the opening eight minutes and 26-25 at halftime. The Tigers gained the lead for good by the end of the third period when they carried a 40-34 advantage to the final period. Tay Jackson and Zach Postell led Adairsville with 14 points apiece. Tre Winters followed with nine. Xavious Nalls scored six points and Ben Abernathy added five for the Tigers. Brody Barrow and Evan Brown led Bremen (3-19, 1-13) with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Adairsville (17-8, 12-2) will receive a double-bye in next week’s region tournament placing them in the region semifinals. That assures the Tigers a state tournament berth and means their tournament games next Thursday and Friday will determine their state tournament seeding. HIRAM 88, CASS BOYS 45 The visiting 3rd-ranked Hiram Hornets raced to a 17-0 lead Tuesday night at Cass in a dominant 88-45 Region 7-5A win. Hiram led 26-9 at the end of the first quarter and held a 51-30 advantage by halftime. The Hornets continued to pull away in the second half for a 43-point win. Walt Matthews led four Hornets in double-figures with 20 points. Chase Tyler scored 17. Jay Boyd Jr. finished with 15 and Calvin Johnson added 10 points for Hiram. KJ Rogers scored 15 points to lead the Colonels. Jakai Baldwin scored seven. Sacovie White and Jelani Hames chipped in six points each. Hiram improved to 21-2 on the season and 9-0 in region play. Cass (11-12, 5-4) remains tied with Calhoun for second place in Region 7-5A heading into Friday night’s regular-season finale at home against Woodland. DALTON 56, WOODLAND BOYS 40 Visiting Dalton handed the Wildcats their 15th straight loss Tuesday night in a 56-40 Catamounts win in Region 7-5A. Dalton improved to 16-7 on the season and 5-4 in region play. Woodland (2-22, 0-9) finishes the regular season Friday night at Cass at 7:30 p.m.

Six of the local high school soccer teams were in action Monday night with mixed results. The Adairsville girls and Cass boys earned home shutout wins while the Woodland girls opened their 2023 campaign on the road with a 1-1 draw. WOODLAND GIRLS 1, CEDARTOWN 1 The Lady Cats started their 2023 season Monday night with a 1-1 draw at Cedartown. Brionna Carver scored the Woodland goal off an assist from Karyme Hernandez. Lady Cats’ keeper Abby Duncan recorded five saves. Cedartown is now 1-1-1 on the season. Woodland (0-0-1) hosts Cedartown Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. CEDARTOWN 3, WOODLAND BOYS 0 The Woodland boys lost their regular season opener Monday night at Cedartown, 3-0. The Bulldogs led 1-0 at the intermission and added a pair of insurance goals in the second half to improve to 3-0 on the season. Woodland (0-1) hosts Sonoraville Wednesday at 5:55 p.m. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 5, MURRAY COUNTY 0 Adairsville’s Lizzie LeMay scored three goals and had one assist Monday night to lead the Lady Tigers in a 5-0 blanking of visiting Murray County. LeMay scored in the 2nd, 49th, and 56th minutes to complete the hat trick. Emma Ridley assisted on two of the goals. Jessica Hogue gave Adairsville a 2-0 lead in the 18th minute and Gabi Becerra gave the Lady Tigers a 3-0 lead at the intermission with a goal in the 21st minute. The loss drops Murray County to 0-3 on the season. Adairsville (3-1) plays at Darlington Friday. MURRAY COUNTY 3, ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 0 The Adairsville boys stayed close with visiting Murray County Monday night playing the Indians to a 0-0 first-half draw. Murray County (2-2) took advantage of some Adairsville miscues in the second half, however, to escape with a 3-0 non-region win. “The boys played a great first half,” noted Tigers coach John Terrell. “We made some mistakes in the second half leading to multiple goals off penalty kicks. Our youth continues to show but we made improvements. We’re still dealing with some injuries too. We hope to be at full strength when region play starts.” Adairsville (0-4) plays Friday night at Darlington. CASS BOYS 5, SONORAVILLE 0 Mason Madrid scored a pair of goals Monday night -- both on assists from Alex Hernandez as the Colonels built a 4-0 lead in the first half against visiting Sonoraville (1-2). Kayden Pineda put Cass up 1-0 in the 10th minute off an assist from Camden Hillhouse. Following the two goals by Madrid, Hillhouse put the Colonels up 4-0 with an unassisted net-finder in the 30th minute. After the intermission, Cass created multiple scoring opportunities but failed to finish until Christian Villela scored in the 65th minute. Cass (3-1) hosts Woodstock at Cochran Stadium Thursday night. SONORAVILLE 4, CASS GIRLS 1 The Lady Colonels trailed just 1-0 at the intermission but allowed a trio of second-half goals Monday night to visiting Sonoraville in an eventual 4-1 non-region loss. The Lady Phoenix improved to 2-1 on the season. Senior Anna Marsala scored the only Cass goal in the second half off a penalty shot. The Lady Colonels (1-2) host Woodstock Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

The Cartersville High tennis teams split a pair of matches with visiting Sequoyah Monday evening at Dellinger Park. The Hurricanes collected a 3-2 victory while the Lady Canes lost to Sequoyah 4-1. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 3, SEQUOYAH 2 The Canes won all three singles lines Monday to defeat Sequoyah, 3-2. Brock Wilson was a 6-4, 6-0 winner at Line 1. Walker Cooney won 6-1, 6-4 at Line 2 and Jack Minhinnett won his Line 3 match 6-2, 6-2 to secure the team victory. Sequoyah won both doubles lines in extended matches. Cartersville’s Bryce Summey and Ben Caswell fell 6-2, 5-7, 8-10 on Line 1 while Eli Odell and Jack Johnson lost 7-6, 0-6, 7-10. SEQUOYAH 4, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 1 The Lady Canes’ Chloie Obanion won her Line 3 singles match, 6-1, 6-1 for the only Cartersville victory in a 4-1 team loss Monday to Sequoyah. The Lady Chiefs won the other two singles matches in three sets and took straight sets wins on both doubles lines. Sofia Motuba of Cartersville won her opening set before falling 6-4, 3-6, 3-6 on Line 1. Katie Lewis also won her first set before dropping a 7-5, 5-7, 0-6 decision. Anna Ramsey and Lauren Lawson lost their Line 1 doubles match and the team of Katherine Bowen and Eden Olson lost on Line 2. The Cartersville tennis teams return to action Thursday at Dellinger Park against Adairsville.

This week’s Athletes Beyond Bartow report includes updates on more than three dozen competitors with Bartow County connections in three professional leagues and seven different collegiate sports. Former Cartersville High quarterback Trevor Lawrence made his first-ever NFL Pro Bowl Games appearance while Ashton Hagans (NBA G League) and A.J. Mosby (NBL-Canada) continued their roles with their respective professional basketball teams. The college basketball regular season enters the final few weeks as those teams begin to gear up for tournament play while local wrestling standouts move closer to their post-season tournaments as well. Meanwhile, several spring sports have launched for local athletes in golf, tennis, track & field, baseball, and softball. NFL TREVOR LAWRENCE — Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL, 2nd-yr. pro; Clemson; Cartersville HS … the second-year NFL quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars was selected to his first Pro Bowl Games and got things started last Thursday night putting up a respectable 19 points in the Precision Passing competition. The 23-year-old’s performance was part of a 71-55 win for the AFC. In the flag football competition, Lawrence threw a pick-six on his first drive before redeeming himself with a short TD pass to Davante Adams of the Raiders and a 45-yard touchdown pass late in the game to the Bills’ Stefon Diggs. Those two scoring passes helped the AFC win the second flag football game of the day, 18-13. PRO BASKETBALL ASHTON HAGANS — Greensboro Swarm (NBA G-League; 3rd-year pro; Cartersville native; Kentucky; Newton HS) … scored seven points and had six rebounds and 11 assists Sunday afternoon in a 133-122 home win over the Windy City Bulls. Last Friday in a 123-107 home win over the Grand Rapids Gold, Hagans scored three points with four boards, four assists, and one steal. Greensboro (6-9) will host the Salt Lake City Stars Wednesday night and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants Friday night. A.J. MOSBY — Sudbury Five (6th-year pro; NBL-Canada; Alcorn State; Cartersville HS) … finished with eight points, three rebounds, and six assists Sunday afternoon in a 104-102 loss at the London Lightning. Saturday night, Mosby contributed three points, four rebounds, and one assist in a 99-85 loss at the Lightning. The next game for The Five (4-3) is at home Sunday afternoon against the Newfoundland Rogues. BASKETBALL BRAXTON BENHAM — Berry College (So., Cass HS) … a starting guard, Benham scored five points and added four rebounds, four assists, and one blocked shot Friday night in a 92-66 win over Millsaps College at The Cage Center in Rome. Sunday afternoon he again scored five points with five boards, five assists, one blocked shot, and two steals in a 91-71 home win over Birmingham-Southern College. Berry (20-2, 11-0 Southern Athletic Association) is currently ranked fifth in D-III’s Region 6 and is just outside d3hoops.com's national Top 25 with the 27th most votes. ZAYLAN CHANEY — Lincoln Memorial University (Fr., Cartersville resident; Legacy ECHS) … has seen action in 14 games this season for the D2 8th-ranked Railsplitters. Chaney, who played grades 9-11 at Cass High School, is averaging 2.9 points and 1.6 rebounds as a freshman reserve. LMU (22-2, 12-1 South Atlantic Conference) hosts Emory & Henry Wednesday night and Coker College Saturday afternoon in conference games. CLAIRE DAVIS — Palm Beach Atlantic University (Fr., Cass HS) … coming off the Sailfish bench in both games last week, she scored six points with 10 rebounds, two assists, and a pair of steals in a 72-66 loss Wednesday at Nova Southeastern University. On Saturday, Davis did not score but had eight rebounds, two blocked shots, one assist, and one steal in a 60-44 home loss to 3rd-ranked Tampa University. PBAU (9-12, 5-10 Sunshine State Conference) travels to Daytona Beach Wednesday to play Embry-Riddle and goes to Melbourne Saturday to play at Florida Tech. JUSTICE HAYES — Point University (So., Cass HS) … scored 18 points with four rebounds, one assist, and one steal this past Saturday in a 74-72 loss at Johnson University (Tennessee). Last Tuesday, Hayes did not score but had four rebounds in a 60-58 loss at Reinhardt. The Skyhawks (12-12, 12-9 Appalachian Athletic Conference) travel to St. Andrews University (North Carolina) Thursday and host Southeastern Baptist Saturday afternoon. DiANTHONY HEATHCOCK — Columbia International University (Jr., Woodland HS) … scored 28 points with five rebounds and one blocked shot in a 91-77 loss last Tuesday at Truett McConnell University. Thursday in a 74-65 home win over Bryan College (Tennessee), Heathcock scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds. On Saturday, he finished with 17 points and grabbed four rebounds in a 78-62 win at home over Milligan University. The Rams (12-11, 11-9 Appalachian Athletic Conference) host Reinhardt Tuesday night and travel to Union College (Kentucky) for an afternoon game Saturday. T.J. HORTON — Georgia Highlands CC (So., Cartersville HS) … scored five points with five assists, four rebounds, and two steals last Wednesday during an 83-63 home win over Gordon State CC. The Chargers also won 91-81 Saturday at Albany Tech but stats were not available. GHC (13-8, 7-0) hosts Central Georgia Tech Wednesday night. KEARA McDANIEL — Toccoa Falls College (Fr., Cass HS) … scored two points and had two steals and one rebound last Thursday in a 63-50 home win last Thursday over Bob Jones University. She also had one blocked shot and one steal last Tuesday in a road win at Bob Jones. The Screaming Eagles also had a 67-48 home win Saturday over Southeastern Baptist College but those stats were not available. Toccoa Falls (17-6, 7-1 NCCAA) hosts Pensacola Christian Tuesday night. JAYLON PUGH — Lander University (Grad student, Cartersville HS) … scored 13 points and had one assist last Wednesday in a 73-68 Bearcats’ loss at Young Harris College. This past Saturday, he scored two points with two rebounds and one assist in an 82-68 win at USC-Aiken. Lander (16-6, 8-4 Peach Belt Conference) has a home game with Augusta University Wednesday night and travels to Dahlonega Saturday for a matchup at the University of North Georgia. LONDAISHA SMITH — Alderson Broaddus University (So., Cass HS) … scored 13 points with six rebounds and two steals last Wednesday in a 93-79 road loss at Davis & Elkins College. In a home game this past Saturday, Smith finished with five points, six rebounds, two assists, and one steal as the Battlers beat West Virginia Wesleyan, 63-57. ABU (5-16, 4-12 Mountain East Conference) travels to Frostburg State Wednesday and entertains Fairmont State Saturday afternoon. NAKIYAH WASHINGTON — Piedmont University (Sr., Adairsville HS) … played only five total minutes as the starters were rested in a pair of one-sided wins over Agnes Scott College and Wesleyan College last week. Washington, who is averaging more than 15 points and seven rebounds per game this season, did have a pair of steals in Saturday’s win. Piedmont won 96-37 at Wesleyan last Tuesday and topped visiting Agnes Scott 76-39 this past Saturday. The Lions (12-8, 8-3 Collegiate Conference of the South) play at LaGrange College Tuesday night and will host Covenant College Friday and Berea College (Kentucky) on Saturday. WRESTLING CALEB HENSON — Virginia Tech (Fr., Woodland HS) … 8th-ranked nationally in the 149-pound division, Henson was dominant in his performance over Duke’s Patrick Rowland. Henson was offensive from start to finish with an 18-3 tech fall. The freshman picked up four takedowns, eight back points, and a reversal in an offensive flurry for his 17th win on the season as the Hokies beat the Blue Devils last Friday night, 45-0. Virginia Tech wrestles at North Carolina this Friday night. JORDAN MITCHELL — Life University (R-Jr., Cass HS) … finished the Cumberland (Tennessee) University Open this past Saturday with a 5-1 record and placed third in the 141-pound division. He also won a major decision last Tuesday in the Runnin’ Eagles’ 51-0 home win over St. Andrews (North Carolina) University. Life also beat 3rd-ranked Southeastern University on Friday. LU wrestles Friday at Brewton-Parker College and heads to West Palm Beach, Florida Saturday to face off against Keiser University and St. Thomas University. JABRIL WILLIAMS — Midway University (So., Cartersville HS) … went 0-2 in his bouts this past Saturday in the 165-pound division of the Cumberland (Tennessee) Open. The Eagles return to competition on February 18 in the Mid-South Conference Championships in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The meet doubles as a qualifier for the NAIA National Championships. GOLF BUCK BRUMLOW — University of Georgia (So., Cartersville HS) … was not part of the UGA team scoring but placed 22nd as an individual at the Southwestern Invitational on January 30-February 1. The tournament was conducted on the 7,017-yard par-72 Lakes/Oaks Course at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, California. Brumlow, who would have contributed a third-best score for the Bulldogs, fired rounds of 70-79-71 to finish 4-over-par. Georgia finished seventh of the twelve teams in the event that was won by Texas. Pepperdine, Arizona State, Oregon, Washington, and UCLA finished ahead of UGA. Next for the Bulldogs is the Puerto Rico Classic on February 12-13 at Rio Mar Country Club in San Juan. TRACK AND FIELD BILL ARCHER — University of Montevallo (So., Cartersville HS) … placed 17th Sunday in the one mile run in 4:18.79 at the indoor South Alabama Jaguar Invitational in Birmingham. The Falcons run next at the Gulf South Conference Indoor Championships on February 14-15 in Birmingham. TENNIS EMILY BUSH — Young Harris College (Fr., Cartersville HS) … won her Line 3 singles match 6-3, 6-0 as the Mountain Lions lost 4-3 last Wednesday at home to Mars Hill University. In that same match, she partnered with teammate Joselyne Chapui and lost 6-1 on Line 1 doubles. YHC travels to Tusculum University (Tennessee) Saturday evening to face the Pioneers. EMILY SURCEY — Mississippi State University (So., Cass HS) … won her Line 6 singles match 6-1, 6-1 and paired with teammate Chloe Cirotte for a 6-4 doubles victory as the Bulldogs defeated Memphis Sunday, 4-1. Also on Sunday, she collected a 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) Line 5 singles win and joined Cirotte for a 6-2 Line 2 doubles win as MSU blanked Jackson State, 7-0. Last Friday, Surcey lost her Line 6 singles match 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 0-1 (10-5) as the Bulldogs fell at 14th-ranked Iowa State, 7-0. Mississippi State (8-1) hosts Belmont University and Alabama A&M this coming Friday. BASEBALL COLT McKIBBEN — Lee University (Fr., Cartersville HS) … entered in the fifth inning this past Sunday for his initial collegiate appearance. He worked into the seventh inning for no decision allowing a pair of unearned runs on two hits and two walks. He struck out one of the 11 batters he faced in the Flames’ 8-7 loss to visiting Hillsdale College. Lee (1-2) hosts Lincoln Memorial University Wednesday and has a three-game home series with Mars Hill University Friday and Saturday. DREW ROTHSCHILD — Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (Fr., Cartersville HS) … through the Stallions' first seven games, Rothschild has four starts and is 5-for-12 at the plate with a double, two runs scored, one stolen base, and three RBIs. ABAC (2-5) won two of three this past weekend over Roane State CC after being swept in a four-game series the previous weekend at St. Johns River State CC. The Stallions travel to Tallahassee CC Tuesday and have a home weekend series with USC-Salkehatchie. COHEN WILBANKS — Georgia Gwinnett College (Jr., Cartersville HS) … entered as catcher off the bench last Friday in a 6-4 home loss to Indiana Wesleyan. He was 0-for-2 at the plate but threw out 1-of-2 would-be base stealers. The Grizzlies (2-1) host a doubleheader with Taylor University (Indiana) Friday and have a three-game series with St. Ambrose (Iowa) over the weekend. PRESTON WELCHEL — Tennessee Wesleyan University (So., Cartersville HS) … saw action as either DH or in the outfield in each of the Bulldogs’ three wins last weekend over visiting Saint Xavier University. Welchel was 1-for-4 at the plate. TWC (3-0) hosts a three-game series Saturday and Sunday with the 22nd-ranked University of Northwestern Ohio. JORDAN WILKIE — Augusta University (Sr., Cartersville HS) … starting all three games at first base, Wilkie was 6-for-11 at the plate as the Jaguars dropped two of three games last weekend at the University of West Georgia. His hits included a two-run homer and four RBIs. He also scored three times. Augusta (1-2) hosts Erskine College Tuesday and UVA-Wise in a weekend, three-game set. SOFTBALL COLBI BALLARD — Shorter University (Sr., Cartersville HS) … went 1-for-4 this past Saturday in a Hawks’ 7-5 home loss to Young Harris College. Shorter was swept in the three-game series. The Hawks are scheduled for six games Friday through Sunday at the Alabama-Huntsville Charger Chillout. SKYLAR CHAPPELL — Cottey College (Sr., Woodland HS) … went 2-for-3 with a double and four RBIs playing in a pair of one-sided wins by the Comets over Jarvis Christian and Southeastern Baptist. Cottey (3-1) hosts MidAmerica Nazarene in a doubleheader Saturday. ANSLEY EVANS — Reinhardt University (So., Woodland HS) … made a start at third base in the Eagles’ season opener Sunday and finished 0-for-2 at the plate with one RBI in a 6-2 loss to Middle Georgia State. Reinhardt (1-1) plays a doubleheader Thursday at LaGrange College. SADYE JOHNSON — University of North Georgia (So., Adairsville HS) … entered defensively in the sixth inning last Friday to catch in an 11-0 win over visiting Spring Hill College. The Nighthawks went 2-1 last weekend at the Gulf Shores Invitational with a win over Florida Tech and a loss to West Alabama. UNG will host the Surf ’N Turf Classic Saturday and Sunday in Dahlonega. The Nighthawks will play both King University and Florida Southern twice during the tournament. ERYN LEE — Reinhardt University (Fr., Cass HS) … was 3-for-6 with one walk, one RBI, and one stolen base Sunday as the Eagles split a pair of games with visiting Middle Georgia State. Reinhardt (1-1) travels to LaGrange College Thursday for a doubleheader. RACHAEL LEE — Gulf Coast State CC (Fr., Cass HS) … went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a solo home run, and four runs scored in the Commodores’ doubleheader sweep Saturday over Enterprise State CC. Through her team’s first seven games, Lee is 9-for-21 with three RBIs and eight runs scored. Gulf Coast CC (6-1) has games against Central Alabama CC, Florida Southwestern State CC, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, and Gordon State CC this weekend in Dothan, Alabama. LAUREN McELHANEY — University of West Georgia (Jr., Cartersville HS) … saw action at catcher in all five of the Wolves games last weekend as they went 1-4 facing Lander, Florida Tech, Rollins, Spring Hill, and Saint Leo. McElhaney was 0-for-8 at the plate with one walk. West Georgia (1-4) has a doubleheader Saturday at USC-Aiken. HOPE SHORT — Shorter University (Jr., Cartersville HS) … had a pinch-hit single and scored a run in a 7-5 home loss to Young Harris College last Friday. Shorter (0-3) plays this weekend in the UA-Huntsville Charger Chillout. ALEXA VARNER — Shorter University (Jr., Adairsville HS) … was utilized as a pinch runner in two games for the Hawks over this past weekend. Shorter (0-3) travels to Huntsville Friday through Sunday for six games in the Charger Chillout.

The Adairsville boys swimming team made a nice statement at the 2023 Swimming and Diving Championships for Class 1A-3A this past weekend at Georgia Tech. The Tigers finished in a tie for fifth led primarily by juniors and sophomores. That means with a little program growth and development in the off-season, Adairsville has an opportunity to make an even bigger splash at the GHSA State Meet next season. Wesleyan won the Class 1A-3A title with 252 points. Whitefield Academy was next at 235 followed by North Cobb Christian (203) and Providence Christian (193). Adairsville tied with Paideia at 166 points. Athens Academy (162), Oconee County (149), Mt. Paran Christian (114), and Columbus (114) rounded out the top ten team scores. The Tigers collected a pair of third-place finishes to highlight the week. Junior Cooper Brown was third in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:02.33) and the Adairsville 200-yard freestyle relay team of Brown, Andy Barnett, Gabriel Greenway, and Brayden Rizer finished third in 1:32.86. The same four swimmers made up the Tigers’ 200-yard medley relay team that placed fifth in 1:44.31. Like Brown, Barnett is a junior while Greenway and Rizer are both sophomores. Brown was sixth (2:06.98) in the 200-yard individual medley with Barnett placing 9th in the finals in 2:12.83. Rizer was a tenth-place finisher in the 50-yard freestyle while the 400-yard freestyle relay team of Rizer, Greenway, Alex Juarez, and Luke Altizer also placed 10th in 3:38.54. Juarez was the only senior on that relay team. Greenway finished 13th in the 100-yard butterfly (58.57) and Barnett was a finalist in the 100-yard backstroke. "The boys performed very well," Adairsville swim coach Shawn Williams commented. "They continued to improve their times as the day progressed. We don't have access to all the records, but we are pretty confident in saying that this is the best performance of any Bartow team at the state meet. They earned two third-place finishes and were the fastest 1-3A public school in the state." WOODLAND SWIMMERS COMPETE AT GHSA STATE MEET The Woodland boys' swim team was represented this past weekend at the 2023 GHSA Class 4A-5A State Championships at Georgia Tech. The Wildcats finished 34th with 2.50 points earned by Grayson Moore’s finals appearance in the 50-yard freestyle (22.92). The 200-yard freestyle relay team consisting of Moore, Isaiah Muriel, Drew Thayer, and Ricky Hawkins was 32nd in the preliminaries. Chattahoochee won the Class 4A-5A boys' championship followed by Chamblee, Northview, Pace Academy, and Centennial in the top five.

The Cass wrestling team won the 2023 Region 7-5A Traditional team championship Saturday and will advance eleven individuals to the GHSA state sectionals next Saturday (Feb. 11) at Cambridge High School. The Colonels finished the day with 239 points with Woodland placing second with 218 points. Dalton (144) finished third, Cartersville (108) fourth, Calhoun (106) fifth, and Hiram (48) was sixth. Woodland qualified 13 individuals for the state sectionals while Cartersville had nine state sectional qualifiers. Individuals had to finish in the top four at region to advance. Next Saturday, the top six in each weight division at Cambridge will advance to the State Championship Tournament at the Macon Centreplex February 16-18. Ten of the eleven wrestlers for Cass advanced as Region 7-5A champions. Cass wrestlers Lee Camp (106), Hunter Barrett (113), Caden Alford (120), Jake Crapps (126), Rowdy Duck (132), Tyler McKnight (144), Mason Tompkins (150), Kriecg Roe (157), Zach McKnight (165), and Parker Dunn (190) each won their respective weight divisions. Tanner Toups (138) placed third for the Colonels. Woodland had three weight class champions. Hayden Santora (138), Champ Hidden (215), and Kwadrus Wilson (285) were region winners. Amari Kinnamore (106), Zachary Wallace (144), Heath Tatum (165), Melvin Ramos (175), and Owen Jones (190) were region runners-up. Aiden Buchan (113), Paul Lanier (126), Tristen Clapp (132), and Jovante Luke (157) had third place finishes for Woodland and Nathan Cates (120) advanced with a fourth place finish for the Wildcats. Cartersville had a pair of second placers in Eaiden Neal (126) and Talan Nix (138). Grant Adams (120), Montgomery Tompkins (144), Jonathon Neal Radford (175), Giancarlo Rivadeneyra (190), and Delroy Hurst (285) each advanced to sectionals with third place finishes while Julian Cline (106), and Jackson Latimer (150) finished fourth for the Purple Hurricanes. The top four from Region 7-5A will be bracketed with the top four placers from Regions 1, 3, and 6 next Saturday at Cambridge. Regions 2, 4, 5, and 8 of Class 5A will be in action Saturday at Locust Grove High School.

The Cartersville Lady Canes and Hurricanes both earned Region 7-5A wins Friday night at Woodland while the teams from Adairsville and Cass lost region games on the road. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 53, WOODLAND 21 The Cartersville Lady Canes outscored the host Lady Cats 31-7 in the second half Friday night en route to a 53-21 Region 7-5A win at Woodland. Cartersville led 11-8 after one quarter and 22-14 at halftime before surging in the second half for a 32-point win. Ansley Griffin scored 12 points to lead Cartersville. Taff Bradley and Jakayah Draughn followed with 10 points each while Senai Camper added seven points in the Lady Canes’ win. Megan Schultz scored 12 points for Woodland. Reagan Weightman finished with five points for the Lady Cats. Woodland (2-10, 0-8) hosts Dalton Tuesday night at 6 p.m. Cartersville (14-6, 5-3) has a home game Tuesday against Calhoun — also at 6 p.m. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 60, WOODLAND 46 The Hurricanes improved to 9-13 on the season and 2-6 in Region 7-5A with their win Friday night at Woodland. Woodland (2-21, 0-8) hosts Dalton Tuesday night. Cartersville hosts Calhoun at the Storm Center Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. No game report was submitted to Bartow Sports Zone. DALTON 62, CASS GIRLS 33 The Lady Colonels fell behind 11-0 early and never recovered in a 62-33 loss Friday night at Dalton. Cass trailed 25-16 at halftime and 38-25 by the end of the third quarter. Dalton shot 39 free throws in the contest while Cass shot only eight free throws. Grace Ridley and Emma Hefner paced the Lady Catamounts with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Ridley also added 12 steals and 10 rebounds in a triple-double performance. Mikaela Jackson led Cass with nine points. Sadie Paez and Darianna Sosa finished with six points each. Nevaeh Woods contributed five points. Kiana McDaniel chipped in with four and Kaitlyn Godwin added three points for the Lady Colonels in the loss. Dalton improved to 17-6 overall and 5-3 in Region 7-5A. Cass (13-9, 1-7) hosts Hiram Tuesday night at 6 p.m. DALTON 58, CASS BOYS 54 The Cass boys slipped to third place in Region 7-5A Friday night with a narrow 58-54 loss at Dalton. The Colonels led 14-10 after one quarter, but fell behind in the second quarter and did not recover. Dalton outscored Cass 20-8 in the second period to lead 30-22 at the intermission. The host Catamounts added to their advantage in the third quarter to lead 48-34 heading to the final eight minutes. The Colonels outscored the Catamounts 20-10 in the final period but came up four points short. “We dropped a heart-breaker at Dalton,” said Cass head coach Kevin Cunningham. “Dalton played well, but It’s tough to overcome our free throw shooting when we were just 6-for-15 at the line. We have to get back to work to try and lock down a top-three seed for the region tournament.” Dalton (15-7, 4-4) was led in scoring by Chaz Ramsey with 27 points. Jelani Hames scored 14 points to lead Cass. Devin Henderson finished with 11. Jakai Baldwin contributed eight points. KJ Rogers scored seven. Sacovie White tossed in six points while Jayden Foster and Jashaun Whatley added four points apiece. Cass (11-11, 5-3) hosts 3rd-ranked Hiram Tuesday night. LAKEVIEW-FORT OGLETHORPE 72, ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 66 In a head-to-head battle for the Region 6-AAA top seed in the upcoming region tournament, the host Warriors held on to defeat Adairsville Friday night 72-66. LFO, led by Brent Bowman and Antari Burnett with 29 and 23 points, respectively, improved to 15-9 on the season and 12-1 in region play. Tre Winters led Adairsville with 30 points. Tay Jackson followed with 13. Zach Postell scored 11. Xavious Nalls contributed seven points. Zach Weaver chipped in with three points and Ben Abernathy added two for the Tigers. Adairsville (16-8, 11-2) hosts Bremen Tuesday night in their regular-season finale at 7:30 p.m. LAKEVIEW-FORT OGLETHORPE 67, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 42 The LFO girls led 38-17 by halftime and went on the defeat visiting Adairsville Friday night, 67-42. Angel Simmons and Christina Collins paced the host Warriors with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Analee Morris scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Lady Tigers. Darby Adams added eight points for Adairsville. Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe improved to 22-1 on the season and 13-0 in Region 6-AAA. Adairsville (12-11, 7-6) wraps up regular season play Tuesday night at home against Bremen at 6 p.m.

The Adairsville Tigers’ wrestling team had a dozen competitors to advance to the GHSA State Sectionals Saturday at Upson Lee High School. The Area 5-AAA Traditional tournament was hosted Saturday by Bremen High School. Only five teams sent competitors to the Area Tournament. Bremen won the Area team title with 204 points. Adairsville was second at 142. Sandy Creek placed third with 60 points and Douglass-Atlanta was fourth with 55. The Tigers were led by three wrestlers that won their respective weight division brackets. Jacob Pasley (144-pounds), Jaimon Long (190), and Seth Sellers (215) each won their weight class. Pasley, who received a bye to his weight division’s finals, defeated Bremen’s Logan Johnson 16-4 to win his bracket. Sellers also had a bye to his division’s championship bout where he won by pin in the second period. Long had a pair of pins — defeating opponents from Douglass and Bremen — to claim his division’s title. Sam Bailey (106), Madden Boyce (113), Ethan Bruce (126), Victor Singer (132), Jamori Speights (138), Kolt McCord (175), and Jett Johnson (285) each finished second in their divisions. Also advancing for Adairsville were Brett Lance (150) and Tommy Faulk (165) who placed third and fourth, respectively. The qualifying Adairsville wrestlers advance to the Class 3A A Sectional tournament Saturday at Upson Lee High School. The top six placers at the Sectional will advance to the GHSA State Finals February 16-18 at the Macon Centreplex.

Anna Dudley of Adairsville and Anetra Witherspoon of Cartersville have both advanced to the GHSA State wrestling tournament by placing third in their respective weight classes at the Girls Area 7 tournament Friday at Alexander High School. Dudley lost her first round bout in the 155-pound division to North Murray’s Erica Bautista in a 2-1 decision, but battled back through the consolation bracket with four straight wins to finish third. Adairsville teammate Reese Leighly (130) was 0-2 in her bouts Friday falling to her opponent from Ringgold in the third place match. Cartersville’s Witherspoon won her quarterfinal bout 6-2 but lost to Taylor Schiesser of Gilmer County in the semifinals. From there, Witherspoon had back-to-back wins in the consolation bracket to finish third. Each of the local competitors advance to the GHSA State Sectionals Friday at Upson Lee High School.