Cartersville pitcher Caden Carroll and head coach Kyle Tucker were honored by the Georgia Dugout Club this week as the 2022 Class AAAAA Player of the Year and Coach of the Year. The Canes were 32-8 in 2022 and reached the championship round of the Class AAAAA playoffs.

The Cartersville High swim team placed third Thursday evening at the Darlington Invitational in Rome. Central-Carroll won the event with 206 points. Host Darlington (171) was second followed by Cartersville (39), Coahulla Creek (34), and Model (30) in the nine-team meet. Kat Conley (6:37.68) won the girls' 500-yard freestyle for the top finish for a Hurricane. The girls’ 200-yard medley relay team placed third. Grace Shields, Elizabeth Nelson, Conley, and Maddie Frazier had a finals time of 2:31.51. Conley (2:43.19) was third in the 200-yard individual medley. Grace Shields (2:54.69) earned a fourth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle. Eliza Johnson (1:19.23) was fifth in the 100-yard freestyle. Colin Nelson (27.01) was fifth in the 50-yard freestyle and Barrett Stepp (1:31.03) finished fifth in the 100-yard backstroke.

The Cartersville High School riflery team earned its first win of the season Thursday with a 1086-1060 victory over Allatoona. It was the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Senior team captain, Angelina Christ, spearheaded the Canes' effort with an all-time team high score and personal best 286. She was backed up by sophomore Caleb Adams with a 270; junior, Noah Goodwin 268; and junior Kaleb Wolfe with a 262. Goodwin's score was also a personal best. Taylor Buchanan and Harper Cole Eubanks shot 255 and 243, respectively. Maci Fowler had the top score for Allatoona with a 276. On December 3, Cartersville lost to Etowah 1058-1040. Adams led Cartersville with a 272 score. Wolfe followed with a 261. Buchanan fired a 255. Ariana Gray scored 252 and Luis Rangel 250. Etowah was led by Carson Mierzejewski's 275. The Canes' Rifles (1-4) will host Etowah in a rematch next Thursday at the American Legion.

The Cartersville girls won their fourth straight game Thursday night and remained undefeated on the season with a 41-35 win at Paulding County. In a close game throughout, the Lady Canes led 9-7 after one quarter; 16-13 at halftime; and 32-26 at the end of the third quarter. KK Arnold led Cartersville with 13 points. Zoe Casey followed with 12. JaKayah Draughn scored six points. Campbell Rogers and Layne Callan chipped in three each. Senai Camper and Miley Jo Williams added two points each for the Hurricanes. Paulding County slips to 3-4 on the season with their loss. Cartersville (4-0) returns to action next Tuesday at Sonoraville in a 6 p.m. start.

The Woodland wrestling team fell to North Paulding Wednesday night, 35-27. Wins for Wildcats' individuals in the dual included Amari Kinnamore by decision, Aiden Buchanan by fall, Paul Lanier by fall, Jovante Luke by decision, Champ Higdon by decision, and Kwadrus Wilson by fall. Next on the schedule for Woodland is the Cleveland (Tennessee) Duals this Saturday.

The Cartersville girls and boys basketball teams earned non-region wins Tuesday night at The Storm Center. The Hurricanes outscored Northwest Whitfield 31-21 in the second half for a come-from-behind 73-61 win. The Lady Canes outscored the Lady Bruins 10-8 in overtime for a 66-64 victory. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 66, NORTHWEST WHITFIELD 64 (OT) Northwest Whitfield held a 29-28 lead at halftime and held a 44-40 advantage through three quarters before the Lady Canes sent the game to overtime. Cartersville won the extra four-minute period 10-8 to remain unbeaten on the season. Ja’Kayah Draughn led Cartersville with 23 points. Senai Camper followed with 13. Kaitlyn Arnold and Zoe Casey added nine each for the Lady Canes. Northwest Whitfield slipped to 3-3 with the loss. Cartersville (3-0) plays at Paulding County Thursday at 6 p.m. and will travel to Sonoraville next Tuesday. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 73, NORTHWEST WHITFIELD 61 In the second half, the Canes outscored visiting Northwest Whitfield Tuesday night 13-8 in the third quarter and 18-13 in the final period to pull away for a 73-61 win. The rally by Cartersville overcame a 36-32 halftime deficit. The Canes had five players score in double figures. Romo Pace led the way with 17 points. DJ Cain followed with 14. Cedric McClinic scored 13 while Parnel Gamble and Tyren Milner added 10 points each. The Bruins were led by Caden Ramsey with 18 points. Gabe Perez and Tytus Ramsey added 15 and 10 points, respectively. The loss for Northwest Whitfield (4-1) was their first of the year. Cartersville (1-1) plays at Sonoraville next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Woodland was first, Cass second, and Cartersville third Tuesday evening as the three swim teams competed against one another at the Adairsville High School pool. Woodland finished with 210 points, Cass 148, and Cartersville 114. Complete meet results are shown below:

The Cass boys overcame a 10-point, halftime deficit with a big defensive effort in the second half Tuesday night to defeat visiting North Paulding 56-46. The Wolfpack led Cass 18-9 after one quarter and held a 33-23 advantage at the intermission before the Colonels locked down North Paulding across the final two quarters. “We had a big second-half effort,” stated Cass coach Kevin Cunningham. “Tayvian McKibbin’s defensive presence in the middle made us very disruptive and allowed us to go on a big second-half run.” Cass outscored North Paulding 17-4 in the third quarter and 16-9 in the final eight minutes for the comeback win. “KJ Rogers’ ability to score in the first half and Devin Henderson’s mid-range game came alive in the third quarter,” added Cunningham. “Altogether, it was a great team win. I’m proud of these young men tonight.” Devin Henderson scored 11 of his 15 points in the third quarter. KJ Rogers scored eight of his 12 in the second period. Jakai Baldwin followed with nine points. Jelani Hames scored seven. Jayden Foster finished with six. Sacovie White contributed three points. Kevin Henderson and McKibbins added two each. North Paulding (2-5) had nine players in the scoring column, led by Kyan Bullock with 10 points. Cass (3-5) plays at Clarkston Saturday night following a 5:30 p.m. girls’ game.

Warner Robins won the ground war and the turnover battle Friday night in the GHSA Class 5A semifinals and defeated the visiting Cartersville Purple Hurricanes, 35-10. The Demons leaned heavily on their own rushing attack and the Warner Robins' defense severely limited the Hurricanes' ground game. Cartersville also turned the ball over an uncharacteristic four times in the loss. Malcolm Brown rushed for 190 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries to lead the ground attack by the Demons. Quarterback Isiah Canion was 16-of-25 passing for 140 yards and Daniel Barber kicked field goals of 47, 34, and 23 yards in the win. Warner Robins limited Cartersville to just 29 yards rushing and outgained the Canes in total yards 402 to 270. In six first-half possessions, the Cartersville offense had three turnovers, punted twice, and cashed in an opening drive 28-yard field goal by Ryan Johnson. Meanwhile, Warner Robins scored on four of their first six possessions to build a 20-3 advantage by the intermission. The Demons kicked field goals in each quarter, posted a pair of touchdown runs, and failed on a pair of field goal attempts in the opening half. The Canes received the opening kickoff and scored on their initial drive. Cartersville moved 60 yards on nine plays but settled for a 28-yard field goal by Johnson with 8:30 to go in the opening period. Paul Gamble had a 14-yard run during the drive, but the key play was a 42-yard pass from Gamble to Richard Houston as the Hurricanes led early, 3-0. Warner Robins marched the ensuing possession 66 yards to match the Canes’ field goal. Malcolm Brown had a 53-yard run for the bulk of the yardage. The field goal was a 34-yarder by Daniel Barber with 6:25 to go in the first quarter. The remainder of the first half scoring belonged to the Demons. Following a Cartersville fumble, Warner Robins marched 72 yards on 13 plays to take a 10-3 lead at the 10:58 mark of the second quarter. Elijah Antonio cashed in the drive with a four-yard run from a wildcat formation direct snap. An interception ended the next Cartersville possession, but Warner Robins missed a field goal to leave the score 10-3 near the midway point of the second quarter. Unable to move the ball on their next possession, Cartersville punted leaving the Demons with good field position at the Canes’ 49-yard line. On the first play after the punt, Brown found daylight for a 49-yard touchdown run down the left sideline with 6:17 to go in the half. Barber’s PAT kick put the Demons up 17-3. Two possessions later, Warner Robins added a 22-yard field goal to close out the first half. The final scoring drive of the half covered 50 yards to the Canes’ 4-yard line where the Demons settled for another Barber field goal with 0:03 left before intermission. The first three possessions of the second half all resulted in touchdowns. Warner Robins drove 71 yards with the opening possession of the half. Runs by Brown, the quarterback Isaiah Canion, and William Gunnings moved the ball methodically down the field. Gunnings capped the drive with a 28-yard run with 8:57 to go in the third quarter. A two-point conversion pass attempt failed to leave the score 26-3. Cartersville marched 65 yards back down the field for the Canes’ second score of the night. Gamble had a 33-yard completion to Jamauri Brice during the drive and connected with Collin Fletcher for a 22-yard touchdown strike with 5:58 left in the period. Johnson’s kick made the score 26-10. The Demons answered immediately with a 68-yard drive that required 16 plays and took 4:37 off the clock. Brown, Canion, Gunnings, and Elijah Antonio all had significant carries on the march with Canion cashing in the drive with a four-yard burst. The Demons’ PAT kick failed to make the score 32-10 with 0:21 to go in the third quarter. Both squads punted on their next possessions and Rasean Dinkins picked off a Cartersville pass midway through the fourth quarter for the Canes’ fourth turnover of the night. Warner Robins followed with a short drive to the Canes’ 40-yard line setting up a 47-yard field goal by Barber — his third of the night. The kick gave the Demons a 35-10 lead with 5:14 left in the game. Cartersville drove inside the Warner Robins’ five-yard line on their final possession but turned the ball over on downs following a pair of incompletions. The win improved Warner Robins to 10-4 on the season after a 1-4 start. The Demons will square off with Ware County next Saturday for the Class AAAAA state championship. It will be a sixth consecutive state championship game appearance for Warner Robins. Ware County enters the title game with a 13-0 record after defeating Dutchtown 31-7 in Friday’s other semifinal. For Cartersville, another outstanding season ends with a 12-2 mark.

The Adairsville wrestling team placed third last Saturday at the Trojan Wars Dual Tournament at Carrollton High School. Top performers for the Tigers included Sam Bailey (106 lbs., 5-0 on the day), Madden Boyce (113, 4-1), Jay Chancey (138, 4-1), Howard Bailey (144, 3-1), and Jett Johnson (285, 5-0).

The Woodland wrestling team was runner-up this past weekend at the Mountain View Duals in Lawrenceville. The Wildcats defeated Mountain View 49-30 and Etowah 52-21 to reach the tournament finals. North Forsyth defeated Woodland in the championship match. According to Woodland head coach Brett Shedd, key contributors for the Wildcats were Amari Kinnamore, Aiden Buchanan, Paul Lanier, Hayden Santora, Zach Wallace, Christian Cothran, Jovante Luke, Heath Tatum, Owen Jones, Champ Higdon, and Kwadrus Wilson.

ATHLETES BEYOND BARTOW Cartersville resident and Syracuse goalkeeper, Russell Shealy, has helped the Orange to a berth in the NCAA College Cup this weekend. The national final four will be in Cary, North Carolina. ESPNU will provide live coverage of all three games at the Men's College Cup on Friday and Monday, December 12 at WakeMed Soccer Park. In NFL action Jacksonville Jaguars’ and former Cartersville High quarterback Trevor Lawrence suffered a scary hit Sunday in a loss to the Detroit Lions. He returned in the second half, however, to throw a touchdown pass. In the NBA’s G-League, Cartersville native Ashton Hagans recorded a triple-double last Monday in the Greensboro Swarm’s blowout win at the Westchester Knicks and former Cass standout, Braxton Benham, has helped lead Berry College to an undefeated start. NFL TREVOR LAWRENCE — Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL, 2nd-yr. pro; Clemson; Cartersville HS) … took a scary hit on the final play of the first half Sunday against the Detroit Lions and stayed down for a while before making his way off the field under his own power. He returned in the third quarter and finished the game 17-for-31 passing for 179 yards. He had one touchdown pass — a 3-yarder to tight end Evan Engram — with 2:54 remaining in the third period. The touchdown pass narrowed the Lions’ lead to 30-14 at the time. The 23-year-old signal-caller also had four rushes for 32 yards in the loss. Jacksonville (4-8) plays at the Tennessee Titans this Sunday. SOCCER RUSSELL SHEALY — Syracuse University (R-Sr., Cartersville resident; Darlington HS) …was the goalkeeper of record Saturday facing six shots and improving his record in net to 16-2-4 this season as the Orange advanced to the 2022 NCAA College Cup Final Four with a 2-1 win over visiting Vermont. Syracuse (17-2-4), the highest-seeded team remaining, meets Creighton Friday night at 6 p.m. in the national semifinals in Cary, North Carolina. PRO BASKETBALL ASHTON HAGANS — Greensboro Swarm (NBA G-League, 3rd-year pro; Cartersville native; Newton HS; Kentucky) … compiled a triple-double last Monday night in the Swarm’s 130-87 win at the Westchester Knicks. Hagans had 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 22 assists in the victory. The Cartersville native scored 13 points, had 10 assists, collected seven rebounds, and made one steal in a 123-120 home win Friday over the Maine Celtics. Earlier in the week, Hagans scored 30 points with seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals in a loss Tuesday at the Westchester Knicks. Greensboro is 4-8 and in last place in the East Division of the NBA G-League’s Showcase Cup standings. BASKETBALL BRAXTON BENHAM — Berry College (So., Cass HS) … scored 19 points with seven rebounds, four steals, and two assists in a 78-62 win at home last Saturday over Oglethorpe. He also knocked down 11 points with seven rebounds, five steals, and two assists in a 72-65 win last Tuesday at Maryville (Tennessee). The D-III Vikings (8-0, 1-0 Southern Athletic Association) will play an exhibition Wednesday, December 14 at D-II University of West Alabama. CLAIRE DAVIS — Palm Beach Atlantic University (Fr., Cass HS) … coming off the Sailfish bench, Davis scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and made two steals in a 65-59 win last Wednesday at home against Rollins. She then had one steal and one rebound in limited minutes in a 70-62 win last Saturday at Saint Leo. Palm Beach Atlantic (4-2, 2-1 Sunshine State Conference) plays an exhibition Thursday night at D-I Florida Gulf Coast and will return to D-II and conference action Saturday afternoon at home against Nova Southeastern. DiANTHONY HEATHCOCK — Columbia International University (Jr., Woodland HS) … scored six points, collected five rebounds, and added one assist in a 93-59 exhibition loss last Wednesday at D-I USC-Upstate. He then had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in an 83-77 overtime loss at Reinhardt last Saturday. The Rams (4-5, 3-3 Appalachian Athletic Conference) host 19th-ranked Union College (Kentucky) Wednesday night and will entertain Kentucky Christian University Saturday afternoon. HALEY JOHNSON —Central Georgia Tech CC (Fr., Cass HS) … did not score but had two rebounds in the Titans’ 64-60 win last Saturday over visiting Andrew College. CGTCC (3-5, 1-3 Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association) travels to Georgia Highlands Wednesday, plays at Brenau University JV Saturday, and at Middle Georgia Prep Sunday. KEARA McDANIEL — Toccoa Falls College (Fr., Cass HS) … scored five points and had one rebound in a 67-46 win at Trinity Baptist last Thursday. She also scored three points with three rebounds, one steal, and six assists last Tuesday in a 94-30 home win over Wesleyan College. JAYLON PUGH — Lander University (Grad student, Cartersville HS) … made a start and scored six points with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals last Thursday in a 105-42 win over visiting Morris College (South Carolina). The Bearcats (6-1) host Fayetteville State Saturday afternoon. ABIGAIL TAYLOR — Centre College (Fr., Woodland HS) … in abbreviated playing time, she had one rebound and one assist in an 80-49 home win last Saturday afternoon over Sewanee. The Colonels (4-3, 1-0 Southern Athletic Association) host Greenville University on December 12. JORDAN THOMPSON — Southwestern Iowa CC (So., Woodland HS) … scored 14 points and had one rebound, one assist, and one steal in a 69-52 home loss last Wednesday to Southeast CC. The Spartans (1-4) host Iowa Western CC Wednesday and travels to North Iowa Area CC Saturday. LONDAISHA SMITH — Alderson Broaddus University (So., Cass HS) … scored four points, gathered three rebounds, and had one assist and one steal last Wednesday in a 68-57 home win over Concord University. She then scored nine points and had six rebounds, one steal, and one assist in a 126-68 loss at Glenville State. The Battlers (2-6, 1-3 Mountain East Conference) travel to West Virginia Wesleyan Wednesday and will host Davis & Elkins College Saturday. NAKIYAH WASHINGTON — Piedmont University (Sr., Adairsville HS) … led the Lions with 25 points, collected nine rebounds, and added two steals Sunday afternoon in a 79-78 home loss to 11th-ranked Tufts University. Piedmont (4-3) travels to Jackson, Mississippi December 13 for a Collegiate Conference of the South matchup at Belhaven University. WRESTLING BRYCE KRESHO — Franklin & Marshall College (Fr., Cass HS) … went 3-2 in the 141-pound division of the George Mason Patriot Open Sunday. The Diplomats return to the mats Wednesday at Ursinus College (Pennsylvania). QUESTAPHA LEWIS — Midway University (So., Woodland HS) … lost two bouts at 133-pounds as the Eagles defeated West Virginia Tech and lost to Cumberland University last Saturday. He also picked up a win by forfeit as Midway defeated the University of Pikeville. The Eagles will face five different teams Sunday at the NAIA Challenge Duals in Columbia, Kentucky. JABRIL WILLIAMS — Midway University (So., Cartersville HS) … lost his bout at 174-pounds as the Eagles defeated West Virginia Tech last Saturday. Midway also split matches with Cumberland and the University of Pikeville. Midway will face five different teams Sunday at the NAIA Challenge Duals in Columbia, Kentucky.