The Cass wrestling team placed fourth this weekend at the 2022 Southern Slam hosted by Eastside High School in Taylor, South Carolina. The tournament included 37 teams from across South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. There was also one team from Delaware. Two other Georgia squads — Buford and Mill Creek — finished first and second with host Eastside placing third. Buford and Mill Creek are in Class 7A. Eastside is in the next-to-largest classification in South Carolina. (L-R) Lee Camp, Tyler McKnight, Zach McKnight The Colonels had three individual champions. Tyler McKnight (152) and Zach McKnight (170) both finished 5-0 in the tournament and were weight division champions. Lee Camp (106) went 4-0 to win his weight class. Elijah Doolittle (152) went 5-2 to place sixth while Kriecg Roe (160) went 4-3 in the event to also place sixth. Other top performances for Cass included Tanner Toups (145, 3-2), Angel Castenado (113, 2-2), and Rowdy Duck (132, 2-2). Cass travels to Westminster Wednesday evening for a tri-meet with the host Wildcats and Crisp County and will compete in the Cleveland (Tennessee) Duals Saturday, Dec. 10.

The Cartersville wrestling team finished eighth of 27 teams Saturday at the Atlanta Invitational hosted by North Atlanta High School. Lovett won the tournament followed by Lumpkin County, Sonoraville, Valdosta, and Putnam County to round out the top five. The Canes had three wrestlers to finish third individually. Grant Adams (120), Eaiden Neal (126), and Grey Williams (132) all finished 4-1 in their bouts to place third in their respective weight divisions. Other Cartersville varsity wrestlers winning at least twice included Joshua Earwood (138, 2-2), Jackson Latimer (150, 3-2), and Nathaniel Hardy (157, 2-2). Julian Cline (113) went 4-0 and won his JV weight class division. Will Benson (126) went 3-1 and placed third in the JV tournament. The Hurricanes return to action next Friday and Saturday at the Chattanooga-McCallie Invitational.

The Cartersville, Cass, and Woodland football teams are well-represented on the 2022 Region 7-AAAAA All-Region teams. The Hurricanes have 18 players honored as All-Region selections while Cass has 12 and Woodland five. Cartersville senior running back Malachi Jeffries was named Co-Offensive Player of the Year. Cass juniors and multipurpose players, Devin Henderson and Sacovie White, were selected as the Defensive Player of the Year and Special Teams Player of the Year, respectively. (L-R) Malachi Jeffries, Devin Henderson, Sacovie White Player of the year: RB Tyson Greenwade, Dalton, Sr. Defensive player of the year: DB Devin Henderson, Cass, Jr. Offensive players of the year: RB Caden Williams, Calhoun, Jr.; RB Malachi Jeffries, Cartersville, Sr. Special teams player of the year: RET Sacovie White, Cass, Jr. All-purpose player of the year: WR/DB Cam Curtis, Calhoun, Sr. Coach of the year: Clay Stephenson, Calhoun First-team offense QB - Trey Townsend, Calhoun, Jr. QB - Brodie McWhorter, Cass, Fr. RB - Jemarion Whatley, Hiram, Jr. RB - Mac Nelson, Cass, Jr. RB - Isaiah Livsey, Woodland (Cartersville), So. WR - Collin Fletcher, Cartersville, Sr. WR - Luke Blanchard, Dalton, Sr. WR - Chase Tyler, Hiram, Jr. TE - Emaree Winston, Calhoun, So. TE - Walter Matthews, Hiram, Jr. OL - Brody Balliew, Calhoun, Sr. OL - Jonathan Cline, Cartersville, Sr. OL - Parker Dunn, Cass, Sr. OL - Luke Eichner, Hiram, Sr. OL - Jameson Riggs, Hiram, Jr. OL - Sam Carlsen, Woodland (Cartersville), Jr. K - Oliver Castaneda, Hiram, Jr. First-team defense DL - Kristyane Gregory, Calhoun, Jr. DL - Taye Cochran, Cartersville, Jr. DL - Kaden Ellis, Cass, So. DL - Kwadrus Wilson, Woodland (Cartersville), Jr. ILB - Nathan Fuller, Calhoun, Sr. ILB - Christian Smith, Calhoun, Jr. ILB - Dylan Carver, Woodland (Cartersville), Jr. OLB/SS - Myles Forristall, Cartersville, Sr. OLB/SS - Kace Adams, Cartersville, Sr. OLB/SS - Adriel Hernandez, Dalton, Jr. OLB/SS - Kevin Henderson, Cass, Jr. OLB/SS - Zach Wiggins, Woodland (Cartersville), Jr. DB - Dustin Kerns, Calhoun, Sr. DB - Braylen Inman, Cartersville, Sr. DB - Assad Tanner, Dalton, Sr. DB - Jaden Coggins, Hiram, Sr. P - Phillip Schiltz, Cartersville, Sr. Second-team offense QB - Paul Gamble, Cartersville, Sr. QB - Samir Wylie, Hiram, Sr. RB - Kristian Lando, Cartersville, Jr. RB - Kaden Hamilton, Hiram, So. WR - Dustin Kerns, Cartersville, Sr. WR - Jamari Brice, Cartersville, So. WR - Warner Ross, Dalton, Sr. TE - Connor Brasfield, Cartersville, Jr. TE - Bannon Phelan, Dalton, Jr. OL - Christian Bell, Calhoun, Jr. OL - Malachai Toliver, Cartersville, Jr. OL - Peyton Starling, Dalton, So. OL - Bear McWhorter, Cass, Fr. OL - Clinton Richard, Hiram, Jr. K - Ryan Johnson, Cartersville, Jr. Second-team defense DL - Keylan McCarty, Cartersville, Jr. DL - Jaden Akins, Cartersville, Sr. DL - Austin Davis, Dalton, Sr. DL - Deontae Pettway, Hiram, Jr. ILB - Ahmari Thomas, Cartersville, Sr. ILB - William Buttrum, Cass, Sr. ILB - Josiah Pope, Hiram, So. OLB/SS - Kaleb Ray, Calhoun, Sr. OLB/SS - Issac Brooks, Calhoun, Sr. OLB/SS - Jace Presley, Hiram, Sr. DB - Chris Ryan, Cartersville, Sr. DB - Todd Gaddy, Cass, Sr. DB - Jakai Baldwin, Cass, So. DB - Bubba Tanner, Dalton, Jr. DB - Andy Atagana, Dalton, Jr. P - Saul Villela, Cass, So.

The Cass girls' basketball team suffered its first loss of the season Friday night at Model, falling to the Blue Devils 55-43. Model (1-1) was led by August Betz with 14 points. Sadie Raughten scored 11. Olivia Woods was the top scorer for Cass with 15 points. Kiana McDaniel followed with 14. Mikaela Jackson finished with 12. Nevaeh Woods added two points for the Lady Colonels. Cass (4-1) travels to Clarkston next Saturday for a 5:30 p.m. tip with the Angoras.

The Woodland girls and boys basketball teams dropped non-region games Friday night at Temple with the Lady Cats falling 53-28 while the Wildcats came up on the short end of a 53-38 final. The host Tigers led the Woodland boys 26-18 at halftime and held on in the second half for a 15-point victory. The Wildcats narrowed the margin to 34-28 by the end of the third quarter but got no closer. Aman Jackson scored 24 points to lead Temple (2-1). Zyon Heath scored 22 to pace Woodland. Brelace Williams finished with 11 points. Isaiah Livsey scored three points and David Byars added two for the Wildcats. The Temple girls' team improved to 2-1 on the season while the Lady Cats slipped to 1-5 on the year. No game report was submitted for the girls' game. The Woodland teams return to action next Friday when they host Southeast Whitfield. The girls' game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip.

The Adairsville Tigers made a heavy mark on the 2022 Region 6-AAA season including a region championship. As a result, region coaches rewarded the Adairsville squad with a heavy presence on the league's All-Region roster. Headlining the awards, seniors Chris Roper and Bobby Campbell were named Player of the Year and Lineman of the Year, respectively, while Tigers' head coach Jonathan Cudd was named Region Coach of the Year. Five Tigers were named to the All-Region First Team Offense and four more were named to the First Team Defense. There are ten more slots on the Second Team or Honorable Mention roster held by Adairsville players. Region 6-AAA Player of the year: RB/DB Chris Roper, Adairsville, Sr. Offensive player of the year: QB Kace Kinnamon, Coahulla Creek, Sr. Defensive player of the year: LB Trent Baldwin, Ringgold, Sr. Athlete of the year: RB/DB Nate Dunfee, Gordon Lee, Sr. Lineman of the year: OL/DT Bobby Campbell, Adairsville, Jr. Iron Man award: WR/DB Jaden Morris, LaFayette, Sr. Iron Man award: WR/DB Jonah Hatchett, Bremen, Jr. Coach of the year: Jonathan Cudd, Adairsville First-team offense QB - Jonathan Gough, Adairsville, Jr. RB - Peyton Williams, Ringgold, Sr. RB - Ethan Blome, Adairsville, Jr. WR - Trevon Gott, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, Sr. WR - Grayson Belcher, Adairsville, Sr. WR - Ty Gilbert, Ringgold, Sr. WR - Manny Dominguez, Coahulla Creek, Sr. TE - Parker Metcalf, Ridgeland, Jr. OL - Cayden Sweatt, Bremen, Sr. OL - James Foster, Adairsville, Sr. OL - Clint Carlock, Ringgold, Sr. OL - Brodie Genter, Gordon Lee, Sr. OL - Carter Wilson, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, Sr. OL - Mason Tordrup, Adairsville, Sr. OL - Hudson Mardis, Coahulla Creek, Sr. PK - Logan Fowler, Coahulla Creek, Sr. First-team defense DL - Robbie Wiggins, Coahulla Creek, Sr. DL - Barrett Greenhaw, Bremen, Sr. DL - Brady Gray, Ringgold, Sr. DL - Jett Johnson, Adairsville, So. DL - Cam O’Neal, Bremen, Jr. DL - Andrew Foster, Adairsville, Jr. LB - Bryce Hart, Ringgold, So. LB - AJ Sanders, Bremen, Jr. LB - Charlie Ray, Adairsville, Sr. LB - Beau Boozer, Ringgold, Sr. LB - Will Douglas, Coahulla Creek, Sr. DB - Dawson Pendergrass, LaFayette, Jr. DB - Kishaun Taylor, Ringgold, So. DB - Jamaurian Pullum, Adairsville, So. DB - Gabe Helton, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, Sr. DB - Kade Cowan, Gordon Lee, Sr. P - Bryson Sullivan, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, Sr. LS - Grant Landford, LaFayette, Sr. Second-team offense QB - Ross Norman, Ringgold, Sr. RB - Trent McPherson, Bremen, So. RB - Holt Roberts, Gordon Lee, Sr. WR - Brent Bowman, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, Sr. WR - Aiden Patterson, Coahulla Creek, Sr. WR - Darrian Burks, Ridgeland, Sr. WR - Sam Hall, LaFayette, Sr. TE - Sam Sartin, Gordon Lee, So. TE/H - Doc Pearson, Bremen, Sr. OL - Cole Norred, Bremen, So. OL - Myles Hudson, Ringgold, Sr. OL - Luke Altizer, Adairsville, Jr. OL - Noah Johnson, LaFayette, Jr. OL - Evan Brown, Bremen, Jr. PK - Connor Nisewonger, Ringgold, Sr. Second-team defense DL - Riley Broome, Ringgold, Sr. DL - Conner Whitman, Gordon Lee, Sr. DL - Kymoni Pullum, Adairsville, Sr. DL - Brent Raby, Ringgold, Jr. LB - Parr Folsom, Bremen, Jr. LB - Hayden Blalock, Adairsville, Jr. LB - Kain Brown, Ridgeland, So. LB - Braylon Pritchett, Ridgeland, So. LB - Payton Simpson, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, Jr. LB - Dalton Russell, Gordon Lee, So. DB - Tamarius Wilkey, Adairsville, So. DB - Jakobe Turner, Ridgeland, Sr. DB - Jared Mitchell, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, Fr. DB - Brody Barrow, Bremen, Jr. DB - Logan Roberts, Ringgold, So. P - Wyatt Mathis-Kline, Bremen, Jr. LS - Chase Ward, Coahulla Creek, Jr. Honorable mention: QB - Dylan Blankenship, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, Sr. RB - Haddon Fries, Ringgold, Fr.; Caden Copeland, Adairsville, Sr.; Khalias Findley, LaFayette, So. WR - Tyson King, Coahulla Creek, Sr.; Robert Henson, Gordon Lee, Sr. TE - Andrew Muldoon, Bremen, So. OL - Chevy Joyce, Coahulla Creek, Fr.; Michael Hamilton, LaFayette, Jr.; Seth Sellers, Adairsville, Jr.; Nolan Dotson, Gordon Lee, Sr; DL - A.J. Thompson, LaFayette, Jr.; Brody Benton, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, Sr.; C.J. Slocum, Adairsville, Jr.; Jaimen Long, Adairsville, Jr.; Harrison Walker, Gordon Lee, So. LB - Levi Harwell, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, Jr.; Nathaniel Tilley, Coahulla Creek, Jr.; Howard Bailey, Adairsville, Jr.; Cole Runion, Ringgold, So.; Chase Watkins, Ridgeland, Sr. DB - Demetree Bates, Ridgeland, So.; Hudson Moss, Ringgold, Jr.; Tre Winters, Adairsville, So.; Torrey Harris, LaFayette, Sr.; Deese Miller, Bremen, Sr.

The Cass boys basketball team lost at Rome Thursday night, 55-48. Rome held a narrow 29-26 lead at halftime and the Wolves were able to maintain their advantage through the second half for an eventual seven-point win. Rome’s Braxton Wade scored a game-high 19 points to pace the Wolves. Bryson Thacker and Cameron Keith followed with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Cass was led by Devin Henderson with 16 points. K.J. Rogers followed with 12. Jayden Foster contributed nine points. Isaiah Ford finished with five. Sacovie White, Tom Brannon, and Kevin Henderson added two points each. Cass (2-5) hosts North Paulding Tuesday.

The Excel Christian Academy boys trailed by four points at halftime and the Eagles were down by six points with just eight minutes remaining before rallying for a 64-60 home win Thursday night over Rockmart. Excel led 13-11 at the end of the first quarter but the visiting Yellow Jackets held leads of 25-21 and 46-40 at halftime and at the end of the third quarter. The Eagles, primed by Jakdaden Barkley’s 18 points in the second half, outscored Rockmart 24-14 in the final period. Barkley finished with 22 points. He was followed by Jacob Taylor with 14 and Kyron McClendon with 11 points. Comari Nettles chipped in eight. David Jinks contributed six. Matthew Simon had two and Caleb Landrum one point for the Eagles. Tristan Anderson led Rockmart (1-2) with 18 points. Excel Christian (5-3) plays next at Etowah on Saturday, December 10. ROCKMART 80, EXCEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY GIRLS 26 The Rockmart girls led 46-6 at halftime and continued to pull away Thursday evening in an 80-26 win at ECA. Emma Hindman led Rockmart (1-2) with 24 points. Sky Myers and Lailya Clark added 12 each for the Lady Jackets. Chae Viera scored 23 for Excel. Clara Holley added three points. Excel (0-5) plays at The King’s Academy Monday night at 7:15 p.m.

The Cass High swim teams won home meets Tuesday night at the Adairsville Swim Center. The Cass girls won a tri-meet with Model and Dawson County while the Cass boys finished ahead of four visitors — Dawson County, Model, Armuchee, and Pepperell. In the combined scores Cass finished with 127 points followed by Model (99), Dawson (73), Armuchee (22), and Pepperell (5). Event winners for Cass included: Adam Pierce, 500-yard freestyle Jake Wright, 100-yard breaststroke Girls 200-yard freestyle relay (Stacia Zappoli, Monica Martinez, Adyson Doolittle, and Jimena Perez) Girls 400-yard freestyle relay (Nicole Davis, Harley Cumbee, Haley Davy, and Luz Rivera) The next meet for the Colonels will be Tuesday, Dec. 6 at the Adairsville pool against Cartersville and Woodland.

The Adairsville wrestling team made a strong start to its 2022-23 campaign Tuesday night at Armuchee by sweeping the host Indians and Cherokee (Alabama) in a three-way meet. The Tigers blanked Cherokee 77-0 and defeated Armuchee 57-23. Six Adairsville wrestlers went 2-0 in the tri-meet including Sam Bailey (106 lbs.), Madden Boyce (113), Jace Silvers (120), Brett Lance (157), Seth Sellers (215), and Jett Johnson (285). Andrew Johnson (132), Jamori Speights (144), Howard Bailey (144), Hayden Blalock (150), Jacob Pasley (150), Dru Faulk (165), and Ethan Blome (175) each won their only bout of the night. Up next for Adairsville is the Carrollton High School Duals on Saturday.

TUESDAY'S HOOPS ROUNDUP There was plenty of action on the hardwood floors Tuesday night with nine local teams all in action. The Adairsville girls' and boys' teams both picked up wins at Woodland. Both Cass teams defeated visiting Southeast Whitfield. The Excel boys dropped a matchup at Calhoun and the two Cartersville teams split games at East Paulding. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 48, WOODLAND 20 The Lady Tigers outscored host Woodland 17-2 in the third quarter Tuesday night to break open a close game and pull away for a 48-20 victory. Adairsville led 17-13 at the intermission. Three Lady Tigers reached double figures in scoring led by Analee Morris with 12 points. Naxyria Roberts and Ta’Naysia Porter followed with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Darby Adams contributed seven points. Zariyah Hicks finished with four. Alyssa Jarrett and Alissa Winters chipped in with two points each. Morgan Echols led the Lady Cats with eight points. Megan Schultz scored seven. Kasidee Wall added three points and Reagan Weightman two. Adairsville (3-1) hosts Gordon Lee Friday night at 7 p.m. Woodland (1-4) travels to Temple Friday for a 6 p.m. tip. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 58, WOODLAND 50 The Tigers built a 19-6 lead in the first quarter and maintained their advantage throughout Tuesday night in a 58-50 win at Woodland. Adairsville led 33-23 at halftime and 47-38 at the end of the third quarter. Both teams had three players reach double-figure scoring. Ben Abernathy led Adairsville with 16 points. Zac Postell followed with 14 and Xavious Nall scored 12 for the Tigers. Brelace Williams paced Woodland with 16 points. Jackson Christiana and Zyon Heath produced 11 points each for the Wildcats. Woodland (1-4) plays at Temple Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Adairsville (1-2) opens play in Region 6-AAA at home Friday against Gordon Lee. CASS GIRLS 62, SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 24 The Lady Colonels built a 25-9 lead by halftime and continued to pull away in the second half for a 62-24 home win Tuesday night over Southeast Whitfield. Mikaela Jackson poured in 21 points to lead the Cass scoring attack. Olivia Woods followed with 13 points. Kaitlyn Godwin tossed in seven points and grabbed four rebounds. Navaeh Woods, KK Evans, and Kiana McDaniel contributed six points each. Woods and Evans also added 10 and eight steals, respectively. McDaniel led the Lady Colonels with seven rebounds and also finished with three steals and three assists. Reese Howard rounded out the scoring with three points. Miracle Goody led the Lady Raiders (1-3) with 10 points. The Cass girls (4-0) play at Model Friday at 6 p.m. and at Clarkston Saturday at 5:30 p.m. CASS BOYS 72, SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 55 The Colonels built a 30-23 lead by halftime then outscored the visiting Raiders 18-11 in the third and 24-21 in the fourth period Tuesday night for a 72-55 non-region win. “We played our best game of the season,” said Cass coach Kevin Cunningham. “We played well against a really good Southeast Whitfield team. Tip of the hat to (Southeast's) Cal Rich, he is an amazing player.” Rich led all scorers with 27 points for the Raiders (2-2). K.J. Rogers led Cass with 20 points. Jayden Foster followed with 11 while Sacovie White and Devin Henderson also reached double figures with 10 each. Jakai Baldwin and Kevin Henderson contributed seven points each. Tom Brannon, Isaiah Ford, and Tayvian McKibbins added two each for the Colonels. Cass (2-4) plays at Rome Thursday at 6 p.m. CALHOUN 80, EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 65 The Eagles kept it close deep into the fourth quarter Tuesday night at Calhoun. Excel trailed by only five (66-61) with less than four minutes remaining, but the Yellow Jackets pulled away down the stretch for a 15-point win. Calhoun led 22-17 after the opening eight minutes; 40-34 at halftime; and 57-46 after three quarters before the 80-65 final. The Eagles struggled with the inside presence of Calhoun’s Dylan Faulkner. The 6-9 senior poured in 39 points to lead the Yellow Jackets (1-0). Jakaden Barkley led Excel with 22 points. Kyron McClendon followed with 17 and Jacob Taylor finished with 15 points. Comari Nettles added five while Caleb Landrum and Kamarion Proffit added three points each. Excel (4-3) hosts Rockmart Thursday at 7:30 p.m. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 64, EAST PAULDING 24 The Lady Canes improved to 2-0 with a win Tuesday night at East Paulding (1-3). No game report was provided. EAST PAULDING 66, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 33 The Cartersville boys dropped their season opener Tuesday night at East Paulding, 66-33. The Raiders improved to 3-0. No game report was provided.

The Excel Christian Academy boys earned a road, region win Monday night at Oakwood Christian Academy in Chickamauga, 77-54. “We started slowly,” said ECA head coach David Archer, Jr., “but we were able to turn it around.” The Eagles trailed 15-8 after the opening eight minutes but recovered in the second quarter to take a 31-24 lead to the locker room. Excel maintained that advantage in the third stanza 56-43 and pulled away in the fourth period for a 23-point win. Kyron McClendon and Jacob Taylor led Excel with 20 and 19 points, respectively. Christian Viera scored six; Kamarion Profit and Caleb Landrum posted five each; Comari Nettles and Trey Webb contributed four, and David Jinks added three points. John McDonough led Oakwood (1-4, 0-3) with 12 points. Excel (4-2, 2-0 GAPPS I-AA, Region 1) plays at Calhoun Tuesday night at 7 p.m. and will host Rockmart Thursday night following a 6 p.m. girls' game. OAKWOOD CHRISTIAN 66, EXCEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY GIRLS 10 The Excel Christian Academy girls lost at Oakwood Christian Academy Monday night, 66-10. Cheyenne Simpson and Mana Gilchrist led Oakwood with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Chae Viera scored seven points for ECA. Amanda Davidson had three. Oakwood improved to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in GAPP I-AA Region 1. The Excel girls, who host Rockmart Thursday night at 6 p.m., fell to 0-4 and 0-2.