The four local high school wrestling programs advanced 37 competitors to the GHSA Traditional State Championships with successful qualifying completed this past Saturday. The boy's teams from Adairsville, Cartersville, Cass, and Woodland have 34 wrestlers moving forward to the finals brackets while three local girls competitors, two from Cartersville and one from Cass have also advanced. A dozen of the local boy's qualifiers won their respective weight class brackets at GHSA State Sectionals Saturday held at LakePoint in Emerson and Dahlonega's Lumpkin County High School. Cass led the way with eleven wrestlers advancing to the Class 5A state finals 12-man brackets. Seven of the eleven won their weight classes at LakePoint and two were runners-up. Winning their weight class brackets Saturday were Colonels Lee Camp (106), A.J. Piatt (113), Cole Hunt (120), Jake Crapps (126), Bryce Kresho (138), Tyler McKnight (145), and Zach McKnight (170). Kriecg Roe (160) and Parker Dunn (182) both finished second. Eli Doolittle (152) and Tripp Adams (195) placed sixth for the Colonels. Woodland had nine competitors to advance with three weight class winners and three runners-up. Caleb Henson (152), Cole Cochran (160), and Charles Higdon (195) were weight division winners for the Wildcats. Carson Bailey (126), William Bishop (132), and Beau Jernigan (285) finished second. Randy Buchanan (138) placed fourth to advance. Kwadrus Wilson (220) finished fifth and Jeremiah Rhodes (182) took sixth for the Wildcats. Also at LakePoint, Cartersville grabbed six spots in the Class 5A finals bracket with heavyweight Shadre Hurst winning the 285-pound bracket. Grant Adams (4th, 106), Eaiden Neal (3rd, 113), Giles Turner (3rd, 138), Camden Geer (6th, 126), and Talan Nix (6th, 132) were the other wrestlers advancing for the Canes. At the Class AAA State Sectional B in Dahlonega, Adairsville’s Isaac Linley won the 132-pound division to pace eight Tigers’ qualifiers in the top six. Jaxson Owens (120) placed second while Jamori Speights (145), Jaimon Long (182), and James Lynch (195) nailed down finals’ bracket spots with third place finishes. Howard Bailey (138) and Luke Story (285) advanced with fifth place finishes. Ethan Blome (160) was sixth. The GHSA Traditional Wrestling State Championships take place Thursday through Saturday at the Macon Centreplex but all the local competitors will complete their tournaments Friday night. Cass won the GHSA Team Duals state title last month while Woodland finished fourth. Both teams will be top contenders again for team titles at the Traditional Championship along with Ola and Woodward Academy. “Woodland, Woodward, and Ola — they’re all very good,” responded Cass head coach D.L. Koontz when asked about the top Class 5A contenders. “Woodward Academy has four studs that I would expect to see reach the finals; Ola is simply solid all the way through their lineup; and we all know how good Woodland is and has been. Again, all those teams are good. No one can afford to slip up.” Adairsville earned a fourth place finish at the Class AAA Team Duals. The Tigers will seek to make up ground on favorites Gilmer, Rockmart, and Sonoraville at the Traditional Championships. Gilmer, who won the State Duals, qualified a dozen individuals for Macon while Rockmart qualified eleven. Sonoraville, third at Duals, earned ten spots in the finals’ brackets. Adairsville wrestlers in Class AAA will hit the mats Thursday morning with all bouts through the championship semifinals and consolation semifinals completed by noon. The consolation finals and state championship bouts will be Friday night. In Class 5A, Cartersville, Cass, and Woodland wrestlers will begin competition Thursday afternoon for bouts through the consolation and championship semifinals. The finals will be Friday evening beginning at 4 p.m. In addition to the boys state tournament, three local girls will compete for state titles this weekend. Cartersville’s Elora Waterman (102) and Anetra Witherspoon (197) have earned spots in the Girls State Tournament. Abigail Gentry (122) of Cass will also be in competition. The girls 16-wrestler championship brackets begin Friday afternoon with the consolation finals and championship bouts scheduled for Saturday morning.

It is another sports cross-over time of year when the winter sports of wrestling, swimming, and basketball begin approaching their post-season playoffs while indoor track and field, baseball, and softball are launching new campaigns. As a result, we have updates on six different collegiate and pro sports this week with Athletes Beyond Bartow. T.J. Horton and the Georgia Highlands College Chargers continue to hold down the top spot in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association mens basketball standings while Ashton Hagans and Toronto Raptors’ affiliate Raptors 905 is just one-half game out of the NBA G-League’s Eastern Conference lead. WRESTLING ANGEL BANDA — Reinhardt University (So., Adairsville HS) … finished second at the Cumberland University (Tenn.) Open. He finished the day 3-1 with his only loss coming in the 125-pound finals against Dennis McNeal of Brewton Parker College. RU wrestles at Truett McConnell University Saturday against the host Bears and Bluefield State (West Virginia). PRO BASKETBALL ASHTON HAGANS — Raptors 905 - NBA G-League (Cartersville native, University of Kentucky; Newton HS) … during a 2-1 week, Hagans totaled 24 points, 22 assists, eight steals, seven rebounds, and two blocked shots as Raptors 905 swept the Windy City Bulls Tuesday and Thursday 100-93 and 104-89 but lost to the visiting Delaware Blue Coats, 126-121. The Raptors (11-4) are in second place in the NBA G-League’s Eastern Conference trailing the Motor City Cruise by one-half game. The Ontario-based, Toronto Raptors affiliate plays at the Cleveland Charge Tuesday night and at the Delaware Blue Coats Saturday night. COLLEGE BASKETBALL JUSTICE HAYES — South Georgia Tech (So., Cass HS) … a starter for the Jets at guard, Hayes scored three points with two assists and two rebounds last Wednesday in a 73-71 loss at South Georgia CC. He then found foul trouble Saturday and played only 14 minutes with no points, two assists and one steal during an 86-65 blowout win over visiting Southern Crescent Tech. South Georgia Tech (14-10, 6-4 GCAA) is in third place in the conference with six regular season games to play. The Jets host Gordon College Wednesday night and travel to Albany Tech Saturday. DiANTHONY HEATHCOCK — Columbia International University (So., Woodland HS) … totaled eight points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three blocked shots in a pair of road losses last week. The Rams lost 71-63 at Truett McConnell Thursday and 84-69 at Reinhardt Saturday. CIU (13-10, 9-9 Appalachian Athletic Conference) hosts Johnson University Tuesday, Tennessee Wesleyan Thursday, and travels to Truett McConnell Saturday. T.J. HORTON — Georgia Highlands College (Fr., Cartersville HS) … a starting guard for the Chargers, Horton scored two points with three rebounds and three assists in the GHC's only game last week — a 74-65 win at Central Georgia Tech. Georgia Highlands (14-8, 7-1) is currently in first place in the GCAA and has conference games Monday at Gordon College, Wednesday at Southern Crescent Tech, and at home Saturday against Andrew College. JAYLON PUGH — Furman University (Sr., Cartersville HS) … scored two points with one blocked shot and one steal last Wednesday in the Paladins’ 102-83 home win over The Citadel. Furman (17-8, 9-3 Southern Conference) plays at East Tennessee State Monday night and hosts conference leading Chattanooga Saturday afternoon. JORDAN THOMPSON — Motlow State CC (Fr., Woodland HS) … scored nine points with three rebounds and one assist in a start Saturday at Southwest Tennessee CC. She also fouled out in the 74-53 loss. The Bucks (3-17, 2-9 TCCAA) host Cleveland State CC Wednesday and play at Jackson State CC Saturday. JOSIE SUMMERVILLE — North Park University (Sr., Adairsville HS) … came off the bench to score 10 points, grab five rebounds, and make one steal during a 74-59 win over North Central University (Illinois) last Thursday. In a starting role Saturday, she scored two points with six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one blocked shot but the Vikings lost at Augustana (Illinois) 55-46. NPU (14-6, 7-5 CCIW) plays at Illinois Wesleyan Wednesday and at Millikin University Saturday. NAKIYAH WASHINGTON — Piedmont College (Jr., Adairsville HS) … scored 10 points and added one rebound, one assist, and one steal in the Lions’ 70-57 win last Tuesday at Brevard College. She also scored six points with four rebounds and one blocked shot in limited time during a 91-39 home win Saturday over Agnes Scott College. Piedmont also routed visiting Wesleyan College Sunday, 82-36, and Washington did not play. The Lions (19-3, 12-1 USA South Athletic Conference) have won 13 straight games heading into games this week at LaGrange College Wednesday and at Berea College (Kentucky) on Saturday. TENNIS ASHLEY POPHAM — Mercer University (So., Cartersville HS) … won her Line 6 singles match 6-1, 6-0 Sunday, January 30 as the Bears blanked Emmanuel College 7-0. Mercer (4-2) hosts Georgia State Friday afternoon. CHRISTY TURNER — Coppin State University (Sr., Woodland HS) … last Thursday she teamed with Iva Jankovic at a Line 2 doubles loss and also dropped her Line 4 singles match in three sets to her Mount St. Mary’s (Maryland) opponent. The Eagles lost the match 6-1. Coppin State (0-2) returns to action Saturday, February 19 at Lafayette University. TRACK AND FIELD BILL ARCHER — University of Montevallo (Fr., Cartersville HS) … ran a leg for the fifth place 4000 meter men’s distance medley relay team and placed 19th (9:15.19) in the 3000 meter run at this past weekend’s East Tennessee State Buccaneer Indoor Invitational in Johnson City, Tennessee. Next up for the Falcons is the Gulf South Conference Indoor Championship February 15-16 in Birmingham. TERRY BERDIN — Reinhardt University (So., Cartersville HS) … placed 19th (7.40) in the 60 meter dash as the Eagles finished fourth at the Life University Indoor/Outdoor Invitational Sunday. Reinhardt is back in action Saturday at the Sewanee Indoor Invitational. TREVOR KNOWLES — Albion University (Sr., Woodland HS) … placed third in the high jump and ran 20th in the 60 meter dash last Friday at the Concordia Red, White, and Blue Classic in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The Britons compete again Friday in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the WHAC vs. MIAA Challenge. STEPHEN SMITH — Kennesaw State University (So, Cass HS) … placed 12th in pole vault at the 25-team USA Invitational inside the Birmingham CrossPlex Sunday. He and teammate AJ Johnson both cleared 4.62 meters (15’1.75”). The Owls have are in action Friday and Saturday at the Music City Challenge in Nashville at Vanderbilt University. BASEBALL BRYCEN JONES — University of West Georgia (Jr., Cartersville HS) … faced four batters Sunday in a sixth inning appearance against visiting Kentucky State. He allowed one earned run on two walks and a hit during a 20-2 Wolves win. GARRETT MISHOE — University of West Georgia (So., Adairsville HS) … closed out the final inning of Sunday’s 20-2 win over Kentucky State. He allowed one hit and hit one batter but struck out a pair in a scoreless frame. West Georgia (3-0) plays at Emmanuel College Tuesday then makes a Florida swing Friday through Sunday to play Lynn University, Palm Beach Atlantic, and Nova Southeastern in the West Palm Beach area. JORDAN WILKIE — Augusta University (Jr., Cartersville HS) … entered as a pinch hitter, went 0-for-2 with a walk, and played defensively at second base in the Jaguars’ two losses Saturday at Newberry College. Augusta (1-3) hosts Anderson University Tuesday and University of Virginia-Wise for a three-game series Saturday and Sunday. SOFTBALL BELLA CARNES — Georgia College (So., Woodland HS) … saw action Saturday against Carson-Newman as a pinch runner and had one pinch hit appearance Saturday against Florida Tech. She was also utilized as a pinch runner in Sunday’s loss to Emmanuel College. Georgia College (0-4) hosts North Greenville Saturday in a doubleheader. ANSLEY EVANS — Reinhardt University (Fr., Woodland HS) … started at third base, walked, and scored a run in the Eagles 5-4 win Friday over Middle Georgia State. Reinhardt (1-1) lost the second game of that doubleheader, 16-8. The Eagles are scheduled to play six games Friday through Sunday at the Georgia Gwinnett College Tournament in Lawrenceville. LAUREN McELHANEY — University of West Georgia (So., Cartersville HS) … was the starting catcher and finished 0-for-2 at the plate in the Wolves’ 12-2 loss Sunday afternoon to Lubbock Christian in a game played in the Gulf Shores Invitational. UWG (1-2) travels to Greenwood, South Carolina Saturday and Sunday for the Brianna Surrento Kickoff Classic.

The Adairsville boys swim team picked up three top-10 finishes en route to placing 12th overall in the Class 1A-3A state meet at Georgia Tech. All three Tigers relay teams qualified for state. While the 400-yard freestyle team didn't reach the finals, Adairsville's 200 free and 200 medley squads both finished inside the top 10. The former came in ninth, and the latter wound up 10th. Most impressively, the members of the 200 medley team were all underclassmen — juniors Cooper Brown and Andy Barnett, along with freshmen Gabriel Greenway and Brayden Rizer. The 200 free team was fairly young, as well, with Brown, Barnett and Rizer joining senior Landon Smrcina. Individually, Brown registered an 11th-place showing in the 100 breaststroke. Brown and Barnett placed 10th and 12th, respectively, in the 200 individual medley. Barnett also qualified in the 100 butterfly, although he didn't make it past the preliminaries.

The Cass High School soccer teams swept visiting Cedartown Friday night at Cochran Stadium in non-region games. The Lady Colonels (1-1) defeated the Lady Bulldogs 1-0 on a first half goal scored by Sheridan Johnson. The Cass boys won 5-3 with Camden Hillhouse scoring four goals for the Colonels. Alex Hernandez found the net for the other Cass goal. Christian Villela contributed a pair of assists and Juan Pajarito also had one assist. The Colonels improved to 2-1 with their win. The Cass teams play at Villa Rica next Friday.

The Cartersville girls and boys basketball teams both won Friday night at Woodland while the Cass girls won an overtime thriller at Calhoun and the Adairsville boys picked up an important region win at Murray County. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 41, WOODLAND 29 The Lady Canes got 16 points from Layne Callan, 10 from Ansley Griffin, and eight from Zoe Casey to win at Woodland Friday night, 41-29. Following a 7-7 first period, Cartersville led 18-13 at halftime and 27-23 through three quarters before easing away with a 12-point win. Abigail Taylor scored 16 points to lead Woodland. Dylynn Motes added seven for the Lady Cats. Cartersville (4-11, 2-6) hosts region foes Calhoun Tuesday and Hiram Friday next week to close out the regular season. Woodland (2-20, 0-8) plays at Hiram Tuesday night and at Cass next Friday. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 71, WOODLAND 53 The Cartersville boys outscored host Woodland 21-10 in the second quarter Friday night to build a 36-21 lead at the intermission and maintained their advantage in the second half for a 71-53 Region 7-5A win. Kam Callahan poured in 28 points to lead the Hurricanes. Romo Pace followed with 12 and Luke Gambill added seven points for Cartersville. K.J. Rogers scored 19 points to lead the Wildcats. Brelace Williams finished with 11 and Harlin Morris added nine for Woodland. Cartersville (10-10, 3-5) has home games next week against Calhoun Tuesday and Hiram Friday. Woodland (5-16, 0-8) travels to Hiram Tuesday night at Cass on Friday. CASS GIRLS 55, CALHOUN 54 (OT) Claire Davis and Miya Winston both scored 19 points Friday night and combined for 10 of the Lady Colonels’ 12 points in overtime as Cass won at Calhoun, 55-54, in Region 7-5A action. Haley Johnson, who added five rebounds and five assists, scored six points. Amaya Ford contributed five. Justice Bennett and Mikaela Jackson added four and two points, respectively. Calhoun led 26-21 at halftime and 33-31 at the end of the third quarter, but Cass knotted the score in the final eight minutes of regulation to send the game to overtime tied at 43. Britiya Curtis scored 16 points for Calhoun. Lauren Watson and Kat Atha added 14 each for the Lady Jackets. The loss dropped Calhoun to 15-8 on the season and 5-3 in region play. Cass (20-3, 6-2) plays at Blessed Trinity Tuesday night and ends the regular season next Friday at home against Woodland. CALHOUN 75, CASS BOYS 41 7th-ranked Calhoun started quickly at home Friday night and cruised to a 75-41 win over visiting Cass. The Yellow Jackets led 17-7 after one quarter and 42-21 by halftime to take control of the game. Peyton Law scored a game-high 21 points to pace Calhoun. Dylan Faulkner contributed 16 and Emaree Winston added 10 points in the win. Jelani Hames led Cass with 14 points. Jakai Baldwin finished with six. Jackson Hale, Jayden Foster, and Ethan McEntyre added five points each for the Colonels. “We ran into a buzzsaw against a very solid and well coached Calhoun team,” said Colonels head coach Byron Taylor. “We expect Law and Faulkner to make plays and be tough to defend, but their role players added to their scoring and made plays. It makes them hard to defend.” Calhoun improved to 16-5 overall and 7-1 in Region 7-5A. Cass (8-14, 2-6) travels to Blessed Trinity Tuesday and closes out the regular season next Friday at home against Woodland. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 72, MURRAY COUNTY 61 The Tigers used a balanced scoring attack and built a 20-point lead in the first half Friday night to win at Murray County, 72-61. Adairsville had five players reach double-figure scoring led by Hayden Poarch with 17. Tre Winters followed with 14 points. Kavi Harris finished with 13, T.J. Printup contributed 12, and Tre Mitchell scored 10 for the Tigers. Adairsville led 28-13 after one quarter; 41-21 at halftime; and 53-39 at the end of the third quarter. Tad Stone and Carson Weaver led the host Indians (11-11, 5-9) with 21 and 17 points, respectively. Adairsville (13-9, 9-5) plays both Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (Tuesday) and North Murray (Friday) at home next week to wrap up the regular season. MURRAY COUNTY 62, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 38 Ella Dotson scored 28 points to lead the host Lady Indians to a 24-point win Friday night over the visiting Adairsville girls. Alissa Winters led Adairsville with 10 points. Lexie Childers and Autumn Henderson scored seven points each for the Lady Tigers. Murray County improved to 18-4 on the season and 12-2 in Region 6-AAA. Adairsville (10-12, 3-11) hosts 4th-ranked Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe Tuesday night at 6 p.m. and North Murray next Friday night at 7 p.m. to finish up the regular season. DARLINGTON 69, EXCEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY BOYS 60 Darlington, ranked No. 8 in Class A-Private, outscored Excel 19-4 in the second quarter Friday night to build a 17-point halftime lead and held off the Eagles in the second half for a 69-60 region win at The Church at Liberty Square. Patrick Shelley led the visiting Tigers with 23 points. D.J. Johnson added 13 for Darlington (17-6, 6-3). Comari Nettles led four Excel players in double figures with 18 points. Jakaden Barkley scored 16. Jacob Taylor followed with 13 points and Elijah Payne added 11 for the Eagles. “We ran into second quarter foul troubles,” said ECA head coach David Archer, Jr. “We almost climbed out of it, cutting the lead to six at one point in the fourth quarter, but Darlington and Shelley came up with some big buckets.” Excel Christian (10-13, 1-8) completes the regular season Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. at Mt. Paran Christian.

The Cartersville riflery team fell to Etowah Thursday night 1075-1029 in an Area 10 match in Woodstock. The Canes split season matches with the Eagles withe Cartersville winning at home last month in a close match. Etowah’s junior standout, Zachary Mauriello, scored 281 and missed a perfect prone score by only one point. Kayla Thacker was second highest for the Eagles with a 278. Cartersville freshman Caleb Adams led the Canes with a score of 259. Sophomore Noah Goodwin fired a personal best 256. Freshman Katerina Conley also had a personal best 254 while sophomore Kaleb Wolfe (253) and freshman Luis Rangel (229) rounded out the Cartersville scoring. The Canes’ Rifles are now 2-4 in Area 10 competition and in fifth place. Cartersville will host Sonoraville next Tuesday before traveling to Dalton High School on Thursday.

Elite Stone Supply, in conjunction with WBHF and Bartow Sports Zone, presents the ELITE ATHLETES OF THE MONTH. Each month, local high schools are provided the opportunity to name an Elite Athlete of the Month from their varsity programs and present the information on their honoree through Bartow Sports Zone and on 100.3FM and AM1450, WBHF in Cartersville. Kam Callahan is the January 2022 Elite Athlete of the Month representing Cartersville High School. A guard on the Hurricanes’ basketball team and son of Stephanie and Antonio Callahan, the senior is captain of this year’s team. Callahan is averaging 22 points per game and was named to the Adairsville Christmas Clash All-Tournament Team. “Kam has had an outstanding year and works hard at improving daily both on and off the court,” said Canes’ head coach Mike Tobin. He plans to attend college, earn his degree and play basketball. The Elite Athlete of the Month for Woodland High School is Cole Cochran. He is an accomplished senior wrestler and the son of Christy and Shane Cochran. At the recent GHSA State Duals Championship, Cochran defeated the 13th-ranked wrestler in the country and a three-time state champion, Michael Killic of Woodward Academy, in the semifinals. “Cole is a tremendous student, athlete, and leader for our wrestling team,” said Wildcats’ head coach Adrian Tramutola. “He sets an example daily with his work ethic, leadership skills, and the high goals he has for himself and our team.” Coachran maintains a 3.7 GPA and will continue his academic and athletic career at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Cass High School has selected co-Athletes of the Month for January 2022. They are Colonels’ wrestlers Cole Hunt and Bryce Kresho. Hunt, who has wrestled since the age of five, has multiple national accomplishments including the 113-pound division for juniors this past summer at High School Nationals. He has amassed a high school record of 157-4 and has not lost a high school match since his freshman year. During the GHSA State Duals Championships, he was 3-0 with three pins as the Colonels captured a state title. In the upcoming Traditional State Championships, Hunt will look to capture his third individual state title and become a four-time state placer. He was third as a freshman. Hunt is a senior and the son of Greg and Randa Hunt with a cumulative GPA of 3.6. He will continue his academic and athletic career at The University of North Carolina. Bryce Kresho is also a senior wrestler, team captain, and was 3-0 with three pins at the GHSA State Duals Championship. His current career high school record is 150-13 and he is a three-time state placer. He was third as a freshman, state champion as a sophomore, and state runner-up as a junior. The son of Jennifer and Thad Kresho, Bryce has a cumulative 3.96 GPA and will continue his academic and athletic career at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Hayden Poarch has been selected as the Elite Athlete of the Month for January 2022 representing Adairsville High School. A senior shooting guard on the Tigers’ basketball team, Hayden is the son of Jeremy and Audrey Poarch. “Hayden is an excellent student with high character,” noted Adairsville boys basketball coach Alex Disbrow. “He has a tremendous work ethic, leads by example, and serves as a great teammate. He also has one of the highest three-point shooting percentages in Georgia for all classifications and was recently ranked first by MaxPrep Sports.” Poarch plans to attend college and pursue his degree. He currently has a 3.9 GPA while enrolled in numerous Honors and Adavanced Placement courses. Editors Note: Photos and bios are supplied to Bartow Sports Zone and WBHF by the respective schools and their athletic departments. Elite Stone Supply Co., LLC is the monthly sponsor. Athletes receive a plaque along with recognition during a radio feature on WBHF. #EliteAthletesoftheMonth #Cass #Cartersville #Woodland #Adairsville #highschool

The Cartersville High School riflery team lost a match to Cherokee Tuesday afternoon at the American Legion Post 42. Cherokee finished with 1079 points to the Canes’ 1020. Cartersville sophomores Kaleb Wolfe and Noah Goodwin scored their personal bests in the match with scores of 258 and 256, respecctively. Freshman Caleb Adams (253), sophomore Taylor Buchanan (253), and sophomore Sheyenne Nelson (228) rounded out the Hurricanes’ scoring. The score for Buchanan was a personal best and included a kneeling score of 95 — the third best kneeling score in the Area this season. The loss dropped Cartersville to fifth place in Area 10. The Canes’ rifles travel to Etowah Thursday.

The Cass girls trailed visiting Hiram at halftime Tuesday night 24-22, but came from behind in the second half for a 59-46 Region 7-5A victory. Claire Davis scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Lady Colonels. Haley Johnson followed with 19 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Miya Winston contributed 12 points and Zion Hayes added two points for Cass. Erial Owens led the Lady Hornets (10-9, 4-3) with 15 points. Cass (19-3, 5-2) travels to Calhoun Friday night for another key region game. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 58, COAHULLA CREEK 48 The Adairsville boys maintained their current third place positioning in the Region 6-AAA standings Tuesday night with a 58-48 road win at Coahulla Creek in Whitfield County. The Tigers built a 10-point halftime lead at 33-23 and maintained it in the second half. T.J. Printup, Jr. scored 16 points to lead Adairsville. Tre Mitchell and Kavi Harris followed with 13 apiece. Tre Winters scored eight for the Tigers. Will Locke led the Colts with 14 points. Mario Edwards finished with 13 and Lucas Mulkey had 12 points for Coahulla Creek (12-9, 6-7). Adairsville (12-9, 8-5) travels to Murray County Friday night. COAHULLA CREEK 52, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 46 Coahulla Creek led 34-24 at halftime and held off the visiting Adairsville girls Tuesday night for a 52-46 Region 6-AAA win. Brinkley Reed scored a game-high 28 points to lead the Lady Colts. Aubrey Langley followed with 16 for Coahulla Creek. Autumn Henderson paced the Lady Tigers with 12 points. Alissa Winters and Naxyria Roberts added eight each for Adairsville. Coahulla Creek moved to 9-13 on the season and 6-7 in region action. Adairsville (10-11, 3-10) plays at Murray County Friday night in a 7 p.m. tip. CALHOUN 56, WOODLAND GIRLS 31 The Woodland girls led 20-18 at halftime Tuesday night but Calhoun outscored the Lady Cats 17-8 in the third quarter and 21-3 in the fourth period to gain control on the way to a Lady Jackets’ 56-31 win. Shaniah Dorsey scored 14 points for Calhoun and Kat Atha added 13 for the Yellow Jackets. Woodland was led by Abigail Taylor’s 13 points. Morgan Echols scored 10 and Dylynn Motes added eight for the Wildcats. Woodland (2-19, 0-7) hosts Cartersville Friday night at 6 p.m. BLESSED TRINITY 60, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 19 The Lady Titans overpowered the Cartersville girls Tuesday night in Roswell, 60-19. With the victory, Blessed Trinity remains atop the Region 7-5A standings. The Lady Titans are 12-10 overall and 6-1 in region play. Cartersville (3-11, 1-6) plays at Woodland Friday night. BLESSED TRINITY 71, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 57 Kam Callahan and Romo Pace each scored 19 points Tuesday night but the Cartersville Hurricanes lost at Blessed Trinity in Roswell, 71-57. Brigham Rogers led the host Titans with 26 points. The Canes trailed 21-18 after one quarter and were behind 35-31 at halftime before Blessed Trinity pulled away with an 18-6 third quarter advantage. Blessed Trinity improved to 12-10 for the season and 5-2 in Region 7-5A. Cartersville (9-10, 2-5) plays at Woodland Friday night. CALHOUN 85, WOODLAND BOYS 72 Woodland had three players reach double figures in scoring Tuesday night at home, but visiting Calhoun got 20 points each from Peyton Law and Dylan Faulkner for a 13-point region win. The Yellow Jackets led 26-13 after one quarter; 45-23 at halftime; and 71-48 after three quarters. K.J. Rogers led Woodland with 19 points. Brelace Williams scored 16 and Gavin Harris finished with 10 for the Wildcats. Calhoun, now ranked 7th in Class 5A, improved to 15-5 on the season and 6-1 in region games. Woodland (5-15, 0-7) hosts Cartersville Friday night. HIRAM 68, CASS BOYS 54 The visiting Hiram Hornets kept a piece of the Region 7-5A lead Tuesday night with a win at Cass. Hiram led 32-15 at halftime and 55-36 by the end of the third quarter before holding on for a 14-point win. Jay Boyd led the Hornets with 16 points. Walter Matthew added 12 and Chase Tyler scored 11 for Hiram. Jelani Hames paced the Colonels with 19 points. Jayden Foster followed with 10. Jackson Hale pitched in with eight points and Devin Henderson added seven. Hiram improved to 12-9 on the season and 6-1 in region action. Cass (8-13, 2-5) plays at the other region co-leader Calhoun Friday night. WALKER 60, EXCEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY BOYS 50 The Excel boys trailed 30-23 at halftime, but outscored 10th-ranked Walker in the third quarter to move ahead 40-37 heading into the final eight minutes Tuesday night at The Church at Liberty Square. The visiting Wolverines outscored the Eagles 23-10 in the fourth quarter, however, to escape with a 60-50 Region 7-A-Private win. Walker moved to 16-6 on the season and 5-3 in region play. Excel Christian (10-12, 1-7) hosts 8th-ranked Darlington Friday night.

The Adairsville girls soccer team defeated visiting Darlington Tuesday night in Tiger Valley, 3-0. Kaylee Jordan scored a pair of goals while Megan Hardin added a goal and an assist for the Lady Tigers. Emma Ridley and Emma Collins were also credited with assists. Adairsville (2-0-1) hosts Gordon Central Thursday.

The Georgia Highlands softball team salvaged one win in the Chargers’ six-game Florida swing over the weekend. After dropping a doubleheader at Lake-Sumter State College Friday, GHC defeated Marshalltown CC Saturday 14-6 in six innings. The Chargers lost to Gulf Coast State later in the day Saturday and fell in games to Indian River State and Pasco-Hernando State Sunday in Clearwater. In Saturday’s win over Marshalltown CC, the Chargers erupted for 11 runs in the first three innings. Emma Veitch (5 IP, 5R, 3ER, 6H, 1BB, 2K) earned the pitching win in relief. Hailey Cronic had a three hit game that included a double and one RBI. Madison Dennis had two hits including a triple and four RBIs. Malone Aldridge finished with two doubles and one RBI. Annsley Todd contributed two hits and two RBIs. Allison Deweese had two hits including one double and Haley Robinson hit a three-run home run. Dennis and Aldridge both had two hits in the 10-2 loss to Indian River. Kyndal Brown, Brady Tharpe, and Aldridge finished with two hits in the 14-5 loss to Gulf Coast State and Cronic added a two-hit game in the 2-0 loss to Pasco-Hernando State. Georgia Highlands (1-5) travels to Southern Union State CC Thursday for a doubleheader.

The current reputation of high school wrestling in Bartow County was definitely on display Saturday in a pair of region/area traditional wrestling tournaments. In all, 44 individuals from the four local programs earned top four finishes to advance to their respective state tournaments. A total of 17 local wrestlers won their region or area championships. The Cass High School wrestling team won the Region 7-5A Traditional Championship Saturday at Cartersville High School by capturing eight individual weight division titles and qualifying individuals for the state tournament in 13 of 14 weight classes. The Colonels collected 261.5 points to win by 39 points over runner-up Woodland. The Wildcats finished with 222.5 points. Calhoun (163) was third with Cartersville (145.5) fourth. Blessed Trinity and Hiram placed fifth and sixth, respectively. The eight individual titles by Cass included wins by a freshman, two sophomores and three juniors. Seniors Bryce Kresho (138-pounds) and University of North Carolina signee Cole Hunt (120) won their brackets. Juniors Tyler McKnight (145), Zach McKnight (170), and Parker Dunn (182) were weight class champions along with sophomores Lee Camp (106) and Jake Crapps (126). Cass freshman A.J. Piatt won the 113-pound division. Five other Colonels qualified for the state tournament which begins next Friday and Saturday at LakePoint in Emerson and each of those wrestlers are underclassmen. Juniors Eli Doolittle (152) and Tripp Adams (195) were region runners-up. Freshman Kriecg Roe (160) finished third while junior William Buttram (220) and freshman Anthony Alcazar (Heavyweight) notched fourth place results. Woodland’s runner-up finish included five weight class winners, five runners-up, and one third place. Seniors William Bishop (132), Caleb Henson (152), and Cole Cochran (160) took care of business Saturday with each winning their respective weight class. Junior Charles Higdon (195) and sophomore Kwadrus Wilson (220) also won region titles. Marvin Hernandez (106, jr.), Carson Bailey (126, sr.), Brandon Montes (170, sr.), Jeremiah Rhodes (182, sr.), and Beau Jernigan (Hwt, sr.) were runners-up for the Wildcats with Randy Buchanan (138, sr.) placing third. Cartersville senior Shadre Hurst won the region heavyweight title with seven other Canes earning trips to the state sectionals. Five of the Cartersville qualifiers are either freshmen or sophomores. Eaiden Neal (113, so.) and Giles Turner (138, sr.) finished as region runners-up. Grant Adams (106, fr.), Camden Geer (126, sr.) placed third while Grey Williams (120, fr.), Talan Nix (132, fr.), and Jackson Latimore (145, so.) added fourth place finishes. At least 29 schools will be represented at the Class 5A State Sectional at LakePoint this Friday and Saturday with the top six individuals in each weight class advancing to the GHSA State Championships in Macon February 10-12. ADAIRSVILLE RUNNER-UP AT CLASS 3A AREA 4 TOURNEY; TIGERS ADVANCE 12 INDIVIDUALS Host Rockmart won the Class AAA Area 4 Traditional tournament Saturday with eight individuals winning Area titles while the Yellow Jackets accumulated 228.5 points, but Adairsville followed with a strong runner-up team finish and advanced a dozen individuals. Adairsville was second with 149 team points followed by Westminster (128) and Greater Atlanta Christian (48). Tigers’ seniors Isaac Linley (132-pounds) and James Lynch (195) won their weight classes as did sophomore Jaimon Long (182). Five Adairsville wrestlers placed second at Area including Jaxson Owens (120), Jacob Pasley (126), Howard Bailey (138), Jamori Speights (145), and Luke Story (285). Brett Lance (152), Ethan Blome (160), and Druu Faulk (170) placed third. Jett Johnson (220) was fourth for the Tigers. Adairsville’s twelve state qualifiers advance to the Class AAA State Sectional B which will be hosted Friday and Saturday in Dahlonega at Lumpkin County High School.