The Excel Christian Academy boys earned their first Region 7-A Private win of the season Thursday night with a 55-48 defeat of visiting Mount Paran Christian at The Church at Liberty Square. Excel grabbed a 20-5 lead in the first quarter, led 23-16 at halftime, and carried a 40-27 advantage into the final quarter. Jakaden Barkley led Excel with 19 points. Jacob Taylor finished with 13. Comari Nettles scored 11 and Elijah Payne added 10 points for the host Eagles. Bradley Kemp led the Mount Paran Eagles with 24 points. MPC slipped to 3-12 on the season and 0-4 in region play. ECA (9-8, 1-4) steps outside the region with a trip to Pepperell Saturday at 1 p.m. The Eagles host Christian Heritage and North Cobb Christian next Tuesday and Thursday. Both home games are 7:30 p.m. starts.

With just a little more than three weeks remaining in the 2021-22 high school basketball regular season, there were a pair of makeup doubleheaders Thursday night. The Cartersville girls and boys basketball teams swept home games over Woodland while the Adairsville teams dropped region contests to visiting Rockmart. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 60, WOODLAND 52 The Lady Canes had three players reach double-figure scoring in an eight point win over Woodland, 60-52. Taff Bradley led Cartersville with 18 points followed by Ansley Griffin with 14 and Layne Callan with 10 points. Jakayah Draughn contributed nine points for the Lady Canes. Abigail Taylor led Woodland with 32 points. Reagan Weightman added eight. Cartersville (3-7, 1-2) travels to region-leader Calhoun Friday for a 6 p.m. tip. Woodland (2-14, 0-3) host Hiram Friday also in a 6 p.m. start. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 65, WOODLAND 60 In a game that stayed close for the full 32 minutes, Cartersville held off visiting Woodland Thursday night for a 65-60 Region 7-5A victory. Romo Pace scored 18 points to lead the Canes. Kam Callahan finished with 15 points. Luke Gambill tossed in 11 and Jaeden Scott added nine for Cartersville. K.J. Rogers poured in 20 points for the Wildcats. Brelace Williams followed with 13 and Zyon Heath added nine points for Woodland Cartersville (9-6, 2-1) makes the trip to Calhoun Friday night. Woodland (5-11, 0-3) entertains Hiram Friday night. ROCKMART GIRLS 57, ADAIRSVILLE 50 In a back-and-forth Region 6-AAA battle that saw the lead change hands several times, visiting Rockmart outscored the Adairsville girls 24-10 in the final quarter to pull away with a 57-50 win Thursday night. Rockmart led 16-10 after one quarter. Adairsville took a 25-24 lead to the intermission and the Lady Tigers led 40-33 going to the final period. Analee Morris scored a game-high 29 points to pace the Lady Jackets. Sky Myers added 14 for Rockmart (7-9, 4-6). Adairsville had three players in double figures. Autumn Henderson scored 14. Haley Stiles contributed 11 and Naxyria Roberts finished with 10 points. The Lady Tigers (9-8, 3-7) host a non-region game with Dalton Academy Friday night. ROCKMART 69, ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 65 Rockmart’s Traylin Davis led four Yellow Jackets in double digit scoring Thursday night in a 69-65 Region 6-AAA win at Adairsville. Davis scored 31 points for Rockmart followed by Jakari Clark (13 points), Dennis Sims (12 points), and Cam Ferguson (11 points). The Yellow Jackets improved to 12-6 on the season and 7-4 in region play. Tre Mitchell led Adairsville with 29 points. Hayden Poarch and T.J. Printup both added 12 points each for the Tigers. Adairsville (9-8, 6-4) steps out of region play Friday night to host Dalton Academy.

Ashton Hagans starred in a pair of G League wins for Raptors 905 last week against the Lakeland Magic. The Cartersville native flirted with a quadruple-double in the teams' second meeting, posting 24 points, 11 assists, seven steals and six rebounds. In the other matchup, Hagans posted 14 points to go with six rebounds, four assists and two steals. He added three total blocks on the week. Elsewhere, Northern Iowa's Kyle Gollhofer recorded his first career dual win. The former four-time individual state champion at Woodland picked up a 7-2 victory in a Big 12 dual against Air Force. PRO BASKETBALL ASHTON HAGANS — Raptors 905 (NBA G-League, Cartersville native; Newton HS) … the former Kentucky Wildcats guard scored 24 points with 11 assists, six rebounds, seven steals, and a blocked shot Sunday in a 111-99 home win over the Lakeland Magic. He also scored 14 points with six boards, four assists, two blocks, and two steals Saturday in the Raptors’ 88-82 win over Lakeland. Raptors 905 currently sit atop the G-League’s Eastern Conference standings with a 5-1 record. WRESTLING KYLE GOLLHOFER — University Northern Iowa (R-Fr., Woodland HS) … secured his first career dual win to open a home match Friday against Air Force with a 7-2 decision over Quinn Melofchik at 125 pounds. This was Gollhofer's second time in the Panthers’ dual lineup, having made his debut last week against South Dakota State. Northern Iowa (2-5, 1-2 Big 12) hosts North Dakota State Saturday night. TRACK AND FIELD STEPHEN SMITH — Kennesaw State University (So., Cass HS) … finished third with a vault of 4.50 meters Saturday at the Clemson Invitational. His teammates AJ Johnson and Jack Rhea finished first and second at 4.65 meters. Texas, Florida State, and Georgia were all represented in the competition. Next up for the Owls is the Brant Tolsma Invitational Thursday through Saturday in Lynchburg, Virginia. A split squad is also scheduled for the Mark Colligan Memorial in Lincoln, Nebraska. COLLEGE BASKETBALL DiANTHONY HEATHCOCK — Columbia International University (So., Woodland HS) … scored a game-high 21 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and added one assist and one block Saturday in the Rams’ 79-53 home win over Kentucky Christian. In a 108-79 home win Thursday over St. Andrew University, Heathcock finished with seven points, seven rebounds, one steal, and one blocked shot. CIU (10-6, 6-5 Appalachian Athletic Conference) hosts Point University Tuesday night and travels to Milligan University Thursday night. T.J. HORTON — Georgia Highlands CC (So., Cartersville HS) … seeing action in all three conference wins this past week, Horton scored four points with six rebounds, five assists, and two steals in a 90-89 win Saturday at East Georgia State CC. He finished with three points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals in last Thursday night’s 74-61 victory at Andrew College and he totaled eight points, two steals, one assist, and one rebound last Tuesday during a 91-65 home win over Southern Crescent Tech CC. Georgia Highlands (10-7, 3-0 GCAA) hosts South Georgia State Wednesday before traveling to South Georgia Tech Saturday afternoon. -- Nicholas Sullivan of The Daily Tribune News contributed to this report

The Adairsville boys got back in the win column Tuesday night but the other local teams in action — including the Cass girls — suffered defeats. The loss for the Lady Colonels ended one of the state’s longest winning streak. The Cass boys, Excel Christian boys, and Adairsville girls also fell in region games Tuesday night. The Woodland girls and boys teams were scheduled to play at Cartersville Tuesday, but those games have now been rescheduled for Thursday night. CALHOUN 71, CASS GIRLS 60 The Cass girls had their 15-game win streak snapped Tuesday night at home in a 71-60 Region 7-AAAAA loss to Calhoun. Although the Lady Colonels took a 34-28 lead to the intermission, it was the visiting Lady Jackets who took control of the game in the third quarter by outscoring Cass 21-10 in the period. Britiya Curtis led Calhoun with 25 points. Sa’Niah Dorsey followed with 18 for the Yellow Jackets. Claire Davis led Cass with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Miya Winston scored 15 points and Haley Johnson added nine points and eight rebounds for the Lady Colonels. Calhoun (13-4, 3-0) takes over first place in the region with the win. Cass (16-2, 2-1) will seek to begin a new streak Friday night at home when they host Blessed Trinity in a 6:15 p.m. start. CALHOUN 80, CASS BOYS 66 Visiting Calhoun built a 41-26 lead by halftime and held off Cass for an 80-66 Region 7-AAAAA win Tuesday night. Dylan Faulkner poured in a game-high 30 points to lead the Yellow Jackets. Peyton Law added 24 for Calhoun (10-5, 2-1). Ethan McIntyre scored 27 points for Cass. Jelani Hames and Jayden Foster added 14 and eight points, respectively. Cass (6-11, 0-3) hosts Blessed Trinity Friday night. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 78, RINGGOLD 61 The Adairsville boys got back in the win column Tuesday night at home with some balanced scoring and a solid transition game. The Tigers, who had dropped three straight heading into the night, defeated Ringgold 78-61. Adairsville led 22-7 after one quarter; 38-24 at halftime; and 58-41 by the end of the third quarter on their way to the 17-point win. T.J. Printup and Tre Mitchell shared scoring honors for Adairsville with 18 points each. Tre Winters and Hayden Poarch also reached double digits with 14 points apiece. O’Reilly Matthews led Ringgold with 20 points. Brevin Massengale added 13 for the visiting Tigers (5-13, 1-9) Adairsville (9-6, 6-3 Region 6AAA) hosts Rockmart Thursday night. RINGGOLD 61, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 53 The visiting Ringgold girls built and 13 point lead by halftime and maintained that advantage through most of the second half Tuesday night en route to a 61-53 Region 6-AAA win at Adairsville. Baileigh Pitts led Ringgold (14-4, 8-2) with 21 points. Haley Stiles scored 16 points for Adairsville and Ya’Torrean Hale added 10 for the Lady Tigers. Adairsville (9-7, 3-6) returns to region action Thursday night when the Tigers host Rockmart in a 7 p.m. tip. DARLINGTON 63, EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 42 Excel trailed by only three points at the end of the first quarter Tuesday night at Darlington, but the host Tigers outscored the Eagles 36-14 over the next two periods to take control on their way to a 63-42 Region 7A Private win. Darlington improved to 12-4 on the season and 2-2 in region play. Excel Christian (8-8, 0-4) hosts Mount Paran Christian Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. and travels to Pepperell Saturday afternoon for a 1 p.m. start.

The Adairsville Tigers stepped outside of Region 6-AAA play Monday afternoon in a final tuneup before the second rotation through their region opponents begins. Squaring off with the Class A Private 7th-ranked Darlington Tigers in Rome, Adairsville started slowly and never caught up in a 68-57 loss. Darlington led 22-7 after the first eight minutes and held a 46-30 lead at the intermission. The hosts continued their lead through the third quarter 59-38 and held on for an 11-point decision. D’marion Floyd led Darlington with 15 points. Jack Bell finished with 13 and Braden Bell knocked down four 3-pointers to add 12 points. T.J. Printup, Jr. led Adairsville with 15 points. Tre Mitchell and Hayden Poarch added 13 and nine, respectively. Darlington improved to 12-4 on the season. Adairsville slipped to 8-7 with a 5-3 mark in Region 6-AAA. They have region home games against Ringgold Tuesday night and Rockmart Thursday night.

The Woodland Wildcats and the Adairsville Tigers wrestling teams won their respective State Preliminaries Saturday to advanced to next Saturday’s State Duals Championship Tournaments. The Cass Colonels won their State Preliminary Friday night at home defeating Northview and Veterans. Woodland and Cass along with six other teams in Class 5A will compete at McDonough High School. Adairsville and seven other Class 3A teams will be in action at Stephens County High School. Once completed, the Championship brackets will be available at this LINK. Saturday in Zebulon, Adairsville defeated Pike County 48-33 with pins by Jaimon Long, James Lynch, Jett Johnson, Jaxson Owens, Jake Pasley, Isaac Linley, Luke Story, and Ethan Blome. The Tigers then defeated Hart County to advance, 52-21. Also Saturday in Waycross, Woodland defeated St. Pius X 57-6 and host Ware County 54-30 to reach the Elite Eight.

The Cartersville girls and boys basketball teams lost to visiting Paulding County Saturday afternoon in non-region action at The Storm Center while the Woodland boys also fell at home to Pepperell in non-region play. The Adairsville girls and boys teams were originally scheduled to host East Paulding, but those games were canceled due to inclement weather reports. PAULDING COUNTY 53, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 51 The Lady Canes made a furious rally in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon, but came up two points short in a non-region loss to Paulding County at The Storm Center, 53-51. Cartersville entered the final eight minutes trailing the Lady Patriots by 11 points and scored 23 points in the final period. Brenae Madisett led Paulding County with 23 points. Jenae Lane added nine for the Patriots who improved to 5-14 on the season. Cartersville was paced by 17 points by Ansley Griffin. Zoe Casey finished with 10. Taff Bradley scored all eight of her points in the fourth quarter rally and Layne Callan added seven for the Lady Canes. Cartersville (2-7, 0-2) hosts Woodland Tuesday night at 6 p.m. PAULDING COUNTY 79, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 76 The visiting Patriots built a 14-point lead by halftime Saturday afternoon but the Hurricanes battled back with a strong second half effort. Unfortunately for the locals, they came up just short in a three point, non-region loss, 79-76. Paulding County led 22-14 after one quarter; 45-31 at the intermission; and 62-57 at the end of the third quarter. Elijah Fisher had a game-high 29 points for Paulding County. Kahlil Jones contributed 19 and Javonne Williams scored 13 for the Patriots. Jaeden Scott led Cartersville with 22 points. Kam Callahan followed with 19. Romo Pace was next with 18 points and Luke Gambill added 11 for the Hurricanes. Paulding County improved to 13-6 on the year. Cartersville (8-6, 1-1) entertains Woodland Tuesday night at The Storm Center. PEPPERELL 59, WOODLAND BOYS 53 A close game for three quarters with the two teams exchanging leads before the visiting Dragons took control in the fourth quarter to win 59-53. Woodland led 16-10 after one quarter, but Pepperell held leads of 29-27 at halftime and 44-41 at the end of the third quarter. Gage Owens and Kaleb Buck paced the Dragons with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Jayden Hames led the Wildcats with 17 points. Brelace Williams scored 15 and K.J. Rogers added 10. Pepperell improved to 5-10 on the season with their win. Woodland (5-10, 0-2) returns to Region 7-AAAAA action Tuesday night at Cartersville.

The Cass girls basketball team won at Hiram Friday night extending their current winning streak to 15 games and remained unbeaten in Region 7-AAAAA. Meanwhile, five other local teams dropped region games Friday evening. CASS GIRLS 53, HIRAM 48 Miya Winston scored 15 points and Claire Davis followed with 11 points and nine rebounds as the Lady Colonels extended their current win streak to 15 games with a 53-48 region win at Hiram. Cass led 26-17 at the intermission and extended the lead to 41-24 by the end of the third quarter. Erial Owens led the Lady Hornets (6-8, 0-2) with 17 points. Cass (16-1, 2-0) hosts Calhoun Tuesday night at 6 p.m. HIRAM 67, CASS BOYS 57 The Colonels led 17-12 after one quarter and were up 26-23 at halftime, but the host Hornets outscored Cass 17-11 in the third quarter to grab a 40-37 lead and held on for a 10-point win. Chase Tyler and Jay Boyd led Hiram (8-8, 2-0) with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Jelani Hames and Jayden Foster both scored 16 points each for the Colonels. Cass (6-10, 0-2) returns to region play Tuesday at home against Calhoun. CALHOUN 69, WOODLAND GIRLS 11 No game report provided. Calhoun improved to 12-3 overall and 2-0 in Region 7-AAAAA. Woodland (2-13, 0-2) plays at Cartersville Tuesday at 6 p.m. CALHOUN 86, WOODLAND BOYS 35 The Yellow Jackets built a 51-20 lead by halftime and cruise to an 86-35 win Friday night at home against Woodland. Peyton Law and Dylan Faulkner led Calhoun (8-5, 1-1) with 19 and 18 points, respectively. K.J. Rogers scored 11 for the Wildcats and Brelace Williams added 10 points. Woodland (5-9, 0-2) hosts Pepperell in a non-region game Saturday afternoon and returns to region play next Tuesday night at Cartersville. BLESSED TRINITY 70, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 58 The Hurricanes whittled an 11-point halftime deficit down to six points by the end of the third quarter Friday night, but the Blessed Trinity Titans held off Cartersville down the stretch for a 70-58 Region 7-AAAAA win. Brigham Rogers led the Titans with 24 points. Ty Harpring added 19 for Blessed Trinity (9-8, 2-0). Kam Callahan paced Cartersville with 23 points. Romo Pace scored 12 and Luke Gambill added 10 for the Canes. Cartersville (8-5, 1-1) hosts Paulding County Saturday afternoon and will entertain Woodland Tuesday night. BLESSED TRINITY 46, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 15 No game report provided. Blessed Trinity improved to 8-9 overall and 2-0 in Region 7-AAAAA. Cartersville (2-6, 0-2) steps outside region play Saturday afternoon to host Paulding County.

The Cass wrestling team made quick work of their first two opponents in the Class 5A Team Duals State Tournament Friday night defeating Northview 83-0 and Veterans 62-10. The two home victories Friday send the Colonels back to the GHSA Class 5A Final Eight Finals next Saturday at McDonough High School. In the win over Northview, Kriecg Roe, Zach McKnight, Parker Dunn, Tripp Adams, William Buttram, Jake Crapps, Bryce Kresho, Tyler McKnight and Eli Doolittle. Cass also picked up five bout wins by forfeit. Against Veterans in the second round, Zach McKnight, Dunn, Adams, Buttram, Anthony Alcazar, Camp, Cole Hunt, Crapps, Kresho, and Roe earned wins. Cass was state runner-up last season, falling to Woodland in the state championship match.

Georgia High School Football Daily released its 2021 All-State Football selections this week. Below, we have the selections for Class 5A that included three local schools and Class 3A which includes one local school. CLASS 5A Offensive player of the year: Thomas Castellanos, Ware County Defensive player of the year: Victor Burley, Warner Robins Coach of the year: Tim Barron, Villa Rica Offense QB - Thomas Castellanos, Ware Co., 5-11, 195, Sr. RB - Damari Alston, Woodward Acad., 5-11, 205, Sr. RB - Justice Haynes, Blessed Trinity, 5-10, 195, Jr. WR - K.D. Hutchinson, Harris County, 5-8, 175, Sr. WR - Daveon Walker, Warner Robins, 6-2, 180, Sr. OL - C.J. Brooks, Warner Robins, 6-1, 270, Sr. OL - Jackson Cannon, Ola, 6-5, 305, Sr. OL - Jalen Farmer, Eastside, 6-5, 325, Sr. OL - Shadre Hurst, Cartersville, 6-2, 260, Sr. OL - Kendrick Kirby, Calhoun, 6-1, 280, Sr. ATH - JaFredrick Perry, Warner Robins, 5-9, 185, Sr. ATH - Cole Speer, Calhoun, 6-0, 180, Sr. PK - Chase Folser, Ola, 6-0, 160, Sr. Defense DL - Victor Burley, Warner Robins, 6-4, 278, Jr. DL - T.J. Hill, Whitewater, 6-3, 230, Sr. DL - A.J. Hoffler, Woodward Academy, 6-4, 235, Jr. DL - Dailen Howard, Clarke Central, 6-1, 243, Jr. LB - Vincent Hill, Creekside, 6-1, 210, Sr. LB - Dwight Johnson, Dutchtown, 6-0, 205, Jr. LB - Mavrick Torrico, Blessed Trinity, 6-0, 215, Jr. LB - Donovan Westmoreland, Griffin, 6-0, 215, Sr. DB - Christian Harrison, Woodward., 6-1, 185, Sr. DB - Dainsus Miller, Creekside, 5-11, 170, Sr. DB - Marc Stampley, Starr’s Mill, 6-0, 170, Sr. DB - Jack Tchienchou, St. Pius, 5-11, 175, Jr. P - Evan West, Jones County, 5-8, 160, Sr. Honorable mention DL Javeon Miller, Creekside, Jr. DB Jacob Ray, Cartersville, Sr. DL Kanye Varner, Jonesboro, Sr. DL Tyree Weathersby, New Manchester, Jr. LB Ian Lowe, Cass, Sr. LB Popo Aguirre, Whitewater, Jr. LB/DL Cameron Wingo, Decatur, Sr. LB/FB Shug Bentley, St. Pius, Jr. LB Brandon High, Coffee, Sr. OL/DL Micaiah Shaber, Starr’s Mill, Sr. QB Christian Lewis, Calhoun, Sr. QB Brooks Pangle, Greenbrier, Sr. QB John Alan Richter, Jones County, Sr. QB Cooper Corey, Harris County, Sr. RB Caden Williams, Calhoun, So. RB Amari White, Cartersville, Sr. RB Dallas Johnson, Eastside, Sr. RB Javious Bond, Jones County, Jr. RB Cartevious Norton, Ware County, Sr. RB/DB Gage Leonard, Calhoun, Sr. RB/DB Ty Mckey, Villa Rica, Sr. WR Malcolm Simmons, Jonesboro, So. WR Kenric Lanier, Decatur, Jr. WR Zion Ragins, Jones County, So. WR/DB Damare Franklin, Veterans, Jr CLASS 3A Offensive player of the year: Rashod Dubinion, Cedar Grove Defensive player of the year: Christen Miller, Cedar Grove Coach of the year: John Adams, Cedar Grove Offense QB - Geimere Latimer, Sandy Creek, 5-10, 170, Jr. RB - D.J. Bell, Pierce County, 5-10, 175, Jr. RB - Rashod Dubinion, Cedar Grove, 5-11, 210, Sr. WR - Tyler Griffin, Southeast Bulloch, 6-4, 200, Sr. WR - Cam’ron Lacy, Stephens County, 5-9, 160, Jr. TE - Jake Johnson, Oconee County, 6-5, 235, Sr. OL - Mateo Guevara, Cherokee Bluff, 6-4, 285, Sr. OL - Addison Nichols, GAC, 6-5, 310, Sr. OL - Kristian Phillips, Salem, 6-4, 305, Sr. OL - Chance Reid, Morgan County, 6-4, 275, Sr. OL - Moses Umoren, Carver-Atlanta, 6-5, 270, Sr. ATH/QB - Selatian Straughter, Monroe Area, 6-0, 180, Sr. PK - Luke Brown, North Hall, 6-3, 190, Sr. Defense DL - Darris Smith, Appling County, 6-6, 225, Sr. DL - Quentel Jones, Peach County, 6-2, 315, Sr. DL - Carlton Madden, Cedar Grove, 6-4, 233, Sr. DL - Christen Miller, Cedar Grove, 6-5, 285, Sr. LB - Donelius Johnson, Pierce County, 6-0, 210, Sr. LB - Dennis Mims, Appling County, 5-9, 190, Sr. LB - Jeremiah Telander, North Hall, 6-2, 210, Jr. LB - Whit Weeks, Oconee County, 6-3, 210, Jr. DB - A.J. Brown, Crisp County, 6-3, 195, Jr. DB - Daytin Baker, Pierce County, 5-11, 175, Sr. DB - Will Hardy, GAC, 6-2, 190, Sr. DB - Kayin Lee, Cedar Grove, 6-0, 185, Jr. P - Alex Bacchetta, Westminster, 6-3, 228, Sr. Honorable mention DB Kaleb Cost, Sandy Creek, Jr. DB/WR Darius Johnson, Oconee County, Sr. DL Adonijah Green, Cedar Grove, Jr. DL Kindarius Green, Thomson, Sr. LB Julian Fox, Crisp County, Jr. LB Quinshawn Hearst, Thomson, Jr. LB Jakyri Jones, Monroe Area, Jr. OL Austin Starr, Mary Persons, Sr. OL Ethan Westmoreland, Stephens County, Sr. OL/DL Ty Everson, Pierce County, Sr. QB Zach Holtzclaw, Dawson County, Sr. QB Seth Griffin, North Murray, Jr. RB Jarveous Brown, Carver-Atlanta, Sr. RB Quintavious Lockett, Carver-Atlanta, Sr. RB Jayquan Smith, Cherokee Bluff, Sr. RB J.L. Lackey, Hart County, Sr. RB Duke Watson, Mary Persons, So. RB Alan Jones, Monroe Area, Jr. RB Kevin Rochester, North Hall, Sr. RB Kori Dumas, Ringgold, Sr. TE Holden Staes, Westminster, Sr. WR Janiran Bonner, Cedar Grove, Sr. WR Miles Thornton, Sandy Creek, Sr. WR/DB DeAndre Buchannon, Carver-Atlanta, Jr. WR/DB Dennis Sims, Rockmart, Jr.

Cartersville High School’s Canes Rifles hosted the Etowah at American Legion’s Carl Boyd Post 42 in their first home match of the season earlier this week. Cartersville edged Etowah in a back and forth rifle match 1020 to 1007. The match pitted Area 10’s top two juniors against one another. Etowah led the Canes through the first two series, but the Canes’ team captain, Angelina Christ – the second ranked junior in Area 10 – came through with a strong kneeling score that pulled her team ahead in the end. Christ scored her personal best match score and the Canes’ highest ever match score of 273 with 10 bullseyes. That effort topped Etowah’s top-ranked junior, Zachary Mauriello, who scored a 271 with 5 bullseyes, for the matches’ second highest score. Etowah’s returning sophomore, Nolin Linenkugel, had the third highest score of the match at 268 while Cartersville freshmen, Caleb Adams and Luis Rangel, along with returning senior, Jacob Herron, finished in 4th, 5th, and 6th places with scores of 255 and 246. Etowah senior, Hunter Self was 7th with a 242, and Canes freshman, Maria Velasquez – in her very first match - finished in 8th place with a 240. Etowah sophomore, Benjamin Bogart, and freshman, Carson Mierzejewski, rounded out the match with a 226 and 213 respectively. The Canes move into 3rd place in Area 10 with their win. They travel to Sonoraville on Thursday, and then host powerhouses Dalton and Lafayette next Tuesday and Thursday at the American Legion Post 42 in Cartersville.

The Cass High School swim team defeated Southeast Whitfield Tuesday night at the Adairsville High School Swim Center, 114-77. The Cass girls outscored the visiting Raiders 64-29 and the Cass boys outdistanced Southeast 50-48. Complete results are listed below. Next for the Cass swim team is the Northwest Georgia Regional at Calhoun High School Friday and Saturday.