The Cartersville boys basketball team was the only local team to pick up a win in the early round of games Tuesday at the Adairsville Ace Christmas Clash. The Canes evened their season record with a 63-45 win over Excel Christian Academy. In other early games at Adairsville, the Woodland and Cartersville girls lost their first round contests. Late afternoon and evening games will include the Cass girls against Gordon Central, the Adairsville girls against Kennesaw Mountain, and an intra-county matchup between the Adairsville and Woodland boys. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 63, EXCEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 45 Kam Callahan scored all of his game-high 19 points in the second half Tuesday to help launch Cartersville to a 63-45 opening round win over Excel Christian Academy at the Adairsville Ace Christmas Clash. The game was tied after one quarter 10-10 and the Eagles held a 23-21 advantage at halftime before the Hurricanes stormed back in the second half for an eventual 18-point win. Robert Novak posted a dozen of his 14 points in the second half for Cartersville. Jynerious Stanley also scored 14 in the game. Romo Pace and Chandler Wise added nine and six points, respectively, for the Canes. ECA was led in scoring by Blake Bailey with 15 points. Jakaden Barkley finished with nine points. Kalil Holley had eight. Elijah Payne contributed seven and Rashard Doyal added six points. Cartersville (2-2) advances to the tournament semifinal round Wednesday where they will play Rockmart at 11:30 a.m. Rockmart was a 61-39 winner Tuesday over Mount Paran. Excel (4-5) will move into the consolation bracket Wednesday to play Mount Paran at 5:30 p.m. ARMUCHEE 54, WOODLAND GIRLS 21 Julia Williams and Olivia Moses scored 17 and 16 points, respectively, as the Armuchee girls powered past Woodland Tuesday in the opening round of the Adairsville Ace Christmas Clash. The Lady Indians (7-3) led 14-6 after the opening eight minutes and extended their lead to 29-13 by halftime on their way to a 33-point victory. Jordan Thompson scored eight points for the Lady Cats. Gracie Styles added six. Woodland (1-7) will play a consolation round game Wednesday at 10 a.m. against Cartersville. ROCKMART 69, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 56 The Lady Canes held a 14-11 lead after one quarter, but Rockmart rallied from behind to defeat Cartersville 69-56 in an opening round game at the Adairsville Ace Christmas Clash Tuesday afternoon. Rockmart led 34-28 by halftime and took a 51-40 lead into the final eight minutes. Keyarah Berry scored a game-high 31 points to lead the Yellow Jackets. Teammate Megan Little added 19 points including six three-pointers from behind the arc. Ari Olotu paced three Lady Canes in double figures with 11 points while adding six assists. Lehla Thomas and Ansley Griffen added 10 points each. Taff Bradley contributed eight points and eight rebounds. Sequoyah McConnell grabbed eight rebounds and had four points while Kiera Milline finished with five assists and one point. Alexia Henderson and Aujyhnae Davenport rounded out the Cartersville scoring with seven and five points, respectively. Rockmart improved to 5-3 on the season and advanced to a semifinal game Wednesday against Armuchee at 4 p.m. Cartersville (0-5) slips into the consolation bracket Wednesday at 10 a.m. where they will play Woodland. Editors Note: The late afternoon and evening games at the Christmas Clash will be updated with a separate story.

The Cass boys basketball team opened play in the Campbell Holiday Classic Monday afternoon with a first round 64-59 win over Carver-Atlanta. The Colonels grabbed a 25-17 lead after one quarter and extended that lead to 47-26 by halftime. Carver then outscored Cass 21-9 in the third quarter to pull within nine and made a run in the fourth quarter, but the Colonels held on for a six-point win. “We started well and built a nice lead by halftime,” said Cass head coach Sean Glaze. “After the half, we lost a little focus.” Zaylan Chaney and Andrew Glaze paced the Colonels with 14 points each. Chaney added 10 rebounds, while Glaze contributed three steals and four boards. Jackson Hale scored all nine of his points in the opening period and Braxton Benham added nine as well and also had three steals and four rebounds. C.J. Pipkin tossed in seven points. Ethan McIntyre scored five. Jelani Hames, Sacovie White, and Jayden Foster added two points apiece. Dominique Stovall led the Panthers (3-3) with 17 points. Jaquavious Hudson and Mitch Taylor scored 14 each for Carver-Atlanta. Cass (6-4) advances to the tournament semifinals Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. The Colonels will play the Hiram/Maynard Jackson winner.

2020 GIRLS ADAIRSVILLE ACE HARDWARE CHRISTMAS CLASH Tuesday, December 29 First Round 10 am — Armuchee (6-3) v. Woodland (1-6) 1 pm — Rockmart (4-3) v. Cartersville (0-4) 4 pm — Gordon Central (1-3) v. Cass (9-0) 7 pm — Kennesaw Mountain (5-2) v. Adairsville (2-7) Wednesday, December 30 Consolations 10 am — Armuchee/Woodland loser v. Gordon Central/Cartersville loser 1 pm — Rockmart/Cass loser v. Kennesaw Mt./Adairsville loser Semi-Finals 4 pm — Armuchee/Woodland winner v. Gordon Central/Cartersville winner 7 pm — Rockmart/Cass winner v. Kennesaw Mt./Adairsville winner Thursday, December 31 Consolations 10 am — 7th place game 1 pm — 5th place game 4 pm — 3rd place game Championship 7 pm — Girls championship game 2020 BOYS ADAIRSVILLE ACE HARDWARE CHRISTMAS CLASH Tuesday, December 29 First Round 11:30 am — Cartersville (1-2) v. Excel Christian Academy (4-4) 2:30 pm — Rockmart (2-5) v. Mt. Paran (2-7) 5:30 pm — Calhoun (2-4) v. Temple (4-3) 8:30 pm — Woodland (2-5) v. Adairsville (4-3) Wednesday, December 30 Consolations 11:30 am — Cartersville/ECA loser v. Rockmart/Mt. Paran loser 2:30 pm — Calhoun/Temple loser v. Woodland/Adairsville loser Semi-Finals 5:30 pm — Cartersville/ECA winner v. Rockmart/Mt. Paran winner 8:30 pm — Calhoun/Temple winner v. Woodland/Adairsville winner Thursday, December 31 Consolations 11:30 am — 7th place game 2:30 pm — 5th place game 5:30 pm — 3rd place game Championship 8:30 pm — Boys championship game

2020 All-Bartow County Softball Team Player of the Year Michiah Hicks, Woodland junior Hitter of the Year Ansley Hight, Cass sophomore Pitcher of the Year Lainey Baker, Woodland junior All-County Team Kailey Baker, Woodland senior Morgan Cooper, Woodland senior Ansley Evans, Woodland senior Kendyl Hardin, Cass senior Sadye Johnson, Adairsville senior Rachael Lee, Cass junior Anna Kate McElhaney, Cartersville senior Hannah Miller, Woodland senior Victoria O’Neal, Adairsville senior Ava Perkins, Cartersville sophomore Alexis Woods, Cass sophomore Honorable Mention Kimberly Allen, Cass junior; McKinley Chada, Cartersville sophomore; Eryn Lee, Cass junior; Mikey Lewis, Cartersville sophomore; Haley Smith, Cass senior; Chloe Souders, Adairsville senior; and Taylor Rhoades, Adairsville senior. Details available: https://daily-tribune.com/stories/2020-dtn-all-county-softball-team,26637?

2020 All-Bartow County Volleyball Team Player of the Year Sydney Molinaro, Woodland senior All-County Team Aaliyah Applin, Adairsville senior Emmalee Cigainero, Woodland senior Layne Condra, Cartersville junior Bailey Elrod, Cass junior London Moultrie, Cartersville junior Mia Nicklas, Cartersville sophomore Delaney Tuplin, Woodland junior Macey Vaughn, Cartersville senior Honorable Mention Richlyn Blair, Adairsville sophomore; Autumn Henderson, Adairsville junior; Hannah Komp, Cass junior; Chloe McMillan, Cass junior; and Cayley Stanz, Woodland junior. Details available -- https://daily-tribune.com/stories/2020-dtn-all-county-volleyball-team,26626?

The Heisman Trophy Trust revealed its four 2020 Heisman Trophy finalists Thursday night and the list included Cartersville’s Trevor Lawrence. The Clemson junior quarterback will be joined by Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, Florida quarterback Kyle Trask, and Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith. Narrowly missing finalist status was Crimson Tide running back Najee Harris. Rounding out the top ten were: Iowa State running back Breece Hall, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book and Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. As for the finalists, Smith led the country in receptions and receiving yards (1,511). He was second in touchdown receptions. His QB, Jones, led the country in completion percentage (76.5%) and passing efficiency. Florida's Trask was first in touchdown passes with 43 and was also first in yards with 4,125. Last Saturday, Lawrence became the first starting quarterback to win three ACC Championship Games. He was named MVP of the title game and was selected the ACC Player of the Year this week. The presumptive No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft had to miss two games this season after a positive COVID-19 test but still managed to accumulate more than 2,700 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and just four interceptions.

The Adairsville Tigers wrestling team split a pair of matches Wednesday at the Commerce Tri-Dual Meet. The Tigers defeated the defending 2020 Class A state champion Commerce Tigers in the first match and — according to coach Ryan Torrence — wrestled very well in a second match against the defending Class AAAAAA Creekview Grizzlies only to come up a little short. “I’m very proud of the way we have compete despite missing sixteen guys,” added Torrence. Next on the schedule for the Tigers is the Hiram Duals on Wednesday, December 30.

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 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. The December Elite Athlete of the Month for Woodland High School is Justin Guillemette. A senior member on the Wildcats’ varsity swim team and track and field team, Guillemette has been Woodland’s top scoring swimmer — male or female — in each of the last four meets. “Justin has been a great leader with newer swimmers,” said Wildcats’ head coach Rebecca Beard-Arndt. “He is willing to interrupt his own practice to show teammates the proper technique of strokes. He also mentors his teammates at meets to make sure everyone is at the proper place at the right time. Justin is a great leader and very responsible. He has also beat his own personal record at each meet so far this season.” The son of Steven Guillemette and Angie Smith, Justin is on the A/B Honor Roll and he plans to attend a four-year college to major in criminal justice. Aislinn Leckwold is the December Elite Athlete of the Month representing Cass High School. Leckwold is a senior member of the Lady Colonels’ swim team, cross country team, and track and field team. A four-year starter and letterman for the swim team, Leckwold competes in the 200 Individual Medley, the 100 Butterfly, 500 Freestyle, 200 Medley Relay, 200 Free Relay, and 400 Free Relay. This year she was selected by her coaches and teammates as the girls team captain. “Aislinn is an exceptional captain and is the anchor-leg racer for all the girls relay teams,” noted Cass swim coaches Danny Fairbanks and Lisa Doolittle. “Her willingness to help every member of our team excel is exceptional. She also excels in the classroom as an AP-Honors student.” The daughter of Dianne and Erik Leckwold, Aislinn is a Governor’s Honors Program nominee in Computer Science and plans to major in that field in college with a minor in Japanese language. The Cartersville High School December Elite Athlete of the Month is Kiera Milline. A senior on the Lady Canes’ basketball team, she is the daughter of Melissa Milline. “Kiera has been asked to play every position on the floor this season,” said Cartersville girls head coach Cindy Moore. “We have had injuries and quarantined players so she has done everything possible to lead and help her team. She has shown great versatility and accepted the challenge. Milline plans to attend college and would like to become a counselor. Josie Siniard is the December Elite Athlete of the Month representing Adairsville High School. A junior on the Tigers’ swim team, Siniard specializes in the 500 Free and Medley Relay. She has been a state qualifier each of the last two seasons. “Josie is a dedicated individual and an outstanding team member,” said Adairsville swim coach Shawn Williams. “She has always put the team above herself and switched from a sprinter to a distance swimmer. Her work ethic is fantastic and she is a joy to coach.” The daughter of Eric and Jennifer Pfendler, Siniard carries a 3.8 GPA while dual enrolled at Georgia Highlands College. She plans to major in Psychology in college. 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

With the final selections for the College Football Playoff now in place, we could be in line to see a fifth matchup between Alabama and Clemson. That would also be a second matchup between former Cartersville Hurricanes Trevor Lawrence and Miller Forristall. Both programs and players will have to take care of business in the New Year's Day semifinals to set up the meeting, but each of their teams will be favored to reach the finals. Alabama earned the top spot in the four-team playoff and will match up with No. 4 seed Notre Dame in one semifinal. Clemson and Ohio State — led by Harrison High School product Justin Fields — will meet in the semifinals for the second straight season. The former Canes Lawrence and Forristall met in the title game two years ago. Lawrence put together a historic performance, leading the Tigers to a 44-16 victory. PRO BASKETBALL Ashton Hagans (Cartersville native; Minnesota Timberwolves) — A two-way player, Hagans is listed on the Timberwolves' active roster heading into the start of the 2020-21 regular season. Minnesota opens against Detroit Wednesday at home. PRO FOOTBALL Vic Beasley (Adairsville; Las Vegas Raiders) — Beasley played just a dozen snaps — with no recorded statistics — in a 30-27 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers Thursday at home. With the regular season winding down, Las Vegas (7-7) will host Miami Sunday and travel Week 17 to Denver. COLLEGE BASKETBALL DiAnthony Heathcock (Columbia International Fr., Woodland) — Heathcock posted eight points and the same number of rebounds in a 94-82 loss last Tuesday at Reinhardt. The true freshman added a pair of blocks in a career-high 22 minutes. Jaylon Pugh (Furman Jr., Cartersville) — While playing a career-best 23 minutes, Pugh finished with three points to go with single tallies in rebounds, assists and steals during an 83-80 defeat last Tuesday at Alabama. Pugh did not feature in Furman's other two games last week — a loss to Winthrop and a victory over South Carolina State. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Miller Forristall (Alabama R-Sr., Cartersville) — Forristall caught three passes for 20 yards and even carried the ball once for a single yard, as the Crimson Tide won the SEC Championship Game. The No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, Alabama held off Florida by a 52-46 final score Saturday in Atlanta. In the CFP semifinals, Forristall and Co. will face Notre Dame at 4 p.m. Jan. 1 in Arlington, Texas. Trevor Lawrence (Clemson Jr., Cartersville) — Lawrence bounced back from an early interception to produce one of his best games of the season in a 34-10 victory over Notre Dame in the ACC Championship Game Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Overall, the presumptive top pick in the upcoming NFL draft finished 25-for-36 passing for 322 yards and added 90 yards on the ground. Lawrence connected with Amari Rogers and E.J. Williams on touchdown passes, while scoring himself on a 34-yard run. Lawrence earned MVP honors for the game, and he was also announced as first-team all-ACC quarterback this week. The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder also was named among three finalists for the Davey O'Brien and Maxwell awards. Clemson finished No. 2 in the CFP final rankings and will face Ohio State in a semifinal rematch at 8 p.m. Jan. 1 in New Orleans. ---- contributed by Nicholas Sullivan, The Daily Tribune News

The Cass girls basketball team won the SMI Carrollton Holiday Tournament Monday night be defeating Bowdon at Villa Rica High School, 68-46. Londaisha Smith led Cass with a triple-double in the championship game to earn the tournament’s MVP honors. Smith finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 steals. Keara McDaniel scored 18 points for the Lady Colonels. Claire Davis contributed seven points and received all-tournament team recognition. Haley Johnson finished with seven points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists. Ariana Hames totaled six points. Gracie Elkins scored five points. Amaya Ford and Justice Bennett added three and two points, respectively. Tanesha Kirk led Bowdon (5-3) with 33 points. Cass (9-0) will return to action December 29-31 at the Adairsville Ace Hardware Holiday Tournament. The Lady Colonels open the tournament on Tuesday, Dec. 29 against Rockmart at 4 p.m.

The Region 7-5A football coaches released their selections for the All-Region Team over the weekend with a large number of players representing Cartersville, Cass, and Woodland receiving honors. Sophomore running back Justice Haynes of Blessed Trinity was selected as the league's most valuable player and offensive player of the year. Defensive tackle Brandon Maina of Hiram shared defensive player of the year honors with Blessed Trinity linebacker Jackson Hamilton. Calhoun's Cole Speer was named Athlete/all-purpose player of the year, while place kicker Kaleb Speights of Cass and Colonels first-year head coach Steve Gates were recognized as Special teams players of the year and Coach of the year. Region 7-5A Most valuable player: RB Justice Haynes, Blessed Trinity, So. Offensive player of the year: RB Justice Haynes, Blessed Trinity, Jr. Defensive players of the year: DT Brandon Maina, Hiram, Sr.; and LB Jackson Hamilton, Blessed Trinity, Sr. Special teams player of the year: PK Kaleb Speights, Cass, Sr. Athlete/all-purpose player of the year: WR/DB Cole Speer, Calhoun, Jr. Coach of the year: Steve Gates, Cass First-team offense QB - Christian Lewis, Calhoun, Jr. RB - Justice Haynes, Blessed Trinity, So. RB - Jerrian Hames, Calhoun, Sr. WR - Devonte Ross, Cartersville, Sr. WR - Sam Phillips, Cartersville, Sr. WR - Cole Speer, Calhoun, Jr. FB - Ryan Dupont, Blessed Trinity, Sr. TE - Michael Mitchler, Blessed Trinity, Sr. OL - Ty Furnish, Blessed Trinity, Sr. OL - Nick Bailey, Woodland (Cartersville), Sr. OL - Hayden Cagle, Cartersville, Sr. OL - Devin Luckett, Cartersville, Sr. OL - Kendrick Kirby, Calhoun, Jr. PK - Kaleb Speights, Cass, Sr. First-team defense DL - Brandon Maina, Hiram, Sr. DL - Ryan Scott, Blessed Trinity, Jr. DE - Brett Garland, Calhoun, Sr. DE - Manny Hayes, Cartersville, Sr. ILB - Ian Lowe, Cass, Jr. ILB - Christopher Lewis, Calhoun, Jr. OLB - Jackson Hamilton, Blessed Trinity, Sr. OLB - Amarai Orr, Cartersville, Sr. DB - Evan Slocum, Cartersville, Sr. DB - Quin Smith, Calhoun, Jr. DB - Kolbe Benham, Cartersville, Sr. DB - Sam Phillips, Cartersville, Sr. P - Isai Romero, Cass, Sr. Second-team offense QB - Stratton Tripp, Cartersville, Sr. RB - Jirah Douglas, Hiram, Jr. RB - Asa James, Woodland (Cartersville), Jr. WR - Dijon McKissack, Hiram, Sr. WR - Will Seamons, Calhoun, Sr. WR - Kolbe Benham, Cartersville, Sr. FB - Carson Griffin, Calhoun, Sr. TE - Carter Heath, Woodland (Cartersville), Sr. OL - Beau Jernigan, Woodland (Cartersville), Sr. OL - Fabeian Watkins, Hiram, Sr. OL - Chris Pittard, Cass, Sr. OL - Tyler Martin, Cass, Jr. OL - Johnny Ryan, Blessed Trinity, Sr. OL - Reed Randall, Calhoun, Sr. PK - Carlos Orozco, Calhoun, Jr. Second-team defense DL - Nick Bailey, Woodland (Cartersville), Sr. DL - Nasir Grandberry, Cartersville, Jr. DE - Jeremiah Rhodes, Woodland (Cartersville), Jr. DE - Carson Griffin, Calhoun, Sr. ILB - Gavin Geros, Cartersville, Sr. ILB - Isaiah Bagley, Woodland (Cartersville), Sr. OLB - Eli Jernigan, Woodland (Cartersville), Sr. OLB - Mark Perdue, Cass, Jr. DB - Christiaan Vera, Woodland (Cartersville), So. DB - Andrew Nguyen, Cass, Jr. DB - Will Seamons, Calhoun, Sr. DB - Cory McGarity, Hiram, Sr. P - Christopher Lewis, Calhoun, Jr. Honorable mention: QB - Devin Henderson, Cass; Johnathan Thomas, Woodland (Cartersville). WR - Connor Ray, Cass; Sacovie White, Cass. RB - Josh Varnum, Cass; Quante Jennings, Cartersville. TE - Jonah Plott, Woodland (Cartersville). DL - Jovani Jacobo, Woodland (Cartersville); Jesse Grogan, Cartersville; Garrett Gonyea, Cass. LB - Jahseim Henry, Woodland (Cartersville); Elijah Harris, Cass; Collin Goodloe, Hiram; Jake Prather, Calhoun; Harlin Morris, Woodland (Cartersville); Cooper Harmon Calhoun. DB Tyler Thurman, Woodland (Cartersville); Chase Carson, Woodland (Cartersville); Zay Jackson, Cass

The Cass Lady Colonels blew past LaGrange Saturday 85-37 in the SMI Carrollton Christmas Classic semifinals to advance to the tournament title game Monday night at 7 p.m. at Villa Rica. Londaisha Smith scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to pace Cass. Zion Hayes followed with 18 points. Claire Davis scored 13. Ariana Hames contributed nine points. Justice Bennett finished with six points. Makyera Baldwin posted four. Amaya Ford and Mikaela Jackson scored three each. Keara McDaniel and Tatianna Christian added two points apiece. Cass raced to a 31-12 lead after one quarter and never looked back. The Lady Colonels led 50-19 at halftime and 72-26 through three quarters. Cass (8-0) will face Bowdon (6-2) for the tournament championship. SEQUOYAH 66, CASS BOYS 55 The Cass boys dropped their final game at the Sequoyah War Lodge Invitational, falling to the host Chiefs 66-55. Dylan Wolle scored a game-high 28 points to lead Sequoyah as the Chiefs made 11 three-pointers. Kyle Keener scored 16 and Ayden Watson added 15. Zaylan Chaney led Cass with 17 points, nine rebounds, two blocked shots, and a steal. Braxton Benham and Andrew Glaze followed with 11 points each for the Colonels. Cass (5-4) will return to action December 28-30 when the Colonels participate in the Campbell Holiday Classic in Smyrna.