The Cartersville wrestling team was back in action this past Thursday and Saturday at separate events as the Hurricanes make final preparations for the upcoming Region 7-AAAAA Duals Championship. Thursday the Canes went 3-1 and finished runner-up to host Alexander at a five-way dual-format meet in Douglasville. Then on Saturday, Cartersville picked up a traditional tournament championship at the Marietta High School Blue Devil Brawl. At the Alexander meet, the Hurricanes had wins over Central-Carroll (51-27), Hiram (64-12), and Hampton (1-0, forfeit). Their only loss came to the host Cougars, 66-12. Giles Turner (132), Earl Harris (160), Jackson Heilman (170), and Jairo Martinez (182) all had wins by pin in the duals match with Hiram. Rashun Hurst (220) won by major decision. Eaiden Neal (106), Daniel Pina (113), Brady Jenkins (160), Rashun Hurst (220), and Shadre Hurst (285) pinned their Central-Carroll opponents. Joshua Alvarez (126) won by major decision and Turner (132) won by technical fall. Neal (106) and Shadre Hurst (285) were the only Cartersville winners in the match with Alexander. They both won by pin. Saturday at Marietta, Cartersville had four first place finishers, five to finish runner-up, and added a pair of third place winners on their way to 157.5 team points and the tournament title. Host Marietta finished second with 134.5 points. The Blue Devils were followed by Lassiter (88), and Sprayberry (57) in the seven-team event. Weight division winners for Cartersville included Camden Geer (138), Eaiden Neal (106), Giles Turner (132), and Shadre Hurst (285). Second place Canes were Joshua Alvarez (126), Jairo Martinez (182), Earl Harris (160), Delroy Hurst (220), and Brady Jenkins (152). Finishing third for Cartersville were Elora Waterman (106) and Jackson Heilman (170). Cartersville will host the Region 7-AAAAA Duals Championship this Saturday, January 16 at the Storm Center. The tournament begins at 9 a.m.

The Adairsville swim team won the Bartow County Swimming Championship Saturday in dominating fashion with 667 total points. Cartersville followed with 480 points ahead of third place Cass (330) and fourth place Woodland (264). Adairsville had the best boys point total with 347. Cartersville had the top girls score with 320. The Tigers won all but four of the individual events and also captured all six relay titles. Mallory Cook, Sam Pasley, Harper Powell, and Josie Siniard won the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays. Pasley teamed with Jessie Early, Kayleigh Rice, and Camille Woodall towin the 400 freestyle relay. The Tigers easily outdistanced the other three local schools, finishing with 667 total points. Cartersville (480) placed runner-up; Cass (330) wound up third; and Woodland (264) was fourth. Adairsville finished first on the boys side with 347 points, and Cartersville led the girls with 320. On the boys side, Adairsville’s Andy Barnett, Cooper Brown, Davis Hardin, and Scott Nguyen captured each of the 200 relays. The Tigers’ Luke Altizer, Diego Carrillo, Alex Juarez, and Landen Smrcina won the 400 relay. Cook won the 50- and 100-yard free events. Siniard won the 200 and 500 free events, while Brown was the 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley winner. Six other Tigers won individual races. Altizer (500 free), Barnett (100 back), Juarez (200 free), Nguyen (100 butterfly), Powell (100 back), and Smircina (100 free). Complete individual results for all schools are listed below:

The Cartersville girls and boys basketball teams are on a roll. The Lady Canes and Hurricanes are in the midst of winning streaks as they prepare to begin region play next week. The Cartersville girls have won three straight games and the Cartersville boys are winners of five straight following a doubleheader sweep Saturday at non-region Cedartown. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 43, CEDARTOWN 38 Playing without their head coach Cindy Moore Saturday, the Lady Canes picked up a road victory at Cedartown 43-38. Cartersville led 8-7 after one quarter; 18-13 at halftime; and 29-26 after three quarters before holding on for a five-point victory. Lehla Thomas paced the Lady Canes with 19 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Ansley Griffen followed with eight points for Cartersville. Qiana Watson and Keke Turner both had nine points for Cedartown (7-3). Cartersville (3-6) begins Region 7-AAAAA play on the road next week. The Lady Canes play at 6th-ranked Cass Tuesday at 6 p.m. and at Blessed Trinity Friday at 6:15 p.m. Cartersville will also travel to Model next Saturday for a non-region game at 6 p.m. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 73, CEDARTOWN 47 After starting the season 0-2, the Cartersville boys basketball team has won five consecutive games following a 73-47 win at Cedartown Saturday. The trio of Kolbe Benham, Amarai Orr, and Kam Callahan led the Canes in scoring with 13, 12, and 11 points, respectively. Jeremiah Johnson had a game-high 18 points for the host Bulldogs (3-8). Cartersville (5-2) begins region action Tuesday at Cass and Friday at Blessed Trinity. The Hurricanes also travel to Model Saturday night. CHRISTIAN HERITAGE 75, EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 44 Christian Heritage built a 46-22 lead by halftime Friday night and went on to defeat the Excel Christian Academy Eagles, 75-44. Nash Bingham led the visiting Lions (10-2) with 19 points. Rashard Doyle scored 13 for ECA. Blake Bailey followed with nine for the Eagles. Excel (5-7, 0-1) hosts North Cobb Christian Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., travels to Walker Friday at 7 p.m., and entertains Covenant Christian Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.

Visiting Gordon Central outscored the Woodland girls 20-15 in the fourth quarter Friday night to pull out a 45-39 non-region win in a very tight contest. Brooke Wilson had a game-high 15 points to lead the Lady Warriors. Gordon Central led 6-3 after one quarter, but the Lady Cats sent the game to halftime tied at 13 each. The Warriors led 25-24 heading into the decisive final period. Jordan Thompson scored 11 points for Woodland. Abigail Taylor was next with eight. Gracie Styles scored six. Dylynn Motes and Reagan Weightman contributed five points each. Ansley Evans added two points for the Lady Cats. Gordon Central improved to 3-6 for the season. Woodland (1-10) will begin Region 7-AAAAA action Tuesday night at Blessed Trinity. GORDON CENTRAL 56, WOODLAND BOYS 43 The visiting Warriors lead at each quarter stop Friday night and defeated the Woodland boys 56-43 in non-region action. Gordon Central led 16-13 after one quarter; 32-25 at the intermission; and 43-37 after three quarters. The Warriors outscored the Wildcats 13-6 in the final period for a 13-point win. Gordon Central improved to 3-4. Woodland (2-11) travels to Blessed Trinity Tuesday night for the Wildcats’ initial Region 7-AAAAA game.

The Adairsville girls and boys basketball teams both picked up Region 6-AAA wins at home Friday night over North Murray. Both teams came from behind to overcome the Mountaineers. The Lady Tigers won 39-32 and the Tigers collected a 62-54 win. In the girls game, Adairsville trailed 10-6 after one quarter but caught the Lady Mountaineers by halftime, 18-18. Adairsville led 26-21 after three quarters and held on for a seven point win — their second straight in region play. The Lady Tigers were led by Haley Stiles and Lexie Childers with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Lily Palmer scored nine points to lead North Murray. The loss drops the North Murray girls to 3-7 on the year and 0-4 in region play. Adairsville (5-9, 2-5) return to region action Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at Ringgold. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 62, NORTH MURRAY 54 Adairsville’s T.J. Printup, Jr. scored 20 of his game-high 23 points in the second half and went 14 for 16 at the free throw line Friday night to help lead the Tigers to a come-from-behind, Region 6-AAA win over North Murray 62-54. Tre Mitchell followed with 22 points for the Tigers. North Murray led 23-13 after the opening eight minutes and was ahead 38-27 at halftime, but the Tigers narrowed the margin to 46-45 heading into the fourth quarter and pulled out an eight point win down the stretch. The Moutaineers were led by Jan’yous Ross with 19 points. Ty Kendrick scored nine. The loss drops North Murray to 5-7 overall and 1-4 in Regon 6-AAA. Adairsville (7-5, 3-4) travels to Ringgold for another region matchup Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.

The Cass swim team finished runner-up Thursday night to the host Rome Wolves in a quad meet at Rome High School. In the 23 event meet, Rome finished with 230 points. Cass was next with 107, followed by Model with 77 and Armuchee with 15 points. Individual event results are listed below:

The Cass boys opened Region 7-AAAAA play Tuesday night at home in thrilling fashion and knocked off 9th-ranked Blessed Trinity in double overtime, 83-78. The Colonels trailed much of the night, but rallied in the fourth quarter to send the game into an extra session and outlasted the Titans in the second overtime for a five-point win. Blessed Trinity led 21-18 after one quarter and held a 42-37 lead at halftime. Cass narrowed the margin to 51-46 heading into the fourth quarter and caught the Titans at 65-65 at the end of regulation. C.J. Pipkin scored nine of his 26 points in the overtime periods to lead the Colonels. Braxton Benham followed with 22 points. Zaylan Chaney posted five of his 21 points in the extra periods and Andrew Glaze finished with 11 points for Cass. Blessed Trinity (9-4, 0-1) got 27 points from senior point guard Jax Bouknight. Fellow senior Jonathan Franchi scored 26 points for the Titans. Cass (9-4, 1-0) plays next in a non-region game at Class AAA 8th-ranked Cherokee Bluff Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The Colonels next region game is next Tuesday when they host Cartersville. LADY COLONELS IMPROVE TO 13-0 WITH FIRST REGION WIN The Cass girls basketball team played without their junior pre-season, all-state guard/forward Claire Davis Tuesday night in their Region 7-AAAAA opener and used a big third quarter performance to defeat visiting Blessed Trinity, 65-49. Cass held narrow leads of 10-8 after one quarter and 25-20 at halftime, before outscoring the Lady Titans 28-9 in the third quarter to carry a 53-29 lead into the final quarter. Haley Johnson led the Lady Colonels’ scoring with 15 points. She also finished with five steals and five assists. Londaisha Smith followed with 14 points and six steals. Mikaela Jackson was next with nine points. Keara McDaniel scored seven for Cass. Justice Bennett and Gracie Elkins contributed six points apiece. Ariana Hames and Makyera Baldwin tossed in three each and Amaya Ford added two points. The loss dropped Blessed Trinity to 2-9 on the season and 0-1 in region play. Cass head coach Burt Jackson said after the game he expects Davis to return to the lineup Saturday when the Lady Colonels (13-0, 1-0) play a non-region game at Cherokee Bluff in Flowery Branch at 4 p.m.

The Adairsville girls picked up a Region 6-AAA victory at home Tuesday night by keeping Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe winless on the season, 46-28. The Lady Tigers led 16-5 after one quarter; 21-11 at the intermission; and 35-18 through three quarters on their way to an 18-point win. Haley Stiles led Adairsville with 18 points. Ya’Torrean Hale and Autumn Henderson followed with seven each. Hannah Hollingsworth contributed five points. Makayla Wade, Lexie Childers, and Aliya McBride added three points each. Christina Collins led LFO (0-8, 0-5) with 13 points. The Lady Tigers (3-8, 1-5) return to Region 6-AAA action Friday night at 7 p.m. at home against North Murray. TIGERS LOSE HEARTBREAKER The Adairsville boys dropped a two-point, heartbreaker Tuesday night in Region 6-AAA action at home. The Tigers fell to visiting Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe 76-74. Adairsville actually led 22-21 after the opening eight minutes, but LFO held a 45-40 lead at halftime and the Warriors were up 60-58 at the end of the third quarter. Jamichael Davis had a game-high 41 points to lead Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe. Brent Bowman and Dee Calhoun followed with 19 and 10 points, respectively. Adairsville was led with 30 points by T.J. Printup, Jr. Tre Mitchell contributed 22 points for the Tigers and Hayden Poach finished with 12. The Warriors improved to 7-2 overall and 5-1 in Region 6-AAA. Adairsville (6-5, 2-4) hosts North Murray Friday night in an 8:30 p.m. start. WOODLAND BOYS DROP NON-REGION HOME GAME Visiting Darlington beat Woodland Tuesday night, 70-20. Darlington (7-3) led 12-8 after one quarter; 39-13 at halftime; and 67-17 by the end of the third quarter on their way to a 50-point win. Woodland (2-10) hosts Gordon Central in another non-region game Friday night and will begin Region 7-AAAAA play next Tuesday at Blessed Trinity.

The Cartersville High School wrestling team competed recently in a pair of competitions at Rockmart and South Paulding. At Rockmart on January 4, the Canes placed fifth of eight teams in the Jacket Invitational. Trion won the Rockmart tournament followed by the host Jackets, East Coweta, and Pickens. The Hurricanes finished ahead of Haralson County, Cedartown, and Kennesaw Mountain. Individual placers for the Canes at Rockmart included a pair of runner-up finishes for Eaiden Neal (106) and Giles Turner (132). Joshua Alvarez (126), Lyle Forristall (152), and Jamie Altuzar (285) each finished in fourth place. Daniel Pina (113) placed fifth. At South Paulding on January 2, the Hurricanes had wins over McEachern and West Forsyth’s B-Team despite having to forfeit five weight classes. Neal (106) had a perfect 5-0 day at the Spartan Duals. With the end of the football season, Canes’ coach Brooks Gayton is excited to gain several additional wrestlers from that team as they prepare for the Marietta High School Traditional Tournament this Saturday.

ATHLETES BEYOND BARTOW One of the two local college football stars playing in last weekend's College Football Playoff semifinals has reached the national championship, while the other saw his team's season come to a close. Miller Forristall and Alabama defeated Notre Dame 31-14 in the Rose Bowl to advance to play Ohio State in the national championship game next Monday. Meanwhile, Trevor Lawrence and the Clemson Tigers were on the wrong end of the other semifinal in a 49-28 loss to the Buckeyes in the Sugar Bowl. Forristall was an active part of the Crimson Tide's 2017 national championship victory, but an injury kept him out of the national title game against Georgia. The former Cartersville High quarterback and tight end is expected to be at full strength for this year's championship game in Miami. He started at tight end in the Rose Bowl game and had three catches. Lawrence won a national title in January 2019 when he led Clemson past Alabama, but he likely played his final collegiate game in the Sugar Bowl loss in New Orleans. Lawrence, a Heisman Trophy finalist, is expected to declare for the upcoming NFL draft and skip his senior season at Clemson. He graduated with his degree in December. The New Orleans site was a collegiate nemesis for the former Cartersville High quarterback. If he does not return to Clemson, he will finish his career 0-2 in the SuperDome and 34-0 in all other locations. PRO FOOTBALL Vic Beasley (Adairsville; Las Vegas Raiders) — Beasley closed out the season by playing 10 snaps in Las Vegas’ 32-31 comeback win Sunday at Denver. Over the course of 10 games this year — split evenly between the Raiders and Titans — Beasley managed just three tackles and a forced fumble. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Isaiah Chaney (Wake Forest R-Fr., Cartersville) — Chaney made the participation report but didn’t record any statistics in a 42-28 loss to Wisconsin in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Miller Forristall (Alabama R-Sr., Cartersville) — The starting tide end for top-ranked Alabama totaled 31 yards on three receptions in a 31-14 win over No. 4 Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl Friday in Arlington, Texas. Forristall and Co. will meet third-ranked Ohio State in the CFP championship game next Monday in Miami. JaCorey Johns (Wake Forest R-So., Cartersville) — A starting defense end, Johns finished with a pair of tackles in the season-ending defeat to the Badgers. Trevor Lawrence (Clemson Jr., Cartersville) — In likely the final game of his collegiate career, Lawrence threw for 400 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to lead the Tigers back to the national title game for the third straight season. Instead, second-ranked Clemson fell to No. 3 Ohio State by a 49-28 final score in the Sugar Bowl Friday in New Orleans. Lawrence, who is the presumptive top pick in the upcoming NFL draft, went 33-for-48 passing, with his two touchdown passes going to Cornell Powell (10 and 26 yards, respectively). He also recorded a 2-yard TD run on the game’s opening drive. Lawrence’s final pass was intercepted in the end zone, and he lost one of his three fumbles. If Friday’s game marked the end of his time at Clemson, Lawrence will have finished with a 34-2 overall record, three ACC titles and a national championship. -- Special thanks to Nicholas Sullivan, The Daily Tribune News

The Cass Lady Colonels rang in the New Year, remained undefeated, and defeated Rockmart 76-53 Thursday night while winning the Adairsville Christmas Clash championship game. The tournament title was the second of the season for Cass and the third straight season Lady Colonels have won the Adairsville tournament. Cass also won the SMI Carroll County Christmas Tournament. Cass, who had tournament wins at Adairsville over Gordon Central and Kennesaw Mountain to reach the finals, led 15-12 after one quarter. The Lady Colonels extended their lead to 39-21 by halftime and led 58-34 heading into the final stanza. Haley Johnson, one of four Cass players named to the All-Tournament Team, led the Lady Colonels in scoring with 23 points. She also approached a triple-double by grabbing ten rebounds with nine assists. Tournament MVP Londaisha Smith scored 16 points and collected 10 rebounds in the victory. Claire Davis was named an All-Tournament selection after scoring 11 points with seven rebounds in the title game win. Rounding out the Cass scoring were Gracie Elkins and Justice Bennett with six points each. Makyera Baldwin scored five. Ariana Hames, also named to the All-Tournament squad contributed three points. Amaya Ford and Mikaela Jackson also added three points each. Keyarah Berry scored a game-high 36 points for Rockmart (6-4). Cass (12-0) opens Region 7-AAAAA play Tuesday at home against Blessed Trinity at 6 p.m.

The Cartersville boys basketball team held off a late charge from Region 7-AAAAA foe Calhoun Thursday night to win the championship game of the Adairsville Christmas Clash, 60-58. Tournament MVP Kam Callahan scored 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter to help lead the Canes to the win. Robert Novak contributed 17 points, including four three-pointers. Romo Pace scored eight. Luke Gambill chipped in six and Chandler Wise added four points. Cartersville led 15-7 after one period and extended the lead to 33-23 by halftime. The Yellow Jackets narrowed the Canes’ lead to 46-42 heading into the final quarter for their two-point win. Dylan Faulkner led four Calhoun players in double figures with 19 points. Blaze Hammett tossed in 14. Jake Prather and Peyton Law finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively. The loss drops Calhoun to 4-5 on the season. Cartersville (4-2) returns to action Saturday, January 9 with a non-region game at Cedartown. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 56, ROCKMART 50 The Adairsville boys got a bit of revenge Thursday night with a 56-50 win over Rockmart in the third place game of the Adairsville Christmas Clash. Back on December 12 at Rockmart, the Yellow Jackets won a Region 6-AAA game over Adairsville 62-60. Although the Tigers’ holiday tournament win won’t count in the region standings, it levels the season series between the two region mates. The two teams are schedule to meet again on the region schedule February 12. Adairsville held an 18-14 lead after one quarter and led 28-26 at halftime, but Rockmart gained the lead at 39-37 heading into the fourth quarter. In the final eight minutes, Adairsville outscored the Jackets 19-11 to escape with a six-point win. T.J. Printup, Jr. led all scorers in the contest with 30 points. Tre Mitchell added 11 for Adairsville. Rockmart (4-6) was led by Javin Whatley’s 17 points. Jakari Clark scored 11 for the Yellow Jackets. Adairsville (5-5) is off until next Tuesday when the Tigers host Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe in a 7:30 p.m. start. CHRISTMAS CLASH ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS GIRLS Londaisha Smith, Cass, Most Valuable Player Claire Davis, Cass Haley Johnson, Cass Ariana Hames, Cass Zori Williams, Rockmart Keyara Berry, Rockmart Megan Little, Rockmart Jada Bates, Kennesaw Mountain Shanique Reid, Kennesaw Mountain Julia Williams, Armuchee Olivia Moses, Armuchee Autumn Henderson, Adairsville Ari Olotu, Cartersville Jordan Thompson, Woodland BOYS Kam Callahan, Cartersville, Most Valuable Player Chandler Wise, Cartersville Romo Pace, Cartersville Robert Novak, Cartersville Jake Prather, Calhoun Dylan Faulkner, Calhoun Peyton Law, Calhoun T.J. Printup, Jr., Adairsville Tre Mitchell, Adairsville Javin Whatley, Rockmart Sherman Davis, Rockmart Dylan Bennifield, Mount Paran Alejandro Mays, Woodland RJ Boles, Temple Elijah Payne, Excel Christian