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. Ansley Evans is the Elite Athlete of the Month representing Woodland High School. A four-year letter winner in softball and basketball, the senior is the daughter of Derrick and Kim Evans. A shortstop on the Wildcats’ softball team, Evans helped lead Woodland to an Elite Eight appearance in the Class AAAAA state playoffs by hitting for a .460 batting average. She contributed eight doubles, three triples, and 14 RBIs prior to the team’s final playoff round. She scored 45 runs and committed only two errors in 86 defensive chances. “She is a team leader and always stays positive with the younger players,” said Woodland coach Colman Roberts. “We have qualified for the state tournament all four years of Ansley’s high school career. She had a big impact on all four of those state tournament appearances.” Evans has a 3.96 cumulative GPA and 94.98 numerical GPA. She has verbally committed to Reinhardt University to continue her education and softball career. The Elite Athlete of the Month for Cartersville High School is Colin McCann. A senior member of the Hurricanes’ cross country team, he is the son of Frank and Cherie McCann. “I selected Colin because he not only has exhibited the poise and maturity to run his best race at the Region Championship Tuesday (Oct. 27), but because of his continued improvement throughout the season," said Cartersville coach David Matherne. "In fact, throughout his four year career at Cartersville he has been steadily improving to the point where he is ready to compete in college.  He is one of the best we’ve ever had at Cartersville.  In the summer, he ran a 5K in 16:56 on the track in a time-trial with no one to push him.  Tuesday in the Region meet, he was our No. 1 man and helped the team earn a trip to the state meet for the 34th-consecutive season.” McCann plans to run cross country and track in college. Chris Roper represents Adairsville High School as the October Elite Athlete of the Month. A sophomore and a three-sport athlete — football, basketball, and baseball — Roper has been selected this football season as an offensive and special teams Player of the Week. “Chris does a lot of things well,” said Adairsville football defensive coordinator Jon Cudd. “He does things that are difficult to teach and has filled a big void in the secondary as a tenth grader.” Tigers’ offensive coordinator Pat Konen had similar comments. “Chris is a special talent with the ball in his hands. The more he continues to learn and grow, the more exciting he will be to watch. He is improving each week in the little things that will help him become a complete player,” said Konen. The son of Billy and Tamara Roper, Chris has a 4.0 GPA taking Honors and AP classes. The Elite Athlete of the Month for October representing Cass High School is Jake Wright. Jake, the son of Jason Wright, is a sophomore and a second-year contributor running cross country for the Colonels. “Jake has been one of our leading runners and most consistent runners this year. He improved his personal best time in every meet this season and improved his time of the Region Championship course by 30 seconds,” said Cass cross country coach Darin Cooper. Wright currently holds a 4.0 GPA in Honors classes and is ranked 14th overall in his class. “He has been a strong leader for our team this year and continues to lead by example,” added Cooper. “Jake has a passion to always be the best whether in the classroom or in athletics.” 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

Cartersville’s Devonte Ross scored three touchdowns and quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson threw for three touchdowns Friday night as the Hurricanes cruised past the Maynard Jackson Jaguars 56-6 in the first round of the GHSA Class 5A state football playoffs. Ross scored on a 60-yard punt return, a 50-yard pass from quarterback Stratton Tripp, and a 22-yard pass from Del Rio-Wilson. Del Rio-Wilson also had a 13-yard touchdown pass to Collin Fletcher and a 49-yard toss to Kyler Johnson as the Hurricanes powered to a 42-0 lead at halftime. Canes’ running back Quante Jennings capped a 43-yard drive and had the game’s first touchdown with a 16-yard run. The scoring dash came on the third play of the Hurricanes’ opening possession. Kicker Oscar Hernandez made six PAT kicks in the opening half. With a continuous clock in the second half, Jackson’s Raveon Moore capped a 92-yard drive against the Cartersville reserves and scored on the final play of the third quarter for the Jaguars’ only points. A two-point conversion attempt failed. Fletcher added a 12-yard touchdown run for the Canes with 3:32 remaining and junior linebacker Brodie Mott had a strip and fumble recovery return for a Hurricanes’ touchdown with 1:20 remaining. Osiel Nava added the PAT kicks for the 50-point Cartersville win. Jennings finished with 23 yards rushing and had one catch for seven yards. Del Rio-Wilson was 8-for-9 for 160 yards and rushed for 16 yards. Tripp was 3-for-6 through the air for 65 yards and one score. Ross had two receptions for 72 yards. Johnson caught three passes for 71 yards. Kolbe Benham, how also had an interception, contributed three receptions for 54 yards, and Sam Phillips added an eight yard reception. Jackson’s season ends with a 3-7 mark. Cartersville (9-1) advances to the second round next Friday and will travel to Atlanta to face St. Pius X. The Golden Lions beat Loganville 31-6 in their first round game. Two other Region 7-AAAAA teams advanced in playoff action Friday night. Calhoun beat Lithia Spring 46-21 and Blessed Trinity topped Chapel Hill 49-14. Hiram, the region's 4-seed, was eliminated by New Manchester 21-17. Calhoun plays at Clarke Central next week in the second round. Blessed Trinity will host Decatur.

The Adairsville Tigers lost a back-and-forth battle to Dawson County Friday night and were eliminated at home in the first round of the GHSA Class AAA state playoffs. Adairsville trailed 21-3 early to the visiting maroon and gold Tigers, but scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 24-21 lead at halftime. The two teams continued to trade punches in the second half, but Dawson County was able to ultimately prevail, 45-31. Adairsville missed a 43-yard field goal attempt and was stopped on downs at the 20-yard line early in the first quarter before Dawson County took a 7-0 lead on a 9-yard pass from Zach Holtzclaw to Max Moon. Caleb Bonesteel converted the first of his five PAT kicks for the visiting Tigers. Adairsville kicker Emanuel Lopez connected on a 31-yard field goal with 1:16 left in the opening quarter to make the score 7-3, but Dawson would convert their next two possessions. Holtzclaw capped a drive with a 1-yard plunge with 10:12 to go in the half and Conley Dyer broke loose for a 40-yard scoring scamper with 8:51 remaining that gave Dawson County a 21-3 advantage. Adairsville clawed their way back, however, to take a three-point lead to the intermission locker room. Eli Agnew scored on a 14-yard run at the 6:41 mark of the second period. Courtney Slocum scored from 21-yards out on a speed option pitch with 3:13 left in the half, and Chris Roper punched in a 5-yard run with 19 seconds remaining in the period. Ja’Maury Johnson intercepted a pass to help set up the second of those three drives, while Slocum, Roper, and Agnew all had key runs in the final Adairsville drive of the first half. The two teams continued to trade punches in the second half, but it was Dawson County that grabbed the lead for good on the opening possession of the third quarter. Dyer scored his second touchdown of the night with a 39-yard run to give the visitors a 28-24 advantage. An interception by Dawson’s Hayden McKinney stopped the next Adairsville possession at the 25-yard line, and Holtzclaw connected with Dakohta Sonichsen on the next play for a 75-yard touchdown as Dawson County took a 35-24 lead with 7:20 left in the third quarter. Dawson County drove to the Adairsville one-yard line on their next possession, but had to settle for a 17-yard field goal by Bonesteel. That gave Dawson a 38-24 lead in the final two minutes of the third period. A long run by Slocum at the end of the third quarter gave the Adairsville offense some life to start the final period. Quarterback Conner Crunkelton later connected with Slocum on a 21-yard touchdown pass that narrowed the margin to 38-31 with 11:33 to go in the game. Now with some momentum, Adairsville recovered an onside kick but the ensuing drive would be stopped by Dawson County. The final points of the game came at the 9:37 mark of the fourth quarter when Dawson scored on a 38-yard fumble recovery for touchdown off a fake punt attempt by Adairsville. The teams exchanged possessions in the final minutes, but Dawson County was able to grind out the clock and held on for a 14-point win. Adairsville's Dylan Matthews finished the night with seven receptions for 142 yards. Adairsville’s season ends with a 6-4 record. Dawson County (6-5) advances to the second round to play next Friday at Oconee County. Oconee County defeated Westminster in the first round, 21-7. Rockmart was the only playoff team from Region 6-AAA to advance to the second round. The Yellow Jackets defeated White County 48-35 and will host top-ranked Cedar Grove in the Round of 16. LaFayette lost to Cherokee Bluff 35-7 and North Murray fell to North Hall 35-28.

The Excel Christian Academy boys basketball team earned its first win of the season Tuesday night at home. The Eagles defeated Atlanta International 74-21 at The Church at Liberty Square. The victory also marked the first for coach David Archer with the program. Rashard Doyal led five ECA players in double figures with 22 points. Elijah Payne scored 14, Blake Bailey 13, Jakaden Barkley 12, and Kalil Holley added 10 points. Next for the Eagles (1-2) is a home game against The Weber School of Atlanta Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

The Cass boys basketball team wrapped up play at the Woodstock Thanksgiving Tournament Tuesday afternoon with a 58-57 win over Pope. The two teams matched baskets in the first quarter for a 14-14 tie before the Greyhounds pulled ahead for leads of 32-22 at halftime and 48-44 through three quarters. The Colonels rallied in the final eight minutes, however, to outscore Pope 14-9 and pull out a one-point win when Zaylan Chaney scored the winning basket off an offensive rebound with just seconds remaining. Chaney led three Colonels in double figures with 14 points. Andrew Glaze followed with 13 and Braxton Benham finished with 11 points. CJ Pipkin and Jalani Hames were next with eight point apiece. Zay Jackson contributed three points and Ethan McIntyre added one for Cass. Will Kolker had a game-high 25 points for Pope (1-1). Cameron Bleshoy and Trey Kaiser added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Cass (2-1) returns to action Friday, December 4 when they host Lassiter at 7:30 p.m. The girls game will precede at 6 p.m. The game will be the Colonels’ “Feeder Night” where they collect canned food donations for Harvest House. Spectators receive free admission by donating four or more cans of food. The Colonels will also host the Create The Culture Classic Saturday with six boys games starting at 11 a.m. The schedule includes: 11 a.m. — South Paulding vs. Duluth 12:30 p.m. — Allatoona vs. Mt. Pisgah 2:30 p.m. — Upson-Lee vs. Richmond Hill 4:00 p.m. — Cherokee vs. Heritage-Conyers 6:00 p.m. — Spencer vs. Cass 7:30 p.m. — St. Anne-Pacelli vs. Providence Christian ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 67, MODEL 60 The Adairsville girls won their second straight game to open the 2020-21 season Tuesday, defeating Model 67-60 at the Armuchee Thanksgiving Classic. The Tigers held leads at the end of each quarter — leading 18-14 after one period; 30-21 at halftime; and 49-37 after three quarters. “We played a solid third quarter extending our lead to 12 points, but we turned the ball over multiple times in the fourth quarter,” said Adairsville coach Melissa Winters. “The girls showed a lot of maturity, however. They settled in and gained composure by executing a new press break late in the fourth quarter.” Model (1-2) was led by Montana Moats and Madison Moats with 28 and 14 points, respectively. Adairsville (2-0) plays its home opener next Tuesday against Rockmart at 6 p.m. ARMUCHEE 32, WOODLAND GIRLS 30 In a closely contested, back-and-forth matchup Tuesday the Woodland girls lost at Armuchee 32-30. The host Indians led 4-2 after one quarter, but the Wildcats held a 14-13 lead at the intermission. The two teams were tied after three quarters, 24-24. Julia Williams led Armuchee (3-0) with 13 points. Jaslyn Edwards scored 10. Gracie Styles paced Woodland with 12 points. Ansley Evans followed with 10. Jordan Thompson contributed four points. Dylynn Motes and Reagan Weightman added two points each. Woodland (0-3) plays at East Paulding Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Last week in this space, there were only three college football players from Bartow County who saw any action. It was written that the “expectation would be for a much greater number to return to the field this coming weekend.” Well, that didn’t happen. In fact, the same number of locals actually played in the FBS games that took place, as five contests that could have involved Bartow athletes were called off. Thankfully, there was some positive news at the pro level to buoy the lack of collegiate contributions this week. Domestically, Vic Beasley Jr. has found a new home after being released by the Tennessee Titans earlier this month. For the time being, the Adairsville native will have to settle for being added to the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad. Internationally, Rudy Winters — former basketball standout at Excel Christian — inked a deal with Central Argentino Olimpico de Ceres, according to a news release by the Argentinian second-division team. Additionally, former Cartersville standout Jonah Gambill made his collegiate debut with the Memphis University football team as the Tigers routed Stephen F. Austin, 56-14. PRO BASKETBALL Rudy Winters (Excel Christian; Central Argentino Olimpico de Ceres, Argentina) — Winters was announced Monday as a signing for Central — a member of La Liga Argentina, the second division of Argentinian basketball — by the team. PRO FOOTBALL Vic Beasley (Adairsville; Las Vegas Raiders) — Beasley joined the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad Monday, per the Raiders’ official website. The Adairsville native played in five games for the Tennessee Titans this season before being released earlier this month. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Jordan Ferguson (Middle Tennessee State R-Jr., Cartersville) — Ferguson finished with four tackles (one solo) and assisted on a tackle for loss in a 20-17 win Saturday at Troy. It marked a major improvement from the 47-14 defeat the Blue Raiders suffered against the Trojans back on Sept. 19. (Yes, the two teams have now played twice this season. Welcome to 2020.) MTSU (3-6) is scheduled to host Florida Atlantic this Saturday. Miller Forristall (Alabama R-Sr., Cartersville) — Forristall was held without a catch for the first time this season, but it didn’t seem to slow down the Alabama offense much in a 63-3 rout of Kentucky Saturday. The top-ranked Crimson Tide will host Auburn this week. Jonah Gambill (Memphis Fr., Cartersville) — Gambill made his collegiate debut along the Tigers offensive line in a 56-14 rout Saturday of Stephen F. Austin. Next up for Memphis (5-2) is a trip to face Navy this week in Annapolis, Maryland. -- contributed by Nicholas Sullivan, The Daily Tribune News

The Adairsville girls won a back-and-forth contest with Woodland Monday in a Thanksgiving Tournament game at Armuchee, giving new head coach Melissa Winters her first varsity win. Adairsville’s Autumn Henderson scored with only seconds remaining to give the Tigers a one-point lead and she was fouled on the play. The junior made her free throw and Adairsville held on for a 51-49 victory. The Tigers led 13-6 after one quarter before Woodland surged to a 25-23 lead at the intermission. Adairsville regained the lead after three quarters 37-36, but Woodland led by as many as nine in the fourth quarter before the Lady Tigers rallied for the win. Haley Stiles of Adairsville led all scorers in the game with 18 points. Henderson finished with 15. Jordan Thompson led Woodland with 12 points. Ansley Evans scored ten. Gracie Styles and Abigail Taylor added eight point each. Adairsville (1-0) plays Model and Woodland (0-2) will take on Armuchee as the two local teams wrap up play at the Armuchee event.

The Cass boys, ranked 8th in Class AAAAA, lost to Class AAAAAA 7th-ranked Allatoona 59-50 Monday evening at the Woodstock Thanksgiving Classic. The Colonels led 16-9 after the opening eight minutes, but struggled in the second period and never fully recovered. The Buccaneers outscored Cass in the second period, 24-6, to take a 33-22 lead at halftime. “The second quarter killed us, but I’m proud of the guys for the way they battled back.” said Cass head coach Sean Glaze. The Colonels narrowed the Allatoona lead to 48-40 by the end of the third quarter and cut the Bucs’ lead to three points with four minutes remaining, but would get no closer. “We went five straight possessions without scoring after we cut the lead to three. We then had to start fouling and they held us off,” added Glaze. “It was a great game and we will learn from it.” Isaiah Logan led Allatoona and all scorers with 22 points. Cameron Baldwin and Kevin Taylor had 14 and 13 points, respectively, for the Buccaneers. Andrew Glaze led Cass with 15 points on five, three-pointers in the second half. Zaylan Chaney had 11 points for the Colonels. C.J. Pipkin followed with 10. Braxton Benham contributed six, Zay Jackson totaled five, Tyler Martin scored two, and Ethan McIntyre added one point for Cass. Allatoona (1-0) will play Centennial Tuesday at 10 a.m. Cass (1-1) will square off with another Class AAAAAA team, Pope, Tuesday at 3 p.m. Pope was scheduled to play its first game of the season against Woodstock in a late game Monday night.

The 10U Bartow Panthers youth football team won the Northwest Georgia Youth Football League Super Bowl Saturday in Acworth to complete an undefeated season in 2020. The 10U Panthers defeated Acworth in the championship game 38-20 to finish the year 11-0. The Bartow County 12U Panthers also reached the NWGYFL Super Bowl game Saturday, but fell to an undefeated Ross Longhorns team, 42-19. The 12U Panthers were 8-2 on the season with both losses coming to Ross.

Two of the four local high school football teams will begin play in the state playoffs next Friday and both will be hosting games in their respective classification tournaments. Adairsville and Cartersville will enjoy home games in the opening round as the state playoffs begin across the state on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The other two local teams — Cass (6-4) and Woodland (4-4) — tied for fourth in Region 7-AAAAA but will miss the state playoffs due to a region points differential tie-breaker that gave the state playoff nod and No. 4-seed to Hiram. In Class AAA, the Adairsville Tigers are the No. 2-seed from Region 6-AAA and will host Dawson County, the No. 3-seed from Region 7-AAA. Dawson County, another team of Tigers, slipped to the 3-seed and a 5-5 season record after falling Friday night at North Hall, 34-21. The two No. 1-seeds in the same quadrant of Adairsville’s bracket are 2nd-ranked Oconee County from Region 8-AAA and 3rd-ranked Peach County of Region 2-AAA. The top-ranked team in Class AAA is Cedar Grove, but the Saints will enter the playoffs as a No. 3-seed after forfeiting four games. Cedar Grove self-reported the use of an ineligible player and forfeited four wins. The Saints (now officially 2-4) defeated Sandy Creek Friday to lock down a state playoff berth. The Adairsville-Dawson County winner will advance to a December 4 matchup against the survivor of Westminster-Oconee County. In Class AAAAA, the Cartersville Hurricanes (8-1 and ranked 4th) will entertain the Jackson-Atlanta Jaguars, a No. 3-seed from Region 6-AAAAA. Jackson (4-6) secured their playoff spot with a 46-24 win this past Friday over Villa Rica. Two No. 1-seeds occupy the same bracket quadrant as Cartersville and Jackson-Atlanta. 8th-ranked St. Pius was the Region 5-AAAAA champion and Creekside — a team the Hurricanes outlasted 21-18 September 25 — won Region 3-AAAAA. The Cartersville-Jackson winner advances to play the Loganville-St. Pius survivor December 4.

The Class AAAAA 8th-ranked Cass boys basketball team started its 2020-21 campaign Saturday with a 73-56 win at the Woodstock Wolverines of Region 5-AAAAAAA. The Colonels led 21-16 after a fast paced first quarter and held a 37-29 advantage at the intermission. The two teams matched the other’s 14 points in the third quarter for a 51-43 score before Cass eased away down the stretch for a 17-point victory. Zaylan Chaney led Cass in the scoring column with 24 points. Braxton Benham followed with 21 points, including a 9-for-9 performance at the charity stripe. C.J. Pipkin tallied nine points for the Colonels. Ethan McIntyre and Jelani Hames contributed six points each. Tyler Martin finished with four points and Jackson Hale added three. Woodstock (0-1) was led by Ezekiel Pettway with 28 points including four shots from beyond the three-point arc. Cass (1-0) plays Class AAAAAA 6th-ranked Allatoona Monday at 12:30 p.m. in the Woodstock Thanksgiving Tournament. ARMUCHEE 40, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 38 The Lady Canes took a 32-25 lead to the final eight minutes Saturday at Armuchee, but the host Lady Indians outscored the Cartersville girls 15-6 in the fourth quarter for a two-point win in both teams’ season opener. Cartersville got back into the game with a strong defensive performance in the third quarter. The Hurricanes limited Armuchee to only one point in the period. Armuchee led 17-12 after the opening quarter and were ahead 24-21 at halftime. Julia Williams paced the Indians with 11 points. Jaslyn Edwards and Chloe Purdy added eight and seven points, respectively, for the hosts. Lehla Thomas led Cartersville with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Jamiya Moore totaled nine points. Kierra Milline had six. Lexie Henderson contributed three points, while Sequoya McConnell and Ansley Griffen added two points apiece for the Canes. Cartersville (0-1) hosts Sonoraville Tuesday at 6 p.m. at The Storm Center. PAULDING COUNTY 91, EXCEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY BOYS 67 The Excel boys lost at Class AAAAAA Paulding County Saturday 91-67 in a non-region game. Paulding County, who fell by one point to Hiram Friday night, improved to 1-1. The Eagles (0-2) host Atlanta International Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. MODEL 48, WOODLAND GIRLS 28 The Woodland girls were locked in a tie with Model at halftime, but the Blue Devils dominated the second half on their way to a 48-28 win over the Wildcats Saturday at the Armuchee Thanksgiving tournament. Jordan Thompson led Woodland with 11 points. Abigail Taylor scored nine. The Wildcats play Adairsville Monday in the tournament.

The Class AAAAA 6th-ranked Cass girls basketball team opened the 2020-21 season Friday night with a convincing 74-41 win at Walnut Grove in Loganville. Claire Davis paced the Colonels with 21 points. Makyera Baldwin followed with 14. Londaisha Smith posted 11 points and had 10 steals. Cass led 27-16 after one quarter and was up 42-23 at halftime. The Colonels extended their lead to 64-30 through three quarters. Ariana Hames scored six points for Cass. Haley Johnson, Gracie Elkins, and Mikaela Jackson contributed five points each. Justice Bennett finished with four points and Amaya Ford added three points. Dorothy Nealin led Walnut Grove (0-1) with 12 points. Next for the Cass girls (1-0) is a home game against Allatoona Tuesday at 2 p.m. HEARTS ACADEMY 71, EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 69 The Excel Christian Academy boys basketball team opened its 2020-21 season Friday night at home and led much of the way before dropping a 71-69 decision to Hearts Academy. The Eagles, under new head coach David Archer, led 19-14 after one quarter and were ahead 41-37 at halftime. The visiting Panthers from Powder Springs rallied in the third period to outscore Excel 27-14 to take a 64-55 lead into the final eight minutes and held off the Eagles down the stretch to escape with a two-point win. Christian Moore led Hearts Academy (3-0) with 20 points. Christian Smith and Tim Ridge both had 15 points for the Panthers. Ian Ward added 11. Blake Bailey led the hosts and all scorers with 23 points. He had 15 points in the first half. Kalil Holley posted 15 points for Excel. Rashard Doyle and Tripp Anderson finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively. JaKaden Barkley added eight for the Eagles. ECA (0-1) will look to bounce back Saturday at Paulding County in a 4 p.m. tip. The Eagles will be back home Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. to host Atlanta International.