The Cartersville boys cross country team placed four runners inside the top 10 and a total of seven inside the top 16 in a dominant showing at Thursday's Fast Break Challenge at Heritage High in Ringgold. Freshman Sidney Stegall was runner-up in 17:02. Bill Archer came in fifth with a time of 17:27. Alex Rios (17:37) and Max Florence (17:46) finished ninth and 10th, respectively. Levi Booth (18:01, 13th), Colin McCann (18:02, 14th) and Sam Peters (18:14, 16th) wrapped up the varsity participants for the Canes, who finished 13 points ahead of Chattanooga’s Baylor School for the title. In the girls race, Cartersville placed third with four competitors in the top 22. McKinsey Spinks led the Hurricanes with a seventh place finish in just over 22 minutes. Trinity Atkins (22:41, 13th), Jaxiry Betancourt (23:11, 17th) and Alice Terry (23:44, 22nd) helped lead Cartersville. Trista Kelly rounded out the Lady Canes’ scoring runners with a 33rd place finish in 24:36. Trapheagen 2nd at Coach Wood Invite For just the second time this season, Woodland's McKenna Trapheagen didn't win a race, but the senior still managed to break the 18-minute barrier in a runner-up showing in the championship race Saturday at the Coach Wood Invitational in Whitesburg. Morgan Vaden of St. Pius X won the girls championship race in 17:56.3. As a team, Woodland finished 18th among 27 of the top teams in the state. Rylee Evans (22nd, 18:52.6), Danielle Thayer (21:04.7, 147th), Emma Segars (21:21.8, 161st) and Marlee Bowles (21:33.1, 175th) rounded out the scorers for the Wildcats in the 243-competitor race. The Woodland boys finished eighth out of 23 teams in the varsity race. Tyler Jones led the Wildcats in 17:08.36. He placed 13th overall. Dylan Stermer was 19th in 17:17.51. Patrick Bollwerk (17:41.12) was third on the team and 38th overall among 229 competitors. Ian Van Order (18:13.01, 64th), John Forsyth (18:14.80, 69th) and McKinley Chappell (18:15.50, 70th) all contributed for Woodland. Colonels compete at Pickens and Grinnin' The Cass boys placed 15th of 20 teams in Saturday's Pickens and a Grinnin' race in Jasper. The Colonels tied in points for 14th, but were officially 15th by virtue of a tie-breaker. Andrew Glaze led the Cass competitors, finishing 61st in a time of 18:08.1. Prem Patel (77th, 18:32.3), Jake Wright (111th, 19:30.8), Andrew Rampey (140th, 20:20.2), and Craigory Chatman (142nd, 20:25.2) rounded out the Cass top five performers. The Lady Colonels had two runners compete in the girls varsity race — Ashton Johnson (25:30.2, 122nd) and Angel Williamson (36:30.2, 141st).

The competition cheer teams from Woodland and Cartersville pose for a photo Saturday at Allatoona High School where the Wildcats placed first in Class 5A and the Hurricanes finished first in Class 4A. The win for Woodland was their third in as many competitions this season. Cartersville is the defending state champion in Class 4A.

Only one of the four local high school football teams picked up a victory Friday night with Cartersville winning at LaGrange. Adairsville and Woodland dropped road region contests while Cass fell at home to Hiram. CARTERSVILLE 45, LaGRANGE 2 The host Grangers opened with a recovered onside kickoff, punted to the Canes’ one yard line, and opened the scoring with a safety, but the Class AAAA top-ranked Hurricanes posted 45 unanswered points to remain undefeated on the season. Cartersville quarterback Tee Webb threw four touchdown passes and rushed for another score as the Canes took control early. Webb had a 60-yard scoring strike to Devonte Ross (photo) and a 27-yarder to Kyler Johnson for a 14-2 lead after one quarter. Johnson finished with 125 receiving yards. Ross totaled 86 yards. Oscar Hernandez, who made six PATs, added a 21-yard field goal in the second quarter. That gave Cartersville a 17-2 lead before Webb connected on a 45-yard touchdown pass to Evan Slocum and ran in another score from four yards out for a 31-2 halftime lead. In the second half, Webb found Johnson for a 27-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and backup quarterback Stratton Tripp contributed an 11-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. Webb finished 15-for-23 for 296 yards, five touchdowns (one rushing) and one interception. The loss drops LaGrange to 2-4 for the season and 0-3 in Region 5-AAAA. Cartersville (7-0, 3-0) will host 2nd-ranked Sandy Creek next Friday in an important region game at Weinman Stadium. CALHOUN 39, ADAIRSVILLE 14 Jake Morrow threw for two touchdowns and Jerrian Hames ran for two scores as Calhoun defeated Adairsville 39-14. Morrow had a second quarter, 30-yard scoring pass to Ethan Crump for a 10-0 lead and the same two connected again in the third quarter as the Yellow Jackets built a 39-7 lead. Hames scored on a six-yard run mid-second quarter as Calhoun went up 17-0 and sprinted in from 11 yards out late in the third quarter for a 32-7 advantage. Eduardo Fajardo, who made four PAT kicks, gave Calhoun their first points with a 32-yard field goal in the opening quarter. Cole Speer returned a punt 75 yards for a Calhoun touchdown just before the intermission and Clayton Long ran in a two-point conversion. The Yellow Jackets led 25-7 at halftime. Adairsville committed five turnovers in the game to hamper the offense but did get touchdown receptions by Jaxson Owens (16 yards in the second quarter from Connor Crunkleton) and Wade Conduff (3 yards in the final minute of the third quarter from Courtney Slocum). Crunkleton (photo) was 13-for-22 for 122 yards and one touchdown. Owens had five catches for 32 yards and a touchdown, while Conduff hauled in eight passes for 82 yards and one touchdown. Calhoun (5-1, 3-1 in Region 6-AAA) travels to Murray County next Friday. Adairsville (3-4, 2-3) has Sonoraville coming to Tigers’ Stadium next Friday. HIRAM 31, CASS 0 Two crucial turnovers and Hiram’s control of the line of scrimmage led to three unanswered scores by Hiram in the third quarter Friday night as the Hornets defeated Cass at Doug Cochran Stadium, 31-0. Following a scoreless first quarter with both defenses standing tall, Hiram scored the only points of the first half on a 72-yard pass from senior quarterback Zander May to senior wide receiver Dylan Stockunas. The slant over the middle split two Cass defenders and Stockunas outran everyone to the end zone for a 7-0 lead with 8:10 remaining in the second quarter. The third quarter began much like the first half with a pair of punt exchanges, but a short punt by Hiram bounced off the back of a Cass player and Hiram recovered at the Colonels’ 47 yard line just under two minutes into the second half. On the next play, May connected with Demetrius Twine for a 47-yard scoring strike and the PAT by Dalton Moyse — his second of four PATs — gave the Hornets a 14-0 lead with 9:52 left in the third quarter. Cass was forced to punt on their next possession and Hiram successfully drove into the Colonels’ red zone, but settled for a 26-yard Moyse field goal and a 17-0 lead at the 5:11 mark of the period. Following the ensuing kickoff and a Cass penalty, Hiram’s Dwight McKissack picked off a Logan Nelson deflected pass at the six yard line and returned it for a touchdown and a 24-0 Hiram lead with 5:03 remaining in the third quarter. A fourth quarter touchdown run from five yards out capped a 67-yard drive by the Hornets to round out the scoring with 6:11 left in the game. Hiram improves to 4-2 overall and 4-0 in Region 7-AAAA. They can clinch a state playoff berth next week with a win at home over Villa Rica. Cass (3-4, 2-3) travels to East Paulding who is 0-6 on the season and 0-4 in the region, but played Hiram to a 28-21 loss October 4. The Raiders other three region losses were to Carrollton, Rome, and Kell. CARROLLTON 47, WOODLAND 0 The Class AAAAA 2nd-ranked Trojans raced to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and led 34-0 at halftime on their way to a home Region 7-AAAAA victory over Woodland Friday night in Carrollton. Myles Morris and Mecose Todd both rushed for a touchdown and passed for a touchdown for the Trojans. Terrell Carmichael returned a punt for a touchdown and caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Nick Tuggle. Oliver Dudley also tossed a short touchdown pass to Connor Herriott in Carrollton’s win. The Trojans improved to 7-0 for the year and are now 5-0 in Region 7-AAAAA. Carrollton travels to Kell next Friday. Woodland (1-6, 0-5) has a bye week before hosting Villa Rica October 25.

The top ten Bartow County cross country performances of the 2019 season at the high school and middle school level. Girls best of all-time: McKenna Trapheagen (WHS), 17:49.61 Boys best of all-time: Joseph Stegall (Cartersville), 15:41 Updated October 7, 2019 2019 TOP TEN TIMES

The region standings and this week's games for the three leagues that include local teams.

The Cartersville High School volleyball team finished as Region 5-AAAA runner-up Thursday night at Sandy Creek. In the best-of-five sets championship match, Cartersville won the second set 25-22 but lost the opening set 25-13 and the third and fourth sets 25-19 and 25-21. “Sandy Creek has some very talented girls and they are fun to watch,” said Cartersville coach Dutch Cothran. “They have three girls who will be playing D1 within the next few years.” Cartersville, now 20-14 on the season, played some of their best volleyball in the tournament according to their head coach. “We played the best we’ve played all season. It’s the right time to be peaking,” Cothran added. “I’m excited for this team. We’ve battled hard through some adversity and we’ve gotten tougher through it,” Cothran concluded. Cartersville will host the No. 3-seed from Region 7-AAAA on Saturday, October 19 in the opening round of the state playoffs. The Lady Canes’ opening round opponent has not yet been decided. Cartersville reached the winners’ bracket finals with a win Tuesday over Central-Carroll. That match — earlier in the evening Thursday — resulted in a 25-13, 25-20 loss to Sandy Creek. The Hurricanes then defeated Central-Carroll 25-14 and 27-25 to get back to the championship match against the Patriots. ADAIRSVILLE VOLLEYBALL WINS SECOND STRAIGHT The Adairsville High School volleyball team will enter Saturday morning’s Area 6-AAA tournament at Haralson County riding its first two-game win streak of the year. The Lady Tigers, who defeated Pickens in straight sets Tuesday, swept Rockmart Thursday evening 25-22 and 25-18. “It was our senior night and senior Megan Smith brought us back from a nine-point deficit in the first set with several aces and assists mixed in,” noted Tigers head coach Kaylie Vaughn Martin. Adairsville will play Calhoun in the first round of Saturday’s double-elimination tournament for Area 6-AAA.

The local high school football games for Week 7 include road games for three of the four local schools. CARTERSVILLE HURRICANES (6-0, 2-0) at LaGRANGE GRANGERS (2-3, 0-2) The Class AAAA top-ranked Hurricanes take to the road again Friday to take on LaGrange in a Region 5-AAAA encounter. The Grangers have started the Region 5-AAAA schedule with a pair of losses to Central-Carroll and Cedartown after opening the year 2-1. The first three games included wins over Heard County and Hampton and a home loss to Callaway. LaGrange head coach Chuck Gibbs is in his second year guiding the Grangers. He is 4-11 in his first opportunity as a head coach. The proud LaGrange program won 13 region titles and four state championships between 1983 and 2006, but has not won six games in a season since 2009. LaGrange lost to Cedartown 51-6 last Friday — a team the Purple Hurricanes beat 24-2 on September 27. Cartersville, under first-year head coach Conor Foster, escaped at Central-Carroll last week 16-14 to remain unbeaten. The Canes have been challenged by a string of injuries and have a key region game at home with 4th-ranked Sandy Creek approaching on October 18. Cartersville will seek to eliminate big plays from the Grangers athletes and stay healthy for the final regular season stretch. LaGrange leads the all-time series with Cartersville 5-3. The Grangers won the first tive meetings dating back to 1937 with additional LaGrange wins in 1952, 1953, 2002, and 2003. The Hurricanes have won the last three meetings by one sided scores, including last year’s 45-7 win at Weinman Stadium. Projections: CalPreps -- Canes by 39 Massey -- Canes by 28 Maxwell -- Canes by 37 Broadcast: WBHF-Cartersville (100.3 FM / AM1450) Also available on wbhfradio.org and via the TuneIn app. HIRAM HORNETS (3-2, 3-0) at CASS COLONELS (3-3, 2-2) The Hornets will arrive at Cochran Stadium Friday night as one of only two undefeated teams in the Region 7-AAAAA standings. Hiram opened with non-region losses to larger classification opponents Harrison and South Paulding, but now have three consecutive region wins over Paulding County, Woodland, and East Paulding. Hornets’ head coach Pete Fominaya is now 7-8 in his second season at the helm. Hiram was 4-6 last season. Cass won three straight games in September and was 3-1 at one point, but has since dropped a pair of one-sided games to defending region champ Rome and region front-runner Carrollton. The Colonels defense has allowed 99 points over the last two games, but yielded only 42 in the first four games. This will be the sixth meeting all-time between the Colonels and Hornets. The home team has won each of the previous games with Hiram winning 34-21 last season and 14-7 in 2017. The Cass wins in the series were 14-12 in 2016 and 22-15 in 2008. Projections: CalPreps -- Hiram by 11 Massey -- Hiram by 8 Maxwell -- Hiram by 12 Broadcast: The Johnny's NY Style Pizza Bartow County Game of the Week on bartowsportszone.com. Pregame coverage begins at 6 p.m. covering all four local games. Kickoff at 7:30 p.m. Click on the green 'Listen Live' button on the header of this website. ADAIRSVILLE TIGERS (3-3, 2-2) at CALHOUN YELLOW JACKETS (4-1, 2-1) Calhoun, currently ranked ninth in Class AAA, finds itself in an unusual position at the mid-point of their season. The Yellow Jackets, who lost 31-7 to North Murray at home two weeks ago, are looking up at the Mountaineers in the Region 6-AAA standings. Calhoun opened with three straight wins over Ridgeland, Therrell, and Sonoraville before the loss. The Yellow Jackets bounced back last week with a 48-3 home win over Ringgold. Head coach Clay Stephenson is in his first season after taking over for long time Jackets head coach Hal Lamb. Adairsville snapped a brief two-game skid last week with a thrilling 22-21 home win over Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe. The other Region 6-AAA win for the Tigers was at Coahulla Creek on September 13. That was followed by region losses to Haralson County and North Murray. This will be the 30th meeting between Adairsville and Calhoun in a series that dates back to 1968. Calhoun holds a 20-9 advantage over the Tigers including 14 straight. Adairsville’s last win over the Yellow Jackets was in 1998. Projections: CalPreps -- Calhoun by 22 Massey -- Calhoun by 28 Maxwell -- Calhoun by 25 WOODLAND WILDCATS (1-5, 0-4) at CARROLLTON TROJANS (6-0, 4-0) Following an opening night home win over Southeast Whitfield, the Wildcats have dropped five straight games. In that stretch, Woodland has allowed 37 points per game and although their offense has produced just over 15 points per game this season, the Wildcats have been shutout each of the past two weeks. Carrollton, the No. 2-ranked team in Class AAAAA, is the current favorite to win Region 7-AAAAA. The unbeaten Trojans knocked off three-time defending region champ Rome 24-20 back on September 20 to take the driver’s seat. Carrollton’s prolific offense features sophomore quarterback Myles Morris who threw for five touchdowns and ran for another last week in a 50-14 home win over Cass. The Trojans also feature three-star running back Mecose Todd and a pair of highly recruited linebackers on defense in senior Kevin Swint (Clemson commit) and junior Chaz Chambliss (25+ offers). The Trojans are seeking an eighth state title in school history, but have not won it all since 1998. Carrollton was runner up in 2010 and 2013 and has lost in the state quarterfinals ten times during that stretch. Carrollton leads the all-time series 3-0 and the average victory has been by more than 31 points. Projections: CalPreps -- Carrollton by 52 Massey -- Carrollton by 41 Maxwell -- Carrollton by 41

Recent youth football games reported by the 12U Bartow County Panthers, the Bartow County Parks and Recreation Department, and the Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department for October 6-8. The 12U Bartow County Panthers defeated the Cane Ridge Chargers Sunday afternoon, 21-0. The Chargers are one of the top 12U teams from Nashville, Tennessee and the game was played in Chattanooga as part of the Craddock Classic. Under the Classic’s rules the game was played with a running clock, limiting the number of plays run by each team. “We came out clicking on all cylinders,” said Panthers coach Josh McWhorter. “For the low number of plays, our passing game looked tremendous. Brodie (McWhorter) is now reading coverages and we’re spreading the ball around and our athletes are turning these catches into huge momentum plays.” The Panthers gained 28 yards rushing on just six attempts with a pair of touchdowns. They also threw for 143 yards on just seven plays with a touchdown. All four pass completions went to different receivers. Isaiah Livsey ran for 23 yards on two carries and scored one extra point. Jachai Delgado and Brodie McWhorter both scored on short runs. McWhorter was also 4-for-7 passing for 143 yards and a touchdown. Talan Nix caught a 15 yards pass and had a two-point play reception. Logan Shrewsbury caught a 68 yard touchdown pass. Keve Porter hauled in a 45 yard catch and Xavier Parker added a 15 yard reception. ​​ “Our defense was stout against a huge offensive line and a great back,” noted McWhorter. “They ran a power game right at us, but time and time again the boys from Bartow answered the bell.” Cane Ridge amassed 79 yards on 28 rushing attempts and had eight first downs, but did not score as the Panthers collected the shutout. Jacob Ellis collected 5.5 tackles for Bartow County. Kelson Mitchell and Talan Nix had four tackles each. Livsey had 3.5 tackles. Bear McWhorter finished with 2.5 tackles. Delgado contributed a pair of tackles. Baylon Long, Parker, and Cooper Moon had 1.5 tackles each. Shrewsbury, Mason Tompkins, Bryce Wilson, and Porter added 0.5 tackles each. Shrewsbury defended a pass and Porter had a pass break up. Monday, October 7 12U at Dellinger Park CARTERSVILLE HURRICANES (Ezell) 25, ADAIRSVILLE TIGERS 7 Maddox Frazier had a pair of long runs to set up touchdowns and also scored on runs from 12 and 20 yards in the Hurricanes (Ezell) win. Lyle Woody scored on a short run and Preston Sorrells capped a drive with a five-yard run. Frazier added the PAT kicks. Frazier, Sorrells, and Rhys Neal were credited for their defensive play. Brad Barton scored the Tigers’ touchdown on a 38-yard run. Malachi Linley had an interception for Adairsville. CARTERSVILLE HURRICANES (Parker) 30, CASS COLONELS 14 Myles Mitchell scored on touchdown runs of 3, 52, 43, and 79 yards. Thomas Smith had a 38-yard reception to set up the first Mitchell score. Thomas Peters, who also recovered a fumble on defense, added the final touchdown for Hurricanes (Parker). Shavonzae Pennymon picked off a pass and Mitchell was selected as a defensive standout. Cayden Aleman gave Cass an early lead on an eight-yard touchdown run. He added a 12-yard scoring run in the second half. Paul Lanier added a successful PAT kick after Aleman’s first score. The Colonels’ Adrian Dunn recovered a fumble and Kyron McClendon intercepted a pass. Tuesday, October 8 10U at Old Cass HS (Grassdale Road) CARTERSVILLE HURRICANES (Cagle) 50, ADAIRSVILLE TIGERS 0 Jovani Bautista-Jackson had touchdown runs of 51, 35, and 21 yards. He also had a pair of two-point conversion kicks. Payton Paul scored on touchdown runs of 40 and 35 yards and had a two-yard touchdown reception from Dixon Lindsey. Lindsey added a PAT run. Clint Hosea scored on a 35-yard touchdown pass. Jayden Newman had a 34-yard touchdown run. Noah Cagle added a PAT run. Top defenders for Cartersville were Bautista-Jackson, Paul, and River Wade. Top defensive players for the Tigers were Jackson Jarrett, Colin Atchley, and Mike Stanley. 12U at Old Cass HS (Grassdale Road) WOODLAND WILDCATS 21, ADAIRSVILLE TIGERS 7 Woodland scored on touchdown runs of 35, 11, and 6 yards by Tre’shaun Winters. He also had three PAT runs. Top defenders for Woodland were Gavin Johnson, Zachary Hawkins, Carson Waits, Actavius Thompson, and Rylan Spivey. The Tigers scored on a six-yard run by Brad Barton and a Malachi Linley PAT run. J’vian Ledbetter, Julius Jones, Graham Coheley, and Solomon Gardner were Adairsville’s top defensive players. 8U at Dellinger Park CARTERSVILLE HURRICANES (Stepp) 26, CASS COLONELS GOLD 0 Hurricanes (Stepp) got touchdown runs from Cameron Caldwell from 22 yards; William Groce from eight-yards out; Hudson Lovette from nine-yards; and Elijah Garrett from 12-yards. They also scored with a safety. Luke Gaines and Groce were selected as defensive standouts for Hurrianes (Stepp). 10U at Dellinger Park CARTERSVILLE HURRICANES (King) 32, WOODLAND WILDCATS 0 Dustin McConnell scored on touchdown runs of 12, 16, and 10 yards and added a PAT run. Cooper Reynolds scored on a 14-yard touchdown run and added a PAT run. Zachary Stiles contributed a 22-yard touchdown run. Noah King, Matthew Cook, and Colt Craig were the top defenders for Hurricanes (King). Information for the youth football updates provided by the Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department, the Bartow County Parks and Recreation Department, and the Bartow County Panthers youth football program. The updates are sponsored on Bartow Sports Zone by Cici's - Beyond Pizza in the Cherokee Place Shopping Center in Cartersville.

Tuesday night, the Cartersville High School volleyball team advanced to the Region 5-AAAA championship rounds Thursday at Sandy Creek by winning a pair of matches in straight sets. Cartersville opened the tournament with a 25-8, 25-8 win over LaGrange and eliminated Central-Carroll 25-20 and 25-23 to reach the title match. The Tuesday wins also secure a berth in the Class AAAA state playoffs that will begin October 19. Cartersville will square off against host Sandy Creek Thursday in the winner’s bracket final with a chance to secure a state tournament home date. The Cartersville/Sandy Creek loser will need one additional win Thursday for a rematch in the region best-of-five finals. In Cartersville’s opening win Tuesday over LaGrange, the serving of Anna Grace Brock, Abby Allen, and Mia Nicklas was the difference-maker according to coach Dutch Cothran. “We started a little slowly,” noted Cothran, “but we had some good service runs and were able to pull away. Our energy was great and we had fun.” Nicklas had seven aces in a run of 12 points in the victory over the Grangers. In a much closer win over Central-Carroll, the Lady Canes held off a pesky Lions squad. “They (Central) play really hard on defense and serve well,” said Cothran. “ They had several aces against us, but when we got to their serves we passed really well. Our hitters — Lauren Wenzell, Halle Matthews, Anna Grace Brock, London Moultrie, and Mia Nicklas — were all very solid. It was a great team win.” The Region 5-AAAA All-Region team was identified Tuesday night. Wenzell and Matthews were named to the 2019 All-Region team. Now 19-12 on the season, the Canes travel to Sandy Creek Thursday for a 5 p.m. start. The double-elimination tournament concludes Thursday night. ADAIRSVILLE WINS AT PICKENS The Lady Tigers volleyball team won at Pickens Tuesday to spoil the Dragons’ senior night. Adairsville won 25-21 and 25-23. Players of the game, according to coach Kaylie Vaughn Martin, were Megan Smith with six aces for the match and Maddie Reitz with six kills and two blocks. The Tigers begin the Region 6-AAA double-elimination tournament Saturday against Calhoun at Haralson County. WOODLAND, CASS ELIMINATED AT REGION TOURNEY The Cass volleyball team lost a pair of three set matches Tuesday and were eliminated at the Region 7-AAAAA tournament. The Lady Colonels won the middle set in their opener with Villa Rica 25-19, but fell in the first set 25-10 and the deciding set 15-5. In their losers’ bracket match, Cass beat Hiram 25-20 in the first set but fell in the last two sets by narrow 29-27 and 15-13 scores. “We played well,” said Cass head coach Alan Potter, “we just couldn’t finish.” The Woodland volleyball team was also knocked out of the double-elimination Region 7-AAAAA tournament Tuesday with losses to Carrollton and Hiram. The second-seeded Trojans won the opener in straight sets, 25-15 and 25-22. The Lady Cats then won the middle set, but fell to the ninth-seeded Hornets 25-21, 19-25, and 16-14. Woodland’s season ends with a 20-19 record.

A pair of dominant, complete-game pitching performances by Woodland sophomore pitcher Lainey Baker and some timely hitting carried the Lady Cats to an opening round Class AAAAA best-of-three playoff series win at Chamblee Tuesday. Woodland won both games of a doubleheader to take the series by scores of 2-1 and 5-1. Baker struck out 25 in the doubleheader while scattering ten hits and six walks in the two wins. The host Bulldogs contributed to their own demise with six errors in the two games. Both Woodland runs in the opener were unearned as were three of the five runs in the second game. Woodland, conversely, played spotless defense in both games. GAME 1 — WOODLAND 2, CHAMBLEE 1 Baker struck out 14 and tossed a complete-game, three-hitter in Game 1 of the series as Woodland won 2-1. She scattered three hits and five walks in her seven innings of work. Chamblee’s Lily McCord was nearly as effective in the loss. McCord allowed only two hits and one walk in seven innings. The two Woodland runs were unearned. Bella Carnes, who had the only Woodland hits in the opener, singled to lead off the Lady Cats’ fourth inning. She moved to third on a pair of groundouts and scored on a Lady Bulldogs’ infield error. Kendyl Hardin, who reached on that error, made it to third after a hit batsman and another Chamblee error. Hardin then scored on a wild pitch for a Wildcats' 2-0 lead. Chamblee produced a run in the bottom of the seventh on a pair of singles and a ground out, but an outfield assist from Hannah Miller to shortstop Ansley Evans cut down an advancing base runner to end the game. GAME TWO — WOODLAND 5, CHAMBLEE 1 Morgan Cooper (photo below) hit a one out, solo home run to left field to get Woodland on the scoreboard in Game 2 with a 1-0 lead. Kailey Baker and Hannah Miller followed with singles. Then after a walk to Cassie Jones loaded the bases, Brianna Hill lifted a sacrifice fly to right field scoring Michiah Hicks who was a courtesy runner for Baker. Chamblee scored a run in the third inning to narrow the margin to 2-1, but the Lady Cats responded with a run in the fourth. Kailey Baker singled again to start the Wildcats’ fourth inning. Hicks was inserted as her courtesy runner and moved to second on a Bulldogs’ error. Hill singled to load the bases and Hicks scored on a Bella Carnes groundout. Woodland tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning. Hannah Miller reached on an error by the Bulldogs’ shortstop and scored on a two-out single by Brianna Hill. Following another Chamblee miscue and Hicks’ insertion as a runner, Morgan Bailey’s groundout drove in another run for a 5-1 Lady Cats’ lead. Kailey Baker and Hill finished with two hits. Hill added a sacrifice fly and two RBI. Miller’s second inning single and Cooper’s home run accounted for the other Woodland hits. Ansley Mepham had three hits for the Bulldogs including a pair of doubles and the lone Chamblee run batted in. The losses ended the second-seeded Bulldogs’ season with a 21-8 record. Woodland, a No. 3-seed from Region 7-AAAAA, advances to the second round October 15-16 at Whitewater. Whitewater is the Region 3-AAAAA champion and swept their first round series with Bainbridge. Woodland (21-10) needs one more playoff series win to reach the Class AAAAA state championship double-elimination tournament in Columbus October 24-26.

A pair of former Bartow County football players helped nearby Reinhardt triumph in its Mid-South Conference opener Saturday in Grayson, Kentucky. Adairsville High product Bryce Burgess and Cartersville High graduate Bryce Wilkins each stepped up in the resounding 71-21 thrashing of Kentucky Christian. Burgess finished second on the team in rushing and scored a touchdown, while Wilkins had four tackles and a sack. Elsewhere, Euharlee resident Kurt Moore was named Southern Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 30. This week, he helped Birmingham Southern to its fifth win in six tries. PRO FOOTBALL Vic Beasley (Atlanta Falcons; Adairsville) — Beasley played 53 snaps on Sunday, according to Pro Football Reference, but did not record any stats in Atlanta's 53-32 road loss to Houston. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Chris Blackston (West Georgia Sr., Adairsville) — Blackston had a pair of tackles to help West Georgia defeat Shorter, 44-34. Bryce Burgess (Reinhardt So., Adairsville) — Burgess helped now-No. 20 Reinhardt roll to a 71-21 victory over Kentucky Christian on Saturday at home. The former Tiger racked up 55 rushing yards on a joint-team-high seven carries. Burgess had a 4-yard touchdown run barely four minutes into the game to give the Eagles a 13-0 lead. Dalen Curtis (Brevard College Jr., Cartersville) — Curtis recorded a 3-yard reception in a 22-10 win over Maryville. Grant Harris (Victor Valley So., Cartersville) — Harris had a monster game in helping his side to a 31-24 victory Saturday at Santa Monica. The former Cane made five tackles, including two for loss, and recorded a 10-yard sack. Sean Holton (Davidson Jr., Cartersville) — Holton had a kickoff return in a 42-31 win Saturday over Morehead State. Emmanuel Jones (Colorado State Jr., Woodland) — Jones assisted on one tackle in a 24-10 home loss to San Diego State on Saturday. Bradley Kirk (Shorter So., Cartersville) — Kirk posted 11 tackles, including eight solo stops, in Saturday's loss to West Georgia. Nick Root (Carson-Newman R-Fr., Cartersville) — Root was on the participants' list for Carson-Newman's 69-18 Saturday victory over UNC Pembroke. Jake Walker (Furman Jr., Cartersville resident) — Walker saw action as now-11th-ranked Furman routed Samford by a 58-14 final score Saturday. Bryce Wilkins (Reinhardt So., Cartersville) — Wilkins recorded a 9-yard sack as part of a four-tackle performance in Reinhardt's rout of Kentucky Christian. CROSS COUNTRY Baylee Evans (Troy Fr., Woodland) — Evans placed 42nd overall out of 164 runners in Jacksonville State's Foothills Cross Country Invitational. She finished seventh on her team, as Troy put five runners inside the top-20 en route to a third-place showing. Evans completed the 5k course in 20 minutes, 47.9 seconds. SOCCER Emily Collum (Georgia Southwestern So., Adairsville) — Collum played 51 total minutes in a pair of losses this past week. She saw a dozen minutes off the bench in a 3-1 defeat against Clayton State on Wednesday. Collum saw the field for 39 minutes in Saturday's 3-0 loss to Georgia College. Havyn Isaac (Georgia Military Fr., Adairsville) — Following a 10-0 shutout of Andrew College, in which she played the entire 90 minutes in goal, Isaac held Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College scoreless for a half in an 11-0 victory last Tuesday. She had one save apiece in the two outings. Stats were not available for the Bulldogs' 3-2 loss Thursday at Oxford College. Kurt Moore (Birmingham Southern Sr., Euharlee resident) — The reigning Southern Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week, Moore made one save in a 3-1 victory over Rhodes on Saturday. It marks the fifth win in the last six games for Birmingham Southern. Marissa Mowry (Anderson So., Cartersville) — Mowry continues to start every game for the Trojans. She attempted two shots in 72 minutes of Anderson's 4-0 win over Coker on Wednesday. Mowry played all 90 minutes of Sunday's 1-0 loss to Tusculum. Madison Putzer (Young Harris Jr., Cartersville) — Putzer saw a combined 11 minutes in a pair of victories this past week. The junior played six minutes in a 2-0 win over Albany State and five minutes in a 1-0 victory against Francis Marion. Payton Putzer (Young Harris Jr., Cartersville) — Putzer started each of her team's wins. She went 78 minutes in Wednesday's triumph and 75 minutes with two shot attempts on Saturday. Anthony Robledo (Reinhardt So., Cass) — Robledo played the final 3:10 of the Eagles' win over Truett McConnell on Wednesday. VOLLEYBALL Nedu Evans (Augusta Fr., Cartersville) — Evans featured in four of five sets in a 3-2 road victory over Flagler on Friday. She totaled five kills on 15 attacks and added two block assists. No stats were listed for Evans from Augusta's 3-2 defeat last Tuesday at West Georgia. -- contributed by Jason Greenberg, The Daily Tribune News

Woodland cross country standout McKenna Trapheagen won another race Saturday, taking the individual title at the Alexander / Asics Invitational at Foxhall Sporting Club in Douglasville. Trapheagen covered the 5k course in 17:32.69 and set a new school record. McKenna Croft of Douglas County finished second in 17:36.35 with Erin Fegans of Landmark Christian third in 17:39.92. The Woodland girls team finished ninth in the 28-team championship race won by Blessed Trinity. Cambridge was runner-up and Westminster placed third. Rylee Evans finished ninth for Woodland in 18:24. She was followed by fellow Lady Cats Marlee Bowles (76th, 20:33), Danielle Thayer (83rd, 20:39), Emma Segars (112th, 21:25), and Erica Boatner (133rd, 22:01). The girls championship division included 230 competitors. The Woodland boys team finished 17th of 35 teams in the Boys Championship race. The boys team title went to Broughton (North Carolina) with 71 points. Archer was second and Norcross finished in third place. Tyler Jones led the Wildcats with an 85th place finish in 16:51. He was followed by Dylan Stermer (98th, 16:58), Patrick Bollwerk (99th, 16:58), John Forsyth (134th, 17:25), McKinley Chappell (135th, 17:26), Kameron Chappell (177th, 18:04), Ian Van Order (186th, 18:11), and Drew Thayer (187th, 18:12). CARTERSVILLE BOYS SECOND, GIRLS 20TH AT JESSE OWENS CLASSIC The Cartersville boys cross country team ran to a runner-up finish Saturday in the Jesse Owens Classic Silver Division at Oakville Indian Mounds Park. Father Ryan High School finished ahead of the Hurricanes with 51 points in the 41-team event. Cartersville had 88 points. Vestavia Hills High School was third with 166. There were 303 runners in the Boys Silver Division. Bill Archer and Sidney Stegall finished fourth and fifth, respectively, to lead Cartersville. Archer completed the 5k course in 16:35.12. Stegall ran a 16:35.62 Walt Johnson of Oxford won the individual title in 15:59.86. The other Cartersville top finishers were Alex Rios (10th, 16:49), Levi Booth (20th, 17:10), Max Florence (51st, 17:46), and Colin McCann (56th, 17:48). The Cartersville girls placed 20th of 32 teams in the Girls Silver Division. Leading runners for the Lady Canes were: McKinsey Spinks (24th, 20:44), Trinity Atkins (85th, 22:20), Alice Terry (89th, 22:25), Metzli Munoz (198th, 25:47), Samantha Herrera (201st, 26:10), and Monica Ngugi (239th, 31:39).