A lightning strike two minutes into the fourth quarter led game officials to decide to cancel the remainder of Cartersville’s 51-0 blowout of McNair Friday night at Weinman Stadium. Cartersville led 30-0 at the end of the first quarter and was up 44-0 at halftime. Canes senior quarterback and Louisville commit Tee Webb finished his night 8-for-10 for 165 yards with four touchdown passes. He accomplished all those numbers playing only in the first half. Three of his scoring passes were to junior slot receiver Sam Phillips. Phillips finished with four catches for 101 yards — three of his receptions were for touchdowns in the first half. He had touchdown receptions of 14, 25, and 21 yards. Devonte Ross had a 38-yard catch for the Canes’ first touchdown. Harrison Allen scored on a 1-yard run as Cartersville finished the first quarter ahead 30-0. Quante Jennings added a 4-yard touchdown run that gave the Canes a 44-0 lead at halftime. Cartersville’s final touchdown came on a 2-yard run by sophomore Jalen Thomas midway through the third quarter. The win gives Cartersville 51-consecutive regular season wins and back-to-back blowout wins over the Mustangs. Cartersville beat McNair last season 70-0. Cartersville (3-0) travels to Canton next week to challenge Class AAAAAAA Cherokee. ADAIRSVILLE 35, COAHULLA CREEK 0 Adairsville continued its dominance of Coahulla Creek Friday night with a 35-0 Region 6-AAA win over the Colts in Dalton. The Tigers, now 6-0 against Coahulla Creek historically, led 7-0 after one quarter and 21-0 at halftime before adding two more touchdowns in the third quarter. Adairsville junior quarterback Connor Crunkleton was 9-for-11 for 183 yards and two touchdowns. He had an 80-yard touchdown strike to Tyshawn Savage early in the third quarter and a 38-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Simmons in the opening quarter. The Tigers needed only 64 yards rushing on the night. Ja’Maury Johnson finished with 28 yards and one touchdown on 10 attempts to lead Adairsville’s running game. As for the Adairsville defense, Malachi Gardner recovered a second quarter fumble to set up the Tigers second touchdown and Courtney Slocum had an 80-yard pick-six to give Adairsville a 21-0 lead. Slocum finished with two interceptions. Gardner had 15 tackles as did Garrett Ellis. Coahulla Creek slipped to 1-2 on the season and 0-1 in the region. Adairsville (2-1, 1-0) will host Haralson County next Friday night. WILDCATS, COLONELS TO RESUME SATURDAY A string of lightning delays that lasted almost 90 minutes Friday night forced the postponement of the Cass-Woodland game until Saturday night a 7 p.m. Cass led 17-0 at halftime and was ahead 24-7 when the game was suspended for the final time on Friday night with 2:04 remaining in the third quarter. Saturday night, the game will resume at that point. Tanayce Calhoun scored the Colonels’ first touchdown on an 18-yard run with 7:57 remaining in the opening quarter. Calhoun also had a 19-yard run in the drive and his scoring run capped a 67-yard drive that took seven plays. Kaleb Speights, who converted all three of his PAT kicks Friday night, made the score 7-0. The Cass offense drove to Woodland’s 2-yard line at the end of the first quarter, but stalled due to a pair of penalties and settled for a Speights 27-yard field goal for a 10-0 advantage with 11:48 to go in the first half. Late in the half, Cass drove 80 yards on five plays for their third touchdown. Zay Jackson scored on a 33-yard scamper with 1:39 left in the half as the Colonels took a 17-0 lead to the locker room. Jackson also had a 26-yard run in the drive. David Gbadie and Calhoun had 10- and 12-yard rushes in the drive. After an extended halftime due to the first lightning delays, Woodland took the second half kickoff and drove 75 yards in nine plays to narrow the Cass lead to 17-7. Hunter Flynt caught a 47-yard pass from Wildcats’ quarterback Johnathan Thomas and DeMarcus Williams capped off the drive by powering in from the 2-yard line. Kevin Moreno added the extra point kick. After Cass was stopped near midfield, punter Isai Romero pinned Woodland at the 6-yard line and the Colonels defense limited the Wildcats to only one yard in the next three downs. Woodland’s punt from their own end zone only traveled 15 yards and set up the next Cass score. Calhoun ran for his second touchdown of the night on a 22-yard dash for a 24-7 Colonels’ lead. With Cass preparing for the ensuing kickoff, officials cleared the field again for a lightning strike at almost 11 p.m. and ultimately postponed the resumption until Saturday night just after midnight.

Cartersville volleyball lost a three-set, non-region home match with North Paulding Thursday night. The Lady Canes won the opening set 25-15 before the Wolfpack won the final two sets 25-12 and 25-23. “We played well for the most part. We fought hard,” said Cartersville coach Dutch Cothran. “We had a few rough stretches and those proved to be more than we could overcome tonight.” The Canes also had Hiram scheduled for Thursday night, but the Hornets had to cancel due to double-scheduling. “We had more team cohesion and camaraderie tonight. We will need it next week,” Cothran added. Cartersville (16-10, 4-0 Region 5-AAAA) hosts Sandy Creek (24-2, 4-0) and LaGrange Tuesday night at the Storm Center. WOODLAND DEFEATS SPRAYBERRY, DROPS NARROW DECISION WITH PEPPERELL In Thursday night’s non-region action at home, the Woodland volleyball team dropped a close match with Pepperell 25-21 and 25-23 but rebounded in their nightcap to outlast Sprayberry 25-21 and 27-25. “We played well against Pepperell and played hard,” said Lady Cats head coach David Condon. “We just didn’t execute as well as they did down the stretch.” Sydney Molinaro (photo) had six kills, 11 assists, seven digs, two blocks, and an ace against the Dragons. Lauren Morris contributed a pair of kills with eight assists and eight digs. “I didn’t think we played very well against Sprayberry,” noted Condon. “but we found a way to make plays when it mattered to pull out the win.” Caroline Gore finished with seven kills and one ace against the Yellow Jackets. Morris finished with seven assists, three service aces, and one kill. Emily Cigainero added two kills, three digs, and a pair of aces. (PHOTO: TCPics) ADAIRSVILLE DROPS TWO Playing at Murray County Thursday night, the Tigers lost a pair of Region 6-AAA matches in straight sets. Dalton defeated Adairsville 25-15 and 25-6. The Lady Tigers then lost to North Murray 25-13 and 25-12. CASS LOSES NON-REGION ROAD MATCHES Playing non-region matches at Cedartown High School Thursday evening, the Lady Colonels went three sets with East Paulding, but were defeated by the Raiders 25-22, 21-25, 15-8. Cass then fell to the host Bulldogs in two sets, 25-20 and 25-17.

Cartersville softball posted five runs in the first three innings to take a 5-0 lead and held on for a 7-3 Region 5-AAAA victory Thursday night over visiting Sandy Creek. A walk, two hits, a pair of passed balls, and an infield error led to the Lady Canes four runs in the second inning. Cartersville then added another run in the third on a single and a three-base error. In the top of the fifth inning, the Patriots pulled to within 5-3. The Sandy Creek runs were produced by four singles, a hit batsman, and an outfield error in the frame. The Lady Canes added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth by taking advantage of a Patriots error, an RBI single, and an RBI groundout. Ava Perkins (5 IP, 3R, 2ER, 4H, 5BB, 6K) started in the circle for the Hurricanes and picked up the pitching win. Kiley Arnold (2 IP, 0R, 1H, 2BB, 2K) pitched in relief. Elizabeth Nelson (RBI) and Lauren McElhaney (photo) had two hits each for Cartersville. AnnaKate McElhaney and Hope Short both had base hits. Arnold contributed two RBI. Campbell Rogers and Perkins added one RBI each. The loss drops Sandy Creek to 9-12 overall and 0-10 in Region 5-AAAA. Cartersville (11-9, 6-4) hosts a region doubleheader with LaGrange Saturday starting at 12:30 p.m. CASS 7, KELL 3 Cass softball completed a two-game, regular season series sweep of Kell Thursday night in a Region 7-AAAAA matchup at the Cass athletic complex with a 7-3 win over the Longhorns. The Lady Colonels also defeated Kell 9-2 back on August 15. Thursday night, Cass out hit Kell 13 to eight and posted runs in four of their six offensive frames. Rachael Lee and Kylee Hembree had first inning RBI singles to give the Colonels a 2-0 lead. Then Alexis Woods drove in the first of her three runs on the night in the second inning with an RBI double to put Cass ahead 3-1. Woods (photo, making defensive play earlier this season) doubled home another run in the fourth to make the score 5-2 and Ansley Hight doubled her home to put the Lady Colonels on top 6-2. Kelly Young tripled with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning and later scored on an RBI single by Woods for a 7-2 advantage at the time. The Longhorns scored single runs in the second, third, and sixth innings for the 7-3 final score. Brooke Kell (RBI), Mia DeAngelis, and Savannah Markt had two hits apiece for Kell (9-10, 4-7). Lee was the winning pitcher for Cass with a complete-game performance. She scattered eight hits and a walk while striking out two. Woods finished with four hits including three doubles and three RBI. Hembree had two hits and one RBI. Lee (2 RBI), Hight (RBI), Haley Smith, Saydee Najarro, Kimberly Allen, and Kelly Young (triple) had the other Lady Colonels hits. The win improves Cass to 9-8 for the season and 5-6 in Region 7-AAAAA. The Colonels will step out of region play to square off with South Effingham, St. Pius X, and Calhoun Friday and Saturday in the Score International Invitational at Warner Park in Chattanooga. LAKEVIEW-FORT OGLETHORPE 5, ADAIRSVILLE 3 Visiting Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe defeated Adairsville 5-3 in Tiger Valley Thursday night as the two squads clashed in Region 6-AAA play. LFO scored a single run in the first inning, added three in the fourth, and added an insurance run in the sixth inning. Adairsville rallied for their three runs in the bottom of the sixth, but got no closer. Haley Stahl (7 IP, 3R, 2ER, 6H, 1BB, 5K) tossed a complete game for the visiting Warriors win. Victoria O’Neal (3 IP, 4R, 4ER, 3H, 4BB, 2K) and Taylor Rhoades (4 IP, 1R, 1ER, 6H, 0BB, 1K) split the pitching duties for the Tigers. Stahl (2 RBI), Julie Shore, and Auna Rolfe combined for six of the Warriors ten hits. Sadye Johnson had two hits including a triple and one RBI for Adairsville. O’Neal (photo) had one hit and one RBI. Rhoades, Makayla Wade, and Alexa Varner added the other Lady Tigers safeties.

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

The Adairsville High School softball team lost their Region 6-AAA matchup with Class AAA top-ranked Calhoun Wednesday night in Tiger Valley, 13-0. The visiting Yellow Jackets finished off the contest in five innings due to the GHSA run-rule. Calhoun (12-5, 5-0) scored in every offensive frame posting two runs in the first inning, four more in the second and third innings, one more in the fourth and two in the fifth innings. Adairsville remains in playoff contention in the region. The Lady Tigers are currently fourth in the standings with a 6-10 overall record and 3-2 in the league. The Lady Tigers play another team ahead of them in the standings Thursday at home when they host the Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe Warriors.

Local youth football got underway this week with recreation games at both Dellinger Park and Hamilton Crossing Park. Monday, September 9 12U at Dellinger Park CASS COLONELS 22, CARTERSVILLE HURRICANES (Ezell) 8 Paul Lanier had an 80-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter and a 25-yard scamper in the fourth quarter for the Colonels. In between, Cayden Aleman scored on a 20-yard run. Lanier kicked two of three 2-point PATs. The Hurricanes had an 8-6 lead at halftime on a second quarter 28-yard run by Maddox Frazier. He also kicked the 2-point PAT. Ezequiel Medina recorded a pair of sacks for the Cass defense. Asa Mitcham had an interception for the Hurricanes defense. CARTERSVILLE HURRICANES (Parker) 28, WOODLAND WILDCATS 0 Cartersville Hurricanes (Parker) scored all their points in the first half during a shutout defeat of Woodland. JaCaiden Leonard scored on a 30-yard run in the opening quarter. Trenton Harris scored the Hurricanes’ second touchdown in the second period and Luke Parker connected with Thomas Smith for a 16-yard, second quarter touchdown. Myles Mitchell was successful with a PAT kick. Adam Reed was credited as a top defender for Cartersville (Parker) and Rylan Brigman was the top defender for the Wildcats. CALHOUN COLTS 6, ADAIRSVILLE TIGERS 0 at Calhoun Recreation Department In Calhoun, the Adairsville 12U Tigers fell to the Calhoun Colts 6-0. Weston Crisp led the way for Adairsville’s offense with 74 rushing yards. Levi McStotts and Julius Jones had five tackles on defense for the Tigers. Tuesday, September 10 10U at Hamilton Crossing Park CARTERSVILLE 37, CASS GOLD 0 Cartersville’s Kaleb Holton ran for a 26-yard score and tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Brody Jones from 40- and 16-yards out. Tyon Coe had touchdown runs from 35- and 28-yards. Jaylon Watkins added a 24-yard touchdown run. Holton finished with four tackles on defense. Watkins was credited with three. Nicholas Robinson and Eli Lively had two tackles each for Cass Gold. CASS BLUE 24, CASS SILVER 0 Tyree Glunt scored on runs of 54- and 18 yards while Giovanni Banks had a 34-yard dash for touchdown and returned a fumble recovery 34 yards for a touchdown. Lane Walker totaled five tackles for Cass Blue. Teammates Jordan White and Cordae Reed contributed four and three tackles, respectively. Charles Collins and Taylor Mooney both had three tackles for the Cass Silver defense. Connor Hartsook was credited with two tackles. 8U CARTERSVILLE HURRICANES (Stepp) 27, ADAIRSVILLE TIGERS 0 {Game was called early in the 3rd quarter due to weather.} Cameron Caldwell opened the scoring for Hurricanes (Stepp) with a 30-yard touchdown run on his team’s opening possession. Easton Stephens had a 35-yard scramble for touchdown in the second quarter. Hudson Lovette added a 10-yard scoring run late in the first half and William Groce scored on a 20-yard touchdown run as time expired before the intermission. Timi King and Elijah Garrett added PAT runs for Cartersville. Groce and Caldwell were credited as the top defenders for the Hurricanes. Gray Chancey had a 30-yard run in the first quarter for Adairsville, but the Tigers turned the ball over on the next play. Mason Young and Nehmiah Glover were identified as the Tigers top defenders. Information for the youth football updates is 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.

This Friday night will be the first time this season that all four local teams will be in action, yet there will only be three games. Cass travels across town to challenge Woodland as both teams open their 2019 region slates. Meanwhile, Cartersville looks to extend its 50-game regular season win streak as the Hurricanes host McNair and Adairsville opens the 2019 Region 6-AAA schedule with a trip to Whitfield County to face the Coahulla Creek Colts. CASS COLONELS (1-1) at WOODLAND WILDCATS (1-1) County rivals Woodland and Cass square off Friday night along the “banks of the Etowah” in Wildcats’ Stadium as the two teams kickoff their region schedules in 7-AAAAA. After dropping its season opener at Adairsville two weeks ago 14-7, Cass took advantage of three first-half turnovers by Forsyth Central on their way to a 15-7 win to even their season record. The win by the Colonels surprised many. The Bulldogs were a state playoff team in 2018 in the state’s largest classification. Woodland meanwhile had a surprising loss. After whipping East Hall 55-6 a year ago and coming off a dominating 35-7 win over Southeast Whitfield in their opener, the Wildcats fell behind 20-0 early and lost at East Hall, 34-28. With statewide powers Rome, Carrollton, Kell, and even East Paulding in this region, Woodland and Cass will be looking for as many wins as possible against the region opponents outside that top group. That makes this a potential trend-setting game for the two local squads. Cass leads the all-time series between the two programs 9-6. The series dates back to 2000. Woodland won three of the first four games played 2000 to 2003, but Cass won eight out of the next nine matchups between 2004 and 2016. Woodland has won the last two games — winning 20-6 and 17-7 the past two seasons. The two teams did not play one another in 2006 and 2007. They also did not meet up in 2012 or 2013. The Colonels were a state playoff team in Class AAA in 2006 finishing 7-4 in 6-AAA. Cass lost at 1-seed North Hall 17-14 in the first round that season. In 2007, Cass was officially 4-5 but had a big lead over Southeast Whitfield wiped away when the game was stopped due to lightning. As for 2006 and 2007 for Woodland, the Wildcats were in Region 5-AAAA and played a nine-game region slate. Their only non-region game both years was with Cartersville — who was in the same region with Cass. Woodland was 2-8 both seasons. In 2012 and 2013, Woodland and Cass were again assigned to separate regions. Woodland was in 5-AAAAA which included 11 schools. That meant a 10-game region schedule and zero non-region games. The Wildcats were 2-8 and 4-6 in those two seasons. Cass was in a sub-divided Region 7-AAAA in 2012 and 2013 and finished 5-5 and 4-6 in the final two seasons under coach Rick Casko. Cass head coach Bobby Hughes is 3-2 against Woodland. Wildcats head coach Tony Plott is 2-2 against the Colonels. Series: 2018 — Woodland 17, Cass 7 2017 — Woodland 20, Cass 6 2016 — Cass 31, Woodland 7 2015 — Cass 38, Woodland 21 2014 — Cass 34, Woodland 24 2011 — Woodland 39, Cass 26 2010 — Cass 42, Woodland 12 2009 — Cass 18, Woodland 7 2008 — Cass 17, Woodland 13 2005 — Cass 13, Woodland 7 2004 — Cass 16, Woodland 14 2003 — Woodland 20, Cass 18 2002 — Cass 13, Woodland 10 2001 — Woodland 40, Cass 29 2000 — Woodland 27, Cass 13 CalPreps — Cass by 7 Massey — Woodland by 4 Maxwell — Cass by 3 McNAIR MUSTANGS (0-2) at CARTERSVILLE HURRICANES (2-0) The Class AAAA top-ranked Hurricanes defeated Luella last week 47-0 to win the program’s 50th consecutive regular season game. Devonte Ross returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and Cartersville led 40-0 by halftime. Ross added a 57-yard touchdown reception and quarterback Tee Webb was 10-for-11 for 189 yards and two touchdowns. The regular season win streak for Cartersville is only eight games shy of the state record held by Camden County that was ended in 2006. Macon County won 56 in a row in a streak that ended in 1997 and Lincoln County had a 53 game streak end in 1980. The next-longest active streak behind Cartersville is 22 by Athens Academy. McNair was 3-7 last season and 1-6 in Region 6-AA. Head coach Johnny Burdette is in his first-ever head coaching job and in his initial season at the helm of the Mustangs. The last winning season for McNair was a 6-4 campaign in 2008. Cartersville leads the all-time series 2-0. Series: 2018 — Cartersville 70, McNair 0 2005 — Cartersville 31, McNair 13 Projections: CalPreps — Cartersville by 62 Massey — Cartersville by 48 Maxwell — Cartersville by 42 ADAIRSVILLE TIGERS (1-1) at COAHULLA CREEK COLTS (1-1) A pair of 1-1 teams square off in Whitfield County in both teams Region 6-AAA opener. Coahulla Creek lost its opener at Northwest Whitfield 21-7, but bounced back last week with a 34-31 win at home over Southeast Whitfield. Adairsville is coming off a bye week. The Tigers were shutout in their opener at Chattooga 20-0, but defeated Cass two weeks ago 14-7. This is the third season for head coach Caleb Bagley at Coahulla Creek where the Colts are 2-20 under his guidance. The varsity program dates back to 2012 and has never won more than two games in a season while experiencing three winless campaigns. Adairsville is coming off a 4-6 campaign in 2018, but prior to last season the Tigers had reached the state playoffs in six of seven seasons. Adairsville head coach Eric Bishop is 42-27 in his seventh season in the top position. The Tigers lead the all-time series 5-0. Series: 2018 — Adairsville 41, Coahulla Creek 10 2015 — Adairsville 49, Coahulla Creek 3 2014 — Adairsville 63, Coahulla Creek 3 2013 — Adairsville 42, Coahulla Creek 16 2012 — Adairsville 49, Coahulla Creek 7 Projections: CalPreps — Adairsville by 20 Massey — Adairsville by 18 Maxwell — Adairsville by 23 -- series data from GHSFH

Cass softball scored in four of five innings and defeated the visiting Rome Wolves Tuesday night in five innings, 13-5. The Lady Colonels took a 7-2 lead in the second inning and were up 9-5 heading to the bottom of the fifth inning when they finished off the Lady Wolves with four runs. Kylee Hembree (2 IP, 2ER, 5H, 3BB) was the starting and winning pitcher for Cass. Macenzie Dougharty (3 IP, 3R, 2ER, 7H, 1BB) closed out the win. Cassie Covington and Abi Curry both had three hits for Rome (1-15, 0-10). Ansley Hight had a double, a triple, a sacrifice fly, and four RBI to lead the Lady Colonels offense. Kelly Young also had two hits. Eryn Lee finished with a hit and two RBI. Rachael Lee doubled with one RBI. Hembree contributed a hit and one RBI. Macenzie Dougharty and Haley Smith added one RBI apiece. Cass (8-8, 4-6) hosts Kell Thursday and will play Friday and Saturday in the Score International Tournament at Warner Park in Chattanooga. PHOTO: Cass coach Taylor Weeks discusses the situation with the Lady Colonels' infielders. CARROLLTON 3, WOODLAND 0 Carrollton scored all three of the game’s runs in the bottom of the first inning Tuesday evening as the host Lady Trojans blanked Woodland, 3-0. Carrollton pitcher Olivia Fannin struck out six and allowed only a pair of hits in a complete game effort. Hope Schultz suffered the pitching loss for Woodland despite not allowing an earned run and only two hits. She walked four and struck out one. Bella Carnes had both hits for the Lady Cats and stole two bases. Kate Albertus drove in all three runs for Carrollton (17-1, 10-0) with a two-out double in the bottom of the first inning. The key hit chased home a pair of walks and a batter who reached on an infield error. Woodland (9-7, 6-4 in Region 7-AAAAA) will play in the Score International Tournament in Chattanooga this weekend with games against Gordon Lee, Ringgold, and Wesleyan.

The Cartersville High School volleyball team swept a pair of Region 5-AAAA matches Tuesday night at Troup County High School defeating Chapel Hill in straight sets before outlasting the host Tigers in three sets. In their opener, the Lady Canes beat Chapel Hil 25-22 and 25-16. “We started slowly,” said Cartersville coach Dutch Cothran. “The second set were were sharper and controlled the ball much better. We also served better, compiling eleven aces in that match.” In Cartersville’s second match, the Lady Canes trailed early and lost the first set before closing out the match over the final two sets. Troup won the first set 25-18 with the Hurricanes winning the next two sets 25-10 and 15-12. “We made a couple of plays that were ill-advised in that opening set after battling back to tie it at 16,” noted Cothran, “but we played a lot better in the second set. Lily Gochee gave us a big lift in the final set with some outstanding serves. Overall, it was an unselfish, team win tonight. I’m really proud of the girls.” Cartersville (16-9, 4-0 Region 5-AAAA) hosts North Paulding and Hiram in non-region matches Thursday night at the Storm Center. The next region matches for the Lady Canes will be the following Tuesday in the Storm Center. “We will have a chance to win the regular season region championship next Tuesday. That would give us the opportunity to host the region tournament finals in October,” concluded Cothran. PHOTO: Randy Parker/The Daily Tribune News CASS 2, ROME 1 KELL 2, CASS 0 The Lady Colonels split home region matches with Rome and Kell Tuesday night on the Cass High School campus. Rome won the opening set 25-16 before the Lady Colonels responded with wins in the final two sets 25-21 and 15-5. In the finale’, Kell took care of business defeating Cass 25-8 and 25-13. Cass head coach Alan Potter said Tuesday night that senior Keegan Krause played well and provided excellent serves against Rome. He also credited the play of sophomore Kia Perkinson who filled in as setter.

In a battle for the No. 2 spot in the Region 7-AAAAA standings Monday night, East Paulding won at Woodland 5-3. The visiting Lady Raiders scored three times in the top of the first inning and extended their lead to 4-0 in the top of the third. Woodland chipped away with a run in the third and two more in the fifth inning, but got no closer. East Paulding added an insurance run in the seventh on a Madison Moreland home run. Raiders pitchers Kaitlin Walden and Kyra Lightner combined in the circle for a three hitter. Walden worked the first five innings and struck out four. Lightner retired the final six outs with one strikeout. Lainey Baker (7 IP, 5ER, 7H, 2BB, 9K) went the distance in the circle and was saddled with the pitching loss for the Lady Cats. Hannah Davis had two hits for the Raiders. Walden finished with a double and three RBI. Maggie O’Kelley doubled home a run. Graci Summers and Alyssa Salois had the other East Paulding safeties. Kendyl Hardin had a two-run double for Woodland in the fifth inning that cut the East Paulding lead to 4-3. Ansley Evans had an infield hit earlier in the same frame. Bella Carnes had the other Wildcats hit. East Paulding improved to 10-8 overall and 7-2 in region play. It gets no easier for Woodland (9-6, 6-3) who had a seven game winning streak snapped. The Lady Cats travel to region-leading Carrollton Tuesday for a 5:55 p.m. first pitch. The Lady Trojans are 15-1 for the season and 8-0 in the region. CARTERSVILLE 20, DARLINGTON 3 Cartersville trailed 3-0 after one inning at Darlington Monday evening, but from the second inning forward the Lady Canes dominated in a 20-3, four-inning, non-region win. Cartersville scored four runs in the second inning, seven in the third, and plated nine runs in the fourth while pounding out 17 hits. Kiley Arnold (4 IP, 3R, 1ER, 4H, 1BB, 1K) was the winning pitcher for Cartersville. Lily Fowler (4 IP, 20R, 5ER, 17H, 3BB, 2K) suffered the pitching loss for the host Tigers. Her defense committed five errors behind her. AnnaKate McElhaney had three hits and drove in three runs for the Lady Canes. Hope Short also finished with three hits, including a double. Cio Seigler drove in a pair of runs and had two hits including a double. Arnold also contributed two hits and one RBI. Rylie Harris (3 RBI), Ava Perkins (2 RBI), Lauren McElhaney, and Campbell Rogers contributed one hit apiece. Mikey Lewis drove in a run. The loss drops Darlington to 0-7 for the season. Cartersville (10-9, 4-4 Region 5-AAAA) hosts Coahulla Creek in another non-region game Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. before returning to region play Thursday and Saturday at home against Sandy Creek and LaGrange. Thursday’s game is a 5:55 p.m. start. Saturday’s game will begin at 12:30 p.m. VILLA RICA 10, CASS 9 The Lady Colonels never trailed Monday night at Villa Rica until the final at-bat of the game when Autumn Hale hit a walk-off, two-run home run that lifted the host Lady Wildcats to a dramatic 10-9 Region 7-AAAAA win over Cass. Each time the Lady Colonels built a lead, Villa Rica produced runs to stay close and a pair of two-run home runs in the bottom of the seventh provided the difference. Toree Wofford narrowed the Cass lead to 9-8 earlier in the seventh prior to Hale’s walkoff. Villa Rica hit two other homers in the contest. Madi Langford had a two-run blast in the third inning that cut the Cass lead to 4-3 and Emily Scara hit a solo shot in the fifth inning when the Lady Cats narrowed a Cass lead to 7-6. The Lady Colonels hit a pair of home runs themselves. Ansley Hight hit a two-run homer in the first inning that put Cass ahead 3-0. Haley Smith hit a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning as the Lady Colonels built a 7-3 lead. Langford, Wofford, Hale, and Addie Orr combined for eight hits and seven of Villa Rica’s RBI. Rachael Leet (6.2 IP, 10R, 7ER, 13H, 0BB, 3K) suffered the pitching loss for the Lady Colonels in a complete-game effort. Wofford (7 IP, 9R, 7ER, 12H, 1BB, 4K) was the winner in the circle for the Wildcats. Hight finished with three hits including a double, home run, and two RBI for Cass. Saydee Najarro had two hits including a double and three RBI. Smith had a single to go with her home run. Alexis Woods drove in two runs and had two hits. Kelly Young, Eryn Lee, and Rachael Lee had the other Colonels hits. With their win, Villa Rica moves to 7-7 overall and 5-4 in Region 7-AAAAA. The Wildcats also took over sole possession of fourth place in the league. Cass (7-8, 3-6) returns to the diamond Tuesday at home against Rome at 5:55 p.m. and will entertain Kell Thursday with the same starting time.

The Bartow County Panthers travel football teams hosted Northwest Georgia Youth Football League games Saturday at Cass High School’s Doug Cochran Stadium with all four teams coming away with victories. The 8U Panthers defeated the Bill Arp Falcons 13-6. The 9U Panthers shutout the Bill Arp Falcons 12-0. The 10U BC Panthers routed Bill Arp 40-0 and the 12U Panthers knocked off the 14th-ranked West Georgia Extreme 29-12. 8U BARTOW COUNTY PANTHERS 13, BILL ARP FALCONS 6 In 8U action, Bartow gave up a second quarter, 97-yard touchdown run by Carson Bowen to trail 6-0 at halftime, but came-from-behind with a pair of second half touchdowns for the win. Landon Smith tied the game with a 7-yard touchdown run with 1:36 remaining in the third quarter and Bartow took the lead for good with 2:51 left in the game on a 3-yard touchdown run by Anthony Moreno. Moreno, who rushed for 50 yards in the game, added a one-point, extra-point run for the Panthers’ 13-6 margin. Smith had 60 yards on the ground for Bartow County and Gary Douglas added a 50-yard run. Cole Williams was 1-of-2 passing with the lone reception of 20 yards made by Jaiden Taylor. “We came out in the second half and played lights out,” said 8U coach LaShon Darby. “This team shows they have a lot of fight in them. They are going to play four quarters and that’s all we can ask of them.” Defensively, Karsin Darby led the 8U Panthers with six tackles. Dougas had five stops. Isaiah Pittman made four tackles. Taylor finished with three and Braxton Mealor added two tackles. Smith had an interception and returned it 50 yards. Bartow Panthers 8U (1-1) travels to Coweta County Saturday for a 12:30 p.m. game against the host Shaprsburg Stallions (0-2). 9U BARTOW COUNTY PANTHERS 12, BILL ARP FALCONS 0 The 9U Panthers defense pitched a shutout and the offense got a 13-yard touchdown run by Kaiden Kent in the second quarter to go with a 16-yard scoring run by Cooper Melvin in the final minute of the fourth quarter to defeat the Bill Arp Falcons, 12-0. The loss dropped Bill Arp to 0-2 in NWGYFL play. Bartow Panthers 9U (1-0) travels to Halbrooks Field in Cobb County Saturday for a 2 p.m. kickoff against the Acworth Warriors (1-1). The 9U BC Panthers are ranked No. 10 in Georgia by D1 Nation Youth Football. 10U BARTOW COUNTY PANTHERS 40, BILL ARP FALCONS 0 Grayson Warmack rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another as the 10U Bartow County Panthers blanked the Bill Arp Falcons Saturday at Cass High School, 40-0. It was the Division 2 opener for both teams in the NWGYFL. The 10U Panthers raced to a 26-0 lead before the intermission and the defense completed the shutout in the second half. Warmack had touchdown runs from 3-, 20-, and 22-yards. His touchdown pass was to Jeremy Dent Jr. for 32 yards in the fourth quarter. He also converted one of two, 2-point extra point kicks. Clayton Hilburn had a 35-yard touchdown run in the first quarter that gave the Panthers a 13-0 lead. He also contributed a pair of 1-point PAT runs. Demarcus Ballenger scored on a three-yard plunge in the second quarter to put Bartow up 26-0 at the time. The Bartow County 10U Panthers (1-0) play at the Sharpsburg Stallions Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Sharpsburg (1-0) defeated the Winston Knights last Saturday 25-20 in their opening league game. 12U BARTOW COUNTY PANTHERS 29, WEST GEORGIA EXTREME 12 With sweltering temperatures approaching the 100 degree mark down on the new sports turf of Doug Cochran Stadium at Cass High this past Saturday afternoon, the 12U Bartow County Panthers maintained their composure and defeated the 14th-ranked West Georgia Extreme 29-12. The Panthers defense had another outstanding game holding the Extreme to only 12 rushing yards on 19 attempts and 52 yards passing on 13 attempts. West Georgia’s touchdowns came on a second quarter pass and a pick-six that was returned 101 yards in the third quarter to keep the contest in question at 22-12. In all, the Panthers out-gained the Extreme 312 yards to 64 and the first down count was 15 to 2. Jacob Ellis ran for a 9-yard touchdown with 2:57 remaining in the opening quarter as Bartow took a 6-0 lead, but West Georgia answered and tied the game with the first touchdown of the year scored against the Panthers’ defense. A 14-yard scoring pass knotted the score at 6-6 with 6:48 remaining in the first half. The Panthers managed a 16-6 lead by the intermission on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Isaiah Livsey at the 2:03 mark of the second quarter. It was followed by a two-point conversion pass from Brodie McWhorter to Talan Nix and safety in the final seconds of the half. Ellis made the tackle for safety on the West Georgia quarterback with only three seconds remaining in the half. ​​ Bartow went up 22-6 with 1:09 remaining in the third quarter when McWhorter finished off a Panthers drive with a 1-yard run, but the Extreme stayed within striking range with a 101-yard interception return for touchdown with 0:01.3 left in the third quarter. The Panthers then put the game away with 6:49 remaining on Livsey’s second scoring run. The 33-yard dash to paydirt and an Ellis one-point PAT run provided the final 29-12 result. “I’m proud of the fact we kept our composure,” said Panthers coach Jackson Hyde following the game. “We had opportunities to let this one get away and we didn’t. We gave up our first touchdown of the year, gave up a big play with the pick-six, and it was at least 100 degrees on the turf, but it didn’t phase us. I’ve been coaching youth football for 20 years and this bunch is mentally tougher than any group I’ve had. They are special.” Bartow rushed for 250 yards and four touchdowns. Livsey finished with 71 yards on 14 carries and scored two touchdowns. Ellis totaled 72 yards on seven carries with a touchdown. Baylon Long contributed 72 yards rushing on 13 attempts and caught one pass for 27 yards. Delgado added 10 yards on three rushing attempts. McWhorter carried eight times for 25 yards and one touchdown. He also completed 4-of-9 passes for 62 yards with one pass intercepted. Cam Williams had a 22-yard reception. Nix caught two passes for 13 yards. The coaching staff reported offensive linemen Price Higgins, Cooper Moon, Brice Wilson, Judd Hyde, and Pierce Kincer graded out. On defense, Long had three tackles and one quarterback hurry. Ellis finished with 2.5 tackles, a sack, and a safety. Logan Shrewsbury contributed two tackles and broke up a pair of passes. Livsey had a pair of tackles and caused one fumble, and Brice Wilson finished with two tackles. Other contributors on defense included Xavier Parker, Kelson Mitchell, and Nix 1.5 tackles each. Davis Waddell had a tackle and recovered a fumble. Peyton Emery, Cooper Moon, and Bear McWhorter finished with one tackle each. Mason Tompkins was credited with 0.5 tackles and had an interception. Will Feuerbach added 0.5 tackles. The loss drops West Georgia Extreme to 1-1 in league action. With the win, the Panthers improved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in NWGYFL play. Their next league game is Saturday, September 21 when they host the Winston Knights at 4 p.m. at the old Cass High Cunningham Stadium. Winston is 1-0 in league play and plays at Marietta this Saturday. Youth football reports are presented on Bartow Sports Zone by CiCi's - Beyond Pizza in the Cherokee Place Shopping Center in Cartersville. Game reports are provided by the Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department, The Bartow County Parks and Recreation Department, and the Bartow Panthers youth travel football program.

This past week Sam Howard made four more relief appearances with the Colorado Rockies giving him a dozen for the season and just over 12 innings pitched with the Major League club. The organization's Triple-A Pitcher of the Year has a 3.38 ERA in his most recent ten appearances with 12 strikeouts. Vic Beasley and the Atlanta Falcons also started their regular season Sunday. The Adairsville native was part of three tackles in a 28-12 loss at Minnesota. Elsewhere across the nation, at least 17 college football players and athletes in cross country, volleyball, and soccer with community ties to Bartow County made their marks this past week with their respective collegiate programs. MLB SAM HOWARD — Colorado Rockies (6th yr. pro; LHP; Georgia Southern; Cartersville HS)… made four appearances this past week including two at Los Angeles and two at San Diego. He allowed a hit, but no runs and had a strikeout in a full inning of work last Monday night against the Dodgers during a 16-9 loss. Wednesday he retired both batters faced in a 7-3 loss to the first place Dodgers. Saturday, Howard got a groundout to retire his only batter faced in the sixth inning in an eventual 3-0 loss to the Padres and Sunday he walked the only batter he faced in the tenth inning in a 2-1 loss to San Diego. Over his last eleven appearances and 10.2 innings, he has a 3.38 ERA with 12 strikeouts. The Rockies are 60-84 and in last place in the NL West with 18 games remaining in the season. NFL VIC BEASLEY — Atlanta Falcons (5th yr. pro; OLB; Clemson; Adairsville HS)… had a pair of solo tackles and one assisted tackle Sunday in the Falcons’ 28-13 loss at Minnesota. Atlanta (0-1) hosts the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night. FOOTBALL TERRY BERDIN — Reinhardt University (So., SL, Cartersville HS)… caught a 35-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and had an eight yard rushing carry in the fourth quarter as the Eagles beat University of Pikeville (KY) 20-17 in overtime Saturday at home. Berdin also returned one kickoff for 16 yards. The NAIA 10th-ranked Eagles (2-0) travel to Campbellsville (KY) Saturday. CHRIS BLACKSTON — University of West Georgia (Sr., DB, Adairsville HS)… finished with four tackles and one quarterback hurry as the D2 15th-ranked Wolves won 37-9 at Catawba College (NC). UWG (1-0) travels to Gaffney, SC Saturday to take on Limestone. BRYCE BURGESS — Reinhardt University (So., RB, Adairsville HS)… had a pair of one-yard carries in the Eagles’ 20-17 OT win at home Saturday over University of Pikeville (KY). One carry was the in the second quarter, the other came in the fourth quarter. NAIA 10th-ranked Reinhardt (2-0) makes the trip to Campbellsville (KY) Saturday. KALEB CHATMON — Charleston Southern University (Fr., WR, Cartersville HS)… caught a pair of passes for a total of nine yards Saturday in the Buccaneers’ 72-10 loss at South Carolina. The freshman has seen playing time in both games so far this season. CSU (0-2) hosts North Carolina A&T this Saturday night. MARCUS CHILDERS — Northern Illinois University (R-Jr., QB, Adairsville HS)… saw his first action of the season Saturday in the Huskies’ 35-17 loss at 13th-ranked Utah. He was inserted about midway through the fourth quarter. He had a two-yard run to convert a 4th-and-1 and was 1-for-2 passing with a six-yard completion. NIU (1-1) plays at Nebraska Saturday night. JONATHAN CRUZ — UNC-Charlotte (So., PK, Cartersville HS)… missed his first PAT attempt Saturday but made the next three in the 49ers’ 56-41 loss at Appalachian State. Charlotte (1-1) hosts UMass Saturday night. KURTIS FEANNY — Lenoir-Rhyne University (So., OL, Woodland HS)… started at left guard Saturday night for a Bears offense that rolled up 408 yards of total offense including 256 on the ground in a 68-7 rout of visiting St. Augustine’s (NC) University. NCAA D2 8th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne travels to Richmond Saturday afternoon to face Virginia Union. MILLER FORRISTALL — University of Alabama (R-Jr., TE, Cartersville HS)… the Crimson Tide’s starter at tight end was not targeted in a 62-10 win Saturday over New Mexico State. Second-ranked Alabama (2-0) plays at South Carolina Saturday afternoon. GRANT HARRIS — Victor Valley CC (So., LB, Cartersville HS)… had three tackles including two for loss and a sack as the Desert Rams won their season opener at Los Angeles Valley Saturday 28-0. Victor Valley (1-0) travels to Cucamonga Saturday to play at Chaffey College. (Editor's note: file photo is from University of the Cumblerlands prior to Harris' transfer.) JACOREY JOHNS — Wake Forest University (R-Fr., LB, Cartersville HS)… had four tackles Friday night including a sack for a 10-yard loss as the Deamon Deacons improved to 2-0 with a 41-21 win at Rice. Wake hosts North Carolina Friday night in Atlantic Coast Conference action. BRADLEY KIRK — Shorter University (So., DB, Cartersville HS)… the Hawks starter at safety finished with four tackles in Saturday’s 48-10 loss at D1 East Tennessee State University. Shorter (0-1) starts Gulf South Conference play at home Saturday afternoon against University of West Florida. TREVOR LAWRENCE — Clemson University (So., QB, Cartersville HS)… tossed a second quarter 30-yard touchdown pass to Justyn Ross and scored on a one-yard run as the top-ranked Tigers beat visiting Texas A&M 24-10 Saturday afternoon. Lawrence was 24-for-35 for 268 yards and was picked off once. He added four rushing attempts including one ten yard run, but finished with -11 net due to sacks. Clemson (2-0) travels to Syracuse Saturday night. JACOB POTTER — Kennesaw State University (So., LS, Adairsville HS)… long snapper saw action Saturday afternoon in the FCS 7th-ranked Owls’ 26-23 overtime loss at Kent State. KSU (1-1) travels to Alabama State Saturday night. NICK ROOT — Carson-Newman University (Fr., OL, Cartersville HS)… started the season opener for the Eagles at left tackle in a 20-13 win over visiting West Florida last Thursday night. The Carson-Newman offense accumulated 422 total yards, including 334 on the ground. The Eagles (1-0) return to action Saturday, September 21 at 21st-ranked Wingate. JOHN SCIFERS — University of West Georgia (R-Jr., P/PK, Woodland HS)… punted four times for a 34.8 yard average Saturday in a Wolves’ 37-9 win at Catawba College. He had a long punt of 40 yards with one touchback and two punts downed inside the 20. NCAA D2 15th-ranked UWG plays at Limestone Saturday. AVERY SHOWELL — Georgia Tech (R-So., DB, Cartersville HS)… saw playing time in the Yellow Jackets’ 14-10 victory Saturday afternoon over University of South Florida. Georgia Tech (1-1) hosts The Citadel Saturday. JAKE WALKER — Furman University (Jr., TE, Cartersville resident, Darlington HS)… saw action but was not targeted in the Paladins’ 48-42 loss Saturday in Atlanta to Georgia State. FCS 11th-ranked Furman (1-1) plays at Virginia Tech Saturday afternoon. CROSS COUNTRY BAYLEE EVANS — Troy University (Fr., Woodland HS)… ran 11th overall and third on her team as the Lady Trojans finished second of three teams at the University of South Alabama Azalea City Classic in Mobile. Evans covered the 5k course in 21:43.2. Next for Troy is the Mountain Dew Invite this Saturday at the University of Florida. VOLLEYBALL NEDU EVANS — Augusta University (Fr., MH, Cartersville HS)… saw action in 11 of 12 sets Friday and Saturday as the Lady Jaguars split four matches. Augusta beat Converse and North Greenville Friday, but fell to Wingate and host Queens (NC) Saturday. Evans totaled 13 kills, five block assists, and seven digs in those four matches. Augusta (2-2) hosts the Augusta Volleyball Tournament Friday and Saturday where the Jags will face Albany State, King University (TN), and Emmanuel (GA). SOCCER HAVYN ISAAC — Georgia Military College (Fr., GK, Adairsville HS)… started in goal August 27 and made three saves in a 3-0 home loss to South Georgia State CC. She also made a second half appearance and had one save last Tuesday in a 6-0 win at Andrew College. The Bulldogs (1-2-1) host Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Friday afternoon. KURT MOORE — Birmingham Southern College (Sr., GK, Euharlee resident, Darlington HS)… made four saves last Wednesday in a 4-2 loss at Huntingdon College. He stopped both shots on goal last Friday in a 1-0 shutout of Gordon College and played all 110 minutes of an overtime tie at Emory University Sunday night making 11 saves. Birmingham Southern (1-2-1) makes a Texas swing this weekend playing at LeTourneau University Friday night and East Texas Baptist Sunday afternoon. MARISSA MOWRY — Anderson University (So., M, Cartersville HS)… was a starter and played all 90 minutes of a 2-1 home loss Saturday to Emmanuel College (GA). The Trojans (0-1) play at USC-Aiken Wednesday night. MADISON PUTZER — Young Harris College (Jr., MF, Cartersville HS)… entered off the bench in the 33rd minute and played 12 minutes of the first half in the Mountain Lions home opener last Thursday. It was an eventual 2-1 loss to West Georgia. Young Harris, who also lost Sunday to 21st-ranked Carson-Newman, hosts Tusculum University Tuesday night and Valdosta State Sunday afternoon. PAYTON PUTZER — Young Harris College (Jr., MF, Cartersville HS)… was a starter for the Mountain Lions in their home and season opener last Thursday against West Georgia. She played 68 minutes of a 2-1 loss. YHS (0-2) has matches this week at home on Tuesday night and Sunday afternon against Tusculum and Valdosta State. COURTNEY RHEA — Berry College (So., MF, Cartersville HS)… entered off the bench in the 35th minute and saw 10 minutes of first half action in the Vikings’ 1-0 home win last Wednesday over Piedmont College. She also played 35 minutes Sunday in Berry’s 7-0 rout of Wesleyan College. Rhea had one shot and was whistled for one foul in the win. RUSSELL SHEALY — University of Maryland (R-Fr., GK, Cartersville resident, Darlington Academy)… made his second start of the season for the defending national champions and 3rd-ranked Terrapins Friday night at UCLA. He was credited with a pair of saves in a 3-2 loss. Maryland (1-2) hosts Akron Friday night. LOGAN VERMAAS — University of North Georgia (Fr., D, Cass HS)… was a starter and played the entire first half of the Nighthawks’ home and season opening 4-1 win over Limestone College last Thursday night, but did not see action Sunday in a 2-0 win at West Georgia. This week UNG (2-0) entertains Valdosta State on Friday night.