February 14, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com The Woodland Wildcats won a third-straight game to open the 2026 season on Saturday, taking a 6-4 decision at Kennesaw Mountain. The Wildcats took advantage of a walk, a hit batter, an error, and a passed ball to break open a 4-4 game and scored twice in the top of the seventh inning. Alfredo Romo also had a clutch RBI single in the go-ahead frame. Woodland utilized six pitchers in brief stints during the win. Logan Smith (1.2 IP, 0R, 0H, 1K) collected the pitching win, retiring five outs in the fifth and sixth innings. Grant Tidwell (1 IP, 0R, 2H, 1K) closed out the final inning. Tucker James (2 IP, 1ER, 1H, 1K), Blake Forstie (0.2 IP, 2R, 1ER, 1H, 1BB), Brylon Reynolds (1.1 IP, 0R, 1H, 2K), and Jacob Tatum (0.1 IP, 1ER, 1H, 1K) also toed the rubber for the Wildcats. Sammy Ray (RBI) and Tidwell (double, RBI) each had two hits for Woodland. Romo (RBI), Clayton Wilkes, and Tucker James each added one hit. Preston Sorrells added one RBI. The loss dropped the Mustangs to 2-3 on the season. Woodland (3-0) hosts the Osborne Cardinals on Tuesday at 2 p.m., Woodland-Stockbridge on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., and visits North Cobb on Saturday at 1 p.m. CARTERSVILLE 4, HARRISON 1 The Purple Hurricanes broke open a 1-1 tie with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to defeat the visiting Harrison Hoyas on Saturday afternoon, 4-1, at Richard Bell Field. The Canes led 1-0 with a run in the second inning, but Harrison scored a run in the fifth to knot the score before the decisive Cartersville frame. Cartersville out-hit the Hoyas eight to three. Canes’ pitchers Nolan Elrod (3 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 6K), Cole Crawford (2 IP, 1ER, 1H, 2BB, 2K), and Logan Buchanan (2 IP, 0R, 1H, 2BB, 3K) controlled the Hoyas from the mound. Buchanan was the beneficiary of the three-run sixth to earn the pitching win. DH Tyler Hickman led the Canes’ bats with two hits, including a double and one RBI. Harris Turner (RBI), Cooper Reynolds (RBI), James Manring (double), and Elrod added one hit. Gianni Gandy picked up one RBI with a sacrifice fly. Harrison slipped to 0-2 on the young season. Cartersville (2-0) and ranked No. 2 in Class 4A welcomes Etowah — the No. 1 team in Class 6A  — on Tuesday for a 5:30 p.m. first pitch, before making a southeast Georgia road trip for games at Brunswick, at Glynn Academy, and against Ware County on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. CASS 12, SONORAVILLE 2 The Cass Colonels bounced back from a one-sided loss earlier in the day on Saturday to collect their first win of the 2026 season over Sonoraville, 12-2 in five innings. Cass scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning and added to the margin in each of the following frames, out-hitting the Phoenix ten to one in the contest. Darren Cole (3 IP, 1ER, 1H, 2BB, 4K) made the pitching start for the Colonels and was credited with the win. Noah Rogers (1 IP, 1ER, 0H, 4BB, 1K) and Dustin Wallin (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 2K) pitched in relief. Easton Lee (double, three RBI), Wallin (double, two RBI), and Landon Lamb each contributed two hits for Cass. Zach Stiles (triple, RBI), Rogers (RBI), Kasey Jacobs, and Aidan Castaneda (RBI) added one hit. Cole was credited with one RBI. Sonoraville, who routed East Paulding 19-2 earlier in the day, dropped to 2-3 on the season. Cass (1-2) hosts Model on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. and visits Adairsville on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. EAST PAULDING 24, CASS 8 East Paulding sent 20 batters to the plate and scored 14 runs in the top of the first inning in the first game of the day and rolled to a 24-8 win over Cass in four innings. The Colonels had five hits by five different players against the Raiders’ pitching, including a double by Aidan Castaneda and singles by Zach Stiles (RBI), Darren Cole, Kasey Jacobs, and Andrew Ray (RBI). Cass pitchers were roughed up for 23 earned runs on 23 hits, but Cole retired three of four batters faced, totaling one scoreless inning on the mound. DARLINGTON 3, ADAIRSVILLE 2 The Adairsville Tigers dropped a narrow 3-2 decision to the visiting Darlington Tigers on Saturday and suffered their first loss of 2026. Both teams posted a first-inning run. Darlington scored in the third to grab a 2-1 lead, but Adairsville tied the score again in the bottom of the fifth. Darlington pushed across the decisive run in the top of the sixth. Kaden Coker (5 IP, 2R, 1ER, 5H, 1BB, 6K) worked five solid innings on the mound in a pitching start for Adairsville. Tyler Parker (1 IP, 1ER, 3H) was the pitcher of record in the sixth and was saddled with the loss. Westin Barfield (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 1K) pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Harrison Cole and Barfield each contributed two hits for Adairsville at the top of the batting order. Hudson Parr (RBI) and Evan Hardin added one hit. Coker drove in one run. Darlington improved to 2-0 on the season. Adairsville (2-1) hosts Woodland-Stockbridge on Monday at 5:30 p.m. and Cass on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

February 15, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Georgia Highlands College baseball completed a four-game weekend sweep of visiting Lincoln Trail CC with two more wins on Saturday. The Chargers, who beat the Statesmen 17-0 and 11-4 on Friday, won 14-4 in five innings and 12-1  in six innings on Saturday. David McKechnie (4.2 IP, 4ER, 7H, 1BB, 9K) struck out nine and was the winning pitcher in Saturday’s opener. Sam Clower retired the game’s final out in relief. Matthew Perkins (5 IP, 1ER, 4H, 1BB, 4K) contributed a solid start in Saturday’s second game to earn a pitching victory. Jackson Scali retired all three batters he faced in the final frame. The Chargers hit five home runs in the first game on Saturday and rattled off 20 hits in the doubleheader. Caden Marcos led the GHC offense with a four-hit day that included three RBI. Andrew Bishop and Mason Moore contributed three hits each and plenty of production. Bishop had a homer, a double, and five RBI in the first game. Moore homered in both games, driving in three runs. Harper Davenport (double) and Hayden Miller (RBI) produced two hits on the day. Emilliano Dominguez launched a three-run homer in the opener. Jack Lloyd (double, two RBI), Wyatt Gatlin (solo home run), and Alex Karst added one hit. Lincoln Trail’s season record dropped to 2-6. The Chargers (12-4) host USC Salkehatchie for a doubleheader on Monday at 1 p.m. and will welcome Wabash Valley College (IL), Macomb CC (MI), and Catawba Valley CC (NC) on Friday through Sunday for the Georgia Highlands Classic.

February 14, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Georgia Highlands College softball split two games on Saturday at the Gadsden State Classic. The Chargers lost to the host Cardinals 8-4, but responded in their second game of the day with a 24-3 win over Alpena CC (MI).  Gadsden State scored six runs in the first inning to build an early advantage. The Chargers narrowed the margin to 6-4 with a run in the third and three in the fourth, but the Cardinals put the game away with a two-run sixth inning. The Chargers trailed 2-1 to Alpena through two innings, but blasted the Lumberjacks’ pitching over the next three innings to score five runs in the third, nine in the fourth, and nine more in the fifth inning. GHC totaled 20 hits in the game and took advantage of five Alpena CC errors. Cece Williams earned the pitching win for Georgia Highlands. Alivia Fannin (five RBI) and Williams (RBI) each had five hits in the two games to lead the Chargers’ bats. Athens Hudson had four hits, including a home run, two doubles, and seven RBI in the Alpena game. Gracie Azpetia had four hits on the day with one RBI. Emily Ferro contributed three hits and one RBI in the two games. Emmalee Freeman (double, two RBI) and Emma Darrow (RBI) each added two hits. Georgia Highlands (3-5) welcomes Cleveland State CC for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Tuesday, and will entertain Gaston College (NC) for two games on Saturday.

February 14, 2026 Photos: Adairsville Wrestling Community / Facebook Adairsville High School wrestler Jaylee Long won the 100-pound GHSA Girls State Championship on Saturday in Morrow. Long was seeded 15th in the 16-wrestler all-classification field, but won four straight bouts on Friday and Saturday to capture the title. She won her first two bouts by pinfall on Friday, including a pin of 2nd-seeded Tatum Rooks of Shiloh. Long won by major decision in the state semifinals on Saturday, defeating Harley Nash of Veterans High School.  In the state championship bout against Emma Thomas of Mill Creek, Long scored a takedown in all three periods en route to a 10-2 major decision.

February 14, 2026 The Cartersville boys basketball team lost its regular-season final game on Saturday, falling to host Darlington 91-57 at the Darlington Valentine Day Showcase Invitational. The host Tigers improved to 23-2 on the season with the non-region win. Cartersville (20-5) will play next on Thursday at home in the semifinal round of the Region 7-AAAA tournament. The Canes will play either Allatoona, Cedartown, or Woodland.  Woodland plays Cedartown on Monday. The winner plays Allatoona on Wednesday, and the survivor faces Cartersville in the semifinals.

February 14, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com The Georgia Highlands College softball team dropped two games on Friday at the Northeast Alabama Classic, losing to the McLennan CC Highlanders of Waco, Texas, 11-2, and host Northeast Alabama CC 9-0. McLennan broke open a 2-2 game in the bottom of the third inning by posting five runs. The Highlanders added four more runs over the next two frames for their victory and out-hit the Chargers eight to two. Northeast Alabama scored three runs in the first, second, and fourth innings as the Mustangs blanked Georgia Highlands. Pitcher Addie Edwards tossed a five-inning complete game for Northeast Alabama and struck out eight. Four Chargers each had one hit in Friday’s two games, including Ahmani Green (RBI), Mary Catherine Kimball (RBI), Emmalee Freeman (double), and Emily Ferro. Three pitchers saw action in the circle on Friday, including Haley Curtis (2.1 IP, 7R, 6ER, 4H, 2BB, 1K), Athens Hudson (3.1 IP, 5ER, 2BB), and Emily Ferro (3 IP, 8R, 3ER, 6H, 2BB, 1K). Georgia Highlands (2-4) plays two games on Saturday at the Gadsden State Classic and returns home on Tuesday to host Cleveland State.

February 14, 2026 Boys Basketball Region 7-AAAA At Cartersville
High School Monday (2/16)
 #6 Cedartown vs. #7 Woodland, 5:30
 #5 Cass vs. #8 Southeast Whitfield, 8:30 
 Tuesday (2/17)
 #3 Allatoona vs. #6 Cedartown/#7 Woodland, 5:30
 #4 Dalton vs. #5 Cass/#8 Southeast Whitfield, 8:30
 Thursday (2/19)
 #2 Cartersville vs. #3 Allatoona/#6 Cedartown/#7 Woodland, 5:30
 #1 Hiram vs. #4 Dalton/#5 Cass/#8 Southeast, 8:30
 Friday (2/20)
 Consolation: 5:30
 Championship: 8:30 Girls Basketball Region 7-AAAA At Cartersville
High School Monday (2/16) #6 Cedartown vs. #7 Southeast Whitfield, 4:00
 #5 Hiram vs. #8 Woodland, 7:00
 Tuesday (2/17)
 #3 Cass vs. #6 Cedartown/#7 Southeast Whitfield, 4:00
 #4 Allatoona vs. #5 Hiram/#8 Woodland, 7:00
 Thursday (2/19)
 #2 Cartersville vs. #3 Cass/#6 Cedartown/#7 Southeast, 4:00
 #1 Dalton vs. #4 Allatoona/#5 Hiram/#8 Woodland, 7:00
 Friday (2/20)
 Consolation: 4:00
 Championship: 7:00 Boys Basketball Region 7-AAA Saturday (2/14)
 At Adairsville
High School #6 Adairsville vs. #7 Ridgeland, 1:00
 Tuesday (2/17)
 At Northwest Whitfield
High School #4 LaFayette vs. #5 Gilmer, 6:00
 #3 Northwest Whitfield vs. #6 Adairsville/#7 Ridgeland, 7:30
 Wednesday (2/18)
 At Calhoun
High School #2 Heritage-Catoosa vs. #3 Northwest Whitfield/#6 Adairsville/#7 Ridgeland, 5:30
 #1 Calhoun vs. #4 LaFayette/#5 Gilmer, 8:30
 Friday (2/20)
 At Calhoun
High School Consolation: 5:30
 Championship: 8:30 Girls Basketball Region 7-AAA Saturday (2/14)
 At LaFayette
High School #6 LaFayette vs. #7 Calhoun, 2:00
 Monday (2/16)
 At Ridgeland
High School #4 Northwest Whitfield vs. #5 Adairsville, 6:00
 #3 Ridgeland vs. #6 LaFayette/#7 Calhoun, 7:30
 Wednesday (2/18)
 At Calhoun
High School #2 Gilmer vs. #3 Ridgeland/#6 LaFayette/#7 Calhoun, 4:00
 #1 Heritage-Catoosa vs. #4 Northwest Whitfield/#5 Adairsville, 7:00
 Friday (2/20)
 At Calhoun
High School Consolation: 4:00
 Championship: 7:00

February 14, 2026 Georgia Highlands College baseball routed visiting Lincoln Trail College (IL) in both games of a doubleheader on Friday, winning 17-0 and 11-4. The Chargers peppered the Statesmen in Game 1 with 17 hits, and Noah McMahon tossed a five-inning, three-hit shutout while striking out six. GHC had 12 more hits in Friday’s second game, and three pitchers — Kaiden Krak, Reed Thursby, and Heath Whitlock — limited the Lincoln Trail offense. Krak (5 IP, 1ER, 3H, 1BB, 5K) made the Game 2 start and collected the pitching victory.  Caden Marcos (double, two RBI) and Kenton Collier (double, four RBI) led the Chargers’ offense in the doubleheader with four hits each. Ian Fullerton had three hits and five RBI. Wyatt Gatlin also had three hits (home run, double, five RBI) all in Game 2. Andrew Bishop (double, sac fly, four RBI), Emilliano Dominguez (two RBI), and Aidan Larkin (double, RBI) added two hits on Friday. Georgia Highlands (10-4) hosts Lincoln Trail (2-4) for two more games on Saturday, starting at noon.

February 12, 2026 The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes edged out the visiting Ringgold Tigers 1-0 in a hard-fought boys soccer matchup on Thursday night, securing a gritty shutout victory on their home pitch. The game remained scoreless through a tense first half, with both defenses holding firm and neither side creating clear-cut chances. The breakthrough came in the 63rd minute, when the Hurricanes were awarded a penalty kick after a foul in the penalty area. Junior Fily Duarte stepped up to take the spot kick, but his initial attempt was denied by the Ringgold goalkeeper. Undeterred, Duarte pounced on the rebound, calmly pushing the deflected ball into the back of the net to give Cartersville the 1-0 lead. The Tigers pushed forward in search of an equalizer, generating pressure as the clock ticked down. Ringgold's best opportunity came on a dangerous breakaway in the 70th minute, but Hurricanes goalkeeper Cash Priest made a crucial save to preserve the clean sheet and deny the visitors. Cartersville's back line stood tall the rest of the way, frustrating Ringgold's attacks and protecting the narrow advantage until the final whistle. The win improves the Purple Hurricanes to 2-1 on the young season, Ringgold drops to 1-1. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 7, RINGGOLD 1 Mallory Nicklas (5) finished with two goals and three assists against Ringgold on Feb. 12. Photo by JP Morrow Scott Barkley / CanesAthletics.com Mallory Nicklas and Mary Beth Hackney each scored twice, with Lexi Fennelly, Scout Hullander, and Allie Evans also finding the goal as the Lady Canes got their first win of the year, 7-1, over Ringgold in Weinman Stadium on Thursday night, Feb. 12. Nicklas also had three assists on the evening. Hackney added two assists, and Elizabeth Villela delivered one.  Hackney opened the scoring in the 7th minute, set up by a cross from Nicklas. Fennelly added another seven minutes later for the 2-0 score. Ringgold then took advantage of a free kick near midfield at 30’ to set up a run that drew the difference to 2-1. CHS would score three times in the final ten minutes of the half, though. It began at 32’ with Nicklas curving a straight-on shot over the keeper from 30 yards out for the 3-1 lead. Evans added another minutes later, before Nicklas struck again with a 20-yarder from the left, outside of the box and into the opposite corner, bringing the halftime lead to 5-1.  The Lady Canes kept the pressure after the break, scoring twice in the first four minutes with goals by Hullander and Hackney.  “It was an exciting night,” said head coach MaryBeth Popham. “We started a little slow, but momentum shifted, and they started playing up to their level. They worked together, communication improved, and scored goals.” The team is beginning without two key leaders and scorers from last season. Kylie McMichael left the team to pursue an opportunity for flag football at Emmanuel University. Annabelle “AB” Williams experienced a torn ACL during club play in the fall, then reinjured it during school and needed further surgery. She will be assisting from the sidelines this season. “They’re all still learning how to mesh together, trusting each other, but I can see that happening,” said Popham.  CHS moves its record to 1-2 after losses to Cherokee and Calhoun. They return to action on Feb. 17 at Heritage.

February 14, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com The Excel Christian Academy boys’ basketball team advanced to the Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools (GAPPS) Final Four by defeating the Alleluia Community Angels on Friday night in Emerson, 87-75, in the state quarterfinals. The defending state champions and host Eagles led 27-23 after one quarter and 47-42 at halftime, before extending the advantage to 74-61 in the third quarter. Mason McKinney led four Eagles in double figures with 21 points. Mier Bell finished with 18. Damir McBride posted 17 points, and Aston Chappell added 11 in the win. Alleluia Community of Augusta was led by Evan Laddbush with 26 points, including eight made three-pointers. ECA advanced to the GAPPS Final Four on Tuesday at Gordon State College in Barnesville. The Eagles will square off with Sugar Hill Christian Academy of Gwinnett County at 4 p.m. The other state semifinal will feature Praise Academy of Powder Springs against Promise Prep Academy of Dawsonville at 1:30 p.m., also at Gordon State College. The two state semifinal winners will play for the GAPPS Class A state championship at Gordon State on Saturday, February 21, at 1:30 p.m.

February 13, 2026 The Woodland Wildcats edged out the Cherokee Warriors 2-1 in a tense penalty kick shootout on Friday night in Canton, improving to 2-0 on the young season. The non-region clash at Cherokee's home field went to penalties after a hard-fought 1-1 draw through regulation. Cherokee struck first in the first half when a Warriors player found the net in the 6th minute, putting the home side ahead. Woodland responded quickly, with Hunter Limbaugh equalizing in the 15th minute. Goalkeeper Seth Goodall made one key save to keep it level heading into halftime at 1-1. The second half was a defensive battle, with no goals scored.  Goodall stood tall in net for Woodland, turning away 7 saves to preserve the tie and force extra time and penalty kicks. In the shootout, Luis Sanchez, Saul Ortega, and Limbaugh converted for the Wildcats, while Goodall blocked one Cherokee shot. The Warriors had an opening attempt sail high, and another banged off the side post.  With the Warriors’ final miss, the Wildcats secured the dramatic victory. Goodall’s eight total saves across regulation and the shootout proved decisive, anchoring a Woodland defense that bent but never broke in the second half. The loss dropped Cherokee to 1-2 on the season. Woodland (2-0) will host North Cobb on Tuesday at 5 p.m., looking to keep their perfect start rolling. CHEROKEE 8, WOODLAND GIRLS 0 The Cherokee Lady Warriors blanked the visiting Woodland Lady Cats on Friday night, 8-0. Cherokee improved to 3-0 in the young season. Woodland dropped to 0-2. Woodland will host North Cobb at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

February 12, 2026 The Cass Lady Colonels battled hard but fell just short in a 2-1 heartbreaker against the East Paulding Lady Raiders on Thursday evening. The host Lady Raiders struck early to seize control. They converted a penalty kick in the opening minutes, followed by a well-executed corner kick goal, leaving Cass trailing 2-0 at halftime. But the Lady Colonels showed resilience after the break. Freshman Chloe Hunt ignited the comeback hopes, netting a goal early in the second half to make it 2-1. From there, Cass found new energy, but failed to score an equalizer.  The team dominated possession and dictated the tempo for much of the second half, with junior captain Zoe Bailey and senior Amy Villanueva spearheading an attack that challenged East Paulding. In the midfield, freshman Jillian Silva, junior Ryland Piatt, and senior Gracey Nash were solid, winning balls, forcing turnovers, and maintaining control to fuel the offensive pressure. The back line—anchored by senior captain Hayleigh McGeehan, junior Shania Hernandez, and junior Fatima Lopez—stood firm, while senior goalkeeper Layla Allgood delivered multiple clutch saves to keep her team within striking distance. East Paulding improved to 1-1 on the young season with the win. Cass, now 0-1, will look to bounce back when they host Darlington on February 24. "I'm proud of the fight in our girls," said Cass coach Kyle Calandra. "This is only the beginning for this group."