Cass baseball scored seven runs over the Colonels’ final three offensive frames and won a back-and-forth Region 7-AAAAA tilt with 7th-ranked Villa Rica Monday night at the Cass Athletic Complex, 10-6. The visiting Wildcats out hit Cass ten to eight, but the Colonels took advantage of more scoring opportunities. Cass took a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but Villa Rica tied the score in the top of the second. The Colonels went back ahead with a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth to lead 6-3. Photo by TCPics: Blaine Ingram followed up an All-Tournament Team performance at the Toyo Tires Battle for Bartow Baseball Classic with a two-hit game at Villa Rica. Villa Rica answered again in the top of the sixth with three runs to knot the score again at 6-6, but a four-run bottom of the sixth for Cass made the difference in the Colonels’ 10-6 win. Three pitchers kept Cass in the contest. Jayden Smith (5 IP, 3ER, 6H, 3BB, 3K) started and received no decision. Clay Means (1 IP, 3R, 2ER, 3H, 1BB) gave up the lead in the sixth inning, but was credited with the pitching win when the Colonels rallied in the bottom of the frame. Thomas Botts (1 IP, 0R, 1H, 2K) closed out the seventh inning. Logan Nelson (2 RBIs), Blaine Ingram (photo), and Matt Shook (double) paced the Cass offense with two hits each. Bryson Markley, Means, and Botts (RBI) had the other Cass base hits. Sam Melton drove in one run with a first inning groundout and another with a bases loaded walk in the sixth. Smith drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. Villa Rica slipped to 3-6 overall and is now 0-1 in region action. Cass (5-4, 1-0) plays at Villa Rica Wednesday at 5:55 p.m.

The 'Athletes Beyond Bartow' update for basketball and spring sports for the week ending March 3. NOTE: The update for baseball and softball was published separately this week and may be viewed HERE. Note: Nicholas Sullivan of The Daily Tribune News contributed to this report. PRO BASKETBALL Elijah Robinson (Villa San Martin, Argentina, Excel) — Robinson had a double-double in a losing effort, but his 21 points were enough to help Villa San Martin salvage a split of its two games this past week. He scored 16 points and added 10 rebounds in a 104-101 loss to Olimpico Ceres. Robinson went off for 21 points, six rebounds and four assists in an 87-74 win over Independiente. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Ryan Davis (Francis Marion Sr., Cartersville) — Davis racked up a combined 34 points in helping Francis Marion finish 1-1 in the final week of the regular season. His 15 points were key in an 80-72 triumph over UNC-Pembroke, but Davis' 19 points weren't enough in an 86-63 defeat to Georgia College. He added four total assists and the same number of rebounds across the two games. Francis Marion will open the Peach Belt Conference tournament against Young Harris on Wednesday in what should be a high-scoring affair after the teams piled up 435 total points in two regular-season meetings. Ashton Hagans (Kentucky Fr., Cartersville native) — Hagans continues to see a huge number of minutes for the Wildcats, playing 36 of a possible 40 in each of Kentucky's two games this past week. He had seven points, four assists and two rebounds in a comeback win over Arkansas. Hagans finished with five points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal in a blowout loss to Tennessee. Kimora McClinic (Middle Georgia State So., Cartersville) — McClinic scored two points in six minutes during a first-round win over Faulkner (Alabama) in the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament Wednesday. Middle Georgia State's season ended the next day in a loss to No. 1 seed Bethel (Tennessee). Jonathan Pritchett (Vermont Tech So., Woodland) — Pritchett played 15 total minutes, as Vermont Tech won its first two games during the United States Collegiate Athletic Association national championship tournament. He finished with no points but did have three rebounds and two assists across the two games. The Knights earned an 89-73 win over Penn State Mont Alto in the first rebound Sunday before rallying to a 70-66 victory against Villa Maria Monday. Vermont Tech will face Penn State Wilkes-Barre in the semifinals Tuesday. Jaylon Pugh (Furman Fr., Cartersville) — Pugh saw two minutes of action, but he didn't record any stats in a 71-50 win over Chattanooga on Saturday. Carrod Watson (North Georgia Jr., Woodland) — Watson played an eventful minute in a midweek loss to Lander University, missing a shot, grabbing a rebound and dishing out an assist. He didn't feature in a season-ending overtime loss to Georgia Southwestern State on Saturday. TENNIS Peyton Gollhofer (Ball State Sr., Cartersville native) — Gollhofer continued her remarkable senior season with another perfect showing in Ball State's 6-1 win over Oakland. She eased to a 6-2, 6-2 victory on Line 3 singles and teamed with Isabelle Dohanics for a 6-2 triumph in doubles action. Gollhofer has started the year with a combined 16-1 record, including an 8-0 mark in singles play. TRACK AND FIELD Spencer Fields (Rhodes Sr., Kingston native) — Fields placed fourth in the 1500-meter run in the Mississippi College Season Opener to kick off outdoor track and field season over the weekend in Clinton, Mississippi. He completed the event in 4 minutes, 4.59 seconds — just 0.11 seconds behind his teammate Adam Hearn. Fields and Hearn also competed on the Rhodes "B" team in the 4x400 relay event, finishing ninth.

On a cold evening for tennis, both Cartersville teams won at Woodland Monday by final scores of 3-2. The Lady Canes took Line 1 singles and both doubles lines for their victory while the Canes captured Line 3 singles and both doubles lines. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 3, WOODLAND 2 Singles Line 1 — Emily Bush (C) d. Becky Wesley, 6-0, 6-0 Line 2 — Breanna Shook (W) d. Chloe Satterfield (C), 6-3, 6-1 Line 3 — Kayla Gales (W) d. Madison Ferdon (C), 6-0, 6-0 Doubles Line 1 — Lydia Wiedetz/Alice Terry (C) d. Emma Savage/Eryn Gentry (W), 6-4, 7-5 Line 2 — Mason Cline/Mia Shaw (C) d. Abigail Spaulding/Monterya Morrow, 6-1, 6-1 CARTERSVILLE BOYS 3, WOODLAND 2 Singles Line 1 — Bryce VanOrder (W) d. Will Allen (C), 7-5, 6-4 Line 2 — Connor Gunnell (W) d. Luke Kotteman (C), 6-3, 6-2 Line 3 — Griffin Shaw (C) d. Adam Pirkle (W), 6-0, 6-3 Doubles Line 1 — Nate McDonald/Luke Gambill (C) d. Keegan Gallagher/Garrett Wesley (W), 6-0, 7-6 (9-4) Line 2 — Jackson Cline/John Blackhall (C) d. Ian VanOrder/Mason Tucker (W), 6-2, 6-0 NEXT: Woodland hosts East Paulding Tuesday evening.

The current best performances of the 2019 season for local high school track and field athletes. SP= Shot Put DT = Discus Throw LJ = Lone Jump TJ = Triple Jump HJ = High Jump PV = Pole Vault

Former Cartersville Hurricanes Connor Justus and Sam Howard have already seen action with their respective Major League clubs in spring training action while another former Canes star, Anthony Seigler, continues to be considered one of the highest rated prospects in baseball. At the collegiate level, a trio of local baseball players -- Bailey Campbell (Cass), Tristin Smith (Adairsville), and Tyler Washington (Adairsville) -- helped Young Harris to a 5-1 week, while Elliott Anderson earned his second win of the year for Auburn and former Woodland standouts Mason Robinson and Cauy Williams had productive weeks. In college softball, former Cartersville outfielder Paris Poston played a key role for Columbus State as the Cougars went 5-0 for the week. ABOVE PHOTO: Connor Justus (left) and Sam Howard (right) have already seen action with the Los Angeles Angels and Colorado Rockies, respectively, during MLB Cactus League games this spring. NOTE: The remainder of this week's 'Athletes Beyond Bartow' will be published separately and may be viewed at this LINK. PRO BASEBALL SAM HOWARD — Colorado Rockies (6th yr. pro; LHP; Georgia Southern; Cartersville HS)… the non-roster invitee saw his first mound time last Monday working the fifth inning in the Rockies’ third game of the Spring Training schedule — a 12-5 win over Kansas City. Howard entered with Colorado up 9-3 and gave up an earned run on two hits (including a solo home run to Bubba Starling) and two walks. He struck out one. The Rockies are 2-7 in the Cactus League and have nine games this week including a pair of split-squad contests. CONNOR JUSTUS — L.A. Angels (4th yr. pro; MIF; Georgia Tech; Cartersville HS)… Justus saw his first action of Spring Training 2019 with the MLB club last Monday when he was inserted to play second base during a 4-3 Angels’ win over Milwaukee. He was 0-for-1 but coaxed a walk in a pair of plate appearances. Last Thursday he entered again at second base and went 1-for-2 with a double and scored a run during a 10-6 loss to the Texas Rangers. He was 0-for-1 in a pinch hitting role during an 11-2 win Saturday over the Cincinnati Reds and finished 0-for-2 in a start at shortstop Sunday — a 4-1 win over Oakland. The Angels are 7-3 through their first ten games of Cactus League action with nine games including a pair of split squad contests scheduled this week. ANTHONY SEIGLER — N.Y. Yankees (2nd yr. pro; C; Cartersville HS)… listed as one of the Yankees ten best prospects this past week as Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America, and Keith Law released their farm system rankings for 2019. The Yankees ranked between 12th and 20th overall, depending on the rankings of your choice. Seigler finished the 2018 season with the Rookie League Pulaski Yankees after a promotion from the Gulf Coast League Yankees West. He was the 23rd overall pick in the June 2018 MLB draft and is the first catcher drafted in Round 1 by the Yankees since 2004. During the MLB Winter Meetings, Yankees executive and Director of Scouting Damon Oppenheimer said the switch-hitting backstop projects with power from both sides of the plate and is a “plus” defender. MLB.com has only one Yankees’ prospect ranked ahead of Seigler heading into 2019. In 95 plate appearances in Rookie ball last year, he hit for a .266 average. Seigler will be assigned to his first full season of professional baseball following Spring Training — potentially with the Class A South Atlantic League Charleston River Dogs. COLLEGE SOFTBALL SARAH FOX — Agnes Scott College (Fr., Inf., Cass HS)… played in three of the Scotties’ four games this past week, but was 0-for-5 at the plate. Fox did draw one walk in a 3-0 home loss Friday vs. Greensboro. Agnes Scott (2-8) was 0-4 for the week and is now idle until Wednesday, March 13 when the Scotties travel to Birmingham Southern. SIERRAH GANI — Georgia Highlands CC (So., Inf., Cass HS)… started both of the Chargers’ games at second base Saturday as GHC split a doubleheader at East Georgia State CC. The Chargers won the opener 4-1, but dropped the second game 4-0. Gani, who has a .500 batting average with 18 RBIs through 16 games, was 0-for-5 Saturday with one run scored. Georgia Highlands hosts a pair of conference doubleheaders this week against visiting Gordon State Wednesday and Georgia Military College Saturday. SYDNEY HODORFF — LaGrange College (Sr., C/Inf., Woodland HS)… the Panthers finally got their season started last Wednesday, but failed to score in either game of a doubleheader at Birmingham Southern. Hodorff started at catcher in the opener, but was 0-for-3. LaGrange (0-2) had four more games postponed for weather over the weekend. The Panthers are schedule to play at Piedmont Thursday and host Fontbonne University (MO) Friday. HANNAH KNAPP — Talladega College (Jr., Inf., Adairsville HS)… went 1-for-5 and was hit by a pitch in a pair of starts last Wednesday at Bryan College (TN). The Tornadoes split a doubleheader with the Lions. Talladega had two other games cancelled for weather last week. The Tornadoes (3-7) host Ave Maria University Tuesday and travel to Brenau University Wednesday. PARIS POSTON — Columbus State University (Fr., OF, Cartersville HS)… helped the Cougars extend their current win streak to eight games with a 5-0 week. Poston, a starter in right field hitting .289 for the season, was 6-for-15 with four doubles and one RBI in the five games. She also scored four runs and was hit by a pitch. CSU won at University of Montevallo last Wednesday and then defeated Lynn University, Barry University, King University, and Coker College over the weekend during the CSU Classic at Cougar Field. Columbus State (13-6) entertains Palm Beach Atlantic Tuesday and Nova Southeastern Wednesday before traveling to Lincoln Memorial University Friday. The Cougars will then play four games Saturday and Sunday in the Tusculum University Invitational. HANNAH TODD — Kansas University (So.,, P, Cartersville HS)… entered in the fourth inning Saturday and recorded one out during the Jayhawks’ 8-7 nine-inning loss to Duke at the N.C. State/Duke Invitational. Todd allowed one earned run on two hits. Kansas finished 1-4 in the tournament with other losses to N.C. State, Mississippi State, and Campbell before a win over Charleston Southern. KU (4-14) hosts the Jayhawk Invitational Friday through Sunday where they will face Southeast Missouri twice, Maine twice, and Missouri-Kansas City. TAYLOR WAITS — Brewton-Parker College (Jr., OF, Cartersville HS)… entered as a pinch runner and scored a run in a 12-0 rout of visiting Fort Valley State last Wednesday. She then started in left field in the second game of a doubleheader and was 1-for-2 in a 5-2 win. The wins snapped a six-game losing streak for the Barons. BPC (4-8) hosts USC-Beaufort Wednesday and NAIA 8th-ranked University of Mobile for four games Friday and Saturday. ANNALYN YANTIS — Samford University (Sr., P, Cartersville HS)… started in the circle and was tagged with the loss in a five inning performance against Houston Baptist Friday during the Bulldogs’ Invitational Tournament in Birmingham. Yantis allowed on two earned runs (five runs total) on five hits and a pair of walks. She fanned one in the 6-2 loss. She also tossed four innings in relief during an 8-1 loss to Western Kentucky. Against the Hilltoppers, Yantis allowed two earned runs on six hits and one walk. Samford was 1-4 for the week with a win over Jackson State and losses to Jacksonville State, Houston Baptist, Evansville, and Western Kentucky. The Bulldogs (6-15) play at Troy Wednesday before traveling to the Murray State Racer Invitational Friday through Sunday to face the hosts, Northern Iowa, and Purdue-Fort Wayne. COLLEGE BASEBALL ELLIOTT ANDERSON — Auburn University (Jr., LHP, Cartersville HS)… made his fifth appearance of the season Saturday and picked up his second win of the year as the Tigers beat visiting Cincinnati 9-5. Anderson entered in the fourth inning and did allow his first and only earned run of the season working into eighth inning. He yielded three hits and a walk while striking out six. For the season, the southpaw has a 0.68 ERA with 17 strikeouts in just over 13 innings on the mound. 19th-ranked Auburn (9-2) has home games Tuesday and Wednesday with UT-Martin and will host a three-game weekend series with Texas-San Antonio. BAILEY CAMPBELL — Young Harris College (So., 1B/DH, Cass HS)… made five starts and one pinch hitting appearance last week as the Mountain Lions completed a 5-1 week. YHC swept a home doubleheader with Clark Atlanta last Tuesday, beat visiting Cedarville Thursday, and won two of three games over the weekend at UNC-Pembroke. Campbell was 8-for-19 for the week with a walk, a double, a home run, and five RBIs. He was also hit by a pitch twice. Through 14 games, he has a .396 batting average with a pair of homers and 20 RBIs. The Mountain Lions (11-7, 4-3 Peach Belt Conference) host Carson-Newman Tuesday, Southern Indiana Wednesday, and a three-game PBC series with Augusta University Friday through Sunday. CARRINGTON EVANS — Augusta University (R-So., OF, Cartersville HS)… started three of four games this past week for the Jaguars in left field. He was 1-for-4 with a triple, run scored, and one RBI during a 14-6 win Tuesday at Coker College. Evans then went 0-for-7 in the first two games of a three-game series at Columbus State where Augusta was swept. The Jaguars (8-10, 3-9 Peach Belt Conference) entertain Erskine College Tuesday, Saint Rose University Wednesday, and play a three-game conference series at Young Harris College Friday through Sunday. JOHN REED EVANS — Shorter University (Fr., C/OF, Cartersville HS)… did not have an at-bat, but entered the lineup in left field Saturday during a 13-3 home Gulf South Conference loss to NCAA D-II top-ranked Delta State. The Hawks dropped three of four games during the week with their lone win coming in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Shorter (8-7, 3-5) hosts a doubleheader with Morehouse College Wednesday and a three-game GSC series with Christian Brothers University Saturday and Sunday. LANE GRIFFITH — University of West Georgia (Jr., C, Adairsville HS)… came off the bench to catch and finished 0-for-3 last Wednesday in a 14-inning, 6-3 home loss to North Georgia. It was the Wolves’ only game of the week with their home conference series with University of West Alabama pushed back to Monday and Tuesday. UWG (4-11, 2-4) travels to Cleveland, Mississippi this weekend for a three-game set at No. 1 Delta State University. HUNTER HICE — University of South Caroline-Upstate (Fr., Inf., Adairsville HS)… seeing time as a second baseman, designated hitter, and in a pinch-hitting role, Hice appeared in all four Spartans’ games last week as USCU went 3-1 with a win at Davidson and took two of three at home against Ohio University. Hice was 1-for-6 for the week with a walk and a run scored during the week. The Spartans (5-6) travel to Wofford Tuesday and host a three-game series with Rutgers this weekend. HARRISON OSBORN — Point University (So., RHP, Cartersville HS)… started Saturday in the final game of a home conference series with Union College (KY) and was saddled with the pitching loss as the visiting Bulldogs avoided a series sweep. Osborn allowed seven earned runs on 10 hits and a walk through four innings. He recorded four strikeouts. 22nd-ranked Point (14-5, 2-1 Appalachian Athletic Conference) plays a doubleheader at Talladega College Tuesday and will host a three-game conference series with Montreat College (NC) Friday and Saturday. MASON ROBINSON — Louisiana Tech (R-Sr., OF, Woodland HS)… started in right field for all four of the Bulldogs’ wins last week. He was 1-for-5 with a sacrifice in a 5-3 win last Tuesday at Arkansas-Little Rock and finished 4-for-10 incuding a triple, homer, walk, HBP, three runs scored, and two RBIs in a three game home sweep of Arkansas State. Through 11 starts, Robinson has a .362 batting average with two home runs and eight RBIs. Louisiana Tech (9-2) hosts Northwestern State (LA) Tuesday before hitting the road for a three-game series at University of Arkansas this weekend. TRISTIN SMITH — Young Harris College (R-Sr., Inf., Adairsville HS)… started all six games for the Mountain Lions last week at second base as YHC won five of six. Smith hit safely in five games and was 8-for-24 for the week with a home run and two doubles. He added a walk, was hit by a pitch three times, and had seven RBIs. The Mountain Lions swept a doubleheader with Clark Atlanta, beat Cedarville University, and took two of three at 40th-ranked UNC-Pembroke. Young Harris (11-7, 4-3 Peach Belt Conference) hosts Carson-Newman Tuesday, Southern Indiana Wednesday, and a three-game PBC series with Augusta University this weekend. TYLER WASHINGTON — Young Harris College (Sr., OF, Adairsville HS)… started three games and appeared in five of the Mountain Lions games last week. He completed the week 2-for-12 at the plate with a walk, sacrifice bunt, and two runs scored. YHC was 5-1 for the week and improved to 11-7 overall and 4-3 in the Peach Belt Conference. The Mountain Lions host Carson-Newman, Southern Indiana, and conference foe Augusta University this week. CAUY WILLIAMS — Wallace State-Dothan CC (Fr., RHP, Woodland HS)… entered to pitch the fifth and sixth innings last Tuesday and picked up his first collegiate win in relief during a 6-5 victory at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Williams allowed one earned run on one hit and one walk and fanned one. He now has three appearances this season with a 3.60 ERA in five innings on the mound. The Governors (11-3) have won four straight and have games this week at home against Grand Rapids CC (MI), at Coastal Alabama-North CC Thursday, and at home against Coastal Alabama-North CC on Saturday.

The Woodland and Cartersville track and field teams competed this past weekend at two separate meets in Woodstock and Rome. Local competitors’ highlights from each meet are listed below. WOODLAND TRACK AND FIELD GIRLS THIRD, BOYS SIXTH AT WOODSTOCK WOLVERINE INVITATIONAL —Woodland girls placed third in the 17-team event —Woodland boys placed sixth of 19 boys teams —McKenna Trapheagen won the 3200 (10:58) and 1600 (5:08) —Carli Clymer placed second in the 1600 (5:15) and was second in the 800 —Tess Cochran placed fifth in the 3200 —Bella Carnes was sixth in the 200 and placed eighth in the 400 —Lady Cats’ 4x400 relay team placed third —Grace Webb won the high jump (5 ft., 4 in.) —Skylar Chappell was third in the discus throw (106 ft., 2 in.) —Brook Cooper placed sixth in pole vault (8 ft., 6 in.) —Jasmine Hill placed eighth in the long jump (14 ft., 8 in.) —Markal Brown won the long jump (21 ft., 2.5 in.); placed third in the 400 (52.22); and placed sixth in the 200 (23.07) —Jimmy Davis won pole vault (14 ft., 7 in.) —Tommy Duke placed third in pole vault (12 ft.) —Nick Bailey was fourth in shot put (42 ft., 9.5 in.) —Aaron Carlson was seventh in discus throw (114 ft., 7 in.) —Dianthony Heathcock was fifth in high jump (5 ft., 8 in.) —Wildcats’ 4x400 relay team and 4x800 team scored —John Shropshire was eighth in the 1600 (4:48) CARTERSVILLE TRACK & FIELD TEAMS PARTICIPATE IN ROME INVITATIONAL —Cartersville girls placed 10th of 12 teams —Cartersville boys were 12th of 13 teams —London Shaw was third in the shot put (35 ft., 9 in.). Shaw was second in the discus throw (98 ft., 7 in.) —Nick Bebko was second in the pole vault (13 ft., 6 in.) —Bill Archer was sixth in the 800 (2:08) and seventh in the 1600 (4:48) —Colin McCann was seventh in the 3200 (10:32) —Harrison Banks was eighth in the 3200 (10:44)

The Cartersville baseball team finished a perfect 3-0 this past weekend at LakePoint to win the inaugural Toyo Tires Battle for Bartow Baseball Classic and the Purple Hurricanes dominated the individual awards as well. Cartersville had five total players named to the All-Tournament Team including the top two individual awards. Canes’ starting pitcher and Auburn commit Mason Barnett blanked Class 7A Kennesaw Mountain for five innings Friday night to receive the tournament’s Most Outstanding Pitcher award. Meanwhile, clean-up hitter Brant Smith hit .571 and produced five RBIs across the three wins to earn the tournament’s Most Outstanding Hitter award. Barnett did not allow a run to Kennesaw Mountain while scattering two hits, two walks, and a hit batsman. He struck out eight in five innings of work. Smith had nine plate appearances in the tournament, but only seven official at-bats. He finished with a home run and three doubles among his four hits. He also coaxed one walk and was hit by a pitch. The Canes’ power hitter scored two runs and drove in five producing a slash line of .571 BA / .667 OBA / 1.429 SLG / 2.096 OPS. The Canes also had infielder Josh Davis, outfielder Preston Welchel, and relief pitcher Gage Morris named to the All-Tournament Team. The remainder of the All-Tournament Team includes: Dalton Bowman and Tyler Gosdin (Cedartown); Brooks Hardie and Jimbo Brown (Bremen); Gage Moses and Wesley Wade (Pepperell); Justin Barnes and Grant Moody (Kennesaw Mountain); Bailey Ward (Woodland); Blaine Ingram (Cass); and Landon Ayers (Adairsville).

The Woodland girls soccer team earned a Region 7-AAAAA victory Friday night at home defeating Hiram, 7-2, and the boys team followed with a 4-2 win over the Hornets. Tiera Feanny scored a pair of first half goals and Maddi Moore added a third for the Lady Cats in the first half as Woodland carried a 3-1 advantage to the intermission. In the second half, Jordan Evans scored two goals for Woodland while Hayley Gilbert and Kiersten Iruegas also found the back of the net as the Lady Cats took a 7-1 lead. Hiram added a second goal with 7:34 remaining for the 7-2 final score. Woodland starting keeper Chloe Ravish had five saves. Sheena Buchanan made three saves after entering midway through the second half. In the boys' game, Orlando Mendoza put Woodland on the scoreboard in the 16th minute. Jose Pineda and Rene Vazquez added first half goals in the 29th and 32nd minutes. Preston Godfrey added the Wildcats' fourth goal in the second half. The Lady Cats (1-4-1, 1-0 Region 7-AAAAA) and Wildcats (1-1-1, 1-0) play at Kell Tuesday and host Cass Friday.

The Adairsville boys soccer team earned a Region 6-AAA win Friday night at Haralson County in their league opener. William Gonzalez scored first for the Tigers, but the host Rebels answered quickly to knot the score at 1-1. A header by William Longmore off an Emanuel Lopez corner kick enabled Adairsville to take a 2-1 lead to the intermission. In the second half, Gonzalez put Adairsville ahead 3-1 when he found the back of the net off an assist from Tigers’ captain Joseph Pacheco. Pacheco then scored a goal of his own with a penalty kick following a foul inside the 18-yard line on Diego Carillo. The Rebels added a late goal in the final minutes for a 4-2 final score. The Lady Tigers were also winners Friday night at Haralson County. The Adairsville girls blanked the Lady Rebels, 4-0, to improve to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in Region 6-AAA. The Adairsville boys (1-3, 1-0) travel to Sonoraville Thursday for another region test at 7 p.m. The girls contest will precede the boys at 5 p.m.

The Cass and Adairsville High track and field teams competed Saturday in the Southeast Whitfield Invitational in Dalton. Led by Ethan Carter’s outstanding day, the Cass boys finished fourth of 14 teams in the event won by Dalton. The Adairsville girls placed eighth of 12 teams. The Adairsville boys were 11th overall and the Cass girls finished 12th. Cass’ Ethan Carter won the 100 meter dash and the 200 meter dash while teammate Stephen Smith (photo below) won the pole vault. Carter ran the 100 in 11.06 and the 200 in 23.05. Smith’s winning height was 14 feet, 7 inches. The Cass 4x100 relay team also finished first in 45.23. That team consisted of Josh Varnum, Malik Grimes, Javen Bridges, and Carter. Carter's other contribution (photo) was a second place finish in the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 10 and 3/4 inches. The Colonels’ Nathan Grant placed third with a discus throw of 124 feet, 3 inches while Blake Carrington finished fifth in the long jump with a leap of 18 feet, 11 inches. Nakiyah Washington led the Adairsville girls with a pair of second place finishes. Her shot put distance was 32 feet, 3 inches and her runner-up discus throw was 104 feet, 3 inches. The Adairsville 4x100 relay team placed third with a time of 46.36 and the Tigers’ Tre Mitchell was fourth in the 200 meter dash with a 24.19 mark. WOODLAND GIRLS WIN PURPLE HURRICANE INVITATIONAL On Saturday, February 23, the Woodland and Cartersville track and field teams participated in the seven-school Purple Hurricane Invitational at Weinman Stadium. The Woodland girls edged Rome 174-173 to win the girls’ title, while the Woodland boys finished just behind Rome for a runner-up finish. The Cartersville boys were third and the Lady Canes placed fifth. As expected, the Woodland girls distance runners showed strong performances. In the girls 3200, Woodland captured the top three spots with McKenna Trapheagen (11:05), Tess Cochran (11:54), and Rylee Evans (11:58) collecting the podium sweep. The Lady Cats had identical results in the 1600 and 800. Carli Clymer was first in the 1600 meter run in 5:30. Cochran was second in 5:41 and Baylee Evans was a close third at 5:45. Trapheagen won the 800 in 2:24. Clymer was second with a time of 2:29 and Baylee Evans placed third in 2:33. The Woodland girls added a 4x400 relay win with a mark of 4:25. Woodland’s Grace Webb won the high jump with a height of 5 feet, 2 inches; Bella Carnes took second in the 400 with a time of 1:03; and Jasmine Hill was runner-up in the long jump with a leap of 15 feet, 4.5 inches. Jimmy Davis of Woodland won the pole vault with a height of 12 feet, 6 inches. Nick Bebko of Cartersville was next with a vault of 11 feet, 6 inches and Woodland’s Tommy Duke placed third with a height of 11 feet. Cartersville’s London Shaw won the girls shot put with a mark of 37 feet, 7 inches. She was also second in the discus throw with a toss of 109 feet, 11 inches. The Canes’ Bill Archer was second in the 1600 meter run with a time of 4:58. He was also second in the 800 meters in 2:11. Markal Brown of Woodland won the long jump (21 feet) and the 200 meter dash (23:29). He was also second in the 400 meter at 54.35. The Wildcats’ Jaylen Ballard finished second in the 200. Zach Avery had a third place finish in the 400. John Shropshire won the 800 in 2:07, while Aaron Carlson was second in the discus throw with a mark of 114 feet, 5 inches.

A pair of Bartow County Parks and Recreation Department youth basketball teams had successful finishes at their respective Georgia Recreation and Parks Association State Tournaments. The Bartow 10U boys finished as state runner-up at their tournament in Griffin while the Bartow 12U girls placed third at their GRPA state tournament in Dalton. The Bartow 10U boys lost a Friday night preliminary game to eventual state champion College Park 49-28, but then reeled off wins against Walton County and Smyrna to earn a rematch with College Park in Saturday’s finals. The victory over Smyrna was a narrow one. Ja’kez Baldwin and Kyron McClendon led the way for Bartow with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Jayden Metcalf scored 10 points, including a pair of dramatic three-pointers late in the game to give Bartow the lead. Jabari Burleson added nine points and Christian Teasley totaled seven. College Park was too much for the locals in the championship game, taking a 57-27 decision. The Bartow 12U girls defeated South Bryan in the first round of the state tournament Saturday at Edwards Park in Dalton, 38-36, in a back-and-forth struggle. South Bryan led 13-11 after one quarter and held a 26-25 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. The game was tied at the intermission 17-17. Kelsey Gleason kept Bartow close in the first half by scoring 10 of her 11 total points. Taff Bradley scored 12 of her team-high 14 points for Bartow in the second half. Hayley Dillow and Makenzie Harris added six and four points, respectively. Jakya Garnigan had two. Bartow 12U girls’ loss in the state semifinals was 51-15 to Walton County. The locals trailed 25-6 after one quarter and never recovered. Walton extended the lead to 43-11 by halftime. Bradley and Dillow scored four points each for Bartow County. Harris, Garnigan, and Summer Patterson finished with two points each. Gleason added one point. Two other Bartow County girls teams played in state tournaments this past weekend at Edwards Park in Dalton. The Bartow 8U girls and 10U girls both lost a pair of games. Bartow 8U girls fell 14-12 to DeKalb County in a preliminary game on Friday before being edged by Rome 20-19 in the opening round of elimination play Saturday morning. Bartow 10U girls dropped a prelimary game to South Fulton 36-20 Friday night and lost 41-18 to DeKalb County in the opening round Saturday afternoon.

Cartersville baseball was a perfect 3-0 this weekend and defeated Cedartown 9-4 in the championship game as the Purple Hurricanes won the inaugural Toyo Tires Battle for Bartow Baseball Classic at LakePoint. In the finals, the Canes raced to an early 7-0 lead through four innings and held off the Bulldogs to win the championship. Cartersville displayed plenty of power at the plate with Brant Smith and Preston Welchel both hitting home runs. Mason Barnett and J.P. Martin had triples while Cohen Wilbanks and Jackson Norris added doubles for a total of six extra base hits. Davis and Wilbanks had two-hit games. Logan Martin (4.1 IP, 4R, 1ER, 3H, 1BB, 8K) picked up the pitching win for the Hurricanes. Martin (1.2 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 3K) and Ian Inaba (1 IP, 0R, 1H, 0BB, 2K) worked in relief to secure the victory. Cedartown (5-2) finished 2-1 in the tournament and runner-up. Cartersville (7-1) now prepares for the Perfect Game High School Showdown next week where the Canes will play four games. Thursday’s opponent is Bob Jones (AL) at 8:30 p.m. in Hoover, Alabama. The Hurricanes will then play Sumrall (MS) Friday at 3:30 p.m. and a yet-to-be-determined opponent Friday night at 8:30 p.m. Cartersville will also have a single game on Saturday. Final tournament records for this weekend: Cartersville (3-0); Cedartown (2-1); Kennesaw Mountain (2-1); Bremen (2-1); Pepperell (1-2); Woodland (1-2); Cass (1-2); Adairsville (0-3). NOTE: The tournament staff is still awaiting all-tournament selections from coaches and will be announcing the All-Tournament Team information soon. CARTERSVILLE 9, PEPPERELL 3 In Saturday afternoon’s championship semifinal matchup with Pepperell, the Purple Hurricanes led 4-0 early before the Dragons narrowed the lead to 6-3 after four innings. Cartersville then added three runs over the final two innings for their six-run win to advance to the championship game. The Canes belted out 13 hits in the contest with Brant Smith and Jordan Wilkie collecting three each. All three of Smith’s hits were doubles. He added a sacrifice fly and finished with two RBIs. Wilkie also had one RBI. Josh Davis and Ian Inaba had two hits for Cartersville. One of Inaba’s hits was a triple. Cohen Wilbanks, Kolby Adams, and Preston Welchel (RBI) had the other Canes’ hits. J.P. Martin drove in a run with a sac fly. Wilbanks (4 IP, 3ER, 8H, 0BB, 4K) picked up the pitching win. Gage Morris (2 IP, 0R, 0BB, 2K) and Reece Thompson (1 IP, 0R, 0BB, 2K) worked in relief. CASS 11. ADAIRSVILLE 1 Cass utilized an eight-run first inning to build an early lead in their 11-1 win Saturday afternoon over Adairsville in the game for seventh place at the Toyo Tires Battle for Bartow Baseball Classic at LakePoint. Adairsville scored a run in the top of the second to cut the lead to 8-1, but the Colonels added a run in the third and two more in the bottom of the fifth for a 10-run win in five innings. Logan Nelson (5 IP, 1ER, 3H, 0BB, 7K) tossed all five innings for Cass to earn his second straight win on the mound. Sam Melton had three hits including a double and two RBIs to pace the Cass offense. Thomas Botts finished with a double, a sacrifice fly, and four RBIs. Clay Means, Ajami Harmon, and Matt Shook added one hit and one RBI apiece. Hunter Lee had one hit and Karson Kelley added one RBI for the Colonels. Noah Nation was tagged with the pitching loss for Adairsville after not getting through the opening frame. Four other Tigers — Levi Ayers, Peyton Deberry, Noah Simpson, and Logan Hunt also pitched for Adairsville. Kyler Smith had one hit and one RBI for the Tigers. Elijah Padgett and Trace Still added the other Adairsville hits. Adairsville (0-5) hosts a doubleheader with Lakeside-Atlanta next Saturday. Cass (4-4) opens Region 7-AAAAA action Monday at Villa Rica. KENNESAW MOUNTAIN 9, CASS 2 In a consolation semifinal Saturday morning at LakePoint, the Colonels fell to the Mustangs 9-2. Kennesaw Mountain took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and made it 9-0 with a six-spot in the bottom of the third. Cass managed single runs in the fourth and sixth innings, but was out-hit 11-3 in the contest. Jayden Smith (2.2 IP, 6R, 4ER, 6H, 1BB, 3K) suffered the pitching loss as the Colonels’ starter on the mound. Trey Scott (0.0 IP, 3ER, 1H, 3BB) and Clay Means (3.1 IP, 0R, 4H, 1K) also pitched for Cass. Blaine Ingram had two hits for the Colonels including a double. Thomas Botts added a hit and Hunter Lee drove in one run. WOODLAND 8, ADAIRSVILLE 6 In a consolation semifinal Saturday morning, the Wildcats topped the Tigers 8-6. Woodland led 2-0 after one inning and 6-2 through four frames, but Adairsville tied the game 6-6 in the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, the Wildcats scored a pair of deciding runs and kept the Tigers off the scoreboard the rest of the way. Adairsville out-hit Woodland eight to seven, but Woodland converted the runs when needed. Bailey Ward (4 IP, 5R, 4ER, 5H, 4BB, 3K) and Scotty Smith (3 IP, 1ER, 3H, 2K) split the pitching duties for the Wildcats with Smith credited with the pitching win. Jacob Ray (2 IP, 2ER, 3H, 4BB, 2K) was tagged with the pitching loss for Adairsville in relief of starter Elijah Padget (2.1 IP, 6R, 5ER, 4H, 4BB, 2K). Kyler Smith (1.2 IP, 1K) took the mound in the fifth inning to finish up the contest. Landon Ayers had three hits and one RBI for the Tigers. Trace Still had two hits including a double and one RBI. Padgett drove in two runs and had one hit. Levi Blackwell had a double and one RBI and Smith added a hit for Adairsville. Zach Wilson had two hits including a double and two RBIs for Woodland. Koby Stansell (double, 2 RBI), Bailey Ward (RBI), and Peyton Posey (RBI) had the other Wildcats’ hits.ba KENNESAW MOUNTAIN 14, WOODLAND 4 After falling to Cartersville 3-0 Friday night in the opening round of the Toyo Tires Battle for Bartow Baseball Classic, Kennesaw Mountain returned Saturday to defeat Cass and Woodland on the Mustangs’ way to capturing the consolation bracket finals. In the win over Woodland, Kennesaw Mountain scored six times in the bottom of the second inning to take a 6-2 lead. Woodland narrowed the margin to 6-4 in the top of the fourth, but the Mustangs responded with eight unanswered runs over their next three frames to close out the ten-run victory in six innings. Luke Darwiche (4 IP, 4ER, 6H, 1BB, 4K) was the starter and winning pitcher for Kennesaw Mountain. Ben Ammons (4 IP, 7ER, 9H, 3BB, 2K) suffered the pitching loss for the Wildcats. Four other Woodland pitchers were utilized. Jarrett Guest, Grant Moody and Gavin Scaggs paced the Mustangs’ offense, combining for seven hits and five RBIs. Zach Wilson had two hits including a triple and two RBIs for the Wildcats. Toby Queen finished with two hits. Peyton Posey added one hit and one RBI. Koby Stansel contributed a hit and Scotty Smith added one RBI. Kennesaw Mountain finished the tournament 2-1 and improved to 6-2-1 on the season. Woodland (3-3) begins Region 7-AAAAA action Monday with a 5:55 p.m. game at home against Paulding County.