Georgia Highlands College baseball split a doubleheader with 2nd-ranked Walters State CC (Tenn.) Saturday at LakePoint Sporting Community in Emerson winning the opener 1-0, but dropping the second game, 6-0. Game 1 featured a complete-game, three-hit shutout from pitcher Dalton Rhadans. The freshman right-hander from North Paulding High School fanned seven with only one walk while blanking the visiting Senators. Blake Brady singled home Parker Orr in the bottom of the fourth inning for the only offense the Chargers would need. In Game 2, Walters State pitchers Kody Davidson and Blake Petty combined on a shutout of the Chargers. The pitching duo scattered seven hits and four walks while striking out 11. Chargers’ starter Stevie Szucs (3.1 IP, 2ER, 4H, 1BB, 2K) was tagged with the loss. Three other pitchers worked for GHC including Anthony Reneo (1.2 IP, 0ER, 1H), Trace Twardoski (1 IP, 1ER, 1H), and Barker (1 IP, 2ER, 3H, 1K). Seven different Chargers had one hit each. Brady, Orr, and Malik Spratling doubled. Hunter Moody, Willis Kemp, Skylar McPhee, and Bryson Horne had the other safeties. Georgia Highlands (8-2) completes the three-game series with Walters State CC Sunday afternoon at LakePoint and will travel to LaGrange College JV Monday for a 5 p.m. doubleheader.

The Cartersville boys basketball team lost at 2nd-ranked Sandy Creek Saturday night 78-64 to finish as runner-up in the Region 5-AAAA championship tournament. The loss means the Hurricanes will be a No. 2-seed and will host an opening round game in the state tournament that begins Friday. Cartersville (15-13) will square off against the No. 3-seed from Region 8-AAAA, Madison County. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Perignon Dyer (photo) also reached a milestone Saturday during the game. The Canes’ senior guard scored a team-high 22 points and surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career. Sandy Creek (24-3) beat Cedartown by 46 points Friday night in the region semifinals, but had more difficulty with Cartersville in the finals. The host Patriots led 20-15 after one quarter, 38-34 at the intermission, and 59-47 after three quarters on their way to the 14-point decision. T.J. Bickerstaff had a game-high 28 points to lead Sandy Creek. Jabori Smith and Deshon Proctor added 18 and 14 points, respectively. Kolbe Benham followed Dyer with 14 points for the Canes. Isaac Gridley chipped in seven. Micah Tart contributed six. Marquail Coaxum finished with five points. Raylin Royal had three. Taywuan Johnson, Brynen Wilkins, and Austin Cauffman scored two each and Amarai Orr added one point. Sandy Creek will host North Oconee in the opening round.

Rylee Moss of Adairsville capped her senior swim season with a pair of fourth-place finishes in Saturday’s Class A-3A finals at the McAuley Aquatic Center at Georgia Tech. Moss, an Old Dominion University signee (photo), placed fourth in the 200-yard individual medley (2:08.10) and the 100-yard butterfly (56.81). Teammate Harper Powell was 11th (24.95) in the girls 50-yard freestyle. In addition, Moss, Powell, Mallory Cook, and Kayleigh Rice combined to compete in the 200-yard freestyle relay and the 200-yard medley relay. The Lady Tigers were 11th in the 200-yard free (1:46.59) and 13th in the medley relay (2:01.19). In the Class 4A-5A division, Giulia Vidoli of Cartersville was 12th in the 100-yard backstroke. She also joined teammates Grayson Breedlove, Rachel Long, and Gracie Siniard to place 17th in the 400-yard free relay.

The Woodland wrestling team took a powerful step toward taking the Class 5A state traditional championship Saturday at the Union Grove High School B Sectional by sending a total to 10 wrestlers to next week’s state finals in Macon. Five Wildcat individuals won sectional titles as Woodland looks to sweep this year’s duals team title and traditional title in Class AAAAA. It won’t be easy for Woodland, however. Buford will send all 14 weight class representatives to the state finals out of the A Sectional in Class 5A and will be the Wildcats’ chief competitor in Macon. Woodland’s Colton Bishop (113 pounds), Kyle Gollhofer (120), Caleb Henson (126), Caden McCrary (132) and Jaxon Smith (145) all won sectional titles and will be No. 1 seeds. Bryce Shedd (182) placed second for Woodland. Cole Cochran (138) finished third. Demarcus Williams (195) fourth. Caleb Jones (152) was an eighth place qualifier. Cass had one sectional champion and nine state finals qualifiers. Noah Hoffmeier (182) won his weight class and will be a No. 1 seed. Fellow Colonels Bryce Kresho (113) and Kendall Arnold (152) placed second and third, respectively. Ben Mills (126), Nick Mills (132), and Kameron Depasquale (138) were all fifth place finishers. Hunter Rees (120) and Alex Depasquale (160) finished sixth, while the Colonels’ Kailey Rees (106) wrestled in the boys tournament and placed eighth to earn a state bid. Cartersville had all ten of its sectional qualifiers to advance to next week’s state finals. Tyler Earick (106), Giles Turner (113), and Jabril Williams (160) led the Hurricanes with third place finishes. Desmond Winters (182) and Collin Buffaloe (220) placed fifth. Joshua Alvarez (120), Eoin Neal (126), and Rashun Hurst (195) finished sixth in their weight classes, while Kentrel Freeman (152) and Shadre Hurst (170) qualified with seventh place finishes. The Class AAAAA and Class AAAA first round and opening round of wrestlebacks will take place Wednesday. The state quarterfinals and the second round of wrestlebacks are scheduled for Thursday. Friday is slated for the championship semifinals plus the consolation quarterfinals and semifinals. Saturday will include matches for fifth place, third place, and individual state titles. In Class AAA, only the top six from each Sectional advanced but Adairsville will send ten competitors to Macon. Angel Banda (113) and James Standridge (126) were both third place finishers. Jody Sutton (145) placed fourth. Ross Dudley (120), Nic Jackson (170), and Austin Jackson (220) were each fifth. Jaxson Owens (106) earned a sixth place spot, while Dalton Cornett (160) finished seventh and will hold an alternate spot. The Class AAA finals begin Thursday in Macon. In the inaugural girls State Sectionals, Cartersville had five girls earn spots in the state finals bracket. Riley Payne won the 136-pound division and Aisia Swim captured the 146-pound division with a pin of her only opponent. Cartersville’s Elora Waterman (95), Gabby Walker (156), and Paige Nelson (166) will advance unopposed in their divisions. Destiny Smith competed in the 136-pound division. Weight class runner-ups in the girls tournament will had a chance to earn a spot in the state finals bracket next weekend. Adairsville’s Ashleigh Stancil finished second in her Sectioal at 106 pounds. Raven Waterman of Cartersville was second in the 106 division. Abigail Gentry of Cass placed second in the 136-pound division and Jesse Johnson (116) of Woodland was a second place finisher. The girls tournament begins Thursday — also at the Macon Centreplex — and continues through Saturday.

Elite Stone Supply, in conjunction with WBHF and Bartow Sports Zone, presents the ELITE ATHLETES OF THE MONTH. Each month, local high schools are provided opportunity to name an Elite Athlete of the Month from their varsity programs and present the information on their honoree through Bartow Sports Zone and on 100.3FM and AM1450, WBHF in Cartersville. Recipients for January 2019: Justice Hayes -- Cass HS Sierra Tanner -- Adairsville HS Micah Tart -- Cartersville HS Dawson Wilkins -- Woodland HS Rayshawn Womack -- Excel Christian Academy The Cass High School Elite Athlete of the Month is Justice Hayes. The son of Meliza and Darnell Hayes, Justice is a senior member of the Colonels’ basketball team and served as a team captain. Hayes averaged eight points, four rebounds, and two assists per game this season as the Colonels finished the year 13-13. “Justice demonstrates true leadership through his impact on teammates and people off the court as well,” said Cass head coach Sean Glaze. “He is constantly encouraging others, building connections, providing transportation, and sharing a positive word in the locker room and our hallways.” Hayes is an active member of Liberty Square Church and maintains a 3.26 GPA in the classroom. “His work ethic and strong character have helped to make him a great teammate and leader in our program,” Glaze concluded. Sierra Tanner is the January Elite Athlete of the Month for Adairsville High School. A member of the Lady Tigers’ softball team, Tanner recently signed to continue her playing career at Thomas University. The Adairsville senior outfielder is the daughter of Greg and Brandy King. “Sierra has gotten better every year in the weight room by improving her work ethic and tempo,” said Adairsville coach Kurt Scoggins. “She is a vocal leader and leads by example as well.” “Sierra works hard for herself and her teammates to be the best,” added Adairsville softball coach Amanda Nelson. “Her softball skill set and mental game have grown so much in the past two years. This is a testament to her dedication and fierce competitive spirit.” The Elite Athlete of the Month from Cartersville High School for the month of January is Micah Tart. Micah, the son of Braden Stanberry, is a junior guard on the Hurricanes basketball team. Tart was instrumental coming off the bench against LaGrange in the Region 5-AAAA tournament quarterfinal game. He brought energy to the team and help the Canes rally from a 16-point deficit. As a result, Cartersville will advance to an eighth straight state tournament appearance. “Micah did a great job coming off the bench and sparking our team this season,” said Cartersville boys head coach Mike Tobin. “He has helped us win several key contests during the year and was a big factor in our region quarterfinal game.” Dawson Wilkins is the January Elite Athlete of the Month for Woodland High School. A junior member of the Wildcats’ basketball team, Wilkins averaged more than 15 points per game and totaled 103 rebounds from his guard position. His collegiate plans are undecided at this time. Wilkins is the son of Kareen and Darrell Wilkins. Excel Christian Academy’s January Elite Athlete of the Month representative is Rayshawn Womack. The Eagles’ junior basketball guard led the team this season in scoring and rebounding. He was also third in assists. “Rayshawn gave us great overall production,” said ECA boys basketball coach and athletic director Shannon Boatfield. “He’s a leader on the court as well and pushes his teammates. He is really developing himself into an all-around player that has the ability to play at the next level.” The son of Lita Loveless, Womack is on the A/B Honor Roll and plans to major in business administration in college. “Rayshawn has worked very hard academically and I’m so proud of how he has matured as a teammate, player, student, and leader. We will lean heavily on his abilities next year,” Boatfield concluded.. Editors Note: Photos and bios are supplied to Bartow Sports Zone and WBHF by the respective schools and their athletic departments. Elite Stone Supply Co., LLC is the monthly sponsor. Athletes receive a plaque along with recognition during a radio feature on WBHF.

The Cartersville boys defeated Troup County Friday night in the Region 5-AAAA semifinals at Sandy Creek to advance to Saturday’s tournament championship game and earn a home game in the opening round of the Class AAAA State Tournament next weekend. The Canes held an 18-13 lead after one quarter and were ahead 31-25 at halftime, but Troup held a 39-37 advantage heading into the final eight minutes. Cartersville outscored the Tigers 16-4 in the fourth quarter to take the 10-point win. Amarai Orr (photo) and Perignon Dyer led the Hurricanes with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Kolbe Benham followed with nine. Micah Tart scored eight points. Isaac Gridley tossed in seven and Marquail Coaxum added four. JaQuavo McFarland scored 11 and Joko Willis had 10 points the lead Troup. The Tigers (16-9) will play in the region’s third place game Saturday at Sandy Creek at 4:30 p.m. against Friday’s Sandy Creek/Cedartown loser. Cartersville (15-12) will play the Sandy Creek/Cedartown winner for the region title Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. again at Sandy Creek High School. ROME 62, CASS GIRLS 48 The Cass girls will head into the Class 5A State Tournament next weekend as the No. 4-seed from Region 7-AAAAA after losing Friday’s third place game to Rome 62-48 at Villa Rica High School. Rome led the whole way. The Wolves were up 12-6 after one quarter, 23-16 at the break, and 42-29 after three quarters before holding on for a 14-point win. Rome had four girls in double figures led by the trio of TaEmmica Nation, Tarrah Gibson, and Amberly Brown with 13 points each. Tamya Griffin added 12 for the Lady Wolves. Cass was led by Claire Davis (photo) with 16 points. Sharia Wade followed with 10. Londaisha Smith finished with eight points. Amber Brittian had six. Payton Stoddard scored five points and Taryn Callahan added two. Rome (18-10) will be a 3-seed in the state tournament and play the runner-up from Region 6-AAAAA. Cass (21-7) will travel to the region champion of Region 6-AAAAA. The four semifinalists in the Region 6-AAAAA tournament Friday night at Decatur High School were Maynard Jackson, Decatur, Lithia Springs, and Riverwood. The final seeding for that tournament will be determined in games Saturday.

Release from the Cartersville School System: Cartersville High School principal Shelley Tierce announced to the Cartersville City School Board the promotion of Conor Foster to replace Joey King as the Cartersville High School head football coach. Since 2014, Foster has served as the Canes’ varsity football defensive coordinator and also as a teacher and weight training coordinator at Cartersville Middle School. During Foster’s 14 years of coaching, he has gained experience as a defensive coordinator safeties coach, junior varsity head coach, and varsity quarterback coach. “We have such confidence in the strength of our program and the qualifications of our coaching staff, we felt it was more than appropriate to initially look within for Coach King’s replacement,” said principal Tierce. “Coach Foster has a long record of coaching accomplishments, but one of his best qualities, in my opinion, is his passion for developing student-athletes into strong individuals capable of success both on and off the playing field. His experience on our coaching staff for the past five seasons opens the door for a seamless transition and a continuation of the success of our program. We are excited about the future of Canes Football and we believe Coach Foster is the right fit for our students, our players, our school, and our community.” The promotion of Foster comes following Joey King’s resignation to take a job as receivers coach at Coastal Carolina University.

The Cass girls soccer team won at Southeast Whitfield Thursday evening 6-1. Lady Colonels’ senior Logan Vermaas scored a hat trick of goals and added one assist. Freshman Morgan Tompkins scored her first varsity goal off a direct kick outside the 18 yard box and sophomores Leidi Toribio and Victoria Torres each added a goal. Toribio and senior Lupita Pineda assisted on two goals for the Colonels while Maddie Shook and Michelle Escobar added one assist each. Senior goalkeeper Jailyn Padilla had a big night in net, barely missing a shutout after a Raider penalty kick was converted in the final minute of the game. Cass (1-1) returns to the pitch Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. for their home opener against Sprayberry. SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 6, CASS BOYS 0 After blanking Heritage-Catoosa Tuesday in Ringgold 4-0, the Colonels were shutout Thursday night at Southeast Whitfield, 6-0. Cass returns to action Wednesday with their home opener against Sprayberry at 7:30 p.m.

Playing in the Region 7-AAAAA tournament semifinals Thursday night at Villa Rica, the Cass girls dropped a 56-47 decision to Carrollton. The Lady Trojans led 14-6 after one quarter and 28-10 at halftime before extending their lead to 42-24 by the end of the third quarter. At that point the Lady Colonels challenged and cut the Carrollton lead to single digits, but came up short. De’Mauri Flourney led Carrollton and all scorers with 22 points. Rachel Herrera added 11 points and Kehinde Obasuyi had 10 points for the Trojans. Cass was led by Alexis Ware with 10 points. Londaisha Smith (photo) followed with nine. Claire Davis posted eight points. Sharia Wade and Payton Stoddard contributed five each. Amber Brittian and Brianna Stephenson scored four and Ariana Hames added two points. “We were down by 18 points at halftime, but made a great run at them in the fourth quarter,” said Cass head coach Burt Jackson. “We cut the lead down to seven and played with a lot of heart. I’m very proud of the girls and their effort.” Carrollton (21-6) will now face top-ranked and undefeated Villa Rica for the region championship Friday at 7 p.m. at Villa Rica. Cass (21-6) will play Rome Friday at 4 p.m. for third place.

The Cartersville boys basketball team trailed visiting LaGrange into the fourth quarter Wednesday night at The Storm Center, but rallied down the stretch to secure a 61-55 win. The victory advances the Hurricanes to the Region 5-AAAA semifinals at Sandy Creek Friday at 5:30 p.m. against Troup County. It also guarantees Cartersville a berth in the Class AAAA state tournament. Cedartown and Sandy Creek will play in the other semifinal Friday night at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday night, the Grangers took a 14-9 lead over the first eight minutes and led by as many as 13 points in the second period. Cartersville recovered late in the first half to narrow the margin to 29-20 at the break. Ogletree led the Grangers in the first half with 14 points. Perignon Dyer scored 9 of his team-high 18 points in the first half. LaGrange (13-14) took another double-digit lead in the third quarter, but the Canes narrowed the margin to 42-38 by the end of the period. The Canes took their first fourth quarter lead at 45-44 and led 48-45 when LaGrange took a timeout with 3:30 remaining. Over the stretch that followed, Cartersville (14-12) extended the lead to 57-50 with 0:54 remaining and held on for a six-point win. Along with Dyer, Cartersville had three more players reach double figure scoring. Isaac Gridley scored 13, Micah Tart had 12, and Amarai Orr finished with 11 points. CEDARTOWN 45, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 35 Cedartown broke open a tightly contested Region 5-AAAA quarterfinal game over the final three minutes to eliminate the Cartersville girls 45-35 Wednesday night at The Storm Center. The victory sends the Lady Bulldogs (16-8) to the region tournament semifinals Friday at Sandy Creek and also secured a state tournament berth. Cartersville was led by senior London Shaw with 10 points. Haley Johnson followed with nine. The Lady Canes finished the year with a 12-14 record.

Georgia Highlands baseball swept a doubleheader with Brewton Parker College Wednesday at LakePoint, winning 5-2 and 17-3. Blake Brady and Lavoisier Fisher homered in the opener. Parker Orr and Skylar McPhee added two hits each. In Game 2, Bryson Horne and McPhee both had three hits and two RBI. Horne homered and doubled in his three safeties. McPhee had a triple. Malik Spratling homered, doubled, and drove in three runs. Jacob Meyer (4 IP, 2ER, 3H, 1BB, 3K) picked up the Game 1 victory. Logan Ward earned a save with a spotless seventh inning. The Game 2 winning pitcher was Casey Thurmond (2 IP, 4K) who worked the fourth and fifth innings in relief of Ryan Smithson (3 IP, 3ER, 5H, 2K). Ethan Underwood (1 IP, 3K) and Levi Ayers (1 IP, 1BB, 1K) both worked one inning. The Chargers (7-1) host Walters State CC Saturday and Sunday in a three-game series.

The Georgia Highlands softball team swept a home doubleheader with Motlow State CC this past Saturday to even its season record at 3-3. Kara Knight led GHC in the opener with Motlow State. She was the winning pitcher and had two hits and one RBI at the plate. Kayla Phillips was the Game 2 winning pitcher while infielders Kayla Laukka and former Cass standout Sierrah Gani (photo) led the Chargers at the plate with two hits and two RBIs apiece. Georgia Highlands hosts the GHC Border Battle this Saturday and Sunday. The Chargers are scheduled to face Spartanburg Methodist, Harford CC, Calhoun CC, and Cleveland State CC in the two-day event.