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.

Georgia Highlands scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning Tuesday afternoon for a come-from-behind win over visiting Cleveland State CC at LakePoint in Emerson. Pitcher Trace Twardoski picked up the win by working a scoreless top of the eighth. Logan Ward came on in the ninth to strike out the side to earn a save. Zach Fordham (5 IP, 1ER, 4H, 0BB, 8K, photo) started on the bump for the Chargers. Anthony Reneo (1 IP, 0R, 0H) and Skylar McPhee (1 IP, 2ER, 1H, 1BB, 1K) also worked an inning of relief. McPhee hit a two-run homer in the second inning and finished with two hits and a pair of runs scored. Travis Sands also homered and had two hits. Lavoisier Fisher doubled and added one RBI in his two hits. Blake Brady added an RBI double. Austin Foster (RBI) and Bryson Horne had the other Chargers’ hits. The win improved the Chargers early season mark to 5-1. They play a three-game series this weekend against Walters State CC with a single game Saturday afternoon and a doubleheader Sunday.

Last February, GHSA Executive Director Dr. Robin Hines made the announcement that Georgia would add a high school wrestling state championship. In fact, the GHSA becomes only the seventh state nationally to have a girls wrestling state championship competition. Hines also included in his announcement that he expects to see additional females compete in the sport in coming years. The four local high schools with wrestling programs will have participants this year in the inaugural competition with Cartersville High School leading the way. The Lady Canes will have eight wrestlers in the Class 4A Section A tournament at West Laurens High School while Adairsville, Cass, and Woodland will each have one female wrestler at their respective State Sectionals. LOCAL PARTICIPANTS GIRLS STATE SECTIONALS (Wt. Class / Wrestler / School) CLASS 3A GIRLS at Jefferson High School 106 - Ashleigh Stancil - Adairsville CLASS 4A GIRLS at West Laurens High School 95 - Elora Waterman - Cartersville 106 - Raven Waterman - Cartersville 126 - Destiny Smith - Cartersville 136 - Riley Payne - Cartersville 136 - Maci Cagle - Cartersville 146 - Aisia Swim - Cartersville 156 - Gabby Walker - Cartersville 166 - Paige Nelson - Cartersville CLASS 5A GIRLS at Union Grove High School 116 - Jesse Johnson - Woodland 136 - Abigail Gentry - Cass The girls' sectional tournaments results will assist with the seeding of the Girls State Championship. A seeding meeting will be held on Sunday, February 10 to determine the final seeding for the GHSA State Championship.

The Cass boys soccer team opened its 2019 campaign Tuesday night at Heritage-Catoosa by blanking the Generals, 4-0. Carlos Perez had a hat trick on the night and Javi Duarte scored the Colonels’ fourth goal. Magno Moreno and Moises Pajarito each had an assist. Isai Romero recorded four saves in goal to earn the shutout. The Lady Colonels soccer lost a close match at Heritage 2-1. The only goal for the Lady Colonels was scored by Logan Vermaas with an assist from Maddie Shook. Both Cass teams travel to Southeast Whitfield for matches Thursday starting at 5:30 p.m.

The Cass girls punched their ticket to the state tournament Tuesday night by defeating Kell in the Region 7-AAAAA tournament quarterfinals at Carrollton, 49-35. Alexis Ware led the Lady Colonels with a double-double that included 18 points and 10 rebounds. Payton Stoddard also reached double figures with 10 points. Sharia Wade tossed in five points while Claire Davis, Londaisha Smith (photo), Ariana Hames, and Amber Brittian each added four points. Cass led 9-7 after one quarter, 26-21 at halftime, and 33-24 after three quarters on their way to the 14-point victory. Kya Williams led the Lady Longhorns with 12 points. Kell’s season ends with an 11-15 record. The Lady Colonels (21-5) will now play in region semifinals Thursday night at 4 p.m. against No. 2-seed Carrollton at Villa Rica High School. The region championship will be Saturday night at 7 p.m. The region third place game will be at 4 p.m. Both of those games will also be at Villa Rica. ROME 70, CASS BOYS 69 The Cass boys had their season come to an end Tuesday night with a one-point loss to Rome in the Region 7-AAAAA tournament quarterfinals at Kell High School. In a back-and-forth battle between two teams that split games during the regular season, Rome led 21-16 after a fast-paced opening quarter before the Colonels rallied in the second period to lead 35-33 at halftime. The score was tied at 52 at the end of the third quarter with Rome squeezing out a 70-69 win in the end. Senior Jacquez Fountain (photo) led Cass with 31 points in his final game. Justice Hayes followed with 11 points. Jordan Ford contributed nine points. Ethan Carter had seven. Braxton Benham and Zaylan Chaney added six points apiece. Caleb Byrd led Rome with 33 points. Justin Ingram added 12 as the Wolves secured a state tournament berth. Rome (16-10) advanced to the region tournament semifinals Thursday at Villa Rica High School. Cass had its season end with a 13-13 record. LAKEVIEW-FORT OGLETHORPE 64, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 37 The Adairsville girls were eliminated from the Region 6-AAA Tournament Tuesday night at Ringgold with a 64-37 loss to Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe. The Lady Tigers led 24-22 at halftime, but were outscored 22-11 in the third quarter and never recovered. Macey Gregg and Milijah Williams paced LFO with 25 and 21 points, respectively. The Lady Warriors (11-15) advanced to the region quarterfinals Thursday night to face 4th-seeded Sonoraville. Adairsville (6-21) was led by 10 points from Coriana McDaniel (photo). Havyn Isaac and Nakiyah Washington tossed in eight each. RINGGOLD 50, ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 42 The 8th-seeded Adairsville boys had their season come to a close Tuesday night in a 50-42 loss to host Ringgold at the Region 6-AAA tournament. Ringgold (12-14), seeded 5th, advances to a Thursday night quarterfinal matchup against Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe. Adairsville finished the year with a 9-18 record.