Teaching, coaching, and school administration encompass three of the most difficult — yet potentially rewarding — jobs in the world. The words chosen, the actions taken, and the visions shared can have huge impact in the lives of students, athletes, and families. It was Dr. Billy Graham who once stated, "One coach will impact more young people in a year than the average person does in a lifetime." Teachers, coaches, and school administrators do not get to choose which words or actions carry lasting impressions. That’s left up to the recipients. The overwhelming majority in those professions, however, have the greatest of intentions, empathy, optimism, and integrity. In the midst of my career that included all three roles, I was given the opportunity by the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) to travel the country as a national faculty member to speak with and teach thousands of other athletic directors and coaches at national conferences. The blessings were immense and the sharing of experiences with coaches and athletic administrators from every state and Canada educated me even more than the certification courses I was there to share with others. In teaching, we often use examples and share influences. It is a nice way to personalize points of emphasis and draw in your audience. While my career was impacted by dozens of teachers, coaches, and administrators I admired, there aren’t many with a greater impact on the local, Bartow County community than the career of Kenn Baker. He taught, coached, and was an administrator at three of the five local high schools from 1990 into the current decade and his career spans an even greater period of time and geography. Although my own career didn’t start until the mid-1980s, Baker and I taught in the same department and coached football and basketball together for several years at Cass High School. At national conferences in the 1990s after becoming athletic director, I often shared the experiences Baker and I gained together with our athletes and I shared things I learned from observing his work with our students and athletes. Locally, we have watched Baker’s family blossom as they took root in Bartow County. His kids are all adults now and his influence — along with the influence of his wife Bea — has extended into the careers of his children. Two of which are now college coaches, so the Baker coaching impact continues to flourish across the nation. (Click on image to enlarge) Top left, clockwise: Baker as coach at ECA, 1990 Cass High School football staff; 1991 Cass boys basketball; 1992 Cass football coaching staff Kenn Baker’s teaching and coaching career began in nearby Calhoun. From 1977 to 1985, the young social studies teacher, football, basketball, and track coach worked at both Calhoun Junior High and Calhoun High School. From there, he took a position at Washington Wilkes High School in the late 1980s before arriving in Bartow County at Cass High School in 1990. Coach Baker continued to coach football throughout those years, but became the head boys basketball coach at Washington Wilkes and continued those same roles at Cass High until 1997. Next, Baker spent 1997 to 2007 as the athletic director at Woodland High School where he also served as an assistant and eventual Associate Principal. He continued his athletic coaching career during those years as well, working with middle school and high school sub-varsity basketball, track, and football. In 2007, he took on the role of school principal and left the Bartow County School System for a few years. Baker was principal at Martin Luther King High School until 2009 and was principal at Towers High School in Atlanta from 2009-2012 before returning to the Cartersville community at Excel Christian Academy. Baker spent 2013 to 2017 as an assistant principal, athletic director, and coach at ECA and now even in retirement continues to teach AP U.S. History part-time at Cornerstone Prep Academy in Acworth. The father of Kim, Treece, Kenny, Kelsey, and Kaylin, Baker has seen each child enjoy success. Two of the five are now college coaches themselves and he and his wife Bea enjoy traveling and even attending the games their children now coach. Baker's time in Bartow County has touched many lives. As you read his words below and the words of his own children, many of you that have enjoyed Coach Baker as a teacher, coach, and/or administrator will once again experience and take pleasure in many of the same words you have most likely heard from him before. The following excerpts come from interviews conducted with Coach Baker along with conversations with his daughter Kelsey (Huntingdon College softball assistant coach) and son Kenny (Mercer University defensive line coach). Kenn Baker Catch us up, what are you doing these days? I am currently teaching part-time at Cornerstone Prep Academy ,a University Model School located in Acworth, Georgia. I teach two classes of AP US History three days per week. Where are the kids these days? Kim; my oldest daughter is a Customer Service Supervisor for Banyan Air Service in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. My daughter Treece; is the Clinical Nurse Expert for the Piedmont Healthcare Critical Care System of Georgia. Her office is in Atlanta. Kenny is starting his fifth year as the defensive line coach at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. Kelsey is beginning her third year as the assistant softball coach at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama. Kaylin will graduate from Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia in December with a degree in communications. With two of your kids now following your footsteps and coaching at the college level, do you ever reflect on your influence in their lives? It has been very satisfying to see Kenny and Kelsey as coaches. It was a little strange at first, because both Kenny and Kelsey swore that they would never teach or coach. I guess having been around me and Bea and seeing all of the time and work that goes into teaching and coaching they decided that they did not want to be in education. On the other hand, because they had been involved in athletics and education all of their lives, they felt a natural gravitation to stay involved in athletics by choosing to coach. We enjoy attending their games and watching them coach. We go to Kenny’s football games at Mercer in the Fall and we attend Kelsey’s softball games in the Spring. One of the good points is that we love to travel and by attending their games we get to visit different parts of the country. I try not to be an armchair quarterback, but I do enjoy talking to them about their team’s performances and their coaching philosophies and strategies. What other aspects of your life have changed with semi-retirement? We’ve had the opportunity to travel more. We have visited several historical sites in different states and countries in the past couple of years. We have also become more active in our church as a part of the youth ministries and Sunday school. Like many of us in coaching, you ‘out-kicked your coverage’ with your wife Bea. How has she impacted your career? Bea has been a blessing in my life. In so many ways she has been the rock of the family. Particularly early in my coaching career when you spend so much time away from home. She has always been supportive in all of my endeavors and in a lot of cases been the voice of reason for our family. I cannot express enough how much she has meant to me and our family. She was an outstanding teacher in her own right, who had an impact on the lives of the students that she worked with. One of the things that is unique was that she was voted as the Teacher of the Year at Pine Log, and I was voted Teacher of the Year at Cass during our tenure in the Bartow County School System. What other influences have impacted your career? The biggest influence in my life was my mother. She was exceptional woman who overcame so much to become a very successful business woman. She graduated as the valedictorian of her college class at Paine College. She served as a Lieutenant in the Air Force during the Korean War. She opened the first African American Day Care in Palm Beach County and ran it for 37 years until she retired. She always demonstrated strength and perseverance and was a hard worker. She was not about excuses. She just found a way to get things done. She held me and my brother accountable and provided the groundwork for the work ethic and attitude that I have today. She was a great role model. When I was growing up I always wanted to be a teacher. I was blessed to have several outstanding teachers that had a tremendous influence in my life. My fourth grade teacher Mrs. McKay, my fifth grade teacher Mrs. Townsend, my high school math teacher Mr. Owens, and my high school history teacher Mr. Bryant were the teachers that had the biggest impact on me deciding to become a teacher. They all demanded that you perform at a high level, they made learning fun and interesting, they were very caring and giving, as well as imparting life lessons that helped you to become a better person. My high school, Atlantic High School, had a very successful athletic program. The coaching staff was extremely demanding and pushed you to perform at a high level. Those two things stayed with me in both coaching and teaching. Coach Norman Price, my high school basketball coach and Coach Cary Wilder my high school football coach, were early influences. What made you decide to coach? When I was hired for my first job at Calhoun Junior High School, Mrs. Baxter, the principal, told me that the position would require me to coach. Since we were a small school I coached all three sports offered at the school: football, basketball and track. So that’s how I started my coaching. I did not really think about coaching until the opportunity presented itself at Calhoun Junior High. I had played all three sports in high school, so I just used the experiences from participating in those sports to coach my first middle school teams. Who inspired you or served as role models in your coaching career? Probably the coaches that had the biggest influence on me once I first started coaching were Ray Tucker, Lynn Walters, and Jerry Smith in Calhoun, Butch Brooks and Curtis Williams at Washington Wilkes and Dwight Henderson at Rome High School. My observation of them helped foster my belief that being a coach does not stop on the court or playing field. You invest in your players, in the classroom, and in the community. You take an interest in their daily lives and in their growth and development as individuals. They were knowledgeable about their sport and worked hard to get the best out of their athletes. They held their players accountable by setting high standards for their programs and making the players understand that the team is more important than the individual. I always tried to take bits and pieces from all of the coaches that I worked with and interacted with during my coaching career. I always tried to work hard to improve as a coach and educator. Who were your influences as a school administrator? When I became an administrator I was blessed to be around several outstanding administrators that mentored me and shaped me as an administrator and prepared me to become a principal. Kay Baxter, Jimmy Gainey, Ken Prichard, Bill Kiser, Connie Olson, and Donnie Denson were all excellent role models. However, the person that had the biggest impact on shaping me as an administrator is Dr. Nettie Holt. I learned so much from working with her. She epitomized all the characteristics of a great leader. She was innovative, and a visionary in bringing the IB and Performing Arts Programs to Woodland High School. She held you to high standards while at the same time trusting you to do your job. She had an amazing way of motivating you to do your best. The characteristics that I took from those administrators that I used when I became a principal were; organizational skills, accountability, being innovative and visionary, and building relationships with both your faculty and students. I have been blessed to have the opportunity to work in education and interact with teachers, coaches, administrators and that have made a commitment to impact the lives of children. I think that teaching is the noblest of all professions because of the impact that you can have on a student’s life. I am glad that I have had the opportunity to be a part of it. KELSEY BAKER Kelsey Baker has been an assistant softball coach at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama since 2016. Before Huntingdon, Baker was a volunteer assistant softball coach at Georgia Highlands College and Excel Christian Academy and a student-assistant coach at Paine College where she played after graduating from Woodland High School. As a player, Baker was a team captain at Paine College. She was team MVP, won the Silver Slugger Award and was named to the conference All-Academic team. Before Paine College, she played softball for Cleveland State Community College, where she was a Distinguished Scholar-Athlete award winner. Baker earned a bachelor's degree in history from Paine College as a Summa Cum Laude graduate in 2014. She was a Merit Scholar Recipient, Outstanding Academic Achievement Award winner, Alpha Kappa Mu National Honor Society member and the female Student Marshall for her graduating class. As a student-athlete at Cleveland State, Baker was a recipient of the Dr. George L Mathis Scholastic Achievement Award, was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society and the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association Honor Roll. She was SIAC All-Academic Team in her senior season at Paine College where she pitched and played first base. Baker led Paine in slugging percentage (.560) and doubles while carrying a 3.75 GPA and graduating with a degree in History. What are your current coaching responsibilities? I am the Assistant Coach at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, AL. I primarily work with the pitchers and catchers, and assist with team defense. With our pitching staff I work on pitcher and pitch development, mental approach and game preparedness. With our catchers I work on building relationships with out staff and improving catching techniques. I share recruiting responsibilities with my Head Coach and we recruit the southeast, and are expanding our recruiting to the North and West. Other than your dad, who were/are your greatest influences in coaching? Greg Hight, he coached me in recreation sports and travel softball. Greg introduced me to softball and taught us how to play the game the correct way.He believed in us as people and as players. He treated all of us as if we were his and I thank his wife Cindy and daughter Hannah for sharing him with us for all those years. Next would be Colman Roberts, my coach at Woodland. He taught me how to play toughly and handle adversity. Coach Roberts taught us that "everything comes out in the wash," that sooner or later what you do will eventually tell on you, good, bad and everything in-between. How did growing up with your dad involved in coaching impact you as a young person and how has it influenced you today as a coach? It showed me that when a person does things for the right reasons, the rewards are bigger than any trophy or title. That when you challenge people to be the best version of themselves the rewards are lifelong. I firmly believe that because my father gets emails and letters from former athletes thanking him for how he impacted their lives. Coaching is about building relationships with your players as people and as athletes. That is something I do with my current players by learning them in all areas allows me to see them as the entire person and get the best out of them in all areas. What impact did your own collegiate playing experience have on your decision to enter the coaching profession? I knew that after I finished as a player, I was not done with softball. I was not sure how at the moment but I knew I was not finished with softball. There where some situations and things I experienced in college that were great and some that were not. I knew that I wanted to impact young women. I wanted to help them to face life's challenges with confidence while continuing to grow as a person myself. Coaching is allowing me to fulfill that. What are your career goals in collegiate coaching? My career goals are to always be a student of the game and by continuing to learn one day be a head coach. What are one or two of your fondest memories growing up in sports in Bartow County? Winning the championship and advancing to regionals in rec basketball. We got these cool shirts made and I still have it. Also, being able to play and try different sports. I was able to go through the rec department with a group of friends that I am still in contact with today. KENNY BAKER A graduate of Woodland High School, Kenny Baker is beginning his fifth season as an assistant football coach at Mercer University. Baker arrived at Mercer in 2014 after spending the 2013 season as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Berry College during the Vikings’ inaugural campaign. Prior to his time at Berry, he served as the defensive coordinator at Augusta’s Lakeside High School after spending a season as a student assistant at his alma mater, Gardner Webb. A four-year letter winner at Gardner Webb, Baker was a three-year starter on the defensive line. He was selected as a team captain in 2007, while also garnering the team’s defensive player of the year honors. An honor student with the Bulldogs, he was a regular member of the Dean’s List and the Big South Honor Roll. He graduated from GWU with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education in 2009 and currently resides in Warner Robins, Georgia. (Click images to enlarge) Kenny Baker, defensive line coach for the Mercer University Bears. What are your current coaching responsibilities? I am the defensive line coach and I also have recruiting responsibilities that include Fulton County, western Georgia along I-20 and across to Tuscaloosa through Birmingham in Alabama. Other than your dad, who were/are your greatest influences in coaching? Coach Eric Bishop: It was the spring of my senior year and we were playing in a Saturday morning baseball game in Ooltewah, Tennessee. There are two reasons I will never forget this day for as long as I live. One reason being, that Coach Bishop scheduled a baseball game on the same day of our senior prom and the second reason for the events that took place after the game. The outcome of the game didn’t turn out in our favor, we lost and I had a bad game. I had a bad day at the plate and made an error in the field. As we were packing up after the game and walking to the bus, myself and a fellow teammate were stopped by man in a red polo. The man in the red polo was a college baseball coach and he was there scouting the game. The encounter was brief, he shook our hands, took down our information and said “Tough one today. I know it wasn’t your best day at the plate and in the field, but I want to let you know you guys play the game the right way. I watched how you guys ran on and off the field and how you carried yourself and those are the type of players we want in our program. At this point Coach Bishop was standing there with us and as we shook hands one last time and went our separate ways, It was the six words that came from coach that I will never forget…”See, you never know who’s watching”. How you carry yourself, the importance of first impressions and taking ownership for all the areas of your life. Some of the greatest lessons I learned, were on the baseball field. It was the mandatory black cleats, shirts always tucked in, showing up early, taking pride in your dugout, neat haircut, trimmed facial hair, respect for the game and the daily pursuit of excellence. He made sure we understood the “little things” are what matter in baseball and in life. I can still hear him yelling “You better take the field running, you never know whose watching”. He taught me, “How you do one thing, is how you do everything.” Coach Jimmy Lindsey: “If you want to impress someone, tell them your accolades. But if you want to impact someone tell them your failures” He was my college defensive line coach for one season and has invested in me since day one. He’s one of the best football coaches I’ve been around and has taught me a lot of football over the years. The thing I am most thankful is our conversations about the things he has gotten wrong. In a time where, transparency and real is not the norm, that’s where Coach Lindsey always starts. He’s my guy. Coach Mike Doolittle: My first full time coaching job, was defensive coordinator at Lakeside High School in Augusta, Georgia. I had just finished playing, fresh out of college and truth be told, really had no idea how to be a defensive coordinator. Thankfully, at that same time Coach Doolittle was the offensive coordinator at Lincoln County High School in Lincolnton, Georgia about 30 minutes away from Augusta. So, for the next two years, my Saturday mornings consisted of driving to Lincolnton, grabbing a biscuit from Hardee’s on the way in and postponing his own film study and opponent scouting and him sitting down with me to review film, making corrections for the previous game and teaching me the game. Coach Doolittle was my college defensive line coach and to this day one of my biggest mentors in coaching. The thing I cherish the most about our Saturday morning ritual, was our talks about balance and growth, but personally and professionally. I just really enjoyed being around him. He believed in me and invested his time in me. I heard a coach once say “You can always see higher on the shoulders of Giants.” Man, am I thankful for the Giants in my life. How did growing up with your dad involved in coaching impact you as a young person and how has it influenced you today as a coach? From as early as I can remember, there was no other person I looked up to more and wanted to become more, than my dad. Simply, he was and still is my hero. To me he was dad, but to everyone else he was Coach Baker. Over the years, the definition of that five letter word in front of my dad’s last name has changed tremendously. From a young age, I wanted to be just like Coach Baker, because he had keys to everything. There wasn’t a gate, gym, field, equipment room that he couldn’t open, he always had practices and games, he got to drive the bus, travel all over and everyone seemed to like him, I wanted to be just like Coach Baker. As, I grew older, graduated from high and college and started my own career in coaching, that five letter word in front my dad’s names means so much more. These are some of the lessons I have learned from my dad: ✮ "It’s not about you." It was and has always been bigger than him. He always taught me to live my life serving others in all that you do. ✮ “They don’t care what you know, until they know you care.” My dad gave me this advice my first year coaching. In order for you to get the most out of your players and take them to where they never thought they could go, they have to know you care about them. He told me to make sure, it’s not always about football. ✮ “Do it right the first time.” Take pride in everything you do. ✮ “Raise your standard to that of greatness.” What I often thought was his sometimes unrealistic expectations for myself and his players, I see now was only his passion for seeing you become the best version of yourself. He would always tell me when I first started coaching was “Young people want discipline and want to be pushed and it’s our job as coaches to give them that” ✮ “Keep the main thing, the main thing.” Keep your faith, family and relationships first. ✮ “You don’t have to be perfect.” You will make mistakes, learn from them. Don’t be afraid to mess up…He believed in me. A story about my dad: I remember growing up, riding in my dad’s black Dodge Dakota trunk on the campus of Woodland High School. Either on his way in or way out, he would drive by pieces of trash and have me pick it up and we would do this all over campus and before we left we would stop by the garbage can and throw it all away. I never understood why I had to pick up others people’s trash, it wasn’t mine and it wasn’t my job. Even when I was away at college and would come home for the summer, we still drove around picking up trash. And it wasn’t until I got into coaching did he explain to me why we drove around picking up trash on campus, He said Kenny “You always want to leave it better than what you found it”…. I love him and I thank him, the coach I am today is because of him. He’s the REAL Coach Baker. I just want to make him proud. What impact did your own collegiate playing experience have on your decision to enter the coaching profession? Gardner-Webb University gave me the opportunity to further my academic and athletic career after high school and for that I forever grateful. My favorite quote of all time is from legendary Tennessee Vols Coach, Pat Summit “You win with people”. I have been extremely fortunate to be associated with so many successful people and coaches. People and coaches like Dr. Dee Hunt, Coach Jimmy Lindsey, Coach Mike Doolittle, Coach Travis Cunningham and Coach Chris Foster invested in me as a player but more importantly as a person. They were outstanding coaches, great teachers, passionate and demanded excellence on and off the field but more importantly they were great men, husbands and fathers. I always thought, I would come back and coach in high school. I was huge Florida State Seminoles fan growing up and always enjoyed watching college football but never thought I would become a college coach. My experience in college showed me two things: One, that good coaches travel, the level they coach at, is just the platform they’ve been given to impact and influence young people. Secondly, the same need to pour into the lives of young people is just as important at the college level, they need to be surrounded by the type of coaches I was surrounded by. My college playing experience and the impact Gardner-Webb had on me was the icing on the cake, I knew I could coach at any level. What are your career goals in collegiate coaching? Just to keep working at it and plugging away. That’s how I was raised and all I really know how to do. Letting my total body of work speak for itself, learn my mistakes, serve the players and coaching staff to the best of my ability and surrounding myself with people that can help me grow. One thing I’ve learned about life and coaching, is you can’t do it by yourself. I would love to move up the collegiate ranks, become a coordinator, a head coach and maybe even coach in the NFL. I love the challenge and I love the grind. But, at the end of the day the good Lord has a plan for me, I just have to stay out of his way. It’s bigger than me. What are one or two of your fondest memories growing up in sports in Bartow County? Growing up as a ball boy. It’s where it all started for me, it’s where I fell in love with football and sports. Fridays, was the best day of the week! My mom would drop me off at the field house after school, I would find my dad and then it was game time… Putting on that jersey, the smell of the concession stand, seeing the freshly lined and painted field and most importantly being around the players…I loved it all, I was at home. I’m glad my dad allowed me to be a part of it. Little League Baseball Growing up, there was nothing like the spring and summer for me… I played baseball ALL the time and I loved it. I remember it all, the games, the double headers, and the road trips, but the thing I remember the most was the guys I played with. I was playing a game I loved with guys I loved. It had nothing to do with me, I was with my guys and that’s all that mattered. Congratulations to Kenn and Bea Baker on a job well done. Your continuing impact has not diminished. It now flows well beyond the borders of Bartow County through the children you raised and the lives of students, athletes, and adults you continue to reach on a daily basis.

Bartow County Little League softball 10u came within one game of reaching the championship of the 2018 Southeast Regional Little League Tournament of State Champions, but a 7-1 loss to Winfield, West Virginia Sunday brought their post-season run to a close. Winfield 10u went on to win the TOSC title game in Clarksville, Tennessee with a 14-4 victory over Bridgewater Community, Virginia. The West Virginia team reached the finals by sweeping all three opponents in the same pool with Bartow County to complete the regional with a 4-0 record. Bartow finished 2-1 in the TOSC with wins over Irmo, South Carolina and Montgomery Central, Tennessee on Saturday. Winfield and Bartow battled scoreless into the third inning when West Virginia took a 4-0 lead. Winfield added three more runs in the fifth inning to take a 7-0 advantage before Bartow scored its only run in the sixth. Haley Collum and Cam Smith, who both tossed no-hitters in Bartow’s first two wins on Saturday, split the pitching duties and combined for ten striketouts. Collum allowed a hit and four walks. Smith yielded three hits and a pair of walks. Brie Patterson, Kiaya Banks, Harley Hannah, and Carley Aspenwall had one hit each for Bartow. Patterson scored Bartow’s run and stole one base. Savannah Viktora contributed an RBI. Collum reached base on a walk and stole one base. Bartow won the Georgia Little League state title with a 5-1 mark to complete the post-season with a 7-2 overall record. Results for Bartow County Little League and Cartersville Little League provided by the respective leagues and Georgia Little League Baseball and Softball. Bartow County Recreation Department and Cartersville Recreation Department baseball and softball teams participating in Georgia Recreation and Parks Association are reported to Bartow Sports Zone by the respective recreation departments and presented on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports at 410 Cherokee Place in Cartersville.

The Cartersville Cobias summer swim team sent twenty-four competitors to the 2018 GRPA A State Championship Friday and Saturday at the Cumming Aquatic Center. Below are the results for the local competitors. Mixed 10U 100 Yard Medley Relay - Final 8th — Reign West, Kyle Hoeri, Tripp Chitwood, Emily Guin Boys 7-8 25 Yard Breast - Prelim 9th — Lukas Puckett Boys 7-8 100 Yard IM - Prelim 18th — Lukas Puckett Boys 9-10 100 Yard IM - Prelim 15th — Kyle Hoeri Boys 9-10 25 Yard Back - Prelim 14th — Kyle Hoeri Boys 9-10 25 Yard Fly - Prelim 16th — Kyle Hoeri Boys 7-8 100 Yard Free Relay - Prelim 15th — Andrew Harris, Logan Puckett, Noah Leffew, Lukas Puckett Mixed 10U 100 Yard Free Relay - Final 6th — Tripp Chitwood, Emily Guin, Reign West, Kyle Hoeri Boys 11-12 100 Yard Free - Prelim 10th — Joseph Hall Boys 13-14 100 Yard Free - Prelim 13th — Nathan Higgins Mixed 12U 200 Yard Medley Relay - Prelim 10th — Cooper Huskins, Ella Bailey, Natalie Guin, Joseph Hall Mixed 18U 200 Yard Medley Relay - Final 6th — Ethan Hoeri, Beth Svendsen, Elijah Wilhoit, Mallory Cook Boys 13-14 50 Yard Free - Prelim 12th — Nathan Higgins Girls 13-14 50 Yard Breast - Final 8th — Beth Svendsen Boys 11-12 100 Yard IM - Prelim 21st — Joseph Hall Boys 15-18 100 Yard IM - Prelim 18th — Elijah Wilhoit Boys 15-18 50 Yard Back - Prelim 8th — Ethan Hoeri Boys 15-18 50 Yard Fly - Final 6th — Ethan Hoeri Boys 15-18 50 Yard Fly - Prelim 16th — Elijah Wilhoit Mixed 12U 200 Yard Free Relay - Final 8th — Natalie Guin, Joseph Hall, Cooper Huskins, Ella Bailey Mixed 14U 200 Yard Free Relay - Final 8th — Nathan Higgins, Maggie Long, Ellie Johnson, Cooper Brown (6th in Prelims) Mixed 18U 200 Yard Free Relay - Final 6th — Mallory Cook, Elijah Wilhoit, Alexus Huskins, Tanner Campbell 7th — Beth Svendsen, Ethan Hoeri, Lanee Haley, Carson Teems Cobias qualified for the state meet: Carson Teems, Elijah Wilhoit, Joseph Hall, Nathan Higgins, Beth Svendsen, Maggie Long, Ellie Johnson, Lanee Haley, Alexus Huskins, Mallory Cook, Cooper Brown, Cooper Huskins, Natalie Guin, Emily Guin, Reign West, Ella Bailey, Kyle Hoerl, Tripp Chitwood, Lukas Puckett, Andrew Harris, Logan Puckett, Noah Leffew. Coaches: Jordan Baldwin, Kera Lawhon, and head coach Matt Siniard.

Bartow County Little League Softball 10u shutout both opening day opponents Saturday at the Little League Southeast Regional Tournament of State Champions in Clarksville, Tennessee. Bartow pitchers Haley Collum and Kam Smith tossed back-to-back no hitters in the two shutouts. Bartow stopped Irmo (South Carolina) and Montgomery Central (Tennessee) by identical 13-0 final scores and can clinch a berth in the TOSC championship with a victory Sunday morning over Winfield (West Virginia). Photo (L-R): Bartow pitcher Haley Collum, catcher Elizabeth (Bitsy) Hartsfield, and pitcher Kam Smith following Saturday's two no-hitter victories over South Carolina and Tennessee. Sunday's showdown with Winfield is scheduled for 12 noon EDT. Winfield defeated Montgomery Central 12-3 and blanked Irmo late Saturday, 16-0. The Bartow/Winfield winner will advance to the TOSC championship game at 4 p.m. EDT Sunday afternoon against the winner of the other three-team pool that includes teams from Virginia, Florida, and North Carolina. BARTOW 13, MONTGOMERY CENTRAL (TN) 0 Kam Smith hurled a four-inning no-hitter in Bartow’s second victory of the day. Smith faced a dozen batters and fanned eight. She retired two batters on groundouts and issued a pair of walks. Bartow, playing as the home team, raced to a 10-0 lead in the first inning, added two runs in the second, and one more in the third inning. Haley Collum led Bartow with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate that included a double, three RBI, and three runs scored. Alivia Joslin and Bitsy Hartsfield both finished 2-for-2. Joslin had a double, RBI, and scored a run. Hartsfield drove in a pair of runs, scored a run, and walked once. Kyndell Hembree contributed a hit, walk, and two runs. Brie Patterson added a double, two RBI, and scored a run. Smith also had a hit, stole a base, and scored twice. Lakiaya Banks walked twice and scored two runs. Savannah Viktora also scored a run. BARTOW 13, IRMO (SC) 0 Earlier in the day, Bartow blanked Irmo (SC) Little League 13-0 in the first TOSC game for both teams. Haley Collum fanned 12 of the 13 batters she faced in a game that was shortened to only four innings due to mercy, run-rule. Collum narrowly missed pitching a perfect game. She walked a batter in the second inning. Playing as the home team, Bartow posted seven runs in the first inning, one in the second, and five more in the third inning. Bitsy Hartsfield paced Bartow at the plate. She was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base. Brie Patterson finished with a hit, two walks, one RBI, and scored two runs. Lakiaya Banks and Collum both contributed a hit, walk, and two runs each. Kam Smith scored two runs. Harley Hannah, Alivia Joslin, and Harlee Thomason also scored one run apiece. Results for Bartow County Little League and Cartersville Little League provided by the respective leagues and Georgia Little League Baseball and Softball. Bartow County Recreation Department and Cartersville Recreation Department baseball and softball teams participating in Georgia Recreation and Parks Association are reported to Bartow Sports Zone by the respective recreation departments and presented on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports at 410 Cherokee Place in Cartersville.

Bartow County Junior Little League (14u) survived four consecutive elimination games at the Georgia Junior Little League state tournament and forced a winner-take-all title game Thursday night in Athens, but came up short in the deciding game with Elbert County Junior Little League. Needing to win twice Thursday night, Bartow County won the championship round opener 2-1 but fell in the nightcap, 19-9. Elbert County raced out to a 6-0 lead in the first two innings of the second game, but Bartow scored six times in the top of the third to knot the score 6-6. From that point, however, Elbert outscored Bartow 13-3 to close out the win and capture the state title with a victory in five innings. Bartow pitching struggled in the nightcap, issuing 16 walks and hitting seven batters. Elbert needed only six hits to cash in 19 runs. Patrick Shelley, Harrison Benton, and Wade Dooley (RBI) had two hits each for Bartow. Colton Wilson (double, RBI) and Brice Craig (2 RBI) had the other Bartow base hits. Brandon Carroll, Charlie Ray, and Devin Pryor each added one RBI. BARTOW 2, ELBERT 1 Wade Dooley tossed a complete-game, two-hitter Thursday night in the opening game of the Georgia Junior Little League state tournament championship round to lead Bartow past Elbert 2-1. Dooley struck out two and walk three while keeping Elbert County off the scoreboard until the sixth inning. Bartow scored their two runs in the first inning. Shelley, Wilson, and Benton all had hits in the frame. Shelley added a seventh inning single for a two-hit game. Craig contributed a pair of hits and Pryor also had one hit. Bartow County Junior Little League finished 4-2 in the state tournament and Georgia runner-up. Elbert County advances to the Junior Little League Baseball Southeast Regional that begins August 2 in Fort Myers, FL. Georgia Junior Little League State Tournament schedule/results: Double-elimination at East Athens Little League Sat. July 14 — West Point 5, Bartow County 1 Sat. July 14 — Athens 16, Northern-Columbus 12 Sun. July 15 — Vine Ingle 12, West Point 6 Sun. July 15 — Elbert County 11, Athens 0 Mon. July 16 — Bartow County 10, Athens 4 (Athens eliminated) Mon. July 16 — West Point 17, Northern-Columbus 1 (Northern eliminated) Tue. July 17 — Elbert Co. 17, Vine Ingle 1 Tue. July 17 — Bartow County 7, West Point 4 (West Point eliminated) Wed. July 18 — Bartow County 11, Vine Ingle 2 (Vine Ingle eliminated) Thr. July 19 — Bartow County 2, Elbert Co. 1 (championship round) Thr. July 19 — Elbert County 19, Bartow County 9 (Elbert wins state championship) Results for Bartow County Little League and Cartersville Little League provided by the respective leagues and Georgia Little League Baseball and Softball. Bartow County Recreation Department and Cartersville Recreation Department baseball and softball teams participating in Georgia Recreation and Parks Association are reported to Bartow Sports Zone by the respective recreation departments and presented on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports at 410 Cherokee Place in Cartersville

The Cartersville Cobias summer swim team has twenty-four competitors advancing to the state swim meet Friday and Saturday at the Cumming Aquatic Center. The 10-and-under state meet is Friday. The 11-and-over meet is Saturday. Left to right: Carson Teems, Elijah Wilhoit, Joseph Hall, Nathan Higgins, Beth Svendsen, Maggie Long, Ellie Johnson, Lanee Haley, Alexus Huskins, Mallory Cook, Cooper Brown, Cooper Huskins, Natalie Guin, Emily Guin, Reign West, Ella Bailey, Kyle Hoerl, Tripp Chitwood, Lukas Puckett, Andrew Harris, Logan Puckett, Noah Leffew. Coaches left to right: 6U coach Jordan Baldwin, assistant coach Kera Lawhon, and head coach Matt Siniard.

Bartow County Junior Little League won a third consecutive elimination game Wednesday night, defeating Vine Ingle Junior Little League 11-2, to reach the championship round of the Georgia Junior Little League state tournament at East Athens Little League. PHOTO: Bartow County Junior Little League (14U) pauses for a photo following Tuesday night's victory in Athens. Bartow, now 3-1 in the double-elimination tournament, will need two wins over Elbert County Junior Little League (2-0) Thursday night to capture the state championship. Bartow took an early lead Tuesday night, scoring all eleven runs in the first four frames. Bartow out hit Vine Ingle fifteen to seven. Patrick Shelley and Brice Craig both had three hit games for Bartow and drove in one run apiece. Brandon Carroll (2 RBI), Charlie Ray (3 RBI), and Wade Dooley contributed two hits each. Colton Wilson (2 RBI) and Eli Agnew both doubled. Harrison Benton had a hit and Devin Pryor reached base twice after being hit by pitches. Carroll worked the first six innings on the mound for Bartow to pick up the pitching victory. He gave way to Wade Dooley in the seventh. Georgia Junior Little League State Tournament schedule/results: Double-elimination at East Athens Little League Sat. July 14 — West Point 5, Bartow County 1 Sat. July 14 — Athens 16, Northern-Columbus 12 Sun. July 15 — Vine Ingle 12, West Point 6 Sun. July 15 — Elbert County 11, Athens 0 Mon. July 16 — Bartow County 10, Athens 4 (Athens eliminated) Mon. July 16 — West Point 17, Northern-Columbus 1 (Northern eliminated) Tue. July 17 — Elbert Co. 17, Vine Ingle 1 Tue. July 17 — Bartow County 7, West Point 4 (West Point eliminated) Wed. July 18 — Bartow County 11, Vine Ingle 2 (Vine Ingle eliminated) GM 10 — Thr. July 19 — 6 pm — Elbert Co. vs. Winner Gm 9 (championship round) GM 11 — Thr. July 19 — 8 pm — Winner Gm 10 vs. Loser Gm 10 (if needed) Georgia champion advances to the Junior Little League Baseball Southeast Regional that begins August 2 in Fort Myers, FL CARTERSVILLE LL 12U FALLS TO SMYRNA AT STATE TOURNEY Cartersville Little League 12U was eliminated from the Georgia Little League state tournament Wednesday night with a 5-2 loss to host Smyrna Little League in Cobb County. Cartersville got a pair of solo home runs from Miles Owen for their two runs. Owen, who finished the night 3-for-3, homered to left field in the first inning and smacked an opposite field shot in the top of the fifth inning. Smyrna took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third inning and after Owen’s second home run narrowed the margin to 3-2, Smyrna scored a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Owen (4 IP, 5ER, 5H, 4BB, 5K) started on the mound and was tagged with the pitching loss. Gavin Shrewsbury (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1K) recorded the final three outs for Cartersville. Connor Brasfield contributed a double for the Cartersville offense. Turner Abernathy and Caleb Daniel added base hits. Smyrna advances to play Warner Robins Thursday night in another elimination game. Cartersville completed the state tournament with a 2-2 mark and finished 5-2 in the post-season. The 12U Cartersville team went 3-0 to win the District 1 tournament and qualify for state. Little League Baseball (12U) Georgia state tournament schedule/results: Double-elimination. All games at Smyrna Little League Sat. July 14 — Warner Robins 14, Chatham County 0 Sat. July 14 — Athens 14, Hart County 2 Sat. July 14 — Northern-Columbus 10, Elbert County 0 Sat. July 14 — Peachtree City 11, Cartersville 3 Sun. July 15 — Smyrna 9, Warner Robins 3 Sun. July 15 — Athens 19, Belvedere 0 Sun. July 15 — Elbert Co. 9 Hart Co. 6 (Hart eliminated) Sun. July 15 — Cartersville 19, Chatham Co. 0 (Chatham eliminated) Mon. July 16 — Warner Robins 13, Elbert Co. 3 (Elbert eliminated) Tue. July 17 — Cartersville 18, Belvedere 8 (Belvedere eliminated) Tue. July 17 — Northern-Columbus 1, Smyrna 0 Tue. July 17 — Athens vs. Peachtree City 18, Athens 2 Wed. July 18 — Smyrna 5, Cartersville 2 (Cartersville eliminated) Wed. July 18 — Warner Robins 26, Athens 5 (Athens eliminated) GM 15 — Thr. July 19 — 6pm — Northern-Columbus vs. Peachtree City GM 16 — Thr. July 19 — 8:30pm — Smyrna vs. Warner Robins (elimination game) GM 17 — Fri. July 20 — 7pm — Loser Gm 15 vs. Winner Gm 16 (elimination game) GM 18 — Sat. July 21 — 9am — Winner Gm 15 vs. Winner Gm 17 (championship round) GM 19 — Sun. July 22 — 10am — Winner Gm 18 vs. Loser Gm 18 (if needed) The Georgia champion advances to the 2018 Little League Baseball Southeastern Regional Tournament at Little League Southeast Park in Warner Robins, GA August 3-8. Results for Bartow County Little League and Cartersville Little League provided by the respective leagues and Georgia Little League Baseball and Softball. Bartow County Recreation Department and Cartersville Recreation Department baseball and softball teams participating in Georgia Recreation and Parks Association are reported to Bartow Sports Zone by the respective recreation departments and presented on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports at 410 Cherokee Place in Cartersville.

Men's and women's SEBL action from July 15-18. All SEBL games are played at the Summer Hill Complex - JH Morgan Gym located at 129 Aubrey Street in Cartersvile. SEBL Metro Conference A-League Summaries for July 15, 2018 Wood Elite Training 82 Dream Chaserz 66 The Wood Elite Training squad finally debuted and they didn’t disappoint. They showed the Dream Chaserz they need to show up full force, if they expect to win games. Chapin Rierson (Georgia College) downed eight of WET’s first 10 points, including two deep treys, to put his team up quickly. DC’s Brannon Hopkins (Point University) tried his best to keep pace, as he downed 15 first half points, but Wood Elite had managed to build a 39-27 lead at the half. The Chaserz chased in the second half, cutting their deficit to as low as four on several occasions. But, WET’s Jonathan Mason put the game away, draining two threes, along with Quinton Wood (Reinhardt) and Isaac Thomas (Georgia College) contributing a combined 20 points. Hopkins finished with a game-high 34 for the Dream Chaserz, who fell to 1-2. Travion Geter (Life Univ) also had 14. Wood Elite, who starts their schedule off 1-0, got 29 from Rierson, 16 from Thomas, 14 from Wood and nine from Mason (Shorter). Franklin Ford 74 The OG’s 68 Franklin Ford moved to 2-1 on the summer, with a strong win over the OG’s. Despite finding themselves down 40-30 at the half, the OG’s fought back to make a game of it down the stretch, behind Chris Brown, who downed 18 of his 26 total after the break. But, Cory Tobin answered with 15 of his own, all from beyond the arc, thwarting the OG’s comeback designs. Shaquille Hopson and Reggie King collected 16 and 14, respectively, for the OG’s, who fell to 0-3 in the standings. For Franklin Ford, Tobin finished with 18, while Chris Brock, JR Davis and Talique Cochran each netted 14. Blake Clay also had 12 for FF, who improved to 2-1. Baseline-1 85 Summer Hill-1 77 Baseline-1 came out firing in the opening minutes, quickly building a double-digit lead, behind AJ Mosby and Tory Smith’s perimeter shooting. Ryan Davis also got in the act with multiple drives to the basket, as Baseline-1 built a seemingly insurmountable 50-27 lead at the half. In the second, SH1 began a steady trek back to make things interesting, with Davy Fisher getting hot from all over the place, as Keith Ray assisted in helping cut the deficit to as low as 76-72 late in the contest. Forced to foul in the final minute, Summer Hill-1 couldn’t overcome, as Davis and Mosby combined to go 9 of 10 at the line. Fisher’s offensive efforts saw him down 28 in the game for SH1, who slipped to 1-1, as Ray finished with 23 and Antonio Wade 17. For Baseline-1 (3-0), Davis had 23 and Mosby 22. Smith contributed nine. Brighter Days 71 Toyo-1 57 Knotted at 29-all at the intermission, Brighter Days took advantage of poor shot selection by Toyo-1, as Kevin Hobbs and Quincy Atkinson benefitted with several transition buckets. Brighter Days went on a 15-3 run to start the half – a double-digit deficit Toyo-1 would never be able to bounce back from. Toyo-1 (0-3), got 15 from Bobby Smith, while Donlin Hinton scored 13 and Quan Martin eight. For Brighter Days (2-0), Hobbs streaked for 31 points on the night, as Cyrus Banks had 12. Cory Warn and Elijah Hirsh each contributed seven. SEBL Metro Conference A-League capsule for July 17: Bartow Braves 66 Shaw Industries 61 The Bartow Braves got back on track with a hard-fought win over Shaw Industries, in a game that went back and forth the entire way. The Braves held a slim 35-32 lead at the break, fueled by Josh Wilson’s 14 hustle-points and Tim Fortenberry’s 14, mostly from beyond the arc. Randy McClure and Kevin Hammet helped Shaw keep pace with 16 and 11, respectively. Shaw would retake the lead on several occasions in the second half, but had to find offense in other ways, as McClure and Hammet found it hard to score. Malik Rush and Cyril Young picked up the slack for Shaw, but Wilson didn’t slow much for the Braves. With buckets now hard to come by, the bulk of the Braves’ offense came from the charity stripe, as they went a combined 13 of 15 from the line to hang on for the victory. Mclure led Shaw, now 1-2, with 20 points, while Hammet finished with 17 and Rush 12. For the Braves, who upped their record to 2-1, Fortenberry poured in 25, while Wilson had 22. Richard Olson and Marquise Brown each scored eight. SEBL Metro A-League Game Summaries for July 18: Baseline-1 85 Bartow Braves 74 Baseline-1 remains atop the SEBL A-League standings, after outlasting the Braves, to move to 4-0. Baseline-1 broke open a close game in the latter minutes of the first half, after CJ Bennett hit a trey, followed by buckets from AJ Mosby and Ryan Davis, culminating in a 12-2 run to send the Braves into the half down 45-31. The Braves had gotten the usual production from Josh Wilson and Richard Olsen, but Tim Fortenberry had yet to get going. In the second half, Baseline-1 pushed its spread to as much as 17, but the Braves fought back, as Fortenberry finally got on track with five second half threes. But, defensively the Braves had no answer for the tandem of Davis and Mosby. Davis repeatedly got the basket with strong drives, and Mosby hit a couple of timely tri-fectas, and the Braves could never get closer that five down in the closing minutes. Wilson led the Braves, now 2-2, with 23, as Fortenberry finished with 20 and Olsen 14. For the Baseline-1 ’05 squad, who moves to 4-0, Davis poured in 32, while Mosby had 24. Bennett and Tory Smith each had eight. Dream Chaserz 66 Brighter Days 63 The Dream Chaserz, who are one of the most talented teams in the league when they decide to show up in force, decided to show up in force on Wednesday night, as they had a full roster to take on a very good 2-0 Brighter Days team. DC who had lost two roster-depleted games in a row came up with clutch freethrows and big defensive plays in the closing seconds, to clip Brighter Days, handing them their first loss of the summer. Devonn Pierce hit the game deciding freethrows with only 20 seconds remaining to give DC a 64-63 lead, and after a forcing a Brighter Days miss on the other end, Anthony Hilliard drew a foul and hit both at the charity stripe. On the ensuing play, Chevelan Pearson got a steal with only six seconds left to seal the win. Elijah Hirsh paced Brighter Days (2-1) with 16, while an hobbled Kevin Hobbs finished with 12 and Cyrus Banks 11. Newcomer, Ethan Palmer and Cory Warn each had seven. For the Dream Chasers, who moved to 2-2, Pearson and Shon Redding each netted 14, whole Logan Shoffner had 12 and Travien Geter got 10. Pierce finished with six. Wood Elite Training 80 Franklin Ford 76 Wood Elite jumped out strong behind a combined nine threes, with Quinton Wood and Jonathan Mason doing most of the damage, to go in the intermission up 48-36 on a relatively cold-shooting Franklin Ford squad. Still down double-digits deep into the second half, Franklin’s JR Davis went on a mission, generating 15 points of a 20-4 run, to get them back to within two late in the game. Veteran Darrell Wilkins hit a clutch trey for WET to quell the run. However, an intentional foul call on Franklin’s Kyle Smith in the final minute sent WET’s Jonathan Mason to the line for two free throws, plus possession of the ball, virtually icing the game. Davis finished with 26 on the night for Franklin Ford, who slipped to 2-2, while Blake Clay had 16, Josell Payne 14 and Cory Tobin 12. For WET, who moved to 2-0, Wood had 23, Phil Cirillo 15, Darrell Wilkins 12 and Mason 11. Summer Hill-1 110 The OG’s 67 After a bit of a sluggish start offensively, Summer Hill-1 got things rolling, blowing past The OG’s for the highest team point total of the summer, thus far. Davy Fisher fueled the SH1 offense, as he continued his torrid shooting from the perimeter to the tune of six more threes in the game. But, Antonio Wad was the trigger in the first half to get it rolling for SH1, as he chalked up 18 first half points. Chris Brown was again a bright spot for the OG’s as he canned five deep shots, on his way to scoring 22 of this 29 in the second half alone. Reggie King also pounded in 19, and pulled a truck load of rebounds for the OG’s, in the losing effort, as they fell to 0-4 on the season. Summer Hill-1, who improved to 2-1, saw Fisher finish with 29, Wade 25, JP Pritchett 16, Keith Ray 15, Damon Mitchell 13 and Jonathan Fowler 12. SEBL Metro Conference A-League standings as of 7-18-2018: 4-0… Baseline-1 ‘05 2-0… Wood Elite Training 2-1… Summer Hill-1 2-1… Brighter Days 2-2… Dream Chaserz 2-2… Franklin Ford 2-2… Bartow Braves 1-2... Shaw Industries 0-3... Toyo-1 0-4... The OG’s SEBL City Conference B-League Game Summaries for July 17: BC Infinity 85 Team Alumni 50 Infinity’s Jason Greenberg drained a three to start things off and his team never looked back, as they ran away with Team Alumni. Infinity combined for 10 first half bombs from behind the arc, to take a big 45-26 lead into the half. In the second, Alumni tried to make a run of it, but Kingsley Okezie and JP Pritchett went on a 12-2 run by themselves, to put the game away. Team Alumni, who slipped to 0-3, got 18 from Talique Cochran and 10 from Courtney Gamble. For BC Infinity, now 2-1, Okezie downed 20, while Latrel Jones had 16, Pritchett 14 and Kaylon Aker 13. Dominique Richards and Greenburg finished with eight and six, respectively. SH Warriors 78 GSM Ballers 74 GSM jumped out early, behind the shooting of Pat Printup and Bryan Owen, as the Warriors found themselves down by nine only a few minutes into the game. With GSM up 25-16 on two LD Strickland free throws, the Warriors finally decided to wake up, going on a 16-2 tear that saw six different guys score during the run, including a steal and bucket from JR Davis, a three from Cade Archer. Chaz Phillips capped the run with a breakaway lay-in, to put the Warriors up 32-27. Phillips would later can an 18-footer at the buzzer to send his team into the break with a 42-30 cushion. GSM would fall down by as many as 19 a few minutes into the second half, before stepping up the defense to begin working back into the game. Printup heated up for consecutive treys, while Strickland and Clay repeatedly found seams to the basket for lay-ups. Archer and Kevane Washington were able to continue to generate offense for the SHW, but with under a minute left GSM had cut the score to 74-72. But, SHW was able to answer with two buckets late by Walter Brown and Archer. For GSM, who fell to 0-3, Strickland had 18, Printup 17, Clay 14 and Owen 11. The Warriors (3-0) were paced by Archer’s 23 and Brown, who had 10. Washington got nine and Cody Henderson eight. Toyo-2 72 SH-Baseline-2 69 Toyo-2 came out strong, with a superb perimeter shooting effort, as they had five different players knock down three pointers, coupled with Josh Christian having his way attacking the basket against a lackluster SHB2 defense. Toyo-2 jumped out to a 20-point lead at one point. Jeremiah Shaw finally got cooking, as he poured in 15 points in the first half, while Brett Role contributed with several key put-backs, to help SHB2 mount a comeback that allowed them to cut their deficit to 43-38 by the half. SHB2 eventually took its first lead at 51-49 on freethrows from Shaw. But, they expended so much energy fighting back, they couldn’t sustain the run. The lead changed hands numerous times down the stretch, with Josell Payne and Donlin Hinton notching the go ahead buckets. With under 10 seconds left, SHB2 missed on two long attempts to knot it up, giving Toyo-2 the upset win. Shaw led SHB2, now 2-1, with 26 points, while Markel Williams and Korley Grier each had 14. For Toyo-2 (1-2), Christian would garner game-high honors with 31 points, while Hinton scored 16 and Quan Martin eight. SEBL City Conference B-League Standings as of 7-18-18: 3-0… SH Warriors 2-1… SH-Baseline-2 2-1… BC Infinity 1-2... Toyo-2 0-3... GSM Ballers 0-3... Team Alumni WSEBL Women’s Capsules for July 15, 2018 Baseline-3 39 Summer Hill-3 25 Summer Hill-3 took an 18-15 lead into the half, behind the shooting of Alexis Garnigan and Lauren Womack, but they could not sustain the offensive production after the break as Baseline-3’s Keke Swain got cranked up and took over. Rachel Irby wound up leading SH3 (0-2) with seven points, while Garnigan and Womach tallied six and five, respectively. For Baseline-3 (2-0), Swain finished with a game-high 17, whiole Nakiyah Washington had nine and Amber Bowen six. RAK 51 Lady Lions 43 RAK used a very balanced attack to ward off a talented Lady Lions team, who is much better than their 0-2 start indicates. RAK got 10 from JessAnn Nix in the first half, while Lochlain Corliss chalked up 11 for the Lady Lions. With the lead trading numerous times, Kate Nash hit a three and Bethany Headrick sank two free throws to break a tie and send RAK into the break with a 31-26 spread. In the second half, RAK was able to fend off the Lady Lions, as both offenses seemed to dry up. Corliss finished with 17 for the Lady Lions, while Alison Smith got 13. For RAK (2-0), Nix finished with 13, Carrie Cheeks 12, Headrick nine, Nash nine and Tess Wright five. Elite-77 50 Flex Nation 30 Elite77 took advantage of a roster-depleted Flex squad and ran away from the opening tip. Chistraundra Banks scored nine to lead Flex (0-2), while Aliegh Cass contributed five. For Elite77 (2-0), Taya Gibson (Columbus State) led the way with 11, while Re’Tavia Floyd had 10, Tarrah Gibson eight and Madison McKinney four. WSEBL Standings as of 7/16/18 2-0… RAK 2-0… Baseline-3 2-0… Elite-77 0-2... Lady Lions 0-2... Summer Hill-3 0-2... Flex Nation

Fall sports and activities registration is underway for a variety of programs with the Bartow County Recreation Department. 8U Flag Football has been added this Fall as well as 10U and 12U Youth Volleyball. Cheerleading and fall soccer are also available. Sign ups are going on now! The deadline to register is August 4th. For more information contact us at (770) 387-5149. Don't miss out! YOUTH FOOTBALL Season runs from August-November Practices and games are conducted at Hamilton Crossing Park and Old Cass High AGE DIVISIONS AND REGISTRATION FEES 5 & 6 Year Old Flag Football $60 7& 8 Year Old Tackle Football $90 9 & 10 Year Old Tackle Football $90 11 & 12 Year Old Tackle Football $90 Jerseys and Mouth Guards are Provided and all Protective Equipment Is On Loan And To Be Returned At The End Of The Season CHEERLEADING Season runs from August-November Practices and games are held at Hamilton Crossing Park and Old Cass High Coaches are NYSCA Certified AGE DIVISIONS AND REGISTRATION FEES Ages 6-12 (Age prior to Sept.-1) Cost $90 Includes Cheer Uniform. VOLLEYBALL Ages 9-14 Age cut off: September 1 Coaches are NYSCA Certified Cost: $75 Includes shirt and shorts FALL SOCCER Fall soccer league runs from August-November Practices and games are played at Hamilton Crossing Park, Manning Mill Park, And Stars Pre K Soccer Field Age Control January 1 AGE DIVISIONS AND REGISTRATION FEES Under 6 Co-Ed $85 Under 8 Girls and Boys League $85 Under 10 Girls and Boys League $85 Under 12 Girls and Boys League $85 Under 14 Co-Ed $85 Uniforms and Shin Guards are Provided

PHOTO: Bartow County Junior Little League (14U) first baseman Wade Dooley takes a cut at a pitch in Tuesday night's state tournament game at East Athens Little League. -- Photo courtesy East Athens Little League Bartow County Junior Little League (14U) survived a second straight elimination game and satisfied a measure of revenge Tuesday night in Athens with a 7-4 win in the Georgia Junior Little state tournament over West Point Junior Little League. Bartow, now 2-1 in the double-elimination tournament, suffered an opening round 5-1 loss to West Point last Saturday but has now bounced back in the losers’ bracket to eliminate host Athens and West Point. The victory advances Bartow to the final three teams in the double-elimination tournament. The locals will need three more wins to win the state title. West Point took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning Tuesday night before Bartow erupted for five runs in the bottom of the third. The two teams then matched runs down the stretch with Bartow adding single runs in the fourth and sixth innings. West Point scored a run in the sixth and one more in the seventh. The two teams matched one another with six hits each. Patrick Shelley paced Bartow with three hits and scored three times. Brice Craig contributed a pair of hits, a walk, and scored a run. Colton Wilson added the other Bartow hit, walked, and scored one run. Devin Pryor and Eli Agnew both walked and scored a run in Bartow’s eventful third inning. Bartow will play Vine Ingle Junior Little League (1-1) Wednesday night at 6 p.m. in another elimination game. The winner will advance to the championship round against unbeaten Elbert County. Elbert (2-0) routed Vine Ingle Tuesday night, 17-1. Georgia Junior Little League State Tournament schedule/results: Double-elimination at East Athens Little League Sat. July 14 — West Point 5, Bartow County 1 Sat. July 14 — Athens 16, Northern-Columbus 12 Sun. July 15 — Vine Ingle 12, West Point 6 Sun. July 15 — Elbert County 11, Athens 0 Mon. July 16 — Bartow County 10, Athens 4 (Athens eliminated) Mon. July 16 — West Point 17, Northern-Columbus 1 (Northern eliminated) Tue. July 17 — Elbert Co. 17, Vine Ingle 1 Tue. July 17 — Bartow County 7, West Point 4 (West Point eliminated) GM 9 — Wed. July 18 — 6 pm — Vine Ingle vs. Bartow County (elimination game) GM 10 — Thr. July 19 — 6 pm — Elbert Co. vs. Winner Gm 9 (championship round) GM 11 — Thr. July 19 — 8 pm — Winner Gm 10 vs. Loser Gm 10 (if needed) Georgia champion advances to the Junior Little League Baseball Southeast Regional that begins August 2 in Fort Myers, FL Results for Bartow County Little League and Cartersville Little League provided by the respective leagues and Georgia Little League Baseball and Softball. Bartow County Recreation Department and Cartersville Recreation Department baseball and softball teams participating in Georgia Recreation and Parks Association are reported to Bartow Sports Zone by the respective recreation departments and presented on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports at 410 Cherokee Place in Cartersville.

Cartersville Little League 12U sent sixteen men to the plate in the third inning and scored twelve runs in the frame on their way to an 18-8, five-inning victory over Belvedere Little League Tuesday night in the Georgia Little League state tournament in Cobb County. The big inning for Cartersville came when they were trailing 6-1. Cartersville scored a single run in the first inning, but Belvedere batted around and posted six runs in the second inning prior to the Cartersville third inning outburst. Belvedere got as close as 13-8, but Cartersville ended the game in the bottom of the fifth inning with five more runs. Aiden Ray homered twice for Cartersville with a grand slam in a 4-for-4 performance that included seven RBI. Miles Owen also homered with two doubles, a walk, and four RBI. Caleb Daniel contributed a pair of doubles and three RBI. Connor Brasfield also had two doubles. Easton Elrod (RBI), Grant Knight (RBI), Landon Heath, and Geoffrey Gore (double) had the other Cartersville base hits. Cartersville utilized four different pitchers to secure the win with Knight (1.1 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 3K) picking up the victory in relief. Gore (1.2 IP, 6ER, 5H, 2BB, 3K) started on the mound for the locals. Heath (1 IP, 1R, 0ER, 0H, 2BB, 2K) and Ray (1 IP, 1ER, 1H, 3BB, 2K) worked the final two innings for Cartersville. Cartersville Little League 12U, now 2-1 in the double-elimination state tournament, stays alive for another elimination game Wednesday night at 6 p.m. against the host team, Smyrna Little League. Smyrna (1-1) lost to Northern-Columbus Tuesday night, 1-0, after winning their tournament opener Sunday over Warner Robins, 9-3. Little League Baseball (12U) Georgia state tournament schedule/results: Double-elimination. All games at Smyrna Little League Sat. July 14 — Warner Robins 14, Chatham County 0 Sat. July 14 — Athens 14, Hart County 2 Sat. July 14 — Northern-Columbus 10, Elbert County 0 Sat. July 14 — Peachtree City 11, Cartersville 3 Sun. July 15 — Smyrna 9, Warner Robins 3 Sun. July 15 — Athens 19, Belvedere 0 Sun. July 15 — Elbert Co. 9 Hart Co. 6 (Hart eliminated) Sun. July 15 — Cartersville 19, Chatham Co. 0 (Chatham eliminated) Mon. July 16 — Warner Robins 13, Elbert Co. 3 (Elbert eliminated) Tue. July 17 — Cartersville 18, Belvedere 8 (Belvedere eliminated) Tue. July 17 — Northern-Columbus 1, Smyrna 0 Tue. July 17 — Athens vs. Peachtree City 18, Athens 2 GM 13 — Wed. July 18 — 6pm — Cartersville vs. Smyrna (elimination game) GM 14 — Wed. July 18 — 8:30pm — Athens vs. Warner Robins (elimination game) GM 15 — Thr. July 19 — 6pm — Northern-Columbus vs. Peachtree City GM 16 — Thr. July 19 — 8:30pm — Winner Gm 13 vs. Winner Gm 14 (elimination game) GM 17 — Fri. July 20 — 7pm — Loser Gm 15 vs. Winner Gm 16 (elimination game) GM 18 — Sat. July 21 — 9am — Winner Gm 15 vs. Winner Gm 17 (championship round) GM 19 — Sun. July 22 — 10am — Winner Gm 18 vs. Loser Gm 18 (if needed) The Georgia champion advances to the 2018 Little League Baseball Southeastern Regional Tournament at Little League Southeast Park in Warner Robins, GA August 3-8. Results for Bartow County Little League and Cartersville Little League provided by the respective leagues and Georgia Little League Baseball and Softball. Bartow County Recreation Department and Cartersville Recreation Department baseball and softball teams participating in Georgia Recreation and Parks Association are reported to Bartow Sports Zone by the respective recreation departments and presented on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports at 410 Cherokee Place in Cartersville.

Bartow County Junior Little League (14U) broke open a 3-3 game with a seven-run fifth inning Monday night to survive an elimination game at the double-elimination Georgia Junior Little League state tournament in Athens. Bartow eliminated host Athens with their 10-4 win Monday night and advanced to face either Northern-Columbus or West Point in another elimination game Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. once again at East Athens Little League. Northern and West Point were playing the late game Monday night. Patrick Shelley had two triples in the game for Bartow 14U. Colton Wilson, Brice Craig, and Charlie Ray also finished the night with two hits. Harrison Benton, who was also the starting pitcher, added a hit. Brandon Carroll and Wade Dooley also contributed base hits for the locals. Devin Pryor and Eli Agnew drew fifth inning walks and scored in Bartow's breakout inning. Georgia Junior Little League State Tournament schedule/results: Double-elimination at East Athens Little League Sat. July 14 — West Point 5, Bartow County 1 Sat. July 14 — Athens 16, Northern-Columbus 12 Sun. July 15 — Vine Ingle 12, West Point 6 Sun. July 15 — Elbert County 11, Athens 0 Mon. July 16 — Bartow County 10, Athens 4 (Athens eliminated) GM 6 — Mon. July 16 — 8 pm — Northern-Columbus vs. West Point (elimination game) GM 7 — Tue. July 17 — 6 pm — Vine Ingle vs. Elbert Co. GM 8 — Tue. July 17 — 8 pm — Bartow County vs. Winner Gm 6 (elimination game) GM 9 — Wed. July 18 — 6 pm — Loser Gm 7 vs. Winner Gm 8 (elimination game) GM 10 — Thr. July 19 — 6 pm — Winner Gm 7 vs. Winner Gm 9 (championship round) GM 11 — Thr. July 19 — 8 pm — Winner Gm 10 vs. Loser Gm 10 (if needed) Georgia champion advances to the Junior Little League Baseball Southeast Regional that begins August 2 in Fort Myers, FL Results for Bartow County Little League and Cartersville Little League provided by the respective leagues and Georgia Little League Baseball and Softball. Bartow County Recreation Department and Cartersville Recreation Department baseball and softball teams participating in Georgia Recreation and Parks Association are reported to Bartow Sports Zone by the respective recreation departments and presented on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports at 410 Cherokee Place in Cartersville.