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February 25, 2025 Kaytlin Arnold scored 13 points in the Lady Canes' loss at Marist on Tuesday night. The Cartersville Lady Canes had their state playoff run come to a close Tuesday night in the Class AAAA quarterfinals with a 51-34 loss at Marist in Atlanta. Marist’s Kate Harpring, the No. 1 rated player by 247Sports in the Class of 2026, scored 40 points to lead the War Eagles to their 21st straight win since a loss at Cherokee on December 17. She is the daughter of former Georgia Tech star and 1998-99 NBA All-Rookie team member Matt Harpring. Cartersville trailed 9-4 in the opening minutes but rallied late in the opening period to knot the score at 11 after eight minutes. Behind Harpring’s 11 points in the quarter, Marist outscored the Lady Canes 15-6 in the second period to grab a 26-17 advantage at the intermission. Cartersville narrowed the deficit to five points three times in the third quarter, but Harpring scored six of her 12 third-quarter points in a one-minute span to build an 11-point War Eagles lead with 1:24 left in the third period. KK Arnold’s free throws cut that lead to nine points at the end of the quarter — 39-30. Marist outscored Cartersville 12-4 in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Harpring scored eight of the War Eagles’ points in the period. Overall, Harpring concluded with 12 field goals, two three-pointers, and made 10 out of 11 free throws in a remarkable display. Katie Elder, Eloise Smith, and Emily Morrison each contributed four points for the War Eagles. Arnold led Cartersville with 13 points. She added two steals and one rebound. Senai Camper and Blakely Morris finished with nine points. Morris added eight rebounds and two steals. Camper contributed four assists and two boards. Zoe McCurry finished with three points. Marist (29-2) advanced to the Final Four to face Creekside (30-0) on Saturday at Fort Valley State. The other semifinal will be Jackson (19-7) against North Oconee (29-1). Jackson defeated Northview 45-39, and North Oconee beat Dalton 62-57 in quarterfinal games on Tuesday. Creekside topped Ware County 63-46. The Lady Canes had their season end with a 19-10 record.

February 24, 2025 The Adairsville Tigers scored four runs in the top of the first inning Monday evening and received a solid performance from a trio of pitchers to win at Sonoraville 5-2. Kaiden Coker (4 IP, 2ER, 2H, 1B, 5K) made the pitching start for the Tigers and was credited with the win. McCayden Hufstetler (2 IP, 0R, 0H, 2BB, 4K) worked two scoreless innings in middle relief, and Jarrett Scott (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 3) earned a save by closing out the seventh inning. The Phoenix (1-5) scored their two runs in the bottom of the third inning to cut the Adairsville lead in half but were kept off the scoreboard the rest of the way. Brody Varner had three hits for the Tigers including a double and two RBI. Harrison Cole contributed two hits. Ethan Long, Braxton Ryan, and Isaac Burnett added one hit. Hudson Parr and Peyton Bowen drove in one run each. Adairsville (4-2) will host Sonoraville on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

February 23, 2025 GHC baseball split games on Sunday with Macomb CC (MI) and Wabash Valley College (IL). The Chargers lost to Macomb 4-1 but bounced back against Wabash Valley for a 12-2 win. Sunday’s outcomes left Georgia Highlands with a two game split with the Monarchs and the Warriors on the weekend. Three of Macomb’s four runs came via the home run as the Monarchs built a 4-0 lead through five innings. Georgia Highlands pushed across a run in the sixth inning on four walks. Ali Banks (Parkview HS) had two hits for the Chargers in the loss. Andrew Bishop (double), Heath Whitlock, and Joe Johnson added one hit. In the Sunday evening win over Wabash Valley, Georgia Highlands hit three home runs and took advantage of nine walks by Warriors’ pitching. Ryan Martin (home run, three RBI) and Wyatt Gatlin (home run, five RBI) had two hits for the Chargers. Tyler Phillips (double, RBI), Caden Marcos (RBI), and Whitlock (solo home run) added one hit each, GHC hurler Jack Butler (Pope HS) pitched all five innings for the win. He yielded two earned runs on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts. The Chargers (11-3) host Northwest-Shoals CC for three games on Friday and Saturday.

February 23, 2025 Georgia Highlands softball completed a four-game weekend series sweep of USC Union on Saturday by winning both games of a doubleheader, 8-0 and 15-11. The wins over the visiting Bantams also extended the Chargers’ win streak to thirteen games. Hayden Joyner tossed a five-inning one-hitter in the first game on Saturday. She walked one and struck out three. The series' final game was a shootout with a combined 31 hits. USC Union led 11-5 in the middle of the fourth inning, but the Chargers posted ten runs over the next three frames to escape with a win. Athens Hudson collected the pitching win for GHC in the second game. She did not allow a run over the final three innings by scattering two hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Hannah Mounce (3 IP, 7R, 6ER, 9H, 0BB, 1K) and Maci Andrews (1 IP, 4R, 3ER, 5H, 1BB, 1K) also pitched in the second game. Cass High product Haylee Dishmon had five hits in Saturday’s two games, including one home run and eight RBI. Mary Catherine Kimball produced three hits, including two doubles and four RBI. Sapphire Barker (home run, double, three RBI), Ahmani Green (double, three RBI), Hudson (two RBI), and Cayden Warren (RBI) finished the day with two hits. Abbey Yates and Faith Gauthier added one hit. USC Union dropped to 2-8 on the season. The Chargers (17-1) have a home doubleheader with Calhoun CC on Tuesday and Chattanooga State CC on Friday.

February 23, 2025 All four local high school baseball teams were in action on Saturday, and each team won. Woodland and Adairsville collected doubleheader sweeps. Cartersville won at Ringgold, and Cass split two games of the Georgia Dugout Challenge at LakePoint. CARTERSVILLE 8, RINGGOLD 2 Andrew Purdy Cartersville third baseman Andrew Purdy doubled home two runs in the second inning and hit a two-run homer in the seventh on Saturday afternoon to help lead the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes in an 8-2 win at Ringgold. Canes’ pitchers Nate Russell and Maddox Frazier combined on eleven strikeouts from the mound. Russell started and did not allow a run through four innings. He allowed two hits and one walk while fanning seven. Frazier yielded two runs on two hits with one walk, one hit batsman, and four strikeouts across the final three frames. Cole Crawford (RBI), Juliez Pratt (RBI), Cameron Cochran, Brayden Logan, Thomas Peters,  and David Vargas added one hit for the Canes. The loss dropped Ringgold to 3-3 on the season. Cartersville (3-2) will play on Thursday through Saturday in the 48-team Perfect Game High School Showdown at the Hoover, Alabama Met Sports Complex. The Canes open the tournament on Thursday at Mountain Brook High School against Fairhope (AL) CASS 13, OSBORNE 0 Hunter Lovett The Colonels salvaged one of three games played in the Georgia Dugout Challenge by blanking Osborne on Saturday afternoon 13-0 in five innings.  Cass scored single runs in the first three innings, added two in the fourth and eight in the fifth to secure the victory. Hunter Lovett worked all five innings on the mound for the Colonels and allowed just one hit with four walks and eight strikeouts. To lead the Cass offense, Chase Tatum had three hits, including two doubles and five RBI. Nic Wright (two doubles, two RBI), Zach Stiles (double, two RBI), and Trenton Elario (double, two RBI) contributed two hits. Joshua Churchwell (RBI), Dustin Wallin, and Jay Sheldon added one hit for the Colonels. The loss dropped Osborne to 3-4 on the season. Cass (2-3) visits LaFayette on Tuesday for a 5:30 p.m. first pitch and will host Rome for a doubleheader on Wednesday at 5 p.m. CAMBRIDGE 10, CASS 1 The Cambridge Bears posted seven runs in the bottom of the first inning on Saturday morning and never looked back in a 10-1 win over Cass at LakePoint in the Georgia Dugout Challenge.  Cambridge took advantage of five hits, three walks, and one hit batsman in the opening frame to build a big early lead.  Nic Wright’s sacrifice fly in the top of the third inning plated the only Colonels run although Cass had eight hits in the game. Dustin Wallin (0.1 IP, 7ER, 4H, 3BB) made the pitching start for Cass and suffered the loss. Four other Cass pitchers were utilized, including Chase Tatum (1.2 IP, 2ER, 4H, 1BB), Joshua Churchwell (0.2 IP, 1ER, 0H, 2BB, 1K), Landon Lamb (1.1 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 1K), and Jay Sheldon (2 IP, 0R, 2H, 1BB, 1K). Hunter Lovett and Tatum had two hits for the Colonels. Isaac Mason and Zach Stiles (triple) added one hit.  WOODLAND 13, CHEROKEE CO. (AL) 3 The Wildcats pounded out fifteen hits and scored in five of their six offensive frames in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday with Cherokee County (AL).  The visiting Warriors led 3-1 in the middle of the third inning, but Woodland posted a dozen runs over the next four innings to secure the win. Jake Clowers (double, RBI) and Alfredo Romo (two RBI) sparked the Wildcats’ offense at the top of the order. Ben Turcotte (four RBI), Conner Lujan (double, triple, two RBI), and Jonathan Ryan contributed two hits. Preston Sorrells (three RBI), Lucas Baker (RBI), and Grant Tidwell added one hit. Austin Daves was the winning pitcher for Woodland. He allowed three runs (one earned) in his four-inning start on two hits and two walks. Daves struck out four. Tucker James pitched the final two innings for the Wildcats and did not allow a run on one hit and one walk. WOODLAND 2, CHEROKEE CO. (AL) 0 In the second game of Saturday’s home doubleheader, the Wildcats got just enough offense to support the shutdown pitching of Lucas Baker and Jake Clowers to beat the visiting Warriors 2-0. Baker made a five-inning start for the pitching win and scattered two hits and two walks while fanning four. Baker closed out the final two innings on the mound and only allowed one hit. He struck out one. Woodland managed only three hits against Cherokee County pitcher Adam Griffith but pushed across single runs in the first and fourth innings. A dropped third strike, a single by Alfredo Romo, and a wild pitch plated the first-inning run for the Wildcats. Singles by Romo and Lucas Baker sandwiched a sacrifice bunt by Conner Lujan to set up a run-scoring groundout by Ben Turcotte in the fourth inning. With Saturday's losses, Cherokee County slipped to 2-5 on the season. Woodland (3-1) visits Pepperell on Friday for a 5:45 p.m. first pitch.  ADAIRSVILLE 10, DARLINGTON 5 A five-run first inning and a four-run sixth inning proved enough for Adairsville in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday at Darlington in a 10-5 final. The green-clad Tigers outhit the purple-clad Tigers fourteen to three but did commit five defensive miscues and issued seven walks to keep Darlington in the game. Jack Nelson made the pitching start for Adairsville and worked into the sixth inning. He allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks in 5-½ innings on the bump. Nelson struck out six. McCayden Hufstetler allowed two unearned runs on four walks in 1-⅓ innings with one strikeout, and Tyler Parker entered to retire one out from the mound. Peyton Bowen (double, three RBI), Nelson (three RBi), and Evan Hardin (RBI) had three hits for Adairsville. Brody Varner (RBI) and Harrison Cole contributed two hits. Hayden Miller (RBI) added one hit in the win. ADAIRSVILLE 4, DARLINGTON 3 Jarrett Scott Braxton Ryan produced a go-ahead, two-out RBI single in the top of the fifth inning to help lift Adairsville to a 4-3 win in the second game of a doubleheader at Darlington. Adairsville led 2-0 early, but the host Tigers scored two runs in the third inning and added one in the fourth to grab a 3-2 advantage. Two walks to Adairsville batters started the top of the fifth, and a Jarrett Scott ground out forced in a run to make the score 3-3. After another base on balls, Ryan drove in the go-ahead run. Hudson Parr picked up the pitching win for Adairsville with a five-inning start. He allowed three earned runs on three hits. Parr walked five and struck out seven. Harrison Cole allowed one hit and one walk with two strikeouts in a scoreless sixth inning. Scott was credited with a save by tossing a shutout seventh inning. He gave up one hit and struck out two, Ethan Long (double, two RBI), Scott (double, RBI), Ryan (RBI), Bowen, and Isaac Burnett had one hit each for Adairsville. Saturday’s two losses dropped Darlington to 3-2 for the season. Adairsville (3-2) plays at Sonoraville on Monday at 5:30 p.m.

February 23, 2025 The Georgia Highlands College Chargers had a seven-game win streak snapped Saturday night with a 14-inning home loss to Wabash Valley College (IL), 6-3. The two teams were tied 3-3 after four innings but went the next nine frames scoreless, even though the Warriors and Chargers combined for 27 hits in the contest. Wabash gained a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourteenth inning on a two-out RBI single. The next batter followed with a two-run home run and a 6-3 lead. Grayson Godbee led off the Chargers’ half of the frame with a double but was ultimately stranded. Garrett Goblish (3 IP, 3ER, 3H, 2BB, 3K) was saddled with the GHC pitching loss and was the fifth hurler utilized in the extended game. Kaiden Krak worked four scoreless innings. Hunter Ward contributed three scoreless frames on the mound, and Calvin Koo tossed a scoreless inning in the loss. Godbee finished with three hits, including a double and one RBI. Wyatt Gatlin (RBI, Ryan Martin, and Ali Banks had two hits for the Chargers. Georgia Highlands (13-2) hosts Macomb CC and Wabash Valley again on Sunday at noon and 6 p.m. GEORGIA HIGHLANDS 14, MACOMB CC (MI) 4 Georgia Highlands baseball blew open their game with visiting Macomb CC (MI) on Saturday afternoon with a nine-run fourth inning that saw the Chargers send 14 men to the plate. The Chargers went on to win the contest 14-4. GHC trailed the Monarchs 3-2 in the middle of the third inning but scored three in the bottom of the third and sealed the game with a productive fourth inning. Canadian Andrew Bishop had two hits, including a homer and four RBI. Sequoyah High product Kenskey Thomas (double, RBI) and Lassiter High product Ryan Martin (double, RBI) also had two hits. Ali Banks (two RBI), Ian Fullerton (two RBI), Wyatt Gatlin (two RBI), and Grayson Godbee (RBI) added one hit apiece. The Chargers also took advantage of ten walks in their offensive production. Andrew Arnold started on the mound and went 3-⅔ innings for the pitching victory. He allowed four earned runs on five hits and two walks. Braxton Wade struck out three of four batters to close out the five-inning contest.

February 23, 2025 Clifton Puckett, GHC Staff Jah'kim Payne drives to the basket in the Chargers win Saturday over Albany Tech. The Georgia Highlands Chargers used a three-point shooting barrage to jump out to an early lead on Saturday, up by 13 points four minutes into the game. Albany Tech clawed back, however, and led 43-39 at the half in a game that saw six lead changes and five ties.  The Chargers regained their stake in the game and outscored the Titans 41-33 in the second half to seal the victory. Jah’kim Payne (Alexander HS) led the Chargers with a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds. He added five assists and a blocked shot. Payne and Jay’Quan Nelson (Alexander HS) also led the team with four buckets from beyond the arc. Gregory Jones paced Albany Tech with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Georgia Highlands (15-10, 7-6 Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association) returns to action next Saturday against conference-leading South Georgia State in Rome at 4 pm. It is also Military Appreciation Day. All veterans and active member families receive free admission.

February 23, 2025 Charles Wilson, BartowSportsZone.com The Excel Christian Academy boys basketball team won the 2024-25 Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools (GAPPS) Class A State Championship on Saturday in Macon by defeating Notre Dame Academy of Duluth 67-61. The title game was played on the campus of The Academy for Classical Education. The Eagles fell behind early, but a furious rally in the second and third quarters that included scoring contributions from nine different players put ECA in contention to complete their comeback in the fourth quarter. The Irish Wolfhounds led 22-9 at the end of the first quarter and seemed in control. However, the Excel Christian come-from-behind charge began in the second period, with the Eagles narrowing their deficit to 36-29 by halftime.  Evan Chappell (2) scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half Saturday in the Eagles' come-from-behind victory over Notre Dame Academy. ECA turned the tables in the third quarter by outscoring Notre Dame Academy 20-9. Evan Chappell had eight points in the quarter. Christian Vieira scored two buckets, and Jorge Ricardo, Kamarrion Profit, Jayden Jinks, and Kaiyu Huffman added two points each in the period as the Eagles claimed a 49-45 advantage with eight minutes remaining. Chappell, who finished with a game-high 20 points, scored eight more points in the fourth quarter, and the Eagles made eight of twelve free throws down the stretch to seal their six-point victory and the state title. Ricardo scored 10 points for Excel. Vieira, Jinks, and TJ Hubert finished with six points. Profit, Carter May, and Connor Garland contributed five points. Kaiyu Huffman added four points for the Eagles. Kiandrey Thomas and Geronimo Holmes led the Wolfhounds with 19 points. CJ Peoples added 11 for Notre Dame Academy (18-10). Excel Christian Academy completed the 2024-25 season with a 19-8 overall record and only one loss to a GAPPS opponent during the year. The other seven losses were against GHSA competition. The Eagles, under head coach Evan Black, went undefeated in their region regular season and won the GAPPS Region 1-A tournament championship. The Eagles’ 2024-25 varsity roster includes eight seniors — Huffman, Chappell, May, Ricardo, Profit, Gavin Dyson, and Daniel Lewis. Viera is the only junior with sophomores Garland, Jinks, Hubert, and Tristan Jenkins.

February 21, 2025 The Georgia Highlands College softball team won the first two games of a four game series with visiting USC Union on Friday, 8-1 and 16-3 at Carol Brown Field on the Cartersville campus. The Chargers outhit the Bantams 27 to eight in Friday’s two games. GHC had 12 extra-base hits and stole 14 bases in the doubleheader sweep. Grace Kendrick went seven innings in the circle to collect the pitching win in the opener. She allowed one hit and one walk with two strikeouts. Maci Andrews worked all five frames in the circle for the Chargers in Game 2. She allowed two earned runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Ahmani Green had five hits on the day, including one triple, one double, and five RBI. Haylee Dishmon (two triples, four RBI) and Emma Darrow (triple) contributed four hits. Mary Catherine Kimball (triple, three RBI), Hayden Joyner (two doubles, RBi), Abbi Hall (triple), Sapphire Barker (double, RBI), and Athens Hudson (RBI) finished with two hits. Cayden Warren (double, RBI), Abbey Yates (RBI), Emmalee Freeman (double, three RBI), and Andrews (two RBI) added one hit for the Chargers. Georgia Highlands (15-1) completes its series with the Bantams (2-7) on Saturday with a doubleheader at noon.

February 21, 2025 Cameron Cochran’s first-inning, three-run homer gave the Hurricanes an early lead Friday night at Class 6A No. 1-ranked Etowah, but Cartersville managed only one more hit and did not score again in a 5-3 loss to the Eagles. Carson Moore hit a solo home run for Etowah in the second inning, and Deion Cole smacked a three-run homer in the third to give the Eagles their first lead. Later, Etowah took advantage of an infield error, a walk, and two ground balls to add an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth. Avery Shiflett made the pitching start for Cartersville and was tagged with the loss. He allowed four earned runs on four hits and one walk while fanning one. Logan Shrewsbury pitched the final two innings, allowing one unearned run on one hit and one walk with two strikeouts. Tristan McKibben had the other Canes’ base hit — a two-out single in the second inning. Etowah improved to 6-0. Cartersville (2-2) visits Ringgold on Saturday for a 1 p.m. start. BREMEN 9, CASS 0  Nic Wright had the only Cass base hit in the Colonels' five-inning 9-0 loss to Bremen on Friday night in the Georgia Dugout Challenge at LakePoint in Emerson. The Blue Devils (2-2) posted three runs in the third inning, one in the fourth, and five more in the bottom of the fifth inning to close the game. Jacob Johnson (2.1 IP, 3ER, 1H, 6BB, 1K) made the pitching start for Cass and took the loss. Wright (1.2 IP, 1ER, 1H, 1BB, 1K), Trenton Elario (0.2 IP, 5ER, 1H, 4BB, 1K), and Joshua Churchwell (1H, 1BB) took the mound in relief. The Colonels (1-2) are scheduled to face Cambridge and Osborne at 10 a.m. and noon Saturday at LakePoint.

February 21, 2025 The Cartersville Lady Canes cruised to a 66-37 second-round win Friday night in the Storm Center, defeating Pace Academy and advancing to the Class AAAA state quarterfinals. In Fairburn, the Cass Lady Colonels were not as successful in a 73-29 loss to the No. 1-ranked Creekside Seminoles. GHSA Class AAAA Round of 16 CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 66, PACE ACADEMY 37 Senai Camper poured in 25 points Friday night to lead the Lady Canes in a 66-37 victory over Pace Academy. The Lady Canes made five first-quarter shots from behind the arc and led 24-5 at the end of the opening period Friday night in the Storm Center en route to an easy 66-37 win over Pace Academy in the second round of the Class AAAA state playoffs. Cartersville maintained a 34-15 advantage at the intermission and extended the lead to 46-24 by the end of the third quarter before winning by 29 points. Senai Camper scored a game-high 25 points, delivered seven assists, and added four steals to lead the Lady Canes. KK Arnold scored 17 points with three steals and two assists. Bayley Stanley and Zoe McCurry contributed seven points. Stanley collected six rebounds and four steals. McCurry contributed five rebounds and six assists. Blakely Morris finished with six points, and Trinity Montgomery added four for the Hurricanes. Lawson Monroe scored 13 points for the visiting Knights. Kate Grice added 11 points in a losing cause. Pace Academy finished the year with a 13-12 record. Cartersville (19-9) will travel to Atlanta on Tuesday night to play Marist in a 6 p.m. tip. GHSA Class AAAA Round of 16 CREEKSIDE 73, CASS GIRLS 29 The Cass girls fell behind early and never recovered against unbeaten Creekside. The No. 1-ranked Seminoles used a relentless pressure defense on the ball, depth, and speed to defeat the visiting Lady Colonels 73-29 Friday night in the second round of the Class AAAA state tournament. Creekside raced to a 23-10 lead by the end of the first quarter and led 39-20 at halftime. Cass fell off the pace in the second half and managed only nine points in the final two quarters. CeCe Dennis led the Seminoles with 27 points. Maliha Harris and Sydnee Hunter followed with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Cass was led in scoring by KK Evans, who scored 16 points. Cadie Paez scored six. Darianna Sosa tossed in four points. Kiana McDaniel finished with two points, and Lily Powell added one. Creekside improved to 29-0 for the year and will play at Ware County on Tuesday in the state quarterfinals. Ware defeated East Forsyth on Friday night, 57-46. The season ends for Cass with a 13-14 record.

February 20, 2025 The Cartersville High School gymnastics team opened the 2025 season on February 15 by hosting a quad-meet with Cherokee, Lassiter, and Allatoona. Lassiter won the competition with 98.175 points. Cartersville (93.85) finished second, followed by Cherokee (93.8) and Allatoona (81.7). Freshman Layla Poole led the Lady Canes with an all-around score of 36.750. Poole scored 9.35 on vault, 8.75 on bars, 9.25 on beam, and 9.4 on her floor exercise. Emerie Elrod scored 8.7 on floor and 8.9 on vault. Sydney Jackson contributed an 8.45 on vault. Other Cartersville contributions included Laney Saunders on vault (8.05) and beam (7.3). Kyndal Shook scored 6.9 on bars and 8.2 on floor. Katy Grace Wolfe scored 7.4 on vault, 8.1 on beam, and 7.1 on floor. Adalynn Weir contributed an 8.3 on floor. The next home meet for the Lady Canes is March 1 at the Cartersville Twisters facility.