The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes football team remains the top-ranked team in Class 4A accordng to the latest release of the state high school football rankings from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Georgia High School Football Daily. Cartersville grabbed a 31-3 lead in the first half and held off Bartram Trail, FL at the Canes' 12-yard line on the game's final play for a 52-45 victory to move to 2-0. The win was the 32nd straight for the Hurricanes who are back-to-back defending state champions in Class AAAA. Trevor Lawrence passed for over 400 yards and Rico Frye rushed for 111 in Cartersville's win. The game was nationally televised by ESPN. Cartersville faces Calhoun -- the 4th-ranked team in Class AAA -- this Friday at Weinman Stadium. Other ranked teams of area interest include Rome (1), Carrollton (4), and Kell (5) in Class 5A. Each of those teams are part of the same region with Woodland and Cass. Sandy Creek is ranked fourth in Class AAAA. The Patriots are members of Region 5AAAA with Cartersville. Sonoraville (9), and Bremen (10) have moved into the Top Ten in Class AAA. The Phoenix and Blue Devils are members of Region 6AAA with Adairsville and Calhoun. Sonoraville is hosting Cass this Friday. Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Georgia High School Football Daily High School Football Rankings — Monday, August 28 Class AAAAAAA 1. (1) Grayson (1-0) Friday vs. McEachern (0-1) 2. (2) Colquitt County (2-0) Friday vs. Tucker (2-0) 3. (3) Lowndes (2-0) Friday vs. Parkview (2-0) 4. (4) Mill Creek (2-0) Friday at Dacula (0-1) 5. (5) Parkview (2-0) Friday at Lowndes (2-0) 6. (7) North Cobb (2-0) Friday vs. Harrison (1-1) 7. (8) Archer (2-0) Next: Sept. 8 at Mill Creek (2-0) 8. (9) Norcross (1-1) Next: Sept. 8 vs. North Gwinnett (1-1) 9. (10) McEachern (0-1) Friday at Grayson (1-0) 10. (NR) Walton (2-0) Friday at Pope (0-1) Class AAAAAA 1. (1) Tucker (2-0) Friday at Colquitt County (2-0) 2. (3) Lee County (2-0) Friday vs. Hardaway (1-1) 3. (2) Harrison (1-1) Friday at North Cobb (2-0) 4. (6) Coffee (2-0) Friday vs. Ware County (0-1) 5. (5) Mays (0-1) Friday vs. Peachtree Ridge (0-2) 6. (7) Northgate (1-0) Friday vs. Starr's Mill (1-0) 7. (8) Lovejoy (2-0) Saturday vs. Stockbridge (1-0) 8. (9) Valdosta (1-1) Friday vs. Wayne County (1-0) 9. (NR) Hughes (2-0) Next: Sept. 8 vs. Mays (0-1) 10. (10) Northside-Warner Robins (1-1)Friday vs. Westside-Macon (1-1) Class AAAAA 1. (1) Rome (1-0) Friday vs. Drew (1-1) 2. (2) Buford (2-0) Next: Sept. 8 vs. International School, Fla. (0-1) 3. (3) Stockbridge (1-0) Saturday vs. Lovejoy (2-0) 4. (4) Carrollton (1-0) Friday vs. Riverdale (0-2) 5. (5) Kell (0-1) Friday at Lassiter (2-0) 6. (7) Warner Robins (2-0) Friday at Peach County (1-0) 7. (10) Griffin (1-0) Friday at LaGrange (0-2) 8. (NR) Jones County (2-0) Next: Sept. 8 at Locust Grove (0-1) 9. (NR) Starr's Mill (1-0) Friday at Northgate (1-0) 10. (NR) Carver-Atlanta (2-0) Friday at Alexander (0-1) Class AAAA 1. (1) Cartersville (2-0) Friday vs. Calhoun (2-0) 2. (2) Blessed Trinity (2-0) Friday at Marietta (1-0) 3. (3) Thomson (2-0) Friday vs. Jefferson (2-0) 4. (4) Sandy Creek (1-0) Friday vs. Allatoona (1-1) 5. (5) Woodward Academy (1-0) Friday vs. Westminster (0-2) 6. (6) Jefferson (2-0) Friday at Thomson (2-0) 7. (7) Marist (1-0) Friday vs. Baylor, Tenn. (1-1) 8. (8) Mary Persons (1-1) Friday vs. Washington (1-0) 9. (9) Ridgeland (2-0) Friday at Darlington (1-0) 10. (10) Burke County (2-0) Friday vs. Washington County (0-1) Class AAA 1. (1) Peach County (1-0) Friday vs. Warner Robins (2-0) 2. (2) Greater Atlanta Christian (2-0) Next: Sept. 8 vs. Valor Christian, Colo. (1-0) 3. (3) Cedar Grove (2-0) Next: Sept. 8 vs. Columbia (2-0) 4. (4) Calhoun (2-0) Friday at Cartersville (2-0) 5. (5) Crisp County (2-0) Friday vs. Turner County (2-0) 6. (10) Dawson County (1-0) Friday vs. Chattooga (0-1) 7. (8) Pace Academy (0-1) Friday vs. Hapeville Charter (1-1) 8. (NR) Jenkins (2-0) Next: Sept. 7 vs. Liberty County (0-1) 9. (NR) Sonoraville (1-0) Friday vs. Cass (0-1) 10. (NR) Bremen (1-0) Friday vs. Mount Paran Christian (2-0) Class AA 1. (1) Benedictine (1-0) Friday vs. St. Pius (0-1) 2. (2) Hapeville Charter (1-1) Friday at Pace Academy (0-1) 3. (3) Fitzgerald (1-1) Friday at Camden County (1-1) 4. (4) Screven County (1-0) Friday vs. Wade Hampton, S.C. (1-1) 5. (5) Rabun County (1-0) Friday at Stephens County (1-0) 6. (6) Callaway (1-0) Thursday vs. Handley, Ala. (1-0) 7. (7) Thomasville (2-0) Friday vs. Monroe (1-0) 8. (9) Brooks County (1-0) Friday vs. Clinch County (2-0) 9. (10) Jefferson County (2-0) Next: Sept. 8 at Washington-Wilkes (1-0) 10. (NR) Dodge County (1-0) Friday vs. West Laurens (0-1) Class A (Private) 1. (1) Eagle's Landing Christian (2-0) Friday vs. Knoxville Catholic, Tenn. (1-1) 2. (2) Prince Avenue Christian (2-0) Friday at Athens Christian (1-0) 3. (3) Wesleyan (2-0) Friday vs. Frederica Academy (2-1) 4. (5) Mount Paran Christian (2-0) Friday at Bremen (1-0) 5. (6) Darlington (1-0) Friday vs. Ridgeland (2-0) 6. (7) Tattnall Square (1-0) Next: Sept. 8 vs. East Laurens (0-2) 7. (8) Calvary Day (2-0) Next: Sept. 8 vs. Aquinas (1-1) 8. (4) Fellowship Christian (1-1) Next: Sept. 8 at Our Lady of Mercy (1-1) 9. (10) Athens Academy (1-0) Friday vs. Lakeview Academy (1-0) 10. (NR) Stratford Academy (1-0) Friday vs. Landmark Christian (0-2) Class A (Public) 1. (1) Clinch County (2-0) Friday at Brooks County (1-0) 2. (2) Macon County (1-0) Friday vs. Irwin County (1-1) 3. (3) Manchester (2-0) Friday at Southwest (1-0) 4. (5) Taylor County (1-0) Friday vs. Greenville (0-1) 5. (7) Commerce (1-0) Friday at Hebron Christian (1-0) 6. (9) Turner County (2-0) Friday at Crisp County (2-0) 7. (10) Lincoln County (1-0) Friday at Grovetown (0-2) 8. (6) Irwin County (1-1) Friday at Macon County (1-0) 9. (NR) Mount Zion-Carroll (1-0) Friday vs. Haralson County (0-1) 10. (4) Emanuel County Institute (1-1) Friday vs. Portal (0-1)

The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes raced to a 31-3 lead Saturday night at Weinman Stadium and held off Bartram Trail (St. Johns, FL) on the game’s final play for a 52-45 win in a high intensity second half that was part of the GEICO High School Football Kickoff on the ESPN. The win was the 32nd straight for Cartersville. The game started over 90 minutes later than scheduled due to lightning in the area, but it did not seem to phase the Canes in the first half. Cartersville quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who finished the night 18 for 22 for 403 yards and five scores, connected with tight end Jackson Lowe for two touchdowns in the opening 11 minutes of the game. Jonathan Cruz added a field goal and the two PATs to give the Canes an early 17-0 lead. Bartram Trail settled for a field goal on their next possession to narrow the margin to 17-3, but Cartersville quickly squashed any thought the Bears might have had for a first half comeback by scoring on their next three possessions. An 82-yard Lawrence to T.J. Horton touchdown pass with 9:09 left in the second quarter made the score 24-3. A Rico Frye touchdown run made it 31-3 — and after the Bears’ Joey Gatewood got Bartram Trail in the end zone — Lawrence again connected with Horton on a 36-yard play that gave the Hurricanes a 38-10 advantage with 2:59 remaining in the first half. Horton would finished the night with 132 yards on six catches and two touchdowns. Cartersville had six possessions in the first half and scored on each of them with five touchdowns and a field goal. Bartram Trail, who alternated quarterbacks between Gatewood and Riley Smith marched back down the field in the waning moments of the first half. A 1-yard TD pass by Smith to Robert French gave the Bears their second touchdown of the game to trail 38-17 at the intermission. Gatewood completed a long pass to Smith on Bartram Trail’s opening possession of the second half. That set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Gatewood on a keeper that narrowed the Cartersville lead to 38-24 with 9:42 remaining in the third quarter. Bartram Trail then succeeded on an onside kickoff that was recovered by the Bears’ Branden Sokol at the 50 yard line. From there, Bartram Trail scored on a quick 50-yard drive that culminated with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Griffin Helm with 8:35 left in the thrid period. It was now a one-score game with Cartersville leading 38-31. John Amell sacked Lawrence for a 14-yard loss in the ensuing Cartersville possession as the Bartram Trail defense stopped the Canes for the first time in the game. Cartersville’s first punt of the night was followed by a solid defensive stand that forced Bartram Trail to punt it back to the Canes at the midway point of the third quarter. From there, Lawrence reestablished the Cartersville offense. On the drive, he scrambled for 24 yards, found Frye on a 15-yard swing pass, connected with Lowe for 30 yards, and finished the drive with a 13-yard strike to Kaleb Chatmon for his fifth TD pass of the game. It gave Cartersville a 45-31 lead with 3:37 remaining in the third quarter. Once again however, Bartram Trail did not go away. Smith converted two key third down passes on the Bears’ next drive. He also had a 29-yard completion in the series and hit Xavier Hutchinson for a 9-yard score with 11:17 remaining in the game to again cut the Cartersville lead to seven points at 45-38. When the Bears’ defense forced the second Cartersville punt of the night, Bartram Trail had the ball trailing by only one score with just over ten minutes remaining. This time it was Gatewood at quarterback for the Bears as they started from their own 25 yard line. The 6-4, 225-pound Auburn commit converted three short, third down plays with a run and a pair of quick slant passes. Gatewood then added an 11-yard run to the Cartersville 34 yard line before finding Gunnar Hitzeman for a 34-yard touchdown with 7:10 remaining in the game. On the night, Gatewood finished with 326 yards of total offense. He completed 11 of 14 passes for 191 yards and ran 20 times for 135 yards and two scores. Just like that, the Bears had overcome a 28-point deficit and the game was tied at 45. On the Canes ensuing possession, Frye came up big again. He had a six yard run for a Cartersville first down, caught a 56-yard screen pass from Lawrence that put the Canes on the Bartram Trail nine yard line, and eventually scored on a two yard plunge with 3:40 to go in the game. Cruz’s seventh extra point of the night put Cartersville back on top 52-45. Frye finished the night with 108 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 18 attempts. He also caught three passes for 102 yards. A quick hook-and-lateral play and a scramble by Smith moved the Bears to midfield with 2:50 remaining in the game. Smith then converted on a third down pass to Griffin Helm that reached the Cartersville 35 yard line. A three-yard run by Devin Ellison on fourth and one kept the drive alive at the Canes 23 yard line and a pass interfernce penalty on Cartersville in the end zone with 0:03 left gave Bartram Trail one final play to tie the game at the Cartersville 12 yard line. Smith scrambled and bought time for his receivers to try to get open, but he was dropped at the 11 yard line by the Canes’ pursuit to end the game. Smith's night ended with a 16 for 20 performance for 175 yards and three passing touchdowns. Bartram Trail (0-1) plays at Daytona Beach-Mainland next Friday. Cartersville (2-0) hosts Calhoun at Weinman Stadium in a 7:30 pm kickoff.

Cartersville softball dropped a pair of games Saturday in the Allatoona Buccaneer Bash at Boling Park in Canton. The Lady Canes fell to Cherokee and Jackson County in one-sided games. In a 17-3 loss to Cherokee, the Lady Canes narrowed an early deficit to 4-3 in the bottom of the first inning but could get no closer. Cherokee added runs in each of the next three frames including a seven-run fourth to close out the game. Nine different Lady Warriors had hits led by Hope Jiles with three hits and four RBIs. Cherokee pitcher Mackenzie Madica (4 IP, 3R, 2ER, 3H, 2BB, 1K) limited Cartersville to only three hits in earning the complete-game win in the circle. Colbi Ballard (2.1 IP, 10R, 5ER, 7H, 3BB) was tagged with the pitching loss for Cartersville. AnnaKate McElhaney (1.2 IP, 7R, 3ER, 5H, 5BB) pitched in relief for the Lady Canes. Hope Short (double), Paris Poston, and Presley Edwards (RBI) had Cartersville’s hits. Ballard was credited with one RBI. Cherokee improved their season mark to 7-4. In an 11-3 loss to Jackson County, Cartersville fell behind early and the Pathers broke the game open with a five-run fourth inning to take a 10-2 lead. Caroline Davis went 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs to lead Jackson County. Pitching winner Sara Beth Allen, Kacie Holycross, and Meghan Sorrells combined for seven more hits and seven RBIs for the Panthers. Ballard (3.2 IP, 9R, 6ER, 10H, 2BB, 1K) was the pitching loser for Cartersville. Lauren McElhaney (1.1 IP, 1ER, 3H) also pitched for the Lady Canes. Poston and Ballard (RBI) had two hits each for Cartersville. Short and Cio Seigler had the other Lady Canes’ hits. Jackson County improved to 8-5 with their win. Cartersville (3-6, 2-2) has a non-region game Wednesday at Woodland at 5:30 pm and will face Cass Friday in the opening round of the Komatsu Bartow County Championship Tournament at Stars Complex at 7 pm. The third place and championship games of that event are Saturday at 11 am and 1 pm. LADY COLONELS DROP FINAL THREE GAMES IN TOURNEY The Cass softball team won its opener Friday in the Allatoona Buccaneer Bash, but lost its final three games Friday night and Saturday in the tournament. The Lady Colonels had tournament losses to Sequoyah (9-7), Coffee (3-1), and Sonoraville (4-0) after defeating Campbell (11-3). Sarah Fox was 5-for-10 in the tournament and homered against Sequoyah. She scored three runs and drove in four. Alexia Najarro was 4-for-9 with four runs scored and one RBI. Sarah Moore, Taylor Gibson (RBI), Haley Owens (RBI), and Mae Mae McIntyre (2 RBIs) each had three hits across the four tournament games. Moore homered against Sequoyah and had two RBIs. Gibson (9R, 6ER, 20H, 4BB, 6K) worked 12.1 innings to take care of the bulk of the Lady Colonels’ pitching in the four games. She received all four pitching decisions. Haley Owens (4.2 IP, 8ER, 8H, 3BB, 1K) and Macenzie Dougharty (2 IP, 3ER, 5H, 1BB, 1K) also pitched for Cass. Cass (1-7) has a busy week ahead. The Lady Colonels are scheduled to host Kell Monday at 5:55 pm and East Paulding Tuesday at 5:55 pm before traveling to Carrollton Thursday for a 7 pm start. All three of those games are Region 7AAAAA contests. The Lady Colonels will then face Cartersville Friday night at 7 pm at the Stars Complex in the opening round of Komatsu Bartow County Championship Tournament. The third place and championship games of that event are Saturday at 11 am and 1 pm. WOODLAND SPLITS SATURDAY’S GAMES IN TOURNEY Woodland softball defeated Campbell 13-1 Saturday but lost a back-and-forth struggle with Sequoyah 10-6 at home as part of the Allatoona Buccaneer Bash. The Lady Cats committed five costly errors against the Lady Chiefs that helped lead to six unearned runs in the loss. Madi Bentley (5 IP, 7R, 2ER, 8H, 3BB, 1K) was the tough-luck pitching loser for Woodland although she allowed only a pair of earned runs. Jordan Duck (1 IP, 3R, 2ER, 4H) also pitched in the loss. Morgan Bailey had a three-hit game that included a triple and two runs scored to lead the Lady Cats’ offense. Caroline Higdon and Duck had two hits and one RBI each. Bella Carnes, Ansley Evans (RBI), Brittany Cox, and Audrey Morris (RBI) added one hit each. In the rout of Campbell, the Lady Cats out hit the visiting Lady Spartans ten to two and Woodland pitcher Sarah Baynard (5 IP, 1ER, 2H, 1BB, 2K) picked up a complete game win. Campbell actually held an early 1-0 lead, but the Lady Cats scored nine runs in the third inning to take control. Brittany Cox had three hits and one RBI for Woodland. Caroline Higdon (4 RBI), Ansley Evans (2 RBI), and Madgie Robinson had two hits apiece. Bella Carnes added one hit and one RBI. Audrey Morris was credited with two RBIs and Morgan Bailey drove in a run. Woodland (4-4) plays five straight days starting Tuesday. The Lady Cats schedule for the week: Paulding County Tuesday at home at 5:55 pm; Cartersville at home Wednesday at 5:30 pm; at East Paulding Thursday at 5:55 pm; and vs. Adairsville Friday at 5 pm at the Stars Complex in the first round of the Komatsu Bartow County Championship Tournament. The third place game for that tournament is Saturday at 11 am and the championship game is scheduled for 1 pm on Saturday.

The Cass and Adairsville cross country teams along with the Woodland junior varsity teams competed Saturday at the 25th annual Ridge Ferry Invitational in Rome. The Etowah girls and boys teams took the team titles. Twenty-two girls teams were in the meet along with twenty-eight boys squads. There were 184 girls runners and 217 individual boys runners. Rome, River Ridge, Northwest Whitfield and Gordon Lee rounded out the top five teams in the girls’ race. River Ridge, Calhoun, Wheeler, and Kennesaw Mountain took spots two through five in the boys’ team standings. The Adairsville boys placed eighth. Gracie O’Neal of Gordon Lee (18:19.92) won the girls’ individual race. Jesse Martinez of Murray County won the boys’ individual race with a time of 15:46.15. Local results: Woodland JV Girls — 18th place 52nd - Avery Hull 23:01.13 90th - Lexis Bubrick 24:00.39 125th - Kristy Castillo 25:15.38 140th - Callie Jones 25:31.60 161st - Molly Williams 27:16.13 166th - Libby Towle 28:09.89 170th - Nina Holloway 29:22.75 Cass girls — 22nd place 43rd - Olivia Flynn 22:43.12 158th - Maria Diaz 26:59.14 175th - Kayleigh Posey 30:24.99 178th - Ashlynn Gillemette 31:12.49 180th - Meli Reyes 31:17.37 181st - Kaylee Moore 31:26.45 Adairsville girls (no team score) 147th - Destiny Adams 26:03.01 Adairsville boys — 8th 26th - Angel Banda 17:44.35 34th - Zach Ashley 17:52.64 79th - Bird Leker 18:47.51 83rd - James Brunson 18:53.60 86th - Jason Burdette 19:01.06 118th - Chandler Nally 19:43.54 157th - Evan Crane 20:39.90 199th - Grayson Dailey 23:53.46 208th - Gavin Cissa 24:38.57 Cass boys (no team score): 66th - Jacob Shaver 18:29.61 173rd - Samuel Reyes 21:21.14 Woodland JV boys — 23rd 78th - Patrick Bollwerk 18:45.19 125th - Noah Spaulding 19:52.71 133rd - Ian Van Order 20:01.88 134th - Zach Avery 20:03.57 135th - Kaleb Chance 20:04.88 137th - Alex Banta 20:05.67 145th - Gabe Shephard 20:27.07 Cass runs next at the Dominion Dash Saturday, September 16. Adairsville’s next meet is Saturday, September 2 at the Clara Bowl Invitational at Berry College.

The Woodland High School girls placed fourth and the boys were 12th of 16 schools at the Bob Blastow Early Bird Cross Country Meet Saturday at the McIntosh Nature Preserve in Douglas County. The defending Class 5A state champion Lady Cats, finished behind classification rival McIntosh, Milton and Harrison. Nicole Pachuta of Oconee County was the girls’ individual race winner in 18:18.83. There were 113 runners girls’ runners. Individual finishes for the Woodland girls team: 5th - Carli Clymer 19:13.63 8th - Angela Cochran 19:18.98 19th - Baylee Evans 19:46.00 28th - McKenna Trapheagen 19:59.74 29th - Cheyenne Spinks 20:00.44 35th - Lindsay Scifers 20:19.84 71st - Mackenzie Stephenson 22:33.33 85th - Piercy Gierlak 23:36.64 “This meet was an important reminder for our girls that this is a new season and we have lots of work to do if we hope to repeat as state champions,” said Woodland head coach Matthew Landolt. Milton won the boys’ race that included 119 runners and sixteen teams. Pope was second followed by Cambridge, Starrs Mill, and McIntosh. Sam Bowers (15:00.78) and Nicholas Yanek (15:01.97) of Milton finished first and second in the individual boys' race. Individual finishes for the Woodland boys team: 70th - Reece Mitchell 18:17.99 77th - Dylan Stermer 18:37.31 88th - Kobe Cochran 18:57.32 94th - Noah Warren 19:09.15 98th - Tracy Grimes 19:23.22 109th - Stanton Bedwell 20:43.22 113th - Levi Brandenburg 21:32.92 “The boys actually finished a little better than we expected. We had multiple athletes missing due to SATs today,” added Landolt. Next up for the Woodland teams is the Coach Benson Double Dip Invitational Saturday, September 9 at Marist School in Atlanta.

Looking for their first win of the season, the Cass softball team exploded for 11 runs and 13 hits Friday evening in an 11-3 win over Campbell of Smyrna in both teams opening game of the Buccaneer Bash. Cass hosted the game on Georgia Highland’s home field at the Stars Complex in Cassville. The Lady Colonels out hit the Lady Spartans 13 to eight. Taylor Gibson (3 IP, 0R, 3H, 0BB, 3K) started in the circle and picked up the pitching win. She also had three hits at the plate including a double and one RBI. Macenzie Dougharty (2 IP, 3ER, 5H, 1BB, 1K) closed out the five-inning victory on the mound for the Lady Colonels. Sarah Fox had two doubles and three RBIs. Mae Mae McIntyre drove in two runs with a pair of hits. Haley Owens added two hits that included a double and one RBI. Alexia Najarro also had two hits including a triple and one RBI. Sarah Moore (double, RBI) and Tatianna Christian had the other Cass hits. Cass (1-5) also took advantage of the Spartans on the base paths. Fox swiped three bases, Najarro and Kaila Carson stole two, and McIntyre added a stolen base. Paige O’Rourke had three hits for Campbell. All three were doubles. Campbell slipped to 2-4 with the loss. WOODLAND MAKES IT THREE STRAIGHT The Woodland softball team won a pair of games Friday night as they hosted a portion of the Allatoona Buccaneer Bash on their home field. Woodland beat Armuchee 4-3 and blanked Sprayberry 18-0. Lady Cats’ pitcher Sarah Baynard (7 IP, 3R, 2ER, 8H, 2BB, 3K) took a 4-1 lead into the final inning and staved off an attempted comeback by the Lady Indians in the opener for the win in the circle. Ansley Evans had two hits and one RBI for Woodland. Morgan Bailey, Caroline Higdon (double, RBI), Jordan Duck, Brittany Cox, Skylar Chappell (RBI), and Audrey Morris had one hit each. In the Lady Cats’ second win over Sprayberry, Madi Bentley (5 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 4K) tossed a one-hitter and went the distance for the shutout win. Higdon reached base all five times, had three hits that included a pair of doubles, walked twice, and drove in seven runs to help lead Woodland’s offense. Bella Carnes had four hits and two RBIs. Bailey and Chappell added three hits and one RBI each. Madgie Robinson totaled three hits with one RBI. Kendyl Hardin, Cox, Jordan Duck (RBI), and Evans (RBI) had the other Lady Cats’ hits. Woodland (3-3) hosts Campbell (9 am) and Sequoyah (4 pm) Saturday. EAST PAULDING 7, CARTERSVILLE 2 Cartersville softball lost their opener in the Allatoona Buccaneer Bash Friday night at East Paulding, 7-2. East Paulding scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to break a scoreless tie. The Lady Raiders then added three more runs in the fifth and held off the Lady Canes down the stretch. Cartersville scored twice in the top of the sixth inning, but got no closer. AnnaKate McElhaney (5 IP, 7ER, 5H, 8BB, 3K) took the pitching loss for the Canes. Cio Seigler, Paris Poston, Presley Edwards, and Lauren McElhaney had hits for Cartersville. Mattie Johnson added one RBI. East Paulding improved to 3-5 with their win. Cartersville (3-4) will play Cherokee (9 am) and Jackson County (1 pm) Saturday at Boling Park in Canton. COAHULLA CREEK 13, ADAIRSVILLE 5 The Adairsville softball team lost a Region 6AAA home game to Coahulla Creek Thursday, 13-5. The Lady Tigers held an early 5-1 lead, but the visiting Lady Colts used an eight-run fourth inning to power past Adairsville. Coahulla Creek (6-4, 2-3) out hit Adairsville in the contest, fifteen to eight. Havyn Isaac and Loren Harris (RBI) had two hits each for Adairsville. Sadye Johnson (2 RBIs), Emily Collum, Sierra Tanner (RBI), and Natalie Burrow (RBI) had the other Lady Tigers’ hits. Adairsville (4-4, 2-3) hosts a non-region doubleheader with Armuchee Monday at 5:30 pm.

The Adairsville Tigers scored 29 unanswered points Friday night at Cass' Doug Cochran Stadium to take a 29-15 intracounty rivalry win. Cass took a 15-0 lead in the first half on a 28-yard pass from Rett Moore to Cameron Gonyea, a safety on an Adairsville bad punt snap, and an 18-yard touchdown run by Ahijah Blackwell. The visiting Tigers then turned the momentum in their direction and eventually took control of the game. Mason Boswell scored the first of his three rushing touchdowns with 1:05 remaining in the first half to send the Tigers to the intermission down 15-7. The scoring play was set up by a 54-yard pass from Bryce Burgess to Cody Henderson. Adairsville narrowed the Cass lead to 15-13 with a 53-yard drive in the third quarter. Boswell capped the drive with a one-yard run, but Gonyea intercepted the 2-point conversion pass attempt. The Tigers took their first lead of the night on their next possession. Boswell again found the end zone on a 7-yard run and added a two-point conversion run with 0:04 remaining in the period for an Adairsville 21-15 lead. They then padded their lead in the final period on a 90-yard touchdown pass from Boswell to Daylon Bailey. Travon Branch added a two-point conversion run and the Tigers held on for a 29-15 victory. For the Colonels, Blackwell finished with 58 yards rushing on seven attempts and a touchdown. Moore rushed for 45 yards and passed for 94 and one score. Christian Steele had 15 carries for 88 yards for Adairsville. Cody Henderson had 92 yards in receptions and Bailey had the 90 yard scoring play. Boswell totaled 36 yards and three touchdowns rushing on nine attempts. He also completed both of his pass attempts for 128 yards and a touchdown. On defense he added six tackles and picked off a pass. Dakota Hughes collected six tackles, two for loss, a sack and had a pass break up. Nic Jackson contributed 7 tackles for the Tigers. Adairsville (1-1) hosts Model next Friday night at 7:30 pm in a non-region matchup. Cass (0-1) wraps up its non-region schedule next Friday when the Colonels travel to Sonoraville to face the Phoenix at 7:30 pm. NOTE: Game statistics courtesy Andrew Houghton, Daily Tribune News.

Cartersville High School baseball standout Anthony Seigler, listed on the roster as both a catcher and a right- and left-handed pitcher, made the 2017 USA Baseball 18U National Team Roster released Thursday. The twenty-man national team will compete in the 2017 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay, Canada September 1-10. Seigler, 18, spent this past summer playing for the Evoshield Canes and has made a verbal commitment to Auburn University. The 5-11, 200-pounder is completely ambidextrous in all his baseball skills. Perfect Game USA has his top catcher pop-times in the 1.87 range with his right arm fastball as a pitcher in the low 90s. He has topped out around 88 with his left-handed fast ball. PHOTO CREDIT: Tonsmeire Studio Seigler was also a selection for the prestigious 2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic in San Diego earlier this month. 2017 USA Baseball 18U National Team Roster: Name, Position, Hometown, School, Class William Banfield V; C/RHP; Lawrenceville, Ga. *^Triston Casas; 1B/RHP; Pembroke Pines, Fla. ^Raynel Delgado, IF, Miami Lakes, Fla. Mason Denaburg; RHP/C; Merritt Island, Fla. Brandon Dieter; RHP/IF; Covina, Calif. JT Ginn; RHP/IF; Brandon, Miss. ^Nolan Gorman; IF; Glendale, Ariz. ^Ethan Hankins; RHP; Cumming, Ga. *Jarred Kelenic; OF/LHP; Waukesha, Wis. Matthew Liberatore; LHP; Peoria, Ariz. Landon Marceaux; RHP; Destrehan, La. Anthony Seigler; C/RLHP; Cartersville, Ga. Joseph Menefee; LHP; Richmond, Texas ^Kumar Rocker; RHP; Watkinsville, Ga. *Michael Siani; OF/LHP; Glenside, Pa. Alek Thomas; OF; Chicago, Ill. *^Brice Turang; IF; Corona, Calif. Ryan Weathers; LHP; Loretto, Tenn. Cole Wilcox; RHP; Chickamauga, Ga. *^Carter Young; C/Util; Selah, Wash. *National Team Alumnus ^National Team Development Program Participant For more, visit the USA Baseball website: http://web.usabaseball.com/article.jsp?ymd=20170819&content_id=250427716&vkey=news_usab

Cartersville volleyball improved to 11-2 on the season with a pair of wins Thursday evening at North Paulding High School. The Lady Canes cruised past Woodland in straight sets, but needed three sets to defeat the host Wolfpack. "We played really well against Woodland," said Cartersville coach Dustin Cothran. "We came out fast and got the result we were looking for." Against North Paulding, Cartersville again took the opening set but was forced into a third set by giving up a big lead in the middle set. "We squandered a big lead and lost that second set," said Cothran. "We have too much talent to do some of the things we are doing. We rode a huge service run by Catie Heilman in the third set to get that win and Grace Hunter played well tonight, but we wasted some opportunities also." Woodland, Cass and Adairsville were all swept in their Thursday matches. RESULTS: Cartersville defeated Woodland 25-12, 25-8 Cartersville defeated North Paulding 25-12, 23-25, 25-20 North Paulding defeated Woodland 25-20, 25-11 Bremen defeated Cass 27-25, 25-22 Calhoun defeated Cass 25-23, 19-25, 25-22 Coahulla Creek defeated Adairsville 25-7, 25-8 Heritage-Catoosa defeated Adairsville 25-10, 25-10

Sarah Baynard tossed a three-hit shutout Thursday night as the Woodland softball team blanked Hiram at home, 7-0, for their first win of the year. Baynard needed only 89 pitches and threw over 58 percent of those pitches for strikes while scattering three hits and four walks in her shutout. She fanned seven. The Lady Cats took a 1-0 lead in the third inning and added on in each of the next three frames as they totaled 10 hits. Brittany Cox and Ansley Evans had three hits each to lead the Lady Cats’ offense. They each drove in a run. Madgie Robinson, Caroline Higdon (double, RBI), Morgan Bailey, and Bella Carnes had the other Woodland hits. Skylar Chappell added one RBI. Hiram fell to 2-4 overall and 2-3 in Region 7AAAAA with their loss. Woodland is now 1-3 overall and in region play. The Lady Cats will host games in the Allatoona Buccaneer Bash Friday and Saturday. Woodland plays Armuchee and Sprayberry Friday evening and will host Campbell (9 am) and Sequoyah (3 pm) Saturday. CARTERSVILLE 7, CHAPEL HILL 4 A three-run top of the seventh was enough for the Cartersville softball team to escape with a 7-4 Region 5AAAA win Thursday night at Chapel Hill. The Lady Canes led 4-1 through two innings, but the host Lady Panthers tied the game with two runs in the third inning and another in the bottom of the sixth. Paris Poston walked to open the decisive Cartersville seventh inning rally and moved to third on a single by Colbi Ballard and a sacrifice bunt by Lauren McElhaney. AnnaKate McElhaney followed one out later with an RBI single and Kalli Scheff doubled home two more insurance runs with a liner to center field. Ballard (7 IP, 4R, 3ER, 7H, 4BB, 3K) earned the complete game pitching victory. Poston, who homered in the first inning, had two hits and two RBIs. Ballard also finished with a pair of hits. Scheff had two RBIs with her double. Jolea Prokop, AnnaKate McElhaney (RBI), and Lauren McElhaney had the other Lady Canes’ hits. Chapel Hill fell to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in Region 5AAAA with the loss. Cartersville (3-3, 2-2) plays in the Allatoona Buccaneer Bash this weekend with games at East Paulding Friday night and against Cherokee (9 am) and Jackson County (1 pm) Saturday at Boling Park in Canton. VILLA RICA 7, CASS 3 The tough start to the opening of the 2017 season continued for the Cass softball team Thursday night as they lost at Villa Rica 7-3. The host Lady Wildcats scored four times in the second inning and three runs in the third inning to take a 7-1 lead they would not relinquish. Villa Rica out hit Cass eight to six. Cass rallied for a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, but still came up short. Two Lady Colonels’ pitchers performed well in the circle, allowing only one earned run. Cass committed four errors in the contest that led to six unearned runs. Taylor Gibson (3 IP, 7R, 1ER, 6H, 0BB, 1K) suffered the pitching loss. Macenzie Dougharty (3 IP, 0R, 2H, 3BB, 1K) pitched well in relief. Alexia Najarro had two hits for Cass. Gibson hit a two-run homer. Mae Mae McIntyre, Sarah Fox, and Sarah Moore had the other Lady Colonels’ hits. Villa Rica improved to 6-3 overall and 4-1 in Region 7AAAAA with their win. Cass (0-5, 0-3) will host a pair of games in the Allatoona Buccaneer Bash Friday evening at Georgia Highlands’ home field on the campus of Stars Pre-K. Cass will play Campbell at 5 pm and Sequoyah at 8:30 pm. The Lady Colonels will play two more games in the tournament Saturday at Kennesaw Mountain facing Coffee County at 9 am and Sonoraville at 1 pm. COAHULLA CREEK at ADAIRSVILLE To be updated.

The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes retained their unanimous position as the top-ranked team in Class AAAA receiving all 15 first place votes in the latest release of the Georgia Sports Writers Association High School Football Poll. Grayson, Tucker, Rome, Greater Atlanta Christian, Benedictine, and Eagles Landing Christian hold down the top spots in the other classifications. Allatoona, who lost to Cartersville last week, received a top ten vote in Class 6A. Carrollton and Kell of Region 7-AAAAA join Rome as top five teams in Class 5A. Region 7-AAAAA includes local schools Woodland and Cass. Sandy Creek, a member of Cartersville's Region 5-AAAA, is ranked sixth in Class 4A. Cedartown, also in the league with Cartersville, received two votes this week. Ridgeland moved up the seventh in Class 4A after its win last week at Adairsville. Calhoun is No. 5 in Class 3A with region-mate North Murray receiving some votes. Both of those teams are members of Region 6AAA with Adairsville. Georgia Sports Writers Association High School Football Poll August 22, 2017 Class AAAAAAA School -- Points -- Last Week (First place votes in parentheses) 1. Grayson (15) 150 1 t2. Colquitt County 120 3 t2. Mill Creek 120 4 4. Lowndes 114 5 5. Parkview 79 9 6. Norcross 43 6 7. Westlake 42 10 8. Roswell 34 2 9. McEachern 29 7 10. North Cobb 27 NR Others receiving votes: Archer 22, South Forsyth 19, Brookwood 6, Camden County 6, Marietta 6, South Gwinnett 4, Central Gwinnett 1, Newton 1, Tift County 1 Dropped out: Brookwood (8) Class AAAAAA School -- Points -- Last Week (First place votes in parentheses) 1. Tucker (14) 149 2 2. Harrison (1) 126 4 3. Dalton 110 5 4. Mays 98 6 5. Lee County 80 8 6. Coffee 65 10 7. Valdosta 61 1 8. Lovejoy 39 NR 9. Northside-Warner Robins 37 3 10. Northgate 13 NR Others receiving votes: Alexander 10, Glynn Academy 7, Langston Hughes 7, Stephenson 6, Dacula 4, Brunswick 3, Gainesville 3, Winder-Barrow 2, Allatoona 1, North Atlanta 1 Dropped out: Glynn Academy (7), Stephenson (9) Class AAAAA School -- Points -- Last Week (First place votes in parentheses) 1. Rome (13) 146 1 2. Buford (2) 137 2 3. Stockbridge 113 3 4. Carrollton 101 5 5. Kell 63 4 6. Jones County 55 9 7. Ware County 53 6 8. Griffin 51 7 9. Woodland-Stockbridge 38 8 10. Warner Robins 28 NR Others receiving votes: Thomas County Central 26, Arabia Mountain 5, Starr’s Mill 4, Bainbridge 2, Harris County 1 Dropped out: Thomas County Central (10) Class AAAA School -- Points -- Last Week (First place votes in parentheses) 1. Cartersville (15) 150 1 2. Thomson 132 2 3. Blessed Trinity 118 t3 4. Jefferson 106 t3 5. Woodward Academy 86 5 6. Sandy Creek 67 7 7. Ridgeland 53 9 8. Mary Persons 35 6 9. Oconee County 23 10 10. Burke County 18 NR Others receiving votes: Northwest Whitfield 15, Spalding 10, Cedartown 2, Heritage-Catoosa 2, Marist 2, Cairo 1, Eastside-Covington 1 Dropped out: Cairo (8) Class AAA School -- Points -- Last Week (First place votes in parentheses) 1. Greater Atlanta Christian (10) 144 1 2. Cedar Grove (4) 135 t2 3. Peach County (1) 122 t2 4. Crisp County 98 6 5. Calhoun 89 4 6. Liberty County 70 7 t7. Pierce County 42 9 t7. Pace Academy 42 10 9. Westminster 35 5 10. Lovett 18 8 Others receiving votes: Jenkins-Savannah 17, North Murray 6, Dawson County 4, Worth County 2, Westide-Macon 1 Dropped out: None Class AA School -- Points -- Last Week (First place votes in parentheses) 1. Benedictine (15) 150 1 2. Hapeville Charter 97 3 3. Callaway 83 4 4. Fitzgerald 66 2 5. Screven County 65 5 6. Jefferson County 45 8 7. Rabun County 42 6 8. Heard County 32 9 t9. Pepperell 24 7 t9. Thomasville 18 10 Others receiving votes: Chattooga 6, Brooks County 2, Washington County 2, Elbert County 1, Dodge County 1 Dropped out: Brooks County Class A School -- Points -- Last Week (First place votes in parentheses) 1. Eagle’s Landing Christian (15) 150 1 2. Macon County 120 2 3. Prince Avenue Christian 88 4 4. Clinch County 85 3 5. Fellowship Christian 75 5 6. Wesleyan 61 6 7. Manchester 50 8 8. Emanuel County Institute 48 7 9. McIntosh County Academy 14 10 10. Tattnall Square 13 9 Others receiving votes: Mt. Paran Christian 12, Darlington 3, Calvary Day 2, Irwin County 2, Savannah Christian 2 Dropped out: None Publications participating: Albany Herald; Augusta Chronicle; Brunswick News; Times-Georgian, Carrollton; Columbus Ledger-Enquirer; Covington News; CowetaScore.com; The Daily Citizen, Dalton; Douglas County Sentinel, Douglasville; Forsyth County News, Cumming; Gwinnett Daily Post, Lawrenceville; Macon Telegraph; Marietta Daily Journal; Tifton Gazette; Walker Co. Messenger, LaFayette

Cartersville volleyball won twice Tuesday night at home. The Lady Canes defeated Northwest Whitfield 25-19, 18-25, 25-19 in a three-set battle. They then won in straight sets over Rockmart 25-12, 26-24. Cartersville coach Dustin Cothran knew his team was in for a tough match with Northwest Whitfield. “We’re two very evenly-matched teams, and we’ve both been playing schools bigger than us and managing to come away with some victories,” Cothran said. “So I had a feeling it was going to be a really tight match, and it was. We just had a couple of good runs there.” Cothran praised libero Bella Corrigan’s play in the first match, as well as the play of his blockers. “Our front line took pace off hard hit balls today," said Cothran. "People see the blocks that just bounce straight down and you get the point, but a lot of people don’t think about those other touches,” Cothran said. “We touched so many balls today so our back row defenders weren’t having to dig hard-hit balls. We were taking all the pace off them and they became easier balls to pass.” After the dramatic win over Northwest, the win over Rockmart came a little easier. "“We had a couple of younger players that are going to be key for us next year, get a lot of playing time," Cothran said. Cartersville (9-2) plays Woodland and North Paulding Thursday at North Paulding High School. CASS WINS TWICE Cass volleyball swept Gordon Central and Armuchee Tuesday night in a home tri-match. The Lady Colonels beat Armuchee 25-14, 25-19 and finished off the night with a win over Gordon Central 25-12, 25-19. Cass (6-2) will face Bremen and Calhoun at Calhoun High School Thursday evening. LADY CATS EARN SPLIT Woodland volleyball split matches Tuesday night at home. The Lady Cats fell to Marietta in three sets, but defeated Model in straight sets to earn the split. Woodland lost 19-25, 25-18, 9-15 to Marietta and defeated Model 25-20, 25-19. Madison Mayton had three aces, eight assists, seven kills and one block against Marietta. Emmaline Payne added five digs, two aces, and three kills in the loss. Against Model, Noelle Dickey had three aces, two digs, and a kill. Payne added five kills, three digs and one ace. Sydney Molinaro finished with a pair of kills and three blocks. Woodland plays at North Paulding Thursday and is now 2-7 on the season.