Adairsville hosted their first meet of their season against Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, Ringgold, and Northwest Whitfield The Lady Tigers came away with a runner-up finish while the Tigers placed third. Rylee Moss broke her own school record and qualified for the state meet once again by swimming a 2:17.42 in the 200 Individual Medley. Moss also qualified for the state meet by swimming a 1:03.59 in the 100 Backstroke. Tigers’ coach Adam Joslin noted that Tigers' Johnathon Wilkes and Chance Jones are already close to state qualifying times. Results from the meet: 1st Place Finishers Rylee Moss - 200 IM Johnathon Wilkes – 100 Free Rylee Moss - 100 Back 2nd Place Finishers Johnathon Wilkes - 200 IM Chance Jones – 50 Free Madison McCommon – 100 Fly 3rd Place Finishers Cicily Flores - 200 Free Katie Schwan – 100 Fly Cicily Flores – 500 Free Other Scorers for Adairsville Felicia Miller - 200 Free Gillian Ballard - 200 IM Jason Bromby – 50 Free Katie Schwan – 50 Free Katherine Sullivan – 100 Free Megan Smith - 100 Free Gillian Ballard – 500 Free Zach Ashely – 100 Back Brandon Lawhorn – 100 Breast Madison McCommon – 100 Breast Sierra Fritz - 100 Breast

Local athletes made key contributions this week at the professional and collegiate level in football, wrestling, and basketball. NFL VIC BEASLEY, JR. — Atlanta Falcons (2nd yr., OLB/DE, Clemson, Adairsville HS). . . did not add to his career high 9.5 sacks Sunday, but was credited with a pair of quarterback hits and a pass defended as the Falcons remained in first place in the NFC South. Beasley, Jr., Dwight Freeney and Adrian Clayborn constantly impacted play, with their defensive pressure as the Falcons defeated the Arizona Cardinals 38-19 at The Georgia Dome. Beasley, Jr. has 30 tackles and has forced four fumbles this season. He has also been credited with 18 quarterback hurries through the first 11 games and those numbers will certainly increase once Sunday's game is included. Atlanta (7-4) holds a one game lead over Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers won their third straight Sunday, defeating the Seahawks 14-5. The Falcons host the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday. COLLEGE FOOTBALL T.L. FORD, II — UNC-Charlotte (Jr., WR, Cartersville HS). . . made three receptions for eight yards in the 49ers’ 33-14 loss to UT-San Antonio at the Alamodome last Saturday. Ford played in all 12 games and finished with 36 receptions for 430 yards and four touchdowns. Charlotte finished 4-8 overall and 3-5 in Conference USA. MILLER FORRISTALL — University of Alabama (Fr., TE, Cartersville HS). . . did not have a reception, but saw playing time in his 12th straight game for the top-ranked Crimson Tide. Forristall has five catches for 73 yards on the season. Alabama (12-0) plays Saturday in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game at The Georgia Dome against Florida. HAYES LINN — Air Force Academy (Sr., DB, Cartersville HS). . . recorded three tackles Saturday in the Falcons’ 27-20 upset of 19th-ranked Boise State. He finished the regular season with 31 tackles and three pass breakups. Air Force (8-3) awaits its bowl game assignment. MARK QUATTLEBAUM — UNC-Charlotte (R-Soph., SL, Cartersville HS). . . caught a third quarter pass for 20 yards and a first down to the UTSA 14 yard line Saturday in the 49ers’ 33-14 loss at UT-San Antonio. Quattlebaum finished the year with four receptions for 36 yards. Charlotte’s season ends with a 4-8 record. They were 3-5 in Conference USA. HIRAM VELEZ — Troy University (Jr., WR, Adairsville HS). . . made one catch for 10 yards in the second quarter Saturday that moved the Trojans to the Texas State 21 yard line and eventually led to a field goal. Troy won 40-7 at Texas State to improve to 9-2 overall and 6-1 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojan can clinch a tie for the conference regular season title with a win at Georgia Southern this Saturday. WRESTLING EVAN COLE — Cumberland University (Jr., 149-lb., Cartersville HS). . . defeated Dyllan Greene 3-2 in a 33-3 win by the Phoenix last Wednesday at Reinhardt University. Cumberland returns to the mats Thursday at Limestone College. SAMMY ROSARIO — Cumberland University (Sr., 133-lb., Cass HS). . . defeated Triston Blansit 7-6 in a 33-3 victory by the Phoenix last Wednesday at Reinhardt University. Cumberland, unbeaten in dual matches, wrestles Thursday at Limestone College. PRO BASKETBALL ADRIAN RODGERS — Malbas Oresund, Swedish Pro League (1st yr., PG, Southern Univ., Cartersville native). . . scored 17 points in his team’s only game last week, a 93-58 loss to Uppsala. He was 6-for-12 from the floor with eight rebounds, four steals, and one assist. Malbas Oresund (1-9) plays at Jamtland Friday. COLLEGE BASKETBALL A.J. MOSBY — Alcorn State University (Jr., G, Cartersville HS). . . scored five points with six rebounds, two steals, and two assists last Tuesday in an 83-57 home win over Blue Mountain College (MS). He then added seven points with a pair of rebounds Sunday in an 80-58 loss at Colorado State. Mosby started both games and logged 43 minutes of playing time in the two games. The Braves (2-3) play at University of San Francisco Wednesday. DARRIUS THROWER — Truett McConnell University (Fr., G, Excel Christian Academy). . . scored three points and had a defensive rebound in an 89-61 loss at Milligan College (TN) last Tuesday. The Bears (3-5, 0-2 Appalachian Athletic Conference) host Union College (KY) Wednesday and travel to Allen University (SC) Saturday. COREY TOBIN — Reinhardt University (Jr., G, Cartersville HS). . . scored eight points Saturday in a 96-64 loss at Tennessee State. He added two points and two rebounds last Tuesday in an 88-81 home win over Allen University (SC). The Eagles (7-2, 3-0 Appalachian Athletic Conference) play at Milligan College (TN) Wednesday and at Tennessee Wesleyan Saturday in a pair of AAC road tests. HAKEEM WINTERS — Point University (Soph., F, Cartersville HS). . . collected three rebounds in just over 10 minutes of playing time last Tuesday in a 76-70 home, conference loss to St. Andrews University. The Skyhawks (1-8, 0-3 Appalachian Athletic Conference) play at Montreat College (NC) Wednesday. Did we miss someone this week? Please let us know. Use the ‘Contact’ link at the top of this page and drop us a note. You may also send an email to: bartowsportszone@comcast.net

According to many of the wrestling experts around the state of Georgia, Area 3 in Class AAA is one of the premiere groupings in that classification. The Adairsville Tigers wrestling team finds itself in Area 3-AAA and must do battle with expected powers Bremen, Ringgold, Lovett, and Sonoraville. Adairsville lost state placers Salvador Grimaldo and Daelen Harrison to graduation from last year’s team, but have been led in the early season by current captains Bryce Burgess (170 lbs.) and Nic Jackson (182 lbs.). The Tigers competed Saturday at the Hiram Duals for a third consecutive duals competition over a ten day stretch. Adairsville picked up wins over Dade County, Southeast Whitfield, Haralson County, Calhoun, and LFO to win the Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe Duals November 19. They followed that performance with wins over Chattooga and Fannin County at Cartersville November 22, and took down the host Hornets and Murray County Saturday at the Hiram Duals. “Burgess and Jackson have been solid in the early going. They've both had great showings at each of our tournaments,” said Adairsville head coach Ryan Torrence. “They have been leaders at practice and in competition.” Adairsville will also rely heavily on a youthful lineup for continued success as the tough schedule continues. “We have five freshmen and five sophomores among our varsity starters,” noted Torrence. “We’re looking forward to watching these guys development toward their potential.” Adairsville makes the short trip to Calhoun Wednesday to face Rockmart and Calhoun before hitting the mats at the Westminster Duals in Atlanta next Saturday.

The Cartersville Lady Hurricanes had a double-digit lead in the second half Saturday afternoon hosting Haralson County, but let it get away in a 59-56 loss. Alexis Boykin of the visiting Lady Rebels poured in 35 points to lead Haralson County’s come-from-behind effort. Cartersville struggled with a full-court press applied by the Rebels and were outscored by 20 points down the stretch after holding a 42-25 lead at one point over the defending Region 6-AAA champions. Cartersville (1-2) has been in three close games this season, but head coach Cindy Moore was disappointed by Saturday’s second half struggles. Her hope is that the Lady Canes will learn from the tight game experiences of the young season. “We lost our composure a bit and stopped doing what built that lead,” said Moore. “We committed some turnovers, missed some opportunities, and momentum just shifted. We will look at it as a coaching staff, learn from it, and see what we can do differently next time.” Boykin scored 17 of her game-high 35 in the first half and 11 in the decisive fourth quarter. Monica Motuba led Cartersville with 17 points. India Reid, Kimora McClinic, and Madison McKinney contributed eight points each. Reid was the top rebounder for Cartersville with 11 boards. Motuba and McKinney gathered six rebounds each. McClinic added five. Haralson County improved to 2-1 with the win and hosts Ranburne, AL Tuesday. Cartersville plays Tuesday at Sonoraville with tip scheduled for 6pm.

The Cass basketball girls and boys teams picked up wins Saturday in holiday action with the girls holding off North Murray 60-53 and the boys downing Chattanooga (TN) Notre Dame, 54-44. The games took place as part of the Ridgeland Thanksgiving Classic in Rossville. The Lady Colonles trailed 13-6 after one quarter, but recovered in the second period to lead 27-24 at halftime. Cass extended the lead to 42-37 after three quarters. Jana Morning, who nailed four, 3-pointers in the first half, led the Lady Colonels with 21 points. Kyla Michienzi followed with 15 points. Chanel Clemmons scored seven. Payton Stoddard tallied a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter for six points. Lyric Curtis totaled five points, while Esmeralda Thomas added four and Kyler Trouten two. North Murray (1-2) was led by Maddi Crider with 10 points and Sarah Plemons with nine. The Cass boys trailed until the third quarter, including 19-16 at halftime, but outscored the Fighting Irish 22-11 in the third quarter to gain control. Mark Chester led the Colonels with 22 points. Steven Spell and Ian Whittington added 10 and eight, respectively. Notre Dame slipped to 1-3 on the early season with the loss. The Colonels (2-1) and Lady Colonels (2-1) are scheduled to host Rome Friday, December 2 with the girls’ game schedule to begin at 7pm, but the game is subject to a schedule change with Rome in the Class AAAAA state football semifinals. Cass will play at Villa Rica Saturday afternoon, December 3 with the girls tip at 3pm. Both are Region 7-AAAAA opponents.

The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes won for the 28th consecutive time and moved to 13-0 this season with a 26-15 road victory Friday night at Woodward Academy in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Class AAAA state playoffs. With the victory, the Canes advance to the state semifinals for the third season in a row and the fourth time in the last five years. The Hurricanes capitalized on early opportunities, controlled the second half to build a 17 point lead, then held on for their eighth straight playoff win over two seasons. Cartersville led 16-9 at halftime by virtue of a safety, a short Trevor Lawrence run, and a Lawrence to T.J. Horton touchdown pass. The safety occurred when a Woodward Academy punt attempt by Martin Rodriguez bounced about 40 yards backward off the back of one of his forward blockers. It came to rest in the end zone. The punter was able to arrive first and punch the ball out of the back of the end zone to yield the safety. The deflection was caused by Canes’ defensive lineman Darian Poelnitz who drove the blocker backward and into the kick. Lawrence capped off Cartersville’s ensuing drive with a five yard run with 7:29 remaining in the first quarter. Then on the Canes next possession, Lawrence connected with Horton for a four-yard touchdown pass. Antoine Jefferson had a 32-yard reception on that drive and Trey Creamer had a seven-yard run to the four yard line that set up the second touchdown with 2:30 left in the first quarter. A PAT kick by Cruz had Cartersville up 16-0. Woodward Academy scored in the second quarter on a 49 yard drive capped by a Ryan Glover to Cade Sutherland 8-yard touchdown pass. The PAT kick failed with 5:43 remaining in the half, but the War Eagles had narrowed the Canes’ lead to 16-6. Rodriguez added a 33-yard field goal for Woodward Academy on the final play of the first half sending the teams to their locker rooms with Cartersville ahead 16-9. Jonathan Cruz made a 51-yard field goal attempt early in the third quarter, but Coach Joey King opted to take a 15-yard penalty (roughing kicker) for a first down that took those points off the board. The Canes ultimately drove to the two yard line before stalling. Cartersville settled for a 20-yard field goal by Cruz with 6:00 remaining in the third quarter that stretched their lead to 19-9. Cartersville added a fourth quarter, four-yard touchdown run by Jefferson with 1:52 remaining. The drive covered 54 yards in five plays with Cruz adding another PAT for a 26-9 lead. Woodward Academy came back down the field and scored on a Ryan Glover to Josh Johnson four-yard pass with only 0:08 remaining. The War Eagles’ two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the final score at 26-15. Canes' junior quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, was 19 of 31 for 176 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a score. War Eagles' quarterback, Ryan Glover, finished the night 20 of 38 for 179 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Antoine Jefferson hauled in 10 receptions for 122 yards and added a four-yard touchdown run and the Canes' defense was led by Nyvin Nelson and Xavior Coaxum. Nelson finished the night with 10 tackles. He also broke up a pass and picked one off. Coaxum added seven tackles, a sack, and three pass breakups. Woodward Academy, who was also seeking a third consecutive trip to the state semifinals, saw its season conclude with an 11-2 mark. Cartersville (13-0) advances to the Class AAAA Final Four where they will host the Mary Persons Bulldogs. The Hurricanes won a coin toss with Mary Persons late Friday night to determine home field advantage. Both teams are top-seeds from their respective regions. The Bulldogs (11-2) defeated Blessed Trinity in the quarterfinals Friday night, 28-27. They have won eight straight since a 20-19 loss at Peach County September 16. They also fell in their season opener at Houston County, 26-14. Mary Persons has playoff wins over North Clayton and Heritage-Catoosa in addition to Friday night's win over the Titans. Mary Persons was 11-1 in 2015 with their only loss coming to Marist in the second round of the Class AAAA state playoffs. This is the sixth straight playoff appearance for the Bulldogs and it will be the second time the two schools have met in a state semifinal. Cartersville defeated Mary Persons 21-17 in 1991 during the Purple Hurricanes' Class AA state championship run that won their first state title. Statistics courtesy Jason Greenberg, The Daily Tribune News

The Lady Canes' basketball team rallied in the fourth quarter Friday afternoon for a come-from-behind, 48-47 win over Coahulla Creek at the Ridgeland Thanksgiving Classic in Rossville. Cartersville trailed at each quarter stop, but a 16-4 advantage in the final period was enough for the comeback. The Lady Colts led Cartersville 9-8, 24-16, and 43-32 at the conclusion of each of the first three quarters. Deasia Jefferson led the Lady Canes with 12 points in the contest, but it was Kimora McClinic and Monica Motuba that combined for nine of Cartersville’s fourth quarter points to help lead the rally. McClinic and Motuba both finished the contest with eight points each. Madison McKinney chipped in with seven points. Amya Davis contributed six, India Reid scored three, with Addie Smith and Arian Cochran adding two points each for the Canes. Lily Snyder, who hit three, 3-pointers in the second half, led the Lady Colts with 15 points. Allie Young added 10 points. Olivia Mantooth and Chloe Barger chipped in six points each for Coahulla Creek. The Lady Colts slipped to 0-3 on the season with the loss. Cartersville (1-1) is scheduled to host Haralson County Saturday at 2pm at the Storm Center and will play at Sonoraville Tuesday night.

Adairsville placed third and Cartersville fourth at the Colonel Harvey Robinson Duals hosted Tuesday by Cartersville High School. The annual tournament honors former Canes’ wrestler Harvey Robinson. Robinson, a 1980 graduate and the first state wrestling champion in Cartersville High history, went on to become a Colonel in the U.S. Army and received a merit award for honor and courage for his rescue efforts at the Pentagon during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Ringgold won the tournament championship with a perfect 4-0 slate. Armuchee finished second at 3-1 with Adairsville and Cartersville finishing 2-2. Robby Earick and Jonathan De La Cruz both finished 4-0 for the Purple Hurricanes in their individual matches Freshman Caz Smith went 3-1. Earlier in the season, Cartersville had four wrestlers to place at the Ringgold tournament. Earick won his weight class, with Smith earning a runner-up finish, De La Cruz third, and Carlos Aborresco fourth in their respective divisions. Cartersville also had four weight class winners at Union County’s tournament. Smith captured the 106-pound class, while sophomore A.J Scott won the 126-pound division. De La Cruz was a winner at 220 pounds and senior Rafael Lopez won the 285-pound class. The Canes will wrestle next at the Hoya Invitational on Saturday December 3. Adairsville, who earlier in the season won the Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe Warrior Duals, will compete at the Hiram Duals Saturday before traveling to Calhoun to meet Rockmart and Calhoun on Wednesday. The Tigers will wrestle in the Westminster Duals December 3.

The Cartersville boys basketball team completed a three-game sweep of the Dalton Holiday Classic Wednesday night by defeating the host Dalton Catamounts, 56-36. The Canes were led in scoring by Jaylon Pugh with 24 points and Perignon Dyer with 17. Luke Schiltz pulled down eight rebounds for the Purple Hurricanes. Daunta Bryan and Isaac Gridley contributed three steals and three blocked shots, respectively. Cartersville won three consecutive nights this week to secure the tournament title. The Canes defeated North Paulding 72-64 Monday and Northwest Whitfield 61-45 on Tuesday. The pre-season, 10th-ranked Canes (3-0) are still without several key contributors with the Purple Hurricanes’ football team preparing for a Class AAAA state quarterfinal playoff game at Woodward Academy this Friday. The next game for the basketball Canes is scheduled for Saturday, December 10 at 4pm against Meadowcreek in the LakePoint Basketball Showcase presented by the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame at the LakePoint Champions Center in Emerson. Meanwhile, Meadowcreek of Region 7-AAAAAAA is scheduled for five games between now and their meeting with the Hurricanes. The Mustangs will play Jenkins and Miller Grove at the Holiday Hoopsgiving Showcase Friday and Saturday hosted by Holy Innocents’, before entertaining Parkview, West Forsyth, and Brookwood with home games November 29, December 2, and December 9. Meadowcreek (2-0) features three returning players in sophomore guard Jamir Chaplin and forwards Amari Kelly and Cory Hightower. Chaplin has already received offers from Tulane and Western Carolina. Kelly and Hightower are also drawing Division I interest. Meadowcreek’s two wins this season were over Heritage 66-59 and Rockdale County 48-41. The LakePoint Basketball Showcase December 10 will include one girls’ game followed by four boys’ games. Schedule: 1:00pm — Girls — Winder-Barrow vs. Lovett 2:30pm — Boys — Hillgrove vs. Warner Robins 4:00pm — Boys — Cartersville vs. Meadowcreek 5:30pm — Boys — Chattanooga (TN) McCallie vs. Charlotte (NC) Providence Day 7:00pm — Boys — North Cobb Christian vs. Sandy Creek Tickets for the five game event are available at the door and are $7 for adults and $5 for students.

The Cartersville girls basketball team struggled to score in the first and third quarters Tuesday night and fell to Pepperell in the Lady Canes’ opener, 40-36. Pepperell led 9-1 after one quarter and Cartersville managed only three points in the third quarter in the four point loss. The Lady Canes trailed 25-15 at halftime. “We have to be consistent scoring,” said Cartersville head coach Cindy Moore. “We made a nice rally in the fourth quarter, but came up short,” Moore concluded. Kathryn Forsyth scored 13 points to lead the Lady Dragons to their win. Grace Hufford, Tamiya Griffith, and Caroline Clark added five points each for Pepperell. Madison McKinney led Cartersville scorers with 10 points. Monica Motuba and Addie Smith had nine and eight rebounds, respectively, to lead the Lady Canes on the glass. Motuba and Kimora McClinic scored seven points each. Smith scored five. A’mya Davis added three points, while Caroline Bagwel and De’asia Jefferson scored two points each. The Lady Canes (0-1) play Coahulla Creek Friday at 1pm at the Ridgeland High School Thanksgiving Classic.

The Woodland wrestling team won its third tournament of the season Tuesday with a five match sweep at the Etowah Eagles Duals in Woodstock. Woodland recorded wins over Woodward Academy (53-21), Allatoona (48-25), and Cherokee (71-6) to win Pool A and advance to the dual format semifinals. The Wildcats then defeat Northwest Whitfield 49-30 in the semifinals and Gilmer 51-29 in the championship match. Woodland had five wrestlers to go undefeated on the day. Gavin Nix (106), Kyle Gollhofer (120), Jesus Montero (126), Vinnie Rosati (132), and Cody Cochran (160) won all their matches. Cass placed fifth with only one loss at the same tournament. The Colonels, battling flu and other illness in their starting lineup, finished 4-1 with their only loss coming to Lumpkin County in Pool B. C.J. McKnight and Seven Richards went undefeated for the Colonels during the event. Cass had wins over Cedartown, Central-Carrollton, Creekview, and Etowah to win the consolation bracket. Woodland wrestles December 2 and 3 at the Wolverine Classic. Cass will host Adairsville, Sonoraville, and Gordon Central on December 7.

The 10th-ranked Cartersville boys basketball team won for the second straight night and has advanced to the finals of the Dalton Thanksgiving Tournament Wednesday night in Dalton. Also on Tuesday, both Adairsville teams won non-region games at Excel Christian Academy. No. 10 CARTERSVILLE BOYS 61, NORTHWEST WHITFIELD 45 The Canes dropped the Bruins by 16 points Tuesday night to advance to the championship game of the Dalton Thanksgiving Tournament against the host Catamounts. Jaylon Pugh poured in 21 points and Perignon Dyer had 20 for the Hurricanes. Cartersville (2-0) will face Dalton Wednesday night at 8:30pm for the tournament championship. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 79, EXCEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 38 Adairsville only led by seven points at halftime, but exploded for 36 points in the third quarter to take a 64-27 lead into the final quarter on their way to a 41-point win at Excel. Ethan Belcher and Cody Henderson scored 13 each to lead the Tigers. Savaun Henderson added 12 points. Gavin Cronkelton totaled nine points. William Longmore scored eight. Mason Boswell 7, Jesse O’Kelley 6, Jason Wade 5, Derrick Simmon 2, Jakob Monroe 2, and Grayson Dailey 2 rounded out the Adairsville scoring. Excel’s Levi Blackwell had a game-high 21 points. Kyrie Tucker contributed nine points. Robbie Paston scored seven and Jacob Murray one for the Eagles. Excel (0-2) hosts Walker next Tuesday, November 29. Adairsville (2-1) entertains Ringgold Friday, December 2 and Rockmart on Saturday, December 3. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 54, EXCEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY GIRLS 34 The Adairsville girls took a 20-5 lead after one period and did not look back in a 20-point win at Excel Christian Academy Tuesday night. Josie Summerville of the Lady Tigers led all scorers in the game with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Nakiyah Washington totaled 10 points, 13 rebounds, and nine steals. Emily Collum scored eight points and pick up eight steals. Zay Harris added six points and Havyn Isaac had six. Taylor Greene added three points, while Alexa Varner, Chloe Powell, and Latya Printup scored two points apiece. Adairsville led 32-15 at halftime and 42-27 after three quarters. “The girls did a great job with a strong, fast start,” said Lady Tigers head coach Lee Whitaker. “We were able to get pressure on them early,” he added. “Excel was very physical and very disciplined, so this was a great win for us tonight. We’re looking forward to preparing for Ringgold next week. Whitney Harris scored 14 points for the Lady Eagles. Rylie Boston added nine for Excel. Brighton McCollum totaled five points. Kalli Beth Scheff scored four points and Lindsey Mauldin added two. Adairsville (2-0) hosts Ringgold Friday, December 2 at 7pm and Rockmart on Saturday, December 3 at 4pm. Excel (1-1) hosts Walker Tuesday, November 29.