The Cartersville girls won the Region 5-AAAA cross country championship and the Cartersville boys placed second Thursday at Clinton Farms in Douglas County. Both teams will advance to the Class AAAA State Championships on Saturday, November 5 at Carrollton High School. The boys state title race will be at 9:30am with the girls championship race to follow at 10:15am. The Cartersville girls finished with 48 points, followed by Chapel Hill (56), LaGrange (66), and Sandy Creek (79). Alaina Tomlinson of LaGrange won the girls race in 20:33. All five scoring runners for the Cartersville girls finished in the top 16 individually and all seven team members finished in the top 27. Kayla Carpenter was the top finisher for the Lady Canes in 21:57. She was followed closely by teammates Vanna Beach (22:05) and Abby Forristall (22:42). Caroline Fahey (23:31) and Krystinn Dabbs (23:44) rounded out the top five runners for Cartersville. Ally McElwee (24:45) and Katie Tolbert (24:59) also ran for the Lady Canes. The Cartersville boys finished second behind Sandy Creek by only four points, 41-45. Chapel Hill was third with 82 points and Cedartown (93) edged LaGrange (94) for fourth. Wilson Moore of Chapel Hill won the boys individual title with a 16:06 run on the 5K course. The Canes were led by Robby Earick (17:00), who ran third overall, and Andy Sims (17:08), fourth overall. Jacob Busek (10th, 17:56), William Matherne (12th, 18:05), and Will Pruitt (16th, 18:20) completed Cartersville’s top five scoring runners. Jake Hacker (18:40) and David Mejia (18:48) ran 20th and 25th individually.

CARTERSVILLE PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT Youth Football results Tuesday, October 25 8U CANES SILVER 25, CANES GOLD 6 Reed Ezell scored on touchdown runs of 2, 10, and 24 yards as Silver defeated Gold. Zeke Price added an interception return for a touchdown for Canes Silver. Naiser Bennett scored on a one-yard plunge for Canes Gold. 8U CANES PURPLE 32, CANES WHITE 8 Asa Mitcham scored three times and Harris Turner twice as Canes Purple defeated Canes White. Griffin Woodall had the only Canes White score with a 65 yard touchdown gallop. Mitcham scored for Purple on runs of 17, 44, and 12 yards. Turner scored on runs of 13 and four yards. Youth football reports are furnished by Cartersville Parks & Recreation Department and Bartow County Parks & Recreation Department. The reports are sponsored on Bartow Sports Zone by CiCi's Pizza, Cherokee Place, Cartersville, GA

The Adairsville boys cross country qualified Wednesday for the Class AAA state meet by placing fourth at the Region 6-AAA Championship in Dalton. The Tigers finished with 115 points, behind region winner Coahulla Creek (34), Calhoun (58), and Murray County (111). Adairsville edged out fifth place Sonoraville by only six points to earn the final state meet berth. Walt Douglas of Coahulla Creek won the boys individual race with a time of 16:32. Adairsville was led by freshman Angel Burda who finished 19th overall in a time of 18:56. Teammates Tim Bosdell (19:01), Jameson Leker (19:09), Jason Burdette (19:28), and Spencer Rawlins (19:37) followed. Daniel Sullivan (20:13) and Jared Tatum (21:02) also ran for the Tigers. The Class AAA boys state championship race will be Saturday morning, November 5 at Carrollton High School. Start time is 8am.

The host Woodland girls cross country team won the Region 7-AAAAA Championship Wednesday with a perfect score of 15 points, while the Wildcats placed fourth to qualify for the Class AAAAA state meet. The Lady Cats took the first five individual scoring spots and were followed by Rome with 64 points, Hiram with 91, and Carrollton with 96. Freshmen Carli Clymer (19:33), Angela Cochran (19:43), and McKenna Trapheagen (20:21) took the first three scoring places. Cheyenne Spinks, a sophomore, placed fifth individually and junior Lindsay Scifers was sixth with a run of 21:06. Only Kell’s Olivia Terwilliger, who ran fourth individually, kept the Lady Cats from a pure sweep. The Kell runner did not interrupt the team points sweep for Woodland, however, because the Lady Longhorns did not field a full team to earn points. Senior Casey Bolan (21:39) and freshman Mackenzie Stephenson (22:18) rounded out the top seven for Woodland placing ninth and eleventh, respectively. Cass runners, Stephane Robledo and Alex Stodghill placed 36th and 48th in the girls race. The Lady Colonels did not field a full team. The Woodland boys team finished fourth with 83 points. Carrollton won the region (44 points), followed by Hiram (67) and Rome (75). Kell rounded out the top five with 102 points. Cass finished ninth. The Wildcats had all five scoring runners to place in the top 27 spots. Audrick Pyronneau of Hiram won the boys individual title in 16:33.05. Jonathan Holloway (17:50) (photo right) placed ninth to lead all Woodland runners. Jacob Giltz also medaled for the Wildcats in 18:17. Dylan Stermer (18:18), Dawson McClure (18:49), and Reece Mitchell (19:01) finished with scoring runs for Woodland. Teammates Levi Brandenburg (19:05) and Noah Warren (19:09) were not far behind. Cass runners at the meet included Derrick Smith (20:54), Logan Mutter (20:58), Nick Poteat (21:38), Michael Shaver (22:54), and Devon Martinez (23:23). The Class AAAAA girls and boys state meet will be hosted by Carrollton High School on Saturday, November 5. The boys race will begin at 12:30pm, followed by the girls at 1:15pm.

Bartow Sports Zone is proud to bring you the first installment of a new Q & A series: “Where Are They Now?” The current series of articles will feature former Bartow County football players. In this opening edition, we feature former Woodland football letterman -- Cole Fountain. Fountain played on both sides of the line of scrimmage early in his high school career, but eventually moved to the offensive side of the ball, where he excelled and moved on to the next level. Cole went on to play and letter at Georgia Southern University for three years. He is now thirty years old and lives in Waycross, GA with his wife Sloan and son, Cooper. What years you were at Woodland, what was your position and who was the head coach? I played at Woodland from 2001 to 2005. I played offensive and defensive line my freshman year, moved to defensive tackle my sophomore year and my last two seasons were spent at center and offensive tackle. John Camp was my coach for my first two season, then it was Todd Simpson. Do you have a favorite coach from Woodland? If so, who and why? Nicky Moore was one of my favorite coaches. During my sophomore year we were on our way to South Forsyth and we did not know who was starting that night. I was playing defensive line and he got us together on the back of the bus and told all of us, “we got two boys that will be growing up tonight.” Those two boys were Kenny Baker and me. We started for the rest of our careers at Woodland. Coach Moore left after my sophomore year to go to Adairsville and then I had coaches Brian Knuchel and Tony Plott. They were both awesome coaches and extremely knowledgeable. PHOTO RIGHT: Cole Fountain holding son Cooper with wife Sloan and parents Chris and Lynn Fountain. Coach Plott and Coach Simpson worked hard on the recruitment of his players, myself included. Coach Plott was a tough coach that knew how to inspire. I remember one instance where I was having a bad day in the weight room and he pulled me aside and said, “you have the ability to play for a Division One school, but the way you’re working will not get you to that level.” That stuck with me. If it were not for Coach Plott and Coach Simpson, I would likely not have had the opportunity to play at the next level. Coach Simpson worked as hard coaching the game as he did getting his guys recruited. We had five seniors sign scholarships from our class. Favorite high school teammate and why? From my class, I would say Kenny Baker, Chima Ikwuezunma, and Quentin Kent. We all were like brothers, playing together all four years and signing scholarships after our careers at Woodland. Matt Stephens and Jermile Richards were older guys that took me under their wing and taught me how to mature as a player. It was like having two big brothers that you could lean on during practice and school to help you grow up and show you the ropes. Favorite high school moment? Beating Cass my junior year. It was a very tight game and I just remember it went down to the wire. They had some great athletes and we squeaked it out, 20-18. Best player you played against in high school? I didn’t play against him in games, but I attended camps with Tray Blackmon, who played at LaGrange High School and signed with Auburn. He was just a freak athlete. I remember watching one of his highlights from our senior year and Blackmon breaking another player’s jaw with a hard hit. Best you played with? David Malone. He played running back and was a freak in the weight room and a phenomenal athlete. He ran a 4.3 40-yard dash and probably bench-pressed 350 pounds in high school. What years you were at Georgia Southern, what was your position and who was the head coach? I was there from 2005 – 2010. I played all five positions on the offensive line, but started at right tackle my junior and senior seasons. I played for Mike Sewak in 2005. Brian VanGorder in 2006, and Chris Hatcher from 2007 – 2009. Who else recruited you? Air Force Academy, Northeastern University in Boston, Middle Tennessee State, Tusculum College. Why did you choose Georgia Southern? They won six national championships since starting the program in 1981. They won their last two national championships in 1999 and 2000 and then had won four of the last five Southern Conference championships before I arrived. What years you lettered: 2007, 2008, 2009 Do you have a favorite coach from Georgia Southern? If so, who and why? The two that stick out the most was my position coach Shawn Bostick in the Hatcher Era. He was a “players coach” that played offensive line at Valdosta State, so he knew what our lives were like. He was very knowledgeable and a great coach on and off the field. The other was Rance Gillespie who is now the offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern. He was the smartest coach I knew. He understood every aspect of offense and really loved teaching the game. Favorite teammate and why? My best friend on the team was Chris Ashkouti from Atlanta, Georgia. He went to Marist for high school. Being from two different areas, we did not have much in common but we clicked anyway. He was in my wedding and we still talk on a regular basis. I was also very close to Jonathon Loving, who played on the offensive line with me. We were roommates with the same major, so we spent many hours together. Favorite moment? The definite highlight of my career was playing UGA in 2008. Growing up in Georgia, you always dream of playing in Sanford Stadium. They were the top team in the nation at the time and while we did not win the game, we beat UGA in one thing that day. We had less guys cramp up in the game then they did! We were in great shape and it was about 100 degrees on the field that day. The second was beating Appalachian State in Boone in 2007. We snapped their 30-game home win streak and they later went on to beat Delaware in the national championship. Best player you played against in college? I played against Jarius Wynn of Georgia and Robert Quinn of of North Carolina, both guys were freaks of nature that were fast and impossible to move. Wynn played in the NFL for awhile and Quinn is still with the Los Angeles Rams. Best you played with? Jayson Foster of Canton, Georgia. The guy literally could move in ways the human body shouldn’t be able to move. He had unbelievable speed and quickness and could make guys look silly. He played in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins and a few other teams. I also got to play with him in 2007 when he won the Walter Payton award (Division 1-AA Heisman Trophy). He also broke the school record of Tracy Hamm for the most total yards in school history in 2007. What is your life like after football? Life after football is great. I met my wife Sloan of Waycross, while we were at Georgia Southern and we were married in 2010. We have a two year old son Cooper, who is spoiled rotten and is loving life. He enjoys anything that has to deal with “Toy Story,” bulldozers and dump trucks. I began working for Flash Foods in 2010 as a division supervisor. I worked in Brunswick from 2011 – 2014. Then we moved back to Waycross and I worked there from October 2014 to January of 2016. In January, I was promoted to Category Manager for our warehouse Distribution South in Alma that services all 165 of our Georgia and North Florida stores. I am responsible for buying all the products that come through our warehouse, managing monthly promotions, and deciding what products go on our shelves and where. It’s an awesome job and a great company. Flash Foods is based out of Waycross and has stores as far north as Woodstock, east to Savannah, West to Thomasville and south to Fernandina Beach Florida. How did football affect your life in a positive way and do you have any advice for young players? Football is one of those games that has every aspect of life within the game. There are highs, lows, tough times, and great times. It teaches you to weather the storm. There’s no better feeling than a big win and there is no worse feeling than a tough loss. Football is about managing emotions. I know with all the media attention football gets, because of the possible physical repercussions that can happen, parents are making tough decisions regarding letting their kids play. Bad things can happen anywhere, anytime. If my child wants to play, he will. If he doesn’t then life will go on. I will definitely push him to a team sport, just because of the life lessons that are involved. My advice for young players is always keep things in this order when going through life and playing the game: God, Family, Football. When it comes to the game of football: Work Hard, Play Fast, and Have Fun. If you can stick to those three basic things, football will take you as long as you want it to.

Elite Stone Supply, in conjunction with WBHF and Bartow Sports Zone, presents the ELITE ATHLETES OF THE WEEK. Each week, all five local schools are provided opportunity to name an Elite Athlete of the Week and present the information on their honoree through Bartow Sports Zone and on 100.3FM and AM1450, WBHF in Cartersville. Recipients for the week ending October 22, 2016: Ethan Belcher -- Adairsville High School Victoria Boulier -- Excel Christian Academy Brittney Cox -- Woodland High School Wendy Cravey -- Cartersville High School Thomas Gilliam -- Cass High School Ethan Belcher is the Elite Athlete of the Week representing Adairsville High School. A wide receiver on the Tigers’ football team, the junior also plays basketball. Although this is his first season playing football, Belcher has shown a great attitude and work ethic since spring practice began. He had his best game of the season last week at Bremen where he hauled in four receptions for 194 yards and a touchdown. Ethan is the son of Stephen Belcher and Shannon Ertzberger. The Elite Athlete of the week for Excel Christian Academy is Victoria Boulier. She is the daughter of Gary and Nicole Boulier. This is her first year running cross country but has become one of the mainstays of a very young cross country team that is composed of mainly freshman and sophomores. Boulier is one of the most improved runners on the team and is finding her niche as a runner. A multisport athlete at Excel, Boulier plays guard on the basketball team. She also is a member of the Excel band and chorus. Victoria is an outstanding student that excels in the classroom. She has an A average while taking honors and AP classes. Coaches Christie Taylor and Gary Boulier nominated Victoria, because of her level of improvement during the cross country season and the leadership skills she has displayed. She stays involved with multiple community service projects and attends the West Cartersville Church of Christ. Her future plans include attending college, and is currently undecided about her major. Woodland High School’s Elite Athlete of the Week is Brittney Cox. Brittney is the daughter of Tim and Kelly Cox and a junior shortstop on the Lady Cats’ softball team that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2016 Class AAAAA state playoffs. During four state playoff games, Cox was 9-for-15 at the plate with a double and four runs batted in. She scored a pair of runs and stole five bases. For the 2016 season, Cox led Woodland in hitting with a .398 batting average. She totaled 18 RBIs and scored 23 runs. Wendy Cravey is the Elite Athlete of the Week for Cartersville High School. Cravey is a cheerleader for both the varsity football squad and the varsity competition cheerleading team. Cravey, a current junior, is praised by the Canes’ cheerleading coach Breanna Betts for her effort and energy. “Wendy is an unbelievable cheerleader who gives 100 percent on and off the mat,” said Betts. “She continuously works to improve her own skill level. She is an irreplaceable member of our team and her continuous encouragement for her teammates is like no other,” the coach concluded. Cravey has a 4.0 GPA and is the daughter of John and Stacey Cravey. The Elite Athlete of the Week representing Cass High School is sophomore runningback, Thomas Gilliam. Gilliam has seen action throughout the 2016 season, but had his coming out party last week in the Colonels’ final home game of the year against Paulding County. Gilliam, who was forced into a starting role after a season ending injury to senior Derrick Maxwell, totaled 161 yards on 26 carries and scored one touchdown on a five yard run. Thomas is the son of Deetta Gilliam. Editors Note: Photos and bios are supplied to Bartow Sports Zone and WBHF by the respective schools and their athletic departments. Elite Stone Supply, LLC is the weekly sponsor. Athletes receive a plaque along with recognition during a weekly radio feature on WBHF.

CARTERSVILLE PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT Youth Football results Tuesday, October 24 10U CANES SILVER 33, CANES WHITE 20 Christian Wood scored four touchdowns on runs of 30, 20, 3, and 3 yards for Canes Silver. Jake Johnson also added a two yard run. Canes White scored twice on runs by Cedric McClinic (30 and 21 yards) and Ja’Caiden Leonard added a 5 yard touchdown run. 10U CANES BLACK 18, CANES GOLD 6 Isaac Cunningham scored on touchdown runs of 40 and 3 yards, while Turner Abernathy scored on a one yard blast to help lead Canes Black. Trevor Harris scored for Canes Gold on an 11 yard run. Local youth football reports are made available by the Cartersville Parks & Recreation Department and the Bartow County Parks & Recreation Department. The reports are sponsored on BartowSportsZone.com by CiCi's Pizza of Cartersville at Cherokee Place.

CROSS COUNTRY SAVANNAH HARDIN — Young Harris College (Soph., Cass HS) . . . ran 78th overall and third on her team at the Peach Belt Conference Championships in Milledgeville last Saturday. Hardin completed the 6K race in 26:37.20. The Mountain Lions placed tenth of 13 teams at the conference title meet won by University of Montevallo. TROY HICKOM (photo) — Clayton State University (Sr., Cartersville HS) . . . ran 36th overall and third on his team at the Peach Belt Conference Championships in Milledgeville last Saturday. Hickom finished the 8K race in 26:45.10. The Lakers placed eighth of ten teams at the conference meet won by Flagler College. JAISON MORNING — Valdosta State University (Soph., Cass HS) . . . ran 31st overall and led all his Blazers teammates at the Gulf South Conference Championships in Huntsville last Saturday. Morning completed the 8K race in 26:51.99. Valdosta State placed ninth of 11 teams in the conference title meet won by Lee University. SOCCER MADISON BENNETT — North Greenville University (Fr., D, Woodland HS) . . . entered off the bench and played 71 minutes last Saturday in the Crusaders’ 1-1 draw with Southern Wesleyan. NGU (2-10-2, 0-8-2) hosts Mars Hill University Tuesday and returns to Conference Carolinas play Saturday, October 29 at Converse College in Spartanburg, SC. MALLARY HEDDEN — Armstrong State University (Jr., D/MF, Cass HS) . . . played 21 minutes in a 2-1 defeat of Georgia College. The Lady Pirates also beat University of West Georgia and played UNC-Pembroke to a 1-1 draw last week. Armstrong State (12-1-2, 8-0-2 Peach Belt Conference) closes out conference regular season play this week with home matches against Columbus State Thursday and North Georgia Sunday, Oct. 30. EMILY MOORE — Charleston Southern University (Sr., D., Woodland HS) . . . played in all three matches for the Lady Bucs as they were 0-2-1 against Gardner-Webb, Longwood, and Winthrop. CSU (6-9-1, 2-5-1 Big South Conference) concludes conference, regular season play Tuesday at home against Liberty University. AMY MORENO — Georgia Military College (Fr., Woodland HS) . . . saw action in a 5-2 win over conference foe, South Georgia State last Friday. The Lady Bulldogs (6-9, 4-6 Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association) have a play-in game to reach the GCAA tournament Tuesday afternoon at home. It is a rematch with South Georgia State. HALEY PITTMAN — Life University (Fr., F, Adairsville HS) . . . made two starts for the Running Eagles who lost both matches and were shutout by University of the Cumberlands and Auburn University Montgomery. Life (2-11) concludes regular season play Tuesday at Campbellsville (KY) University. CODY WEST — Duquesne University (R-Jr., Defender, Cass HS) . . . played all 110 minutes of a 2-2 overtime tie with George Mason University at home in Pittsburgh October 19. West was also credited with an assist on the Dukes’ first goal in the opening minute of the second half that tied the game 1-1 at the time. West added another assist and a shot on goal in a 2-0 shutout of St. Joseph’s last Saturday. Duquesne (8-3-4, 3-1-2 Atlantic 10 Conference) plays at Dayton Saturday night, October 29. VOLLEYBALL KATIE O’CONNOR — Western Carolina University (Jr., MB/H, Cartersville HS) . . . totaled seven kills and one block in a three sets, conference loss at Samford University October 21. She then had six kills and four blocks in a four-set loss last Saturday to Wofford. O’Connor leads the Catamounts in blocks and is third on the team in kills. Western Carolina (8-15, 3-7 Southern Conference) entertains UNC-Greensboro Friday and Furman Saturday (Oct. 28-29) in conference matches.

CARTERSVILLE PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT Youth Football results Saturday, October 22 12U CARTERSVILLE HURRICANES 38, ASHWORTH 0 Christian Vera scored touchdowns on a 48 yard run and a 34 yard pass reception as the Canes shutout Ashworth. Martavious Cochran, Paul Gamble, and Greyson Farmer added scoring runs of 8, 18, and 20 yards, respectively. Cartersville also converted four, two-point conversions. 8U CANES GOLD 12, CANES PURPLE 7 Naiser Bennett scored on a four yard run and Trenton Harris scored from 13 yards out for Canes Gold. Collier Jordan scored for Canes Purple on a 17 yard run. 8U CANES SILVER 12, CANES WHITE 0 Reed Ezell scored for Canes Silver on a 46 yard dash and a 3 yard run. 10U CANES PURPLE 14, CANES WHITE 0 Baylon Long scored on a three yard run and Brodie McWhorter scored on a six yard run for Canes Purple who also added a two-point conversion. 10U CANES BLACK 27, CANES SILVER 6 Canes Black got long scoring runs from Kyilen Sims (40 yards), Isaac Cunningham (40 yards), and Denzell Reid (70 yards) plus a one yard touchdown blast by Turner Abernathy in their win. Christian Wood scored on a three yard run for Canes Silver. 10U BARTOW PACKERS 13, CANES GOLD 12 A.J. Harris scored a pair of touchdowns for the Packers on runs of 50 and 23 yards. Trevor Harris scored on a four yard run and a 51 yard dash for Canes Gold. An extra point on the Packers’ second score was the difference. Youth football results are provided for Bartow Sports Zone by the Cartersville Parks & Recreation Department and the Bartow County Parks & Recreation Department. The summaries are sponsored by CiCi's Pizza of Cartersville in Cherokee Place.

The Atlanta Falcons suffered a tough loss Sunday in overtime, but Adairsville native Vic Beasley, Jr. had another outstanding performance. Several other players with local connections, continue their successful contributions with collegiate programs across the nation. Readers may check on all 'Athletes Beyond Bartow' on this website. Use the 'More' drop-down menu at the top of this page to find links for all current college and pro athletes with local ties. This week's football update: NFL VIC BEASLEY — Atlanta Falcons (OLB, 2nd year pro, Clemson University, Adairsville HS) . . . had three tackles, including a pair of sacks in the Falcons’ 33-30 home, overtime loss Sunday to the San Diego Chargers. Beasley also forced a fumble that led to an Atlanta recovery and touchdown by defensive end Adrian Clayborn. At the time, it was part of a 21-point unanswered run and a 27-10 second quarter lead for Atlanta. Beasley added a fourth quarter sack of Chargers’ quarterback Phillip Rivers, but San Diego rallied to tie the game and won in overtime. Beasley now has 20 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and has forced three fumbles in 2016. Atlanta (4-3) hosts Green Bay next Sunday (Oct. 30) at 4:25pm. COLLEGE FOOTBALL QUADRE ALLEN — Tusculum College (DB, Soph., Woodland HS) . . . had one tackle as the Pioneers defeated visiting Limestone College, 34-13 last Saturday. Allen now has 14 tackles in six games played this season. Tusculum (2-6, 1-3 Southern Athletic Conference) plays at Mars Hill in a conference matchup Saturday, October 29. T.L. FORD II — UNC-Charlotte (WR, Jr., Cartersville HS) . . . made one reception for 11 yards as the 49ers won at Marshall last Saturday in a Conference USA contest. Ford now has 26 catches this season through eight games for 347 yards and three touchdowns. UNC-Charlotte improved to 3-5 overall and evened their conference mark at 2-2. They have a week off before traveling to Hattiesburg, MS to battle Southern Miss Saturday, November 5. MILLER FORRISTALL — University of Alabama (TE, Fr., Cartersville HS) . . . continues to impress with key blocks and has seen action in every game this season for the top-ranked Crimson Tide. After receiving credit for a key block that sprang Jalen Hurts for a 45 yard TD run against Tennessee, Forristall’s blocking prowess was noted again Saturday by the CBS broadcast team in the Tide’s 33-14 win over Texas A&M. Alabama (8-0, 5-0 SEC) plays next on November 5 at LSU. GORDON GRAY — Kennesaw State University (WR, R-Soph., Cartersville HS) . . . received playing time in the Owls’ 47-39 conference win at Gardner-Webb. KSU (5-2, 1-1 Big South Conference) plays at Monmouth Saturday, October 29. DAKOTA HINES — Kentucky Christian University (PK/P, Jr., Adairsville HS) . . . made all three extra point attempts and punted seven times for a 31 yard average with a long punt of 46 yards as the Crusaders defeated Union College (KY) 21-14. KCU (1-7, 1-6 Mid-South Conference) plays at Cincinnati Christian University Saturday, October 29. BRADY JERNIGAN — Illinois College (DL, Fr., Woodland HS) . . . saw playing time for the fourth consecutive week in a 69-7 home loss to Monmouth College. The Blue Boys (5-3, 4-2 Midwest Conference) travel to De Pere, Wisconsin Saturday, Oct. 29 for a conference game with St. Norbert College. LUCAS JOHNSON — Georgia State University (OL, Soph., Cass HS) . . . saw playing time in the Panthers 31-6 victory over UT-Martin Saturday, October 22 at the Georgia Dome. GSU (2-5, 1-2 Sun Belt Conference) travels to Mobile to play University of South Alabama Saturday, October 29. HAYES LINN — Air Force (DB, Sr., Cartersville HS) . . . saw playing time in three quarters of the Falcons’ 34-27 two-overtime loss to Hawai’i. It was the first game this season he did not start. Linn has 21 tackles and has broken up three passes in seven games. Air Force (4-3, 1-3 Mountain West Conference) plays at Fresno State Friday night (Oct. 28) at 10:30pm ET on ESPN2. JAMAR POSEY — Birmingham Southern College (OL, Jr., Woodland HS) . . . saw playing time in BSC’s home, 50-16 conference loss to Rhodes College. The Panthers (1-7, 1-5 Southern Athletic Association) host Centre College (KY) Saturday, October 29. TYLER REED — Austin Peay State University (LB, Fr., Cartersville HS) . . . saw playing time in the Governors’ 41-34 home, non-conference loss to Mercer last Saturday. Austin Peay (0-7, 0-5) returns to Ohio Valley Conference action Saturday, October 29 at Southeast Missouri. ISAIAH ROSS — Point University (LB, Jr., Woodland HS). . . made five tackles in a 45-0 road loss at No. 20 Southeastern (FL) University. Ross now has 35 tackles, including one for a loss in the 2016 season. Point (1-6, 1-4 Sun Conference) plays next on November 5 at Ave Maria (FL). TOWNSEND, SHELBY — Georgia Southern University (TE, R-Soph., Woodland HS) . . . saw action in the Eagles’ 22-19 conference win at New Mexico State. Georgia Southern (4-3, 3-1 Sun Belt Conference) hosts Appalachian State Thursday night, October 27 on ESPNU. HIRAM VELEZ — Troy University (WR, Jr., Adairsville HS) . . . saw action last Thursday, October 20 as the Trojans downed University of South Alabama 28-21. Velez has six catches for 87 yards and one touchdown through seven games. Troy (6-1, 4-0 Sun Belt Conference) hosts UMass Saturday afternoon, November 5. DaKELIN WELLS — Maryville College (TN) (LB, Jr., Cass HS) . . . made five tackles in the Scots’ 31-26 conference win at home last Saturday over Averett University. Through seven games, Wells has 18 tackles, one tackle for a loss, one pass break up, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Maryville improved to 6-1 overall and remained unbeaten at 4-0 in USA South Athletic Conference.

REGION 5-AAAA Cartersville (9-0, 5-0) will host Troup for the region title Friday, November 4 at Weinman Stadium. The Tigers (7-1, 4-0) have a game at Central-Carroll this Friday before traveling to Cartersville, but even with a loss to Central could overtake the Canes for the region championship in a head-to-head tie-breaker. The Canes can finish no worse than second in the region and will host an opening round game in the Class AAAA state playoffs November 11. Cartersville is unanimously the top-ranked team in Class AAAA among six statewide ratings and polls. The Canes are the defending state champions in Class AAAA and are currently riding a 24 game winning streak. Troup remains unranked, but could crack some of the polls prior to visiting Cartersville. Sandy Creek (5-3, 2-2) plays at Cedartown (5-3, 2-2) this week to settle the No. 3 seed from this region. The Sandy Creek/Cedartown loser could need a win in their final week to lock up the No. 4 seed. Sandy Creek closes the regular season at home against Central-Carroll. Cedartown plays at Chapel Hill in the final week. Region 5-AAAA is paired with Region 7-AAAA in the first round of the state playoffs this season. Blessed Trinity will be the top-seed from Region 7-AAAA and play the Region 5-AAAA 4-seed. Marist is in position for the No. 2 seed, while West Hall, Chestatee, and White County have key games to decide the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds. REGION 6-AAA Region 6-AAA uses its tenth regular season game as a region crossover to determine its four state playoff qualifiers. The region is divided into a North and South sub-region containing five teams each. This season, the South sub-region will host all the playoff qualifying games on November 4. In 2017, the state qualifying games will shift to all North sub-region sites. The top four teams from each sub-region will play one another with a state playoff berth on the line. The first place teams from each sub-region play the fourth place teams from the opposite subdivision. The second and third place teams also play one another. The fifth place teams from each sub-region face off in what is essentially a season-ending consolation game. This Friday, October 28, the two sub-regions wrap up their games with one another prior to the November 4 crossovers. In the North sub-region, North Murray (5-3, 2-1) will be the top team with an expected win this week at Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe (1-7, 1-2) and would slip to third with a loss if Ringgold wins this week. Murray County (6-3, 3-1) will be the top team if North Murray falters, but is more likely the second place team. Ringgold (4-4, 2-1) plays at Coahulla Creek and will be third in a three-way tie or second with a win this week and a loss by North Murray. The three-way tiebreaker in the North is the result of all Region 6-AAA games — including the early season crossover games with the South sub-region. North Murray defeated Haralson County, but lost to Calhoun in those crossover games to go 1-1. Meanwhile, Murray County and Ringgold were 0-2 in those crossover games. Murray County lost to both Bremen and Adairsville, while Ringgold had losses to Sonoraville and Adairsville. In the South sub-region, Calhoun has secured the top spot heading into the region playoff crossover and will host Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe who is fourth in the North sub-region. Sonoraville, second in the South sub-region, will most likely host Ringgold November 4 for a spot in the state playoffs. Bremen, who sealed up third in the South sub-region with their win over Adairsville last week, will most likely host Murray County. That leaves only the fourth position in the South sub-region, which will be determined when Adairsville hosts Haralson County this Friday night. The Adairsville/Haralson winner will most likely host North Murray for a chance to advance to the Class AAA state playoffs. The Adairsville/Haralson loser will host Coahulla Creek in a final regular season game with neither team eligible for the state playoffs. Looking ahead to the opening round of the Class AAA state playoffs, Region 6-AAA is paired with Region 8-AAA. The current leaders in Region 8-AAA include Morgan County, Franklin County, and Jackson County followed by Hart County and Monroe Area. REGION 7-AAAAA Carrollton (7-1, 5-1), Rome (6-2, 5-1), and Kell (6-2, 5-1) will battle for the top spot over the final two weeks of the regular season, but they have already played one another. The three teams, all unanimously ranked in the top eight of six recognized statewide polls, have one win and one loss against the other two teams. In the composite of all polls, they ranked No. 3 through No. 5. Carrollton plays at Paulding County this week and will host Cass November 4. Rome entertains East Paulding this week and plays at Woodland November 4. Kell hosts Woodland this Friday night and travels to Hiram November 4. Provided all three region title contenders (Rome, Carrollton, and Kell) win their remaining regular season games, Rome holds a head-to-head point differential tie-breaker over the other two and would secure the No. 1 seed. Carrollton, who defeated Kell 34-14, would be the No. 2 seed, leaving Kell third. (Note: the region point differential tie-breaker has a 17-point cap.) Cass (3-5, 2-4) was officially eliminated from playoff contention last Friday with a home 30-24 loss to Paulding County. It was the Colonels fourth consecutive loss after a 3-1 start. Cass has road games at Villa Rica and Carrollton. Cass could even its overall and region marks with two wins, but either Paulding County or East Paulding would hold a head-to-head tie-breaker for the final playoff slot in that scenario. Woodland (0-8, 0-6) was mathematically eliminated two weeks earlier. In the battle for the Region 7-AAAAA fourth-seed, Villa Rica holds a tie-breaker advantage over challengers Paulding County and East Paulding. Villa Rica could lock down the No. 4 spot with a win over visiting Cass this Friday, but would be eliminated from playoff contention with a loss. Meanwhile, Paulding County (4-4, 3-3) and East Paulding (3-5, 3-3) could leap-frog Villa Rica for the fourth spot if either wins its final two games. Paulding and East Paulding play each other November 4, but both play contenders for the region title this Friday. Paulding County hosts Carrollton and East Paulding travels to Rome. Region 7-AAAAA’s four state playoff teams will play teams from Region 5-AAAAA in the first round. Arabia Mountain, Southwest DeKalb, and Lithonia have games with one another over the final two weeks to determine the Region 5-AAAAA top three positions. Miller Grove is in position for the final spot from 5-AAAAA.

CARTERSVILLE PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT Youth Football Games of October 20 10U CANES GOLD 34, CANES SILVER 6 Trevor Harris scored three touchdowns on runs of 44, 22, and five yards as Gold powered past Silver. Nathaniel Davis and Luke Parker added scoring runs of 38 and 8 yards, respectively. Canes Silver scored on a 25 yard run by Christian Wood. 10U CANES PURPLE 20, CANES WHITE 14 Baylon Long ran back a kickoff 60 yards and scored on runs of 15 and eight yards for Canes Purple. Cedric McClinic had touchdown runs of 60 and 48 yards for Canes White. Youth football results are supplied to Bartow Sports Zone by the Cartersville Parks & Recreation Department and the Bartow County Parks & Recreation Department. The reports are sponsored by CiCi's Pizza of Cartersville in the Cherokee Place Shopping Center on Main Street.