The Lady Canes’ volleyball team captured the Bartow County Championship for the tenth consecutive time Saturday at Adairsville High School with a 25-17, 25-21 victory in the championship match over the hosting Lady Tigers. Cartersville, led by Tournament Most Valuable Player, Kameron Hendrix, did not drop a set in winning the title with three straight wins on the day. Hendrix racked up 44 assists in the Lady Canes six set sweep of the tournament. In the finals, standout players for Cartersville included: Lauren Wenzell with 6 kills, 1 assist, 1 dig, and 4 aces; Grace Hunter with 5 kills, 7 assists, and 2 digs; Nedu Evans with 4 kills and 1 block; Addie Smith with 4 digs; and Kameron Hendrix with 13 assists, 3 digs, and 1 ace. In their semifinal 25-10, 25-15 win over Adairsville to reach the finals, leaders for the Lady Canes were: Lauren Wenzell with 5 kills and 1 ace; Grace Hunter with 5 kills, 2 aces, and 9 assists; Nedu Evans with 5 kills, 2 blocks, and 1 dig; Catie Heilman with 4 kills, 2 assists, and 2 aces; Rebekah Stevens with 3 kills and 2 blocks; and Kameron Hendrix with 11 assists and 3 aces. Cartersville defeated Woodland 25-20, 25-9 in the opening round. Standout players for the Canes include: Catie Heilman with 6 kills, 4 digs, and 3 aces; Lauren Wenzell with 5 kills, 2 blocks, and 4 aces; Nedu Evans with 5 kills; Elsa Evans with 3 kills and 2 blocks; and Kameron Hendrix with 20 assists and 2 digs. Results from the Bartow County Championship, Sat., Sept. 24 OPENING RD. Adairsville def. Cass Cartersville def. Woodland, 25-20, 25-9 2ND RD. Cartersville def. Adairsville, 25-10, 25-15, to reach finals. ELIMINATION MATCHES Cass def. Woodland 25-19, 25-18 Adairsville def. Cass to reach finals, 19-25, 25-14, 15-10. FINALS Cartersville def. Adairsville in finals 25-16 and 25-21. Adairsville (14-18) hosts Coahulla Creek and Dade County Tuesday at 5pm. Cass (4-15) plays at Pepperell Thursday at 5pm. Cartersville (21-16) will host Pickens (13-20) and Woodland (13-23) Thursday at 5pm in The Storm Center in a pair of non-area matches.

Carrollton needed only four innings Saturday to dispatch the Lady Colonels, 13-0. The visiting Lady Trojans led 5-0 after two innings and put the game away with an eight-run top of the third. With the loss, Cass was eliminated from Region 7-AAAAA playoff contention. The Lady Colonels managed only two hits — both singles — by Hope Elrod and Sarah Fox. The Cass defense also committed seven errors in the contest. Cass starting pitcher, Sarah Moore, suffered the pitching loss in three innings of work. Only three of the runs against her were earned. She yielded 11 hits and three walks. She struck out one. Arianna Mustin allowed a hit and struck out one in an inning of relief. Cass (6-19) will finish the 2016 season at Carrollton Tuesday at 5:55pm.

Cartersville pitcher Hannah Todd dominated LaGrange in both games of a region doubleheader Saturday in LaGrange. The University of North Carolina commit, allowed only one hit in two games and worked all 14 innings for the Lady Canes in the pitching circle as they swept the Lady Grangers, 7-0 and 3-0. With the two teams battling for home field advantage in next weekend’s region playoffs, Todd tossed her third no-hitter of the season in Game 1. Lauren McElhaney and Paris Poston (triple) had two hits and two RBIs each to help lead the Cartersville offense. Cio Seigler, Kayla Stephenson, and Todd (double, RBI) also added two hits each for the Lady Canes. Pressley Edwards had the other Cartersville hit and added one RBI. Cartersville took an early 3-0 lead and built on their advantage along the way. Todd (photo) needed only 78 pitches (59 for strikes) in her no-hitter. She issued one walk and struck out 12. In Game 2, Todd needed only 81 pitches and struck out 10 in a 3-0, one-hit shutout. It was her third, one-hitter of the season to go with the three no-hitters. Todd dominated the strike zone again. Sixty-six of her pitches were thrown for strikes. The only Lady Grangers hit came in the bottom of the third inning on a bloop single to right field by LaGrange leadoff hitter, Tia Winston. Molly Wilson had three hits for the Lady Canes and drove in one run. Macee Cole added two hits. Hope Short, Poston (RBI), and Edwards had the other Cartersville base hits. "Our team is playing the best ball we have played all season," said Lady Canes head coach Shannon Dietrich. "We want to keep working hard at practice, finish well Wednesday against Darlington, and get prepared for a rematch with LaGrange in the first round of the region playoffs." With the series sweep, Cartersville (14-10) sewed up the No. 4 seed in the upcoming Region 5-AAAA playoffs and will host fifth-seeded LaGrange in their best-of-three series. The winner of that series will lock up a berth in the state playoffs. The series will open with a doubleheader Saturday, October 1 at 2pm. If a third game is needed, it will be played Monday, October 3 at 5:30pm. Cartersville will host a non-region, regular season finale' Wednesday at 5:30pm against Darlington. "Making the region tournament with home field advantage has been a goal all season," added Dietrich. "Now that we've accomplished that goal, we seek our next goal of qualifying for the state tournament."

Bartow County Recreation Department 8U Youth Football results — September 22 8U Bartow Falcons 28, Bartow Bears 12 Joshua Love rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns to help lead the Falcons to a win Thursday night at Hamilton Crossing Park. Kyron McClendon added 70 yards and a score. Zach Hawkins had eight tackles for the Falcons’ defense. Bryan Gayton totaled four tackles and a fumble recovery. For the Bears, Jakez Baldwin finished the night with 38 yards rushing and a touchdown. Graham Coheley contributed 28 yards rushing and a touchdown. Wyatt Earwood and Coheley combined for seven tackles for the Bears’ defense. 8U Bartow Raiders 18, Bartow Steelers 0 Jamar Wilson rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns, plus he had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery for the Raiders. Luis Sanchez and Casey Page added four tackles each. The Steelers were led by Micah Pittman with 36 yards rushing and Jake Orton added 26 rushing yards. Malachi Harris and Corbin Jarrett collected eight tackles apiece. Trey Allen added six tackles. Youth football capsules provided by the local recreation departments and sponsored by CiCi's Pizza of Cartersville.

No. 1 CARTERSVILLE 44, CEDARTOWN 6 Cartersville (5-0, 1-0), the No. 1 team in Class AAAA, outgained Cedartown 380 to 48 behind an 18-for-31 performance by quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The junior quarterback accounted for 300 yards and five touchdowns as the Purple Hurricanes extended their winning streak to 20 games over the past two seasons. Trey Creamer caught a 51-yard pass for a touchdown. Antoine Jefferson finished with 10 receptions for 153 yards and a score. JKobe Orr had two touchdown receptions, and Trase Fezzia hauled in a 43-yard touchdown pass. Cedartown slipped to 3-2 overall and 0-1 in Region 5-AAAA with the loss. The Bulldogs travel to LaGrange next week for another region tilt. Cartersville will host Central, Carroll next Friday at Weinman Stadium in a 7:30pm kickoff. The game will be broadcast live by 100.3FM / AM1450 WBHF, Cartersville. ADAIRSVILLE 35, MURRAY COUNTY 21 The Adairsville Tigers won for the second week in a row — this time on the road — in a two touchdown win at Murray County in Chatsworth. Travon Branch scored on a 53-yard touchdown run at the beginning of the second to put the Tigers on top, but Murray answered to knot the game at 7-7. Adairsville senior quarterback, Roger Redd, scored on a 16-yard run midway through the second period to put the Tigers back in the lead, but the Indians responded with a 15-yard Giovanni Chavez 15-yard run to tie the game 14-14 at the half. The Tigers regained the lead on a 1-yard run by Mason Boswell with 7:53 remaining in the third quarter and Redd connected with Lowery at the 4:01 mark of the period to extend Adairsville’s lead to 28-14. Redd and Branch hooked up on a 38-yard scoring pass that gave the Tigers a 35-14 lead with 2:22 remaining in the game and Murray County added a late score for a 35-21 final. Murray County falls to 3-2 with the loss. Adairsville, who is idle next week, improved to 3-2. Murray begins sub-region play next Friday (September 30) at North Murray. Adairsville plays at Calhoun on Friday, October 7. No. 3 CARROLLTON 33, WOODLAND 0 Carrollton, the third-ranked team in Class AAAAA, scored on a 73-yard bubble screen on the first play of the game and never looked back on their way to a 26-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and an eventual 33-0 Trojans’ victory. The Trojans added their second opening quarter score on a 1-yard run to take a 13-0 lead. Carrollton then blocked a Woodland punt and recovered at the Wildcats’ 8-yard line to set up their third score and another Woodland first quarter punt was blocked and returned for a Carrollton touchdown that put the Trojans up 26-0 after the opening quarter. Carrollton reserves added a fourth quarter score for the 33-0 final. The Trojans improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in Region 7-AAAAA. Woodland (0-5, 0-2) travels to Hiram next Friday (September 30) for a 7:30pm kickoff. The game will be the Johnny’s NY Style Pizza Game of the Week broadcast on BartowSportsZone.com. No. 4 KELL 39, CASS 7 Class AAAAA's fourth-ranked Kell Longhorns scored on a pick-six, a safety, a punt return, and two touchdown passes in the first half on their way to a 29-7 halftime advantage and an eventual 32-point win at Cass. The Colonels lone score came on a 64-yard scamper by junior running back Terry Berdin with 9:19 remaining in the second quarter that narrowed Kell’s lead at the time to 22-7. Kell’s senior quarterback John Lampley threw touchdown passes to tight end Cameron Mitchell (11 yards) and Josh Blancato (64 yards). He also capped off an 80-yard drive to open the third quarter with a 5-yard run that put the Longhorns up 36-7. University of Tennessee commit, Solon Page III, picked off a pass on the Colonels’ opening possession of the game and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown and Kell’s D.J. Owens returned a Cass punt 55 yards for a 22-0 lead in the opening minute of the second quarter. Connor Mendolson, the Longhorns’ placekicker, was 4-of-5 on PATs and made a 23-yard field goal late in the third quarter. Kell outgained Cass 236-64 in a dominant first half. The Colonels managed only one first down in the opening half and it came on a 15-yard pass interference penalty. Other than the touchdown run by Berdin, the Colonels netted zero yards in the first two quarters. Kell improved to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in Region 7-AAAAA with the victory. The Longhorns host East Paulding next Friday. Cass (3-2, 2-1) does not play next Friday, but will travel to East Paulding October 7 for a 7:30pm kickoff.

The realignment of regions and re-classification of Georgia High School Association member schools that began with the 2016-17 school year has created a reunion of sorts for a couple of players in Friday night's Kell Longhorns at Cass High School football matchup. As is the case for many high school athletes, a pair of life-long friends will find themselves on opposite sides of the line of scrimmage tonight at Doug Cochran Stadium. Kell senior quarterback John Lampley and Cass senior defensive end Austin Mays have been friends through their church for more than fifteen years. Both starters for their respective teams attend the same Cartersville congregation at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church. Cass and Kell have actually been in the same GHSA region for the past two years, but were in opposite sub-regions of a 14-school region. As a result, the two schools have never met on the gridiron. So the two friends have not faced one another in a game. They will finally get their chance Friday night. Mays and Lampley, who have grown up playing competitive sports in separate counties (Cobb and Bartow) both serve as youth leaders in their church as the Youth Superintendent and Secretary of Sunday School. Mays has six tackles through four games for the Colonels, including three for loss. Lampley has accounted for well over 200 yards per game rushing and passing for Kell. "Their competition with one another has been limited to living rooms, back yards, and sleep overs," noted Lampley's father John. "It is cool that these guys are close friends and will finally face off during their senior year. We will be cheering for both team." Kell (3-1, 2-0 in Region 7-AAAAA and ranked No. 4 in Class AAAAA) plays at Cass (3-1, 2-0, unranked) in a showdown to remain at the top spot in the region Friday night with kickoff at 7:30pm. Kell is seeking its tenth consecutive trip to the state playoffs. Cass has not been in the state playoffs since 2006. The game will be carried live on BartowSportsZone.com in cooperation with 100.3FM / AM1450 WBHF. Use the link at the top of this page to listen to the Johnny's NY Style Pizza Game of the Week through our Meridix.com page.

The Lady Canes varsity volleyball team continued to challenge themselves with a pair of non-area matches Thursday night at Pope High School. Unfortunately, Cartersville came up on the short end of both matches in straight sets. Walker defeated the Lady Canes 25-15 and 25-20. Pope won 25-13 and 25-13. Cartersville (18-16) will compete with the other local teams Saturday at the Bartow County Championship.

Middle school cross country results from the Colonel Dash, hosted by Cass Middle School on Thursday, September 22. Girls results — http://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=80953 Boys results — http://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=80964

Scoring twice in the eighth inning, the Woodland softball team edged visting Paulding County 4-3 in come-from-behind fashion to gain an important Region 7-AAAAA victory and celebrate their Senior Night Thursday night. In extra innings, offenses place a runner at second base to begin the inning. Paulding County scored a go-ahead run in the top of the eighth on Josie Cook’s one out triple to lead 3-2. Woodland pitcher, Sarah Baynard, escaped further damage by inducing a groundout and fanning a batter to strand Cook at third base. The Lady Cats then responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning for a walk-off win. With Caroline Higdon placed at second base to start the inning, Brittney Cox tied the game with a one-out, RBI single. Following a second out, Skylar Chappell reached on an outfield error to score Cox with the game winner and a 4-3 final score. Woodland took a 2-0 lead to the top of the sixth inning with single runs in the second and fourth innings. The Lady Patriots tied the game with a two-out rally that included a walk, a hit batsman, and a two-out single by Robyn Aaron. Madgie Robinson and Bella Carnes also added hits for the Lady Cats. Baynard (4.2 IP, 2R, 1ER, 4H, 1BB, 1K) picked up the pitching win in relief of Lilly Jordan (3.1 IP, 0R, 2H, 3BB, 3K). Woodland (9-16, 5-8) travels to East Paulding next Tuesday. The Lady Cats clinch a region playoff berth with a win or a Cass loss in either of their final two games. The Lady Colonels have two region games remaining with Carrollton. CASS 10, EAST PAULDING 2 The Lady Colonels celebrated their senior night with a five-inning, Region 7-AAAAA victory over East Paulding, 10-2. The visiting Lady Raiders took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a pair of unearned runs, but Cass scored 10 unanswered runs for the mercy-rule win. Sarah Moore (5 IP, 2R, 0ER, 2H, 2BB, 4K) earned the pitching win for the Lady Colonels. Moore had two hits on offense and Sarah Fox had a hit and four RBIs to help lead the Cass attack. Arianna Mustin (triple, RBI), Sierrah Gani (double) Hope Elrod, and Brittnee Mayer (RBI) had the other Lady Colonels’ hits. Dee Garrett added one RBI. Cass (6-18, 4-8) remains alive for the final Region 7-AAAAA playoff spot with two games remaining against Carrollton. Cass will host the Lady Trojans Saturday at 12:30pm and will travel to Carrollton next Tuesday at 5:55pm.

The girls and boys cross country teams at Woodland Middle School swept the Hurricane Alley 2K host by Cartersville Tuesday at Dellinger Park. The Woodland Middle School girls placed first with 26 points, taking five of the top ten individual spots in the race. Cartersville, led by individual champion Emily Bush (13:36.47), finished second with 45 points. Dalton (90), Ashworth (146), and Adairsville (234) rounded out the top five teams. Red Bud (262), Cass (274), South Central (446), and Excel completed the field of nine teams. The Woodland MIddle School boys team placed first with 42 points, closely followed by Dalton (49) and Cartersville (50). Seven Woodland runners finished in the top fourteen. Cartersville had three individual runners in the top seven places. Ashworth (153) was the fourth place team, folowed by Adairsville (205), Red Bud (264), South Central (367), Cass (418), and Excel (536). Cartersville Middle School’s Bill Archer won the individual title with a time of 11:51.64. Girls Race Top Runners Emily Bush, Cartersville, 13:36.47 Makenzie Spinks, Woodland, 14:08.78 Erika Boatner, Woodland, 14:19.65 Cora Stepp, Ashworth, 14:25.89 Piercy Gierlak, Woodland, 14:25.89 Carlee Brock, Ashworth, 14:27.09 Avery Hill, Woodland, 14:28.46 Brianna Kim, Cartersville, 14:43.83 Morgan Tompkins, Woodland, 14:44.65 Dayliegh Dress, Red Bud, 14:45.65 Alice Terry, Cartersville, 14:46.37 Jaxiry Betancourt, Cartersville, 14:47.47 Gracie Hill, Cartersville, 14:47.85 Lexi Bubriek, Woodland, 14:53.67 Gisselle Carrasco, Woodland, 14:54.94 Boys Race Top Runners Bill Archer, Cartersville, 11:51.64 Alex Martinez, Dalton, 11:57.82 Davis Williams, Cartersville, 12:02.27 Christian Gough, Woodland, 12:06.31 Graham, Woodland, 12:08.25 Michael G., Dalton, 12:26.34 Joel Zazueta, Cartersville, 12:34.76 Alan Osono, Ashworth, 12:39.81 Victor, Dalton, 12:42.45 Thurman Tyler, Woodland 12:45.00 Knox Bryant, Woodland, 12:45.93 JT Forsyth, Woodland, 12:50.23 Ben Novo, Woodland, 12:53.35 Gabe Shepard, Woodland, 12:54.15 The girls race included 133 competitors. 176 runners competed in the boys race. The 2016 Bartow-Gordon Middle School Athletic Association cross country championship is slated for Thursday, September 29. Woodland Middle School is the host. The race will be held at Sam Smith Park.

Local games September 23, 2016 ADAIRSVILLE (1-3) at MURRAY COUNTY (3-1) Media: Live look-ins on WBHF (100.3FM / AM1450) during the Cartersville at Cedartown broadcast. Series: Adairsville leads 4-3-1. Coach Eric Bishop’s Adairsville Tigers picked up an important first victory of the 2016 season last week at home over Ringgold, 48-34. Adairsville bounced back from losses in their first three games to Ridgeland, Cass, and Model who have a combined record of 10-1. Chad Brewer, in his 4th-year at the helm at Murray County, has the Indians seeking their first winning season since 2005. They opened the year with three straight wins over Gordon Central, Southeast Whitfield, and Christian Heritage, before falling 42-14 last week at Bremen. Last week, Tigers’ quarterback Roger Redd threw three touchdown passes. Tyler Riley and Travon Branch both returned kickoffs for touchdowns, plus Branch and Christian Steele both rushed for over 100 yards each in the win over Ringgold. Redd had touchdown passes to Ethan Belcher (23 yards), Branch (31 yards), and Bryce Burgess (9 yards). Riley’s kickoff return was 84 yards to give Adairsville a 14-7 lead in the first quarter. Branch, who also had a 42-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, returned a kickoff 90 yards to open the second half and give Adairsville a 34-27 lead. Mason Boswell scored Adairsville’s final touchdown on a 3-yard run with 0:38 remaining. Murray County features a run oriented attack led by senior quarterback Dominick Genitempo (6-0, 180). He is a threat as a runner and a passer and accounted for five touchdowns in the Indians first two games. The Indians also feature junior running back Tucker Gregg (5-11, 205) and junior running back Jake Chadwick (6-0, 180). Senior tight end/wide receiver Braden Weaver (6-5, 210) has been the top target for the Indians in the early season. CARTERSVILLE (4-0) at CEDARTOWN (3-1) Media: WBHF (100.3FM / AM1450) Pregame coverage begins at 6pm. Kickoff 7:30pm. Series: Cedartown leads series 24-16-2. Cartersville has won 19 straight games following the Hurricanes’ 31-7 home win over Hapeville Charter last week. The defending Class AAAA champs have averaged over 38 points per game and also have wins over highly regarded Allatoona, Calhoun, and Westlake. Cedartown lost its opener at Piedmont (AL), 29-22 on a late touchdown, but have bounced back with three straight wins over Rockmart (35-7), Gilmer (41-14), and Pepperell (20-16). Piedmont, is the defending Class 3-A state champion in Alabama. Cedartown quarterback Trevon Wofford (6-4, 190, Jr.) leads the Bulldogs’ offense and Tony Mathis (6-0, 173, Soph.) gives coach Scott Hendrix’ squad some speed at the running back position. Cartersville’s offense is guided by five-star quarterback, Trevor Lawrence. The junior signal caller is 73-of-115 passing this season for 1131 yards and 13 touchdowns. Trey Creamer leads the Canes with 109 rushing yards on 27 attempts. Creamer has scored six touchdowns and has racked up 223 all-purpose yards. Antoine Jefferson leads Cartersville with 15 receptions for 233 yards. Avery Showell has 183 receiving yards and four touchdowns. No. 4 KELL (3-1, 2-0) at CASS (3-1, 2-0) Media: Live play-by-play at BartowSportsZone.com. Pregame coverage begins at 7pm. Series: First ever meeting The Longhorns got four touchdowns last week from Josiah Futral (RB, 6-0, 195, Jr.) and held a 28-0 lead over Paulding County before breezing to a 35-7 win. Coach Derek Cook’s 4th-ranked squad also has wins over Tucker and Rome. Their only loss was to Class 7A Lassiter. In his tenth season at Kell, Cook’s Longhorns teams have made the state playoffs every year. Senior quarterback, John Lampley has accounted for well over 200 yards per game rushing and passing for Kell. He also has running back Dre Houston (5-10, 215, Jr.) and receivers Jared Hill (6-0, 185, Sr.), Josh Blancato (5-10, 170, Sr.), and Michael Luckie (6-0, 180, Jr.) to make plays. The Longhorn’s defense has been led by outside linebacker Solon Page (6-2, 207, Sr.), Hill, who doubles as a defensive back, and linebacker Jamonte Holt (6-2, 196, Sr.). Cass junior linebacker, Tripp Breeden, has continued his strong start to the 2016 season. He leads the Colonels with 34 tackles, including nine for loss. Breeden has been credited with 1.5 sacks and has forced four fumbles, recovered two, and returned one for a touchdown. The remainder of the Colonels’ top defenders, including Ethan Mitchell (LB, 5-9, 185, So.), Chance Scrutchins (LB/DE, 5-11, 215, Sr.), Cameron Gonyea (FS, 6-2, 180, Jr.), Jaylen Callahan (SS, 5-9, 155, Sr.), Tyler Henden (DE, 6-2, 210, Sr.), and Jaylon Stubbs (NG, 6-0, 360, Sr.) will need their best defensive efforts to contain the explosive Longhorns. Derrick Maxwell (RB, 5-8, 195, Sr.) and his power running (32 carries for 159 yards and 2 TDs) helped lift the Colonels past Hiram last week 14-12, but Cass will likely need more diversity in their attack this week to defeat Kell. Cass quarterback, Brett Gaddy (6-0, 170, Sr.), will look to get the football to playmakers Laizon West (RB, 5-6, 160, Sr.), Terry Berdin (RB, 5-7, 165, Jr.), and Devin Pritchett (WR, 6-2, 155, Sr.). No. 3 CARROLLTON (3-0, 1-0) at WOODLAND (0-4, 0-2) Media: WBHF (100.3FM / AM1450) will provide live look-ins during the Cartersville-Cedartown broadcast. Series: First ever meeting Woodland had some bright spots in their offense last week at Villa Rica with the running of Ant Lester and K.J. Combs, but Villa Rica kept the visiting Wildcats off the board in a 41-0 rout. Woodland gets no reprieve. This week the Wildcats host the 3rd-ranked Carrollton Trojans. The Trojans’ offense is guided by junior quarterback Mark Wright (5-11, 185). He was 11-of-19 passing for 190 yards and three touchdowns, plus he scored on a 37-yard run in a 45-7 victory over East Paulding last week. Wright had passing touchdowns of 42, 63, and 21 yards. For the season, the Carrollton signal caller has 3 touchdown passes on 28-of-49 passing and is averaging just over 100 yards per game through the air. Senior Thomas Culwell (5-8, 140) has been Wright’s top target with 10 receptions for 108 yards and a score. Junior RB Jaylan Thomas (5-10, 175) averages 84.7 yards per game and 7.5 per carry and freshman Mecose Todd (5-11, 190) averages 42.3 yards per game and 5.5 per carry. Junior middle linebacker, Jeremiah Pierce (6-0, 205) leads the Carrollton defense with 25 tackles. Sophomore Reid Dedman (5-10, 175) follows with 21 tackles and leads the Trojans with four sacks. LOCAL REGION STANDINGS and upcoming schedules

Elite Stone Supply, in conjunction with WBHF and Bartow Sports Zone, presents the ELITE ATHLETES OF THE WEEK. Each week, all five local schools will 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 September 17, 2016: Derrick Maxwell, Cass High School Rachel Parrott, Excel Christian Academy Wesley Thacker, Adairsville High School Madilyn Tuplin, Woodland High School Merritt Vance, Cartersville High School Derrick “Hammer” Maxwell is the Cass High School Elite Athlete of the Week. ​​ Maxwell, the son of Shawana and Derrick Maxwell, is a senior running back that has been part of the Colonels’ football program for four years. Maxwell’s physical toughness and leadership by example were on display this past Friday night at Doug Cochran Stadium where he carried the ball 30 times for 168 yards and both Cass touchdowns in a hard fought 14-12 Region 7-AAAAA homecoming victory over Hiram. Rachel Parrott is the Excel Christian Academy Elite Athlete of the Week. Parrott, a junior at Excel, is the daughter of Dwayne and Louise Parrott. She has attended ECA since kindergarten. She has played softball since 3rd grade, and has a passion for the game, which shows in her daily approach to games and practices. Parrott is a three year letter winner at catcher who also plays the corner infield positions. She has been a key member of Lady Eagles’ teams that have qualified for the state playoffs each of the past two years. In the midst of an outstanding season, Parrott is one of the region and county leaders in several statistical categories. She is tied for first in the region in homeruns, second in the region in RBIs, and second in the region in fielding percentage. She currently has a .436 batting average for the season. Excel softball coach, Micahel Adcock, nominated Parrott because of her work ethic and leadership qualities. Parrott is an active member of the FCA and serves as a mentor to students in the middle school. Rachel attends The Church at Liberty Square, where she is an active participant in the children’s ministry and Vacation Bible School. She enjoys playing with her teammates, several of whom she has played with since middle school, where they won their league championship. Her future plans include attending college to play softball and she plans to major in psychology. Wesley Thacker is the Elite Athlete of the Week for Adairsville High School. Thacker is a junior linebacker for the Tigers’ football team. He is the son of Wesley and Jacki Thacker. Thacker led the Tigers’ defense in their 48-34 victory over Ringgold. He was the team’s top tackler, recording nine solo tackles, two assists, and one pass break up. Madilyn Tuplin is the Elite Athlete of the Week for Woodland High School. Tuplin is a senior middle hitter and blocker for the Lady Cats’ volleyball team. The daughter of Glen and Pamela Tuplin, Madilyn is the team captain leading her squad in four statistical categories — including kills, receiving percentage, blocks, and serve percentage. Tuplin is an honor student and is a Woodland Scholar Athlete. Cartersville High School’s Elite Athlete of the Week is Merritt Vance. Vance, a junior, is a member of the Canes’ varsity competition cheerleading squad, varsity football cheerleading squad, and varsity soccer team. Breanna Betts, Cartersville High School cheerleading coach, praised Vance’s efforts. “Merritt is an outstanding cheerleader with a sense of contagious confidence both on and off the mat,” said Betts. “Her continuous, positive attitude always spreads throughout our team.” Vance, the daughter of Kyle and Alexis Vance, carries a 3.6 grade point average. Editors Note: Photos and bios are supplied to Bartow Sports Zone and WBHF by the respective schools and their athletic departments.