The Cass softball team was out hit by East Paulding Tuesday night, but the Lady Colonels took greater advantage of their scoring opportunities in a 5-3 Region 7-AAAAA road victory. Cass pitcher, Sarah Moore, picked up the win in the circle. She scattered seven hits and six walks, allowing only three runs. The Lady Colonels defense was perfect behind her, commiting no errors on the night. Moore recorded one strikeout. Brittnee Mayer had two of the Lady Colonels six hits, but the Cass offense also took advantage of five walks. Sierrah Gani reached base three times with a double, two walks, and one RBI. She also stole three bases. Sarah Fox had a triple and scored a run. Alexia Najarro drove in a pair of runs with one hit and a sacrifice and Hope Elrod had one hit and scored a run. Elrod, Najarro, and Taylor Queen each stole a base. Mae Mae McIntyre added one RBI with a sacrifice. Cass (4-9, 2-4 in region play) is scheduled to host Carrollton in another Region 7-AAAAA game Thursday at 5:30pm. Gordon Lee downs Excel in five innings Gordon Lee scored two runs or more in all five innings Tuesday night and limited Excel Christian Academy to only a pair of hits in a 14-1 region victory at ECA. Excel contributed to the one-sided outcome by committing eight errors. Janie Durham gave up a homerun to Excel’s Rachel Parrott in the bottom of the fifth inning, but otherwise kept the Eagles offense shut down. The Gordon Lee pitcher allowed only one other hit to Lindsey Mauldin and struck out six. Hannah Lee (2.2 IP, 8R, 2ER, 8H, 3BB) and Taylor Gibson (2.1 IP, 6R, 1ER, 5H, 0BB, 2K) split the pitching duties for the Lady Eagles. Gracey Kruse had two hits and four RBI for the visiting Lady Trojans. Paxton Grimes had three hits and K.G. McElhaney finished with two hits and a pair of RBIs. Gordon Lee had 13 total hits. The Lady Trojans improved to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in Region 6-A. Excel (6-6, 1-2) entertains Christian Heritage Thursday at 4:30pm. The Lady Eagles will then participate in the Brunswick Softball in the Sand Tournament Friday and Saturday.

Many of the fall collegiate athletes with ties to Cartersville and Bartow County will not get their 2016 seasons underway until later this week, but a handful of locals are on teams that have already started their regular seasons. Bartow Sports Zone, through our 'Athletes Beyond Bartow' page, periodically updates the season for local, current athletes at the collegiate and professional levels. College football, cross country, soccer, volleyball, and fall tennis will be in full swing in the coming week or two. Here are the updates for the week ending August 28. FOOTBALL ISAIAH ROSS — Point University (Jr., Woodland HS ) . . . 13 total tackles, 11 of them solo tackles Saturday, August 27 in a 55-2 season opening loss at 11th-ranked Reinhardt University. He also forced a fumble. The NAIA Skyhawks travel to NCAA D-II Gulf South Conference member Mississippi College Saturday, September 3. VOLLEYBALL KATIE O’CONNOR — Western Carolina University (Jr., Cartersville HS) . . . 11 kills, one dig, one block, and six block assists as the Lady Catamounts defeated Alabama-Birmingham in a grueling five set match August 26. She had six kills, one dig, and four block assists in another five set win over Charleston Southern August 27. She totaled eight kills and one dig during a four set loss to Tennessee Tech, also on August 27. WCU (2-1) travels to Tampa, FL for the University of South Florida Classic September 2 and 3. The Catamounts will play the hosts, Georgetown, Florida Atlantic, and New Mexico before returning home for a match with Appalachian State September 6. SOCCER EMILY MOORE — Charleston Southern (Sr., Woodland HS) . . . started at defender August 19 in a 2-0 loss at Elon. Came off the bench August 21 and took two shots, one on goal in a 2-0 home victory over Jacksonville University, and saw action as a reserve in a 3-0 win for the Lady Buccaneers over the University of North Florida August 28. CSU (2-1) plays at College of Charleston Wednesday, August 31 before hosting Long Island University and Eastern Kentucky Friday and Sunday as part of the Nike Challenge 1. HALEY PITTMAN — Life University (Fr., Adairsville HS) . . . started at forward for the Running Eagles in a 2-0 home loss to University of South Carolina-Beaufort on August 20, a 7-0 road loss at Georgia Gwinnett College August 24, and a 2-0 loss at Faulkner (AL) University August 28. Life (0-3) plays at Bryan (TN) College Wednesday, August 31 and hosts LaGrange College on Saturday, September 3. CODY WEST — Duquesne University (RS Jr., Cass HS) . . . started at forward for the Dukes and took two shots on goal in a 2-1 season opening victory over Saint Francis University August 26. Duquesne plays at the University of Kentucky August 30 and at Wright State University September 5.

As we approach the final days of August, we also reach the final days of the Minor League Baseball regular season schedules. MiLB regular seasons usually end prior to the September 1 call-up date for the Major League parent clubs. The MiLB playoffs are usually completed within the first few days of September for those clubs playing for league titles. While two MiLB players with local connections are shut down for the season, Grant DeBruin, Sam Howard, and Connor Justus continue chasing the dream in the “dog days” of August. DeBruin's Hagerstown Suns have clinched a post-season berth due to their performance in the South Atlantic League's first half. Howard's Hartford Yard Goats and Justus' Burlington Bees, however, appear to be just outside the playoffs this year. Dalton Geekie, who pitched at Georgia Highlands College and now toils for the Rome Braves, suffered a season ending injury, had Tommy John surgery and is in the midst of his rehab. Donavan Tate, a Cartersville High standout and former first round pick of the San Diego Padres, only appeared in a handful of games for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the Advanced Class A California League. They are an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Below, we have updates on the players with local ties. Grant DeBruin — Hagerstown Suns — Class A, South Atlantic League — MLB Parent Club, Washington Nationals -- (Adairsville HS) The former Adairsville High School and University of Alabama-Huntsville standout has continued a consistent late summer stretch at the plate for Hagerstown playing as a DH and at first base, while batting in the middle of the Suns’ order. In his two most recent games, DeBruin was 3-for-8 with one RBI in the final two games of a home series against the Greensboro Grasshoppers. Through 70 games this season, DeBruin is now hitting .266 with five home runs and 31 RBIs playing at Potomac and Hagerstown. DeBruin, 26, spent the first part of the year in extended spring training and was briefly at the Advanced Class A level with the Potomac Nationals. Hagerstown is 36-27 in the SAL second half, currently three games behind the Lakewood BlueClaws (Phillies affiliate). Hagerstown already clinched a post-season spot, however, by winning the division’s first half. Dalton Geekie — Rome Braves — Class A, South Atlantic League — MLB Parent Club, Atlanta Braves -- (Georgia Highlands College) Geekie is on the disabled list for the remainder of the season by the Braves and was forced to have Tommy John surgery after developing an issue in his elbow August 1. Geekie finished his first pro season with a 2-4 record and had a 5.16 ERA in 31 appearances in 2016. He had one save in his only save opportunity and worked 45 and 1/3 innings. Opponents had a .247 batting average against him. Rome is currently 38-25 in the South Atlantic League’s second half standings, leading the division by one-half games over the Augusta GreenJackets (SF Giants affiliate). Sam Howard — Hartford Yard Goats — Double-A, Eastern League — MLB Parent Club, Colorado Rockies -- (Cartersville HS) Howard worked seven solid innings August 25 in his most recent start, but received no decision as Hartford lost 6-4 on two runs in the tenth inning. Harrisburg scored four runs off Howard in the top of the third, but he otherwise tossed six shutout innings. Howard yielded six hits and a walk. He struck out five. Howard has now won five of his last eight starts for the Yard Goats with victories July 16, July 27, August 3, and August 14 and Saturday. He had a no-decision performance July 22 and suffered a loss August 9 during that span. The 23-year-old former Cartersville High and Georgia Southern University pitcher is currently 9-9 on year after starting the season 4-3 with the Advanced Class A, Modesto Nuts of the California League. He has a 3.55 ERA in 25 starts and 142 innings. He has 129 strikeouts. Opponents have a .255 batting average against him. The Yard Goats are 72-61 on the year and in third place in the Eastern League’s Eastern Division. They trail the Reading (PA) Fightin’ Phils by 12.5 games and have been eliminated from playoff contention. Connor Justus — Burlington Bees — Class A, Midwest League — MLB Parent Club, Los Angeles Angels -- (Cartersville HS) Justus had a strong series August 26-29 as the Bees traveled to Peoria. The former Georgia Tech shortstop was 5-for-15 with a double in the final three games of the series against the Chiefs. After a fast start with the Rookie level Orem Owlz, Justus was promoted to the Class A (full season) Burlington Bees of the Midwest League. Justus had a rough stretch at the plate in early August, but has consistently been in the lineup for the Bees since his arrival, typically hitting in the six hole in the order. Justus was selected in the fifth round of this year’s June MLB draft by the Los Angeles Angels. A fifth round pick by the Los Angeles Angels in this summer’s MLB draft, Justus’ batting average remains .274 through his 62 games as a professional combining his Orem and Burlington numbers. He has 13 extra base hits, including a pair of home runs and 30 RBIs. Defensively, Justus has a .952 fielding percentage in 271 total chances. He has been part of 34 double plays in 526 innings. The Burlington Bees are 33-31 in the second half standings of the Midwest League’s Western Division and are 65-69 overall in 2016. The Bees are currently 10 games back of division-leading Clinton LumberKings (Seattle affiliate) and have been eliminated from playoff contention. Donavan Tate — Rancho Cucamonga Quakes — Advanced Class A — California League — MLB Parent Club, Los Angeles Dodgers (Cartersville HS) Tate played in ten games after coming off the disable list to start the season. He has a .143 batting average in 35 at bats with a home run and four RBIs. He has played defensively at both corner outfield positions and has been utilized as a designated hitter, but has not seen action since July 6. The Quakes are 35-28 in the second half standings of the California League’s South Division. They are currently 2 games behind the Lancaster JetHawks (Houston Astros affiliate). To check on these local players any time, use the 'Athletes Beyond Bartow' page of this web site to locate active links to each players statistics, schedules, results, and other team information.

Excel Christian Academy’s softball team won a back-and-forth region game Monday night at Mt. Zion-Carroll, 15-11. Excel led 4-1 in the middle of the third inning, only to trail 5-4 after three innings. Excel then posted five runs in the top of the fourth to take the lead for good, but Mt. Zion continued to threaten with two runs in the fourth, sixth, and seventh innings. ECA expanded their lead with a six-run seventh. Taylor Gibson (4 IP, 7R, 4ER, 8H, 1BB, 3K) and Hannah Lee (3 IP, 4R, 2ER, 1H, 3BB) split the pitching duties for Excel with Gibson picking up the win. Only six of the 11 Mt. Zion runs were earned. The two teams committed 12 total errors in the game — six each. ECA doubled Mt. Zion in hits with 18 total. Rachel Parrott (3 RBI), Landry McCollum (RBI), and Aliza Baker had three hits each for Excel. Two of Parrott’s hits were doubles. Brighton McCollum (2 RBI, double) and Whitney Harris had two hits apiece. Kami Cooper, Lindsey Mauldin (RBI, double), Taylor Gibson, and Kalli Beth Scheff (double) had hits. Hannah Lee blasted a two-run homer in the seventh inning. For Mt. Zion, Jacey Akin had three hits including a double and four RBIs. Jordan Ackles had two hits including a double and one RBI and Taylor Knight hit a three-run home run to tie the game 4-4 in the third inning. With the loss, Mt. Zion-Carroll is 2-6 and winless in Region 6-A. Excel (6-5, 1-1) entertains Gordon Lee Tuesday at 4:30pm and Christian Heritage Thursday at 4:30pm. The Lady Eagles then travel to Brunswick for the Softball in the Sand Tournament Friday and Saturday.

“All for One! One for All! Colonels!” That was the chant echoing from the north Bartow hills after the Cass Colonels traveled the fourteen mile journey to Adairsville to tame the Tigers, 34-0. In a game marked by emotion over the recent deaths of two Cass students, including football player Christian Scrutchins, the Colonels had no shortage of motivation at Tiger Stadium. A “Do It for 84” (Scrutchins’ jersey number) wreath sat on the track behind the bench as a reminder of their fallen teammate. Coaches and players alike had a somber, yet intense gaze in their eyes. That intensity revealed itself rather quickly on the Colonels’ first offensive series. The chain crew was still finishing their pregame hot dog when quarterback Brett Gaddy connected with Cass’ “Mr. Everything” Laizon West on a 45 yard touchdown by virtue of a screen pass that saw West weave through Tiger defenders and outrun everyone to the goal line. Gaddy did very well in his first start with limited mistakes and a good command of the Wing-T attack. West, while not large in stature, is one of those players that must be accounted for on every play. He zigs and zags, bobs and weaves and then he is gone. He lines up in at least three different offensive positions for the Colonels – whether he is receiving pitches, passes, handoffs or lining up to run the “Wild Colonel,” West’s palpable quickness is something that head coach Bobby Hughes and offensive coordinator Shane McPherson recognize and utilize as much as possible. The first half was marked by sustained drives by the Colonels and Adairsville threatening to take control, but finding ways to shoot themselves in the foot. After pinning the Colonels deep in their own territory with 3:47 left in the first quarter, the Tigers looked to take over the chess match with their hard-hitting defense, led by linebacker Dakota Hughes. A punt from the end zone or a turnover would be just what the Tigers needed to tie the score and wake up the crowd. What transpired was a six-minute drive that resulted in a 41-yard field goal by Anthony Robledo and a gassed defense that could not seem to get the stop desperately needed to shift the momentum. Derrick Maxwell, the Colonel running back that many called “Hammer,” pounded away at the line of scrimmage for six and seven yards at a time. It was nothing fancy, Maxwell was playing smashmouth football and the Cass offensive line obliged him with big holes to run through. Still, 10-0 was not cause for relaxation. Adairsville’s quarterback, Roger Redd, has an accurate arm and fast legs. Coach Eric Bishop knows this and Redd is often called to roll out and throw across his body to streaking receivers or lingering running backs. On this night, he needed those legs, as the Tigers could not establish the run game for which they are so famous. Redd did all he could to keep plays alive, but the receivers were blanketed most of the night and there were many passes thrown simply to avoid sacks. The Tigers are a young team that lost a tremendous amount of experience from last year’s playoff run. Just when it seemed the Tigers were marching down the field, a costly penalty or tackle for loss would stall the drive. A long completion to Chad Lowery, a long kickoff return and a tipped Cass punt resulted in no points and a lot of head-shaking on the sideline. Many of these young men are seeing the varsity field for the first time. The potential is there, it is just a matter of continuity, which the Tigers can find before the region schedule begins. That is not to say that Cass defense had no hand in the shutout. The defensive line was able to penetrate and force the issue, which was often cleaned up by Tripp Breeden. The Cass linebacker was on the attack all night, making plays and basically being a disruptive force from hash mark to hash mark. While Redd completed a few passes, the Colonel secondary never allowed Adairsville’s receivers to get behind them in coverage. It was a stingy night for the boys in blue and it is certain that their mommas were okay with their lack of sharing. After another touchdown pass from Gaddy to West, the Colonels walked into the locker room with a 17-0 lead and the southwestern sky illuminated with lightning. While the weather held off, the Colonels did not. After an uneventful third quarter of bleeding clock and trading punts, Gaddy found receiver Devin Pritchett on a slant route that went 29 yards for a score to extend the lead to 24-0. The Adairsville faithful went silent in the bleachers, as the realization of 0-2 began to hit. There was no quit in the Tigers on the field and the green-clad warriors of north Bartow fought to the whistle on every play. There are many “teaching moments” on Friday night and the Adairsville coaching staff spent time patting helmets and encouraging the team that they will live to fight another day. A bobbled kickoff, a delay of game and a fumble recovered deep in Adairsville territory by Breeden all but sealed the game. Robledo was able to kick another long field goal and Demarco Moore added a 15 yard scamper for a touchdown to end the contest. Hughes and the rest of the Colonel staff breathed a sigh of relief as the first game ended with a resounding win and no serious injuries. County rival games are always memorable and the takeaway from Friday is simple: Cass took their game plan up to Tiger Stadium and imposed their will. Adairsville, while young and inexperienced, showed flashes of good things to come. Cass now leads the series 20-30-1 with a five-game win streak dating back to 2006. There is a kindred spirit between folks from Cass and Adairsville, where most of the players and the staff know one another and get along. It is refreshing to see people do battle, then shake hands afterwards as friends. That is what makes Georgia high school football great. Plus, the Adairsville announcer’s running joke of the scores from the Pleasant Valley vs. Kingston and Pine Log vs. Rydal games made everyone crack a smile. Hopefully, both teams will be staring at a playoff berth come November.

EXCEL 8, SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 5 SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 8, EXCEL 2 Excel Christian Academy softball split a doubleheader with Southeast Whitfield Saturday. The Lady Eagles won one game 8-5, but lost the other, 8-2. In the loss, Aliza Baker had two hts. Brighton McCollum, Lindsey Mauldin, Taylor Gibson, and Kalli Beth Scheff had one hit each. Gibson was tagged with the pitching loss although she only yielded three earned runs in seven innings in the circle. Lindsey Shelton homered, finished with four hits, two RBI, and scored twice to lead the Lady Raiders. Rylee Murray was the winning pitcher for Southeast with a complete-game effort. In the Excel victory, the Lady Eagles scored all eight runs in the third and fourth innings combined. Hannah Lee (7 IP, 5R, 4ER, 10H, 1BB, 3K) pitched all seven innings for Excel to earn the win. Aliza Baker and Whitney Harris had three hits apiece for the Lady Eagles. Rachel Parrott and Lee, who homered, combined for five RBIs. Kami Cooper added a hit and scored twice. ECA (5-5) plays at Mt. Zion-Carroll, Monday at 4pm and will host Gordon Lee Tuesday. The Lady Eagles also have a home game Thursday with Christian Heritage before traveling to the Brunswick Softball in the Sand Tournament on Friday and Saturday. WOODLAND 9, DARLINGTON 9 WOODLAND 5, SOUTH PALLING 3 NORTHWEST WHITFIELD 13, WOODLAND 1 Woodland softball won two of three games Saturday. The Lady Cats defeated Darlington and South Paulding, but fell to Northwest Whitfield. Sarah Baynard tossed a two-hit, shutout to blank Darlington, 9-0. Baynard struck out four in seven innings of work and did not walk a batter. Caroline Higdon (RBI, double), Jordan Duck, and Baynard (3 RBI) had two hits each for the Lady Cats against Darlington. Madgie Robinson, Skylar Chappell, Brittney Cox (2 RBI), and Audrey Morris (RBI) added hits. In a 5-3 win over South Paulding, Woodland came from behind scoring four runs in the fifth and sixth frames. They had trailed 2-1 after four innings. Chappell had a two hit game for Woodland and drove in a run. Robinson (2 RBI), Bella Carnes, and Duck had base hits. Baynard (7 IP, 3R, 2ER, 6H, 1BB, 2K) was the winning pitcher again for Woodland. Northwest Whitfield took a 5-1 lead over Woodland after only one inning and later added a seven-run fourth to defeat the Lady Cats 13-1 in four innings. Robinson had a two hit game for Woodland. Duck, Cox, and Morris had the only other Woodland hits. Carolina Higdon had the Lady Cats’ RBI. Woodland (6-6) travels to Paulding County for a Region 7-AAAAA game Tuesday at 6:30pm and will host East Paulding in another region game Thursday at 5:55pm. CARTERSVILLE 8, COLUMBUS 3 ALLATOONA 11, CARTERSVILLE 0 The Cartersville Lady Canes’ softball team split a pair of games Saturday, defeating Columbus 8-3 and falling to host Allatoona 11-0. Cartersville broke open a tight game with Columbus with a five-run top of the fourth to take a 6-0 lead. Columbus would narrow the margin to 6-3 in the fifth inning, but the Lady Canes scored two more in the top of the sixth to put Columbus away. Colbi Ballard scattered two hits and two walks and did not allow an earned run in picking up the pitching win for Cartersville. She struck out two in six innings of work. Lauren McElhaney had two hits and one RBI for the Canes. Molly Wilson, Paris Poston (RBI), Tara Mathis, Madison McKinney, Presley Edwards, and Macee Cole (RBI) all had hits for Cartersville. Hope Short contributed one RBI. Short recorded the only Cartersville base hit in the Lady Canes’ loss to Allatoona. The Lady Bucs pounded out a dozen hits in the game and posted eight runs in the opening inning to take control. HILLGROVE 10, CASS 0 RIDGELAND 4, CASS 3 Cass softball lost twice on Saturday, falling to Hillgrove and Ridgeland. Brittnee Mayer picked up the only Cass hit in a 10-0 loss to Hillgrove. Adara Dale had five RBIs for the Lady Hawks. In a 4-3 loss to Ridgeland, Arianna Mustin of Cass pitched well but suffered the loss. She allowed only three earned runs on six hits and no walks, but the Lady Colonels offense could not overcome a 4-1 deficit after four innings. Sierrah Gani (RBI), Sarah Fox, Mustin, Mae Mae McIntyre, and Brittnee Mayer had the Lady Colonels’ hits. Cass (3-9) travels to East Paulding Tuesday at 5:55pm and hosts Carrollton Thursday at 5:55pm.

Cartersville High School’s volleyball team swept three straight sets to defeat Marietta and won a tight, four-set match with Cherokee High School Saturday. The Lady Canes defeated Marietta, 25-21, 25-12, and 25-19. Leaders for Cartersville in the win over Marietta: Lauren Wenzell with ten kills and three digs; Catie Heilman with eight kills and two aces; Anna Mathis with five digs and 13 service receptions; and Kameron Hendrix with 27 assists. Cartersville edged Cherokee 25-22, 20-25, 26-24, 25-20. In the four sets with Cherokee, Rebekah Stevens had 13 kills and three digs; Catie Heilman finished with13 kills, six digs, and two assists; Grace Hunter had seven kills, two blocks, and four aces; Lauren Wenzell contributed six kills, two blocks, four digs, and nine aces; Nedu Evans added five kills and three blocks; Anna Mathis had four assists and 19 digs; and Kameron Hendrix finished with one kill, two blocks, eight digs, and 40 assists. The Lady Canes host Rome and Sonoraville Thursday starting at 5pm.

The Woodland varsity girls cross country team dominated the Ridge Ferry Invitational in Rome Saturday. The Lady Cats took five of the top seven places and defeated second place Heritage-Catoosa by 76 points. Woodland freshman Carli Clymer won the girls’ race in 19:38.15. She edged Bremen’s Grace Clements by just under five seconds. Bremen girls finished third, followed by Rome and River Ridge. Cartersville placed 13th in the girls race and Cass did not receive team points. The Lady Colonels fielded only two runners. Eighteen schools fielded full teams to earn points. There were 134 runners in the girls’ race. Local runners by team: (time, position) Carli Clymer, Woodland, 19:38.15 — 1st Angela Cochran, Woodland, 19:53.90 — 3rd Lidsay Scifers, Woodland, 20:01.55 — 4th Cheyenne Spinks, Woodland, 20:13.42 — 5th Makenna Trapheagen, Woodland, 20:47.37 — 7th Casey Bolan, Woodland, 22:01.04 — 15th Grace Webb, Woodland, 23:51.16 Kayla Carpenter, Cartersville, 22:48.82 — 30th Vanna Beach, Cartersville, 23:42.72 — 43rd Caroline Fahey, Cartersville, 25:04.72 — 70th Krystinn Dabbs, Cartersville, 26:21.32 — 83rd Victoria Marino, Cartersville, 27:49.67 — 106th Katie Tolbert, Cartersville, 28:18.51 — 106th Julianne Choate, Cartersville, 28:55.61 — 114th Kaylee Cornelius, Cartersville, 29:16.41 Maddie Baggett, Cartersville, 29:45.04 Jayla Cornelius , Cartersville, 29:50.97 Karsen Henry, Cass, 27:02.64 Alex Stodghill, Cass, 32:00.07 __________ In the Ridge Ferry Invitational boys’ race, Pickens took the championship with 78 points. Calhoun was second with 122 points, followed by Rome, Adairsville, and Cartersville to round out the top five teams. Woodland finished 7th in the 22-team race. Cass had only four runners and did not post a team score. There were 173 runners in the competition. Jason Blankenship of Cedartown, a junior, won the 2016 Ridge Ferry Invitational in 17:14.97. Local runners by team: (time, position) Bird Leker, Adairsville, 18:43.23 — 22nd Angel Burda, Adairsville, 18:43.85 — 23rd Tim Bosdell, Adairsville, 18:54.25 — 28th Jason Burdette, Adairsville, 18:54.27 — 29th Daniel Sullivan, Adairsville, 19:14.22 — 39th Jared Tatum, Adairsville, 19:20.91 — 45th Spencer Rawlins, Adairsville, 20:28.28 — 99th Jonathan Holloway, Woodland, 18:01.95 — 6th Jacob Giltz, Woodland, 18:10.19 — 10th Dylan Stermer, Woodland, 18:35.94 — 20th Noah Warren, Woodland, 19:40.80 — 56th Stanton Bedwell, Woodland, 20:10.93 — 87th Reece Mitchell, Woodland, 20:12.54 — 88th Nick Warren, Woodland, 20:14.81 Robby Earick, Cartersville, 18:10.83 — 11th Andy Sims, Cartersville, 18:22.65 — 16th Jacob Busek, Cartersville, 19:11.29 — 34th William Matherne, Cartersville, 19:15.25 — 40th Will Pruitt, Cartersville, 19:20.51 — 44th David Mejia, Cartersville, 19:49.51 — 62nd Jake Hacker, Cartersville, 20:00.21 — 76th Clay Ross, Cartersville, 20:01.86 Parker Breedlove, Cartersville, 20:13.94 Derick Smith, Cass, 19:14.22 — 38th Jacob Shaver, Cass, 20:08.67 — 86th Nick Poteat, Cass, 20:34.69 — 104th Michael Shaver, Cass, 21:47.63 — 135th Woodland hosts the Run at the Rock, Saturday, September 3 at 8:30am. Cass will participate in the event. Adairsville will participate in the Clara Bowl at Berry College on September 3 at 9am.

It was the only “game in town” and the Cass Colonels made the best of that extra attention in a 34-0 victory over the Adairsville Tigers Friday night at Tiger Stadium in Adairsville. Adairsville and Cass were the only two local teams playing this week. Cartersville and Woodland were idle. Cass took only three plays to open the scoring and pushed their lead to 17-0 by the intermission. Colonels’ quarterback, Brett Gaddy (photo #12 right), connected with Laizon West on a short pass that the speedy wide out turned into a 55-yard touchdown. It was the first of three touchdown passes Gaddy threw in the game. The Colonels’ first half also included a 16-play drive that ended with a 41-yard field goal by pre-season all-state place kicker, Anthony Robledo. Cass running backs Derrick Maxwell (photo left, #7 jersey) and Terry Berdin added multiple runs on that drive and their next scoring drive. The third scoring drive of the half included a 30-yard pass to Devin Pritchett before Gaddy found West again on a tunnel screen from 9 yards out and a 17-0 lead. In the second half, Pritchett caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Gaddy that gave the Colonels a 24-0 lead. Robledo connected on a 43-yard field goal to make it 27-0, and DeMarco Moore scored scored on a 15-yard run for the 34-0 final. Gaddy was 8-of-11 passing for 140 yards and three touchdowns. He added 19 yards rushing. West and Pritchett combined for 123 yards and three scores on four catches. Adairsville (0-2) plays at Model next Friday. Cass (1-0) will host Sonoraville.

Friday night results for Woodland and Cartersville softball teams participating in the Allatoona Buccaneer Bash. Woodland 6, Roswell 3 The Lady Cats took a 4-0 lead after one inning only to have the Lady Hornets narrow the lead to 4-3 in the top of the fifth. Woodland answered with a two-run fifth of their own and held on for the three-run win. Brittney Cox had three hits for Woodland and scored twice. Skylar Chappell had two hits that included a triple and two RBI. Morgan Baily drove in two runs with a hit. Audrey Morris, Caroline Higdon, and Bella Carnes added base hits. Jamison Kilgo had one RBI. Jordan Duck (7 IP, 3R, 0ER, 2H, 2BB, 1K) picked up the pitching win over Roswell. Woodland 3, Armuchee 2 The Lady Cats slipped behind 2-0 in the top of the fourth, but scored three times in their next two frames for an eventual 3-2 win over the visiting Lady Indians. Skylar Chappell homered and Sarah Baynard racked up seven strikeouts on the rubber in the Lady Cats win. Woodland out hit Armuchee ten to five. Caroline Higdon finished with three hits and drove in a run. Bella Carnes had two hits. Madgie Robinson (RBI), Jordan Duck, Jamison Kilgo, and Audrey Morris had the other Woodland hits. Morris also stole a base. Baynard tossed a complete game in picking up the win. She scattered five hits and two walks. Only one of the two runs were earned. The Lady Cats (4-5) continue play in the Allatoona Tournament Saturday at home against Darlington (8:30am), Northwest Whitfield (10:30am), and South Paulding (6:30pm). North Paulding 3, Cartersville 2 Cartersville held an early lead, but the Wolfpack used a three-run bottom of the third to make the difference in a 3-2 decision Friday. Hannah Todd (6 IP, 3R, 2ER, 4H, 2BB, 7K) took the tough-luck pitching loss for the Lady Canes. Todd, a Univeristy of North Carolina commit, had two hits that included a double and one RBI. Lauren McElhaney (RBI) and Colbi Ballard had the only other Cartersville hits. Cartersville 5, Sequoyah 4 The Lady Canes and Sequoyah exchanged the lead five times Friday night, but it was Cartersville who took advantage of a late wild pitch and a three-run fifth inning to defeat the Lady Chiefs, 5-4. Trailing 4-2 going to the bottom of the fifth, Cartersville used a walk to Hope Short, a single by Paris Poston, a sacrifice bunt by Lauren McElhaney that included a two-run Sequoyah error, and then a wild pitch to score their three runs. Tara Mathis, who earned the complete game pitching win for the Lady Canes, then worked through one Cartersville error in the top of the sixth to close out the 5-4 win. Mathis scattered three hits and three walks over her six innings of work, yielding only three earned runs. She struck out two. Hannah Todd had the game’s only extra base hit. It was a double. Molly Wilson stole a base. Cartersville improved to 4-6 with the win. The Lady Canes continue play in the Allatoona Tournament Saturday against the host Lady Bucs at 3pm and Columbus at 5pm.

Cass volleyball lost a non-region match Thursday evening at Fannin County, 25-19, 25-10. Cass (4-5) plays in the Coosa Tournament Saturday beginning at 10am. Woodland lost a pair of matches at Sonoraville Thursday, falling to Allatoona 25-9 and 25-9. The Lady Cats also lost to the host Phoenix, 25-12 and 25-19. Woodland (9-9) has a home match Tuesday with Marietta and East Paulding. First serve is set for 5pm. Adairsville volleyball lost a three-set match with Pickens County Thursday. The Lady Tigers won the middle set, 25-15. Pickens won the opening set 26-24 and the third set, 25-21. (AHS 7-5) Adairsville (7-5) is slated to play in the Rally at the Ridge Tournament hosted by Fannin County Saturday beginning at 10am.

Woodland softball rallied for six runs over the final two innings Thursday night to take a 6-5 Region 7-AAAAA win at Hiram. The Hornets took a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning and the score remained that way until the Lady Cats struck for five runs to tie the game in the top of the sixth. Jordan Duck reached on an infield error and advanced to third to start the Woodland rally. Brittney Cox followed with an RBI single and later stole third. Skylar Chappell drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Audrey Morris was hit by a pitch. Jamison Kilgo doubled in a run to narrow the Hiram lead to two runs, then Madgie Robinson singled to make the score 5-4. Bella Carnes then tied the score with an RBI groundout. Sarah Baynard (7 IP, 5R, 0ER, 7H, 1BB, 8K) picked up the pitching victory for the Lady Cats. Kilgo had two hits including a double and one RBI. Robinson and Cox had the only other Woodland hits. Woodland (2-5, 2-3 in region play) will host five games Friday and Saturday as part of the Allatoona Buccanneer Bash. The Lady Cats play Armuchee and Roswell Friday night starting at 5pm. They play Darlngton, Northwest Whitfield, and South Paulding on Saturday at 8:30am, 10:30am, and 6:30pm. CHAPEL HILL 6, CARTERSVILLE 2 The Cartersville softball team went to extra innings Thursday night with region foe, Chapel Hill, but lost in the eighth inning, 6-2. Kira Morgan was the winning pitcher for the Panthers. . . . Hannah Todd (8 IP, 5R, 4ER, 3H, 5BB, 9K) was solid in the pitching circle for Cartersville, but suffered the complete game loss. The Lady Canes took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Molly Wilson, Cio Seigler, and Paris Poston singled to load the bases for Cartersville, before Todd forced in the run with a groundout RBI. Chapel Hill tied the game 1-1 in the next inning on a pair of walks and an infield error. From there, both pitchers kept the opposing offenses at bay until Chapel Hill scored five times in the top of the eighth. With a runner placed at second base for the extra innings tie-breaker, Chapel Hill took a 2-1 lead on an RBI single that followed a hit batsman and a bunt single. With the bases still loaded, Paige Vincent hit a grand slam for a 6-1 lead. Seigler hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eight for a 6-2 final score. Wilson and Poston finished with two hits each. Seigler, Lauren McElhaney, and Tara Mathis had the other Lady Canes’ hits. Cartersville (3-5, 1-2 in region play) participates in the Allatoona Buccanneers Bash Friday night and Saturday where they will face North Paulding, Sequoyah, Allatoona, and Columbus. TRION 7, EXCEL 2 Excel Christian Academy lost its region softball opener Thursday at home to visiting Trion, 7-2, in nine innings. The Lady Eagles scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to tie the score 2-2 and send the game to extra innings, but the visiting Lady Bulldogs posted five runs in the top of the ninth to secure the win. ECA starting pitcher, Hannah Lee (8.1 IP, 6ER, 12H, 5BB, 1K), was tagged with the pitching loss despite her extended outing. Taylor Gibson (0.2 IP, 1R, 0ER, 2H, 0BB, 1K) closed out the top of the ninth inning in the circle. Whitney Harris had two hits for Excel. Brighton McCollum hit a solo homerun and walked twice. Aliza Baker and Rachel Parrott had the other Lady Eagles’ hits. Trion remained undefeated with the victory. The Lady Bulldogs are now 5-0 overall and 2-0 in region play. Excel (4-4, 0-1) will host Southeast Whitfield Saturday at 10am. VILLA RICA 10, CASS 0 Visiting Villa Rica scored six runs in the top of the first inning and the Cass softball team never recovered in a 10-0, five-inning Region 7-AAAAA loss at the Lady Colonels’ softball complex Thursday night. Sarah Fox was 2-for-3 at the plate to lead the Cass offense, but they were unable to muster a run. Villa Rica (7-1, 4-1) took the lead in the opening frame on three walks, a hit batsman, two errors and a two-run single. The Lady Wildcats added their other runs in the top of the fifth. Sarah Moore (0.2 IP, 6R, 0ER, 1H, 5BB) suffered the pitching loss. Arianna Mustin (4.1 IP, 4ER, 6H, 1BB, 1K) pitched in relief for the Lady Colonels. Alexia Najarro and Sierrah Gani had the only other Cass hits. Cass (3-6, 1-4 in region play) will host Darlington Friday at 5pm. The Lady Colonels play Hillgrove and Ridgeland Saturday at Hillgrove High School. The game with the host Hawks is at 9am. The matchup with Ridgeland is scheduled for 1pm.