Russell Henley, a co-leader after 36 holes at The Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, slipped to a three-way tie for second place heading into the tournament’s final round despite another brilliant round. Henley, one of the golf clients of Cartersville Country Club’s Scott Hamilton Golf Academy, fired a second consecutive 65 Saturday including a 30 on his final nine holes. Meanwhile, Daniel Berger fired a 62 Saturday to grab a three shot lead at 15-under par. Russell Knox shot a third round 64 and Tyrone Van Aswegen matched Henley’s 65. Those three players are 12-under par with 18 holes remaining. Aaron Baddeley, another Scott Hamilton Golf Academy player, is 5-under par heading into the final round. SHGA players Boo Weekley, Brendon Todd, and Steven Bowditch missed the cut. The final round of the tournament is Sunday at TPC River Highlands. On the PGA Champions Tour, Joe Durant -- a SHGA affiliated player -- shot 65 Saturday and is tied for sixth place moving into Sunday's final round at the 3M Championship at the TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota. Durant is 10-under par and trails leader Miguel Angel Jimenez by four shots. Durant is the No. 5 ranked player on the senior PGA Champions Tour. Mark Silvers of SHGA is also 10-under par and tied for 24th place at the WEB.com Tour's Digital Ally Open in Overland Park, Kansas. Final rounds for the 3M Championship and the Digital Ally Open are also on Sunday. _______________ Scott Hamilton, Director of Golf at CCC, works with many accomplished professional golfers on the PGA Tour, PGA Champions Tour, LPGA, and other professional golf tours.

Hannah Lee drove in three runs on a pair of hits that included a double and tossed a five inning, complete game in the pitching circle as Excel Christian Academy picked up their first win of the 2016 season 4-1 over Chattooga at the Model Invitational Saturday at Rome’s Alto Park. Excel scored single runs in the first two innings and added two more in the fourth. Chattooga’s lone run came in the bottom of the fifth. Lee surrendered only four hits in her five innings of work against the Lady Indians. The run allowed was unearned and she struck out four. The Lady Eagles committed three errors in the game. Taylor Gibson walked and Rachel Parrott singled to set up an RBI single to right field by Lee in the Lady Eagles’ first inning. In the second inning, Brighton McCollum drove in Kalli Beth Scheff to give ECA a 2-0 lead. Lee drove in Excel’s two runs in the fourth inning with a double. Gibson and Brighton McCollum reached on singles to start the inning. Parrott also walked in the frame to load the bases in front of Lee. The Lady Eagles’ second game Saturday was halted in the third inning with Excel leading Southeast Whitfield, 3-2. The rainout will be rescheduled at a later date. Excel (1-2) will host Adairsville Monday and Gordon Central Tuesday. Both games are scheduled for 4:30pm starts.

Excel Christian took a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out single to left field by Lindsey Mauldin in their season opener Friday night, but the Lady Dragons scored twice in the top of the sixth for a come-from-behind, 8-7, defeat of the Lady Eagles. The season opener was played at the Model Invitational in Rome. The Lady Eagles also dropped a 10-2 decision to Class 4A Cedartown Friday night. In the opener with Pepperell, Taylor Gibson went the distance in the pitching circle for ECA. All the runs against her were earned on 12 hits and a walk. She struck out four. Gibson also contributed at the plate with a pair of hits and one RBI. She also stole a base. Rachel Parrott hit a 2-run homerun for Excel. Brighton McCollum added a hit and one RBI with two stolen bases. Aliza Baker had an RBI double, Kalli Beth Scheff had an RBI hit, and Landry McCollum added one hit and stole a base. In Friday’s nightcap, the Lady Bulldogs jumped to a 7-0 lead through just three innings while the Lady Eagles’ defense struggled. Excel committed six errors in the game. ECA pitcher, Hannah Lee, suffered the pitching loss despite not allowing an earned run. She yielded six hits in three innings in the circle and struck out one. Whitney Harris, Brighton McCollum, Landry McCollum, and Parrott had the only ECA hits. Gibson and Brighton McCollum collected one RBI each. Excel, 0-2, is scheduled to play Chattooga and Southeast Whitfield on Saturday at the Model Tournament in Rome.

What has been the Cass-Cartersville alumni football game will now take on a new look in 2016. The game will be played Saturday, August 20 at 7:30pm at Earl Cunningham Stadium located at the old Cass campus on Grassdale Road. The new format will be a City vs. County format which makes former players at Adairsville and Woodland eligible to play for the county team. The Cass alumni team won the first two meetings with Cartersville in this event. Administrative control of the game has now transitioned from the schools, to the alumni players themselves. Proceeds from pre-sale tickets will benefit the Bartow County Parks and Recreation Department. Tickets sold on game day will go to Alumni Football USA. Advanced sale tickets are available at Champ’s Barbershop, Jefferson’s Restaurant, and Melissa and Co. Salon. Several other activities for the event are planned, including a car show, barbeque cookoff, recognition of former homecoming queens, military service recognitions, and the teams will have cheerleaders. The teams have already started practices and more information for players is available at alumnifootballusa.com. For additional information on the game, contact Alex Tucker (County) at 770-608-3211 or Adam Williams (City) at 678-986-9027. Cheerleaders may contact Melissa Porter at 770-386-2252.

Russell Henley, one of the golf clients with Cartersville Country Club’s Scott Hamilton Golf Academy, is tied for the lead through two rounds at the Travelers Championship. Henley is tied with last year’s rooke of the year, Daniel Berger, Marc Leishman, and Tyrone Van Aswegen. Seventy-three players made the 36-hole cut on Friday to play the final two rounds this weekend at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. Henley, playing in this PGA Tour event for the first time, sank a 20-foot putt on No. 9 Friday (his final hole) to join the co-leaders. Henley was the top SHGA player in the field at the PGA Championship last week at Balrusrol and shot a pair of 68s over the final 36 holes to tie for 22nd at 4-under par. Henley was born in Lexington, KY but raised in Macon, GA. The former Georgia Bulldog won the 2010 Haskins Award as the most outstanding collegiate golfer and already has multiple victories on the PGA Tour. _________________________ Scott Hamilton, Director of Golf at CCC, works with many accomplished professional golfers on the PGA Tour, PGA Champions Tour, LPGA, and other professional golf tours.

Cass High School junior placekicker, Anthony Robledo, was named to the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Pre-Season Class AAAAA All-State football team in a recent release. Robledo (5-7, 155) was a First Team All-Region 7-AAAAA-A selection in 2015 as a sophomore. He was successful on 31 of 32 PATs and made eight of nine field goal attempts with a long kick of 44 yards. “He’s an elite soccer kid,” noted Cass head coach Bobby Hughes, “so we work some of his practice schedule around his travel soccer. He has great leg strength and has improved each year.” While Robledo’s accuracy on place kicks has been obvious, it is his improved leg strength Hughes mentioned that has made him such an important commodity. “He improved so much on putting his kickoffs into the end zone last year,” added Hughes. “That’s such a valuable weapon in high school because it forces your opponent to go 80 yards with the high school touchback rule.” Robledo was joined on the pre-season all-state roster by several other Region 7-AAAAA players that the Colonels will face in 2016. Jalen Browder (WR, East Paulding); Case Cook (OL, Carrollton); Adam Anderson (DL, Rome); Jaquon Griffin (DL, Rome); Jaylen Griffin (LB, Rome); Solon Page, III (LB, Kell); and Sam Barge (P, Carrollton) all made the pre-season all-state roster. Robledo and the Colonels will scrimmage Friday, August 19 in Lindale against the Pepperell Dragons before opening their 2016 campaign at Adairsville on August 26. 2016 AJC Pre-Season All-State Team Offense QB - Bradley Hunnicutt, Jones County RB - Dameon Pierce, Bainbridge RB - Chris Rodriguez, Ola RB - Jalen Holston, Stockbridge TE - Kemari Averett, Grady WR - Nick Singleton, Jones County WR - Jalen Browder, East Paulding OL - Christian Armstrong, Warner Robins OL - Case Cook, Carrollton OL - Christian Glover, Bainbridge OL - James Ohonba, Woodland (Stockbridge) OL - Dean Powell, Buford PK - Anthony Robledo, Cass Defense DL - Adam Anderson, Rome DL - JayQuan Coles, Woodland (Stockbridge) DL - Kelton Dawson, Stockbridge DL - Jaquon Griffin, Rome LB - Jaylen Griffin, Rome LB - Solon Page III, Kell LB - T.D. Roof, Buford LB - Jake Simpson, Buford DB - Zay Brown, Clarke Central DB - Yusuf Corker, Woodland (Stockbridge) DB - Quindarious Hale, Carver (Atlanta) DB - Terrill Hall, Decatur P - Sam Barge, Carrollton

Cartersville Little League Fall baseball registration is now completely online. To register, go to the link below, click 'register here,' and set up your account. Once the account is created, your player may be registered. All registered players must go to Academy for uniform sizing on August 6th (9am-1pm), August 13th (1-4pm), or August 20th (9am-1pm). Parents and guardians may visit the Cartersville Little League website at leagues.bluesombrero.com/cartersvillell to register and pay.

Cartersville High School senior cornerback and multi-purpose offensive player, Trey Creamer, along with highly touted junior quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, were recently named to the Class AAAA Pre-Season All-State team by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Lawrence, the top rated junior quarterback in the nation, has narrowed his collegiate selections to Clemson and Georgia and has indicated this summer that he would like to have the process completed before the 2016 season begins. The Cartersville quarterback, who helped lead the Canes to the 2015 state title, has offers on the table from dozens of major programs across the nation. Lawrence (6-5, 195) has thrown for 6,697 yards and 69 touchdowns in two seasons with the Purple Hurricanes. The state records are 13,077 and 159 by Gainesville’s DeShaun Watson, who is now at Clemson. Three-star cornerback Trey Creamer (6-0, 175) also helped lead the Canes to the 2015 state title with his diverse talents. In July, Creamer began to trim his list of college choices with Wake Forest apparently among the leaders. Purdue, Georgia Southern, Tulane, West Virginia, Minnesota, Kansas State, Maryland and Colorado State have also perked his interest and he too has multiple offers. The Hurricanes' senior plans to take more visits during his final prep season. Creamer is listed as high as the No. 77-ranked cornerback in the country and the 9th-ranked cornerback in Georgia. Class AAAA Pre-Season All-State Offense QB – Trevor Lawrence, Cartersville RB – Darius Bradford, West Laurens RB – Colby Wood, Jefferson RB/ATH – Grant Holloman, St. Pius WR – Josh Johnson, Woodward Academy WR – Josh Sims, Eastside OL – Chris Andrews, Spalding OL – Caleb Chandler, Jefferson OL – Caleb Etheridge, Mary Persons OL – William Nana-Fabu, Columbus OL – Levi Seabolt, Gilmer ATH – LaPerion Perry, LaGrange PK – Nathan Robertson, Northside (Columbus) Defense DL – William Green, Westover DL – Malik Herring, Mary Persons DL – London Lewis, St. Pius DL – Dontae Wilson, Jefferson LB – J.D. Bertrand, Blessed Trinity LB – De’Morreal Burnam, Salem LB – Walter Grant, Cairo LB – K.J. Phillips, Woodward Academy DB – Trey Creamer, Cartersville DB – Markeith Montgomery, Ridgeland DB – J.R. Pace, Woodward Academy DB – Christian Tutt, Thomson P – Juwan Gibbs, Eastside

Georgia Highlands College officially welcomed Dash O’Neill as the head coach for the Charger baseball team this week. O’Neill joins GHC from Chattahoochee Valley Community College, where he helped lead the baseball program to three consecutive JUCO World Series appearances in 2014, 2015 and 2016. O’Neill has a long and well-established track record with several accolades, including three consecutive Region 22 championships, five ACCC Conference Championships, and a No. 1 ranking in the NJCAA in 2013, 2014 and 2016. He has also been honored as the Region 22 Assistant Coach of the Year for the last three consecutive years and is a five-time ACCC Divisional Assistant Coach of the Year. O’Neill has helped over 140 players advance to four-year institutions, as well as produce 16 players drafted by MLB teams. “We are thrilled to welcome Dash O’Neill to the Charger family,” GHC Athletic Director Phil Gaffney said. “Dash brings a wealth of experience coaching on the NJCAA level. He has a strong commitment to academics, and has worked with a national baseball powerhouse in Chattahoochee Valley Community College. He has been a tremendous recruiter of talent in the state of Georgia and Metro Atlanta, in particular.” O’Neill is originally from Brooklyn, New York. He holds a Master of Science in Sports Management with Athletic Administration Emphasis from Troy University. “Not only is Georgia Highlands located in one of the most talent-laden baseball regions in the entire country, but the enthusiasm and commitment to athletics I see in Phil Gaffney and the rest of his staff is incredible,” O’Neill said. “I grew up not far from here in Woodstock, so coming home to lead this program is a dream come true, and I could not be more excited about the future of Charger Baseball.” O’Neill added that he has big plans for GHC’s baseball program. “My first priority is establishing a baseball culture that the players here are excited about and can buy into,” he said. “I expect us to be very competitive, and we are going to attack our preparation with the intention of competing for a GCAA championship. I also want to make sure we take care of business in the classroom so these young men will leave Georgia Highlands with a degree and a headstart toward their future.” Former GHC Head Baseball Coach Mike Marra started the program in 2013. The Chargers made the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association playoffs each of the last two years. Marra recently left GHC to take the head coaching position for the baseball program at Hiram High School. O’Neill will assume the GHC head baseball coaching position this month. —This report was provided by Georgia Highlands.

Former Adairsville High School star, Clemson Tigers' All-American, and current Atlanta Falcons' linebacker Vic Beasley, Jr., teams up again with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to present their 2nd annual 5-on-5 basketball tournament at Adairsville High School. The tournament will take place Saturday, September 3. All participants will receive a t-shirt and all proceeds benefit the FCA at Adairsville High School and Adairsville Middle School. The entry fee is $100 per team and admission will be charged for spectators. The entry deadline is August 26. Entry forms are available online: http://www.edlinesites.net/files/_TDDc0_/1d614dafa113cb743745a49013852ec4/Vic_Beasley_Jr_and_FCA_2nd_Annual_Tournament.pdf Registration forms must be returned to AHS athletic director, Meredith Barnhill, at Adairsville High School. For more info, email: meredith.barnhill@bartow.k12.ga.us

The 2016 high school softball season gets underway this weekend and locally, the Excel Christian Academy Lady Eagles will be playing in the Model Invitational in Rome. Excel opens play in the tournament Friday against Pepperell and Cedartown at 5pm and 7pm. The Eagles are then scheduled to play Chattooga and Southeast Whitfield on Saturday at 10am and 12 noon. The Eagles will be the first of the local teams to hit the diamond in an official game, although the Adairsville Lady Tigers are scheduled for a pre-season scrimmage at Armuchee Thursday at 5:30pm. Other games early on the local schedule include Adairsville at Excel and Cass against Central-Carroll on Monday, August 8. The Cass-Central game will be played at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton. The Woodland Lady Cats will scrimmage at Kennesaw Mountain Tuesday, August 9 at 5:45pm and will open their 2016 campaign at Carrollton on Thursday, August 11. Excel also travels to Gordon Central on Tuesday, August 9. Cass plays at Kell Thursday, August 11, while Cartersville hosts Cedartown that same afternoon. The first two weeks of early season games continues on Saturday, August 13 when Cartersville hosts Adairsville in a doubleheader at 12 noon. New Excel head coach, Michael Adcock, takes his Lady Eagles into the Model Tournament with one of the school’s best ever groups of returning players. Senior pitcher/first baseman Hannah Lee, a transfer from Cass, will join junior Taylor Gibson with responsibilities in the pitching circle. Three other seniors — shortstop Brighton McCollum, outfielder Lindsay Mauldin, and second baseman Eliza Baker — will be counted on for leadership. Whitney Harris, a junior third baseman, and junior catcher Rachael Parrott are also key returnees for the Lady Eagles. The 2016 season marks the first year of a new region alignment for all schools in the Georgia High School Association. Excel will be in the 18-school Region 6-A that includes Bowdon, Christian Heritage, Darlington, Fellowship Christian, G.S.D., Gordon Lee, King’s Ridge, Morris Innovative, Mt. Paran, Mt. Pisgah, Mt. Zion-Carroll, North Cobb Christian, St. Francis, Trion, Walker, and Whitefield Academy. In Class A, a power points system is in use to determine state playoff participants for both the public and private state playoffs. In all other classifications, the top four teams from each region qualify for the state playoffs. Adairsville is assigned to the 10-member Region 6-AAA that includes Bremen, Calhoun, Coahulla Creek, Haralson County, Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe, Murray County, North Murray, Ringgold, and Sonoraville. Cartersville will play in the seven-member Region 5-AAAA with Cedartown, Central-Carroll, Chapel Hill, LaGrange, Sandy Creek, and Troup. Woodland and Cass are assigned to the nine-member Region 7-AAAAA. Other schools in that region include Carrollton, East Paulding, Hiram, Kell, Paulding County, Rome, and Villa Rica.

Samantha Mobley and Harleigh Mobley both captured one championship and one runner-up finish each to lead the Cartersville Cobias at the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association State Swim Meet July 22-23 at the Cherokee County Aquatic Center. Including preliminaries, there were 90 races over the two day state meet. Results for the Cartersville Cobias swimmers at the state meet are listed below: STATE FINALS 1st, Harleigh Mobley, Girls 11-12, 50 Yard Backstroke Finals 1st, Samantha Mobley, Girls 13-14, 100 Yard Individual Medley Finals 2nd, Samantha Mobley, Girls 13-14, 50 Yard Backstroke Finals 2nd, Harleigh Mobley, Girls 11-12, 100 Yard Individual Medley Finals 5th, Matthew Monforte, Boys 13-14, 50 Yard Backstroke Finals 6th, Mixed 14U 200 Yard Freestyle Relay (Levi McCrary, Skyler Young, Michael Hall, Samantha Mobley) 7th, Ethan Hoerl, Boys 13-14, 50 Yard Butterfly Finals 8th, Ethan Hoerl, Boys 13-14, 100 Yard Free Finals 8th, Dawson McClure, Boys 15-18, 50 Yard Breast Stroke Finals STATE MEET PRELIMINARIES 1st, Harleigh Mobley, Girls 11-12 50 Yard Backstroke Prelim 2nd, Harleigh Mobley, Girls 11-12, 100 Yard Individual Medley Prelim 3rd, Samantha Mobley, Girls 13-14, 100 Yard Individual Medley Prelim 3rd, Samantha Mobley, Girls 13-14, 50 Yard Backstroke Prelim 5th, Matthew Monforte, Boys, 13-14, 50 Yard Backstroke Prelim 7th, Dawson McClure, Boys 15-18, 50 Yard Breast Stroke Prelim 8th, Kyle Hoerl, Boys 7-8, 25 Yard Backstroke Prelim 8th, Ethan Hoerl, Boys 13-14, 100 Yard Free Prelim 8th, Ethan Hoerl, Boys 13-14, 50 Yard Butterfly Prelim 9th, Matthew Monforte, Boys 13-14, 100 Yard Individual Medley Prelim 9th, Boys 18U, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay Prelim (Bryson Rogers, Skyler Palacios, Dawson McClure, Joseph Stoelze) 11th, Joseph Stoelze, Boys 15-18, 100 Yard Free Prelim 11th, Boys 14U, 200 Yard Medley Relay Prelim (Ethan Hoerl, Matthew Monforte, Levi McCrary, Carson Teems) 11th, Boys 14U, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay Prelim (Ethan Hoerl, Matthew Monforte, Gage O’Bannon, Carson Teems) 12th, Joseph Stoelze, Boys 15-18, 50 Yard Free Prelim 12th, Gracie Siniard, Girls 13-14, 50 Yard Butterfly Prelim 12th, Mixed 18U, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay Prelim (Maggie Monforte, Jordan Baldwin, Tanner Campbell, Shelsea Palacios) 13th, Nathan King, Boys 11-12, 100 Yard Free Prelim 13th, Jordan Baldwin, Boys, 15-18, 50 Yard Backstroke 13th, Skyler Palacios, Boys 15-18, 100 Yard Individual Medley Prelim 14th, Mixed 18U, 200 Yard Medley Relay Prelim (Savana Brunet, Bryson Rogers, Shelsea Palacios, Deuce Jones) 14th, Skyler Palacios, Boys 15-18, 50 Yard Butterfly Prelim 16th, Boys 12U, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay Prelim (Andy Barnett, Joseph Hall, Carter McCamy, Nathan King) 17th, Carson Teems, Boys 13-14, 100 Yard Free Prelim 19th, Gage O’Bannon, Boys 13-14, 100 Yard Individual Medley Prelim 20th, Kyle Hoerl, Boys 7-8, 25 Yard Butterfly, Prelim 20th, Nathan King, Boys 11-12, 50 Yard Free Prelim 22nd, Cooper Huskins, Boys 7-8, 25 Yard Free Prelim 22nd, Carolina Jones, Girls 9-10, 100 Yard Individual Medley Prelim 23rd, Michael Hall, Boys 13-14, 50 Yard Breast Stroke Prelim 23rd, Lanee Haley, Girls 13-14, 50 Yard Breast Stroke Prelim 26th, Andy Barnett, Boys 11-12, 100 Yard Individual Medley Prelim