The Cass girls soccer team defeated North Springs 6-0 Friday night to improve to 4-11-1 on the season and snap a five match losing skid. Sidney Vermaas scored five goals for the Lady Colonels who led 3-0 at the intermission. Vermaas had goals in the 11th, 16th, 19th, 73rd, and 78th minutes. Isela Moraga scored the other Cass goal in the game’s 65th minute. Cass closes out the 2016 campaign with one more region cross-over match. The Lady Colonels play at Kell on Tuesday at 6pm.

The Woodland boys soccer team lost 3-2 at Kell Friday night. Dylan Ortiz scored Woodland’s first goal late in the second half and Luis Pineda found the net in the game’s final minute. Kristian Fischer had a strong game in goal for the Wildcats although Kell struck for the early goals. The Longhorns (6-8-1) scored all three goals early in the first half and extended their current win streak to three. Woodland (0-14) has games remaining at Forsyth Central Monday at 7:30pm and at Coosa on Tuesday at 5:30pm.

North Hall defeated Cartersville 6-3 in a non-region matchup at Turner Field in Atlanta Friday. The Canes led 1-0 after one inning and tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Trojans scored four times in the fifth and sixth innings combined for the three-run victory. Trevor Lowe had two hits to lead the Canes’ offense. He singled in the second inning and doubled in the sixth inning. Carrington Evans (RBI), Elliott Anderson, and Mason Barnett had the other Cartersville hits. The Canes used six different pitchers. Harrison Osborn suffered the pitching loss. North Hall improved to 17-7 with the win. Cartersville (14-10) returns to region play next Tuesday when they host Heritage-Catoosa in a battle for the top spot in Region 7-AAAA. The Canes then wrap up the regular season on Thursday at Richard Bell Field in Atco against LaFayette. SEQUOYAH 7, CASS 1 Sequoyah broke open a close game in the fourth inning with four runs, then added two more in the fifth on their way to a 7-1 win at Cass Friday night. With the win, Sequoyah swept the three game series with the Colonels. Cass fell behind 1-0 in the first inning, but tied the game in the second without a hit. Jordan Reed reached on an error, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jake Collum, and scored when Nathan Smith reached on an error. Following a scoreless third inning, Randy Shelton hit a leadoff homerun in the top of the fourth. The Chiefs then added three more runs a walk, a hit batsman, and two singles. Sequoyah’s runs in the fifth inning were the result of a walk, double, sacrifice fly, and an RBI single. Chiefs’ pitchers, Patrick Conlin and Hunter Gaddis, combined to allow only one, unearned run on five hits and struck out nine. Shelton (2 RBI), Smith (RBI), and Alejandro Morales (RBI) led Sequoyah with two hits apiece. Balley Campbell and Jordan Reed had two hits for Cass. Jake Collum had the only other Colonels’ hit. Collum (4 IP, 5ER, 5H, 3BB, 1K) was the pitching starter for Cass and took the loss. Jordan Reed (2.2 IP, 2ER, 3H, 4BB, 1K) and Clay Means (0.1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 1K) Sequoyah (16-7, 14-4 in sub-region 7-AAAAA-A) finished second behind Dalton and will play a best-of-three series with Kell for one of the Region 7-AAAAA state playoff slots. Cass (5-18, 4-14) will play a region cross-over, consolation three-game series with North Atlanta next week. CHRISTIAN HERITAGE 13, EXCEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 7 Excel Christian Academy had one of its better offensive outputs of the year Friday night, but lost at Christian Heritage in Dalton, 13-7. Jordan Wilkie (RBI), Trace Still, and Levi Blackwell (RBI) had two hits each for Excel. Wyatt Karlovich, Marco Haro, and Blaine Belisario had the other hits for the Eagles. Karlovich (2 IP, 6R, 4ER, 5H, 3BB, 2K) was the game’s losing pitcher. Belisario (3 IP, 5R, 3ER, 7H, 2BB, 2K) and Haro (1 IP, 2R, 0ER, 1H, 1K) also pitched for Excel. Christian Heritage improved to 6-11 overall and 5-10 in Region 6-A. Excel Christian Academy (1-15, 0-14) plays at North Cobb Christian Saturday at 5pm and hosts Mount Paran Christian at LakePoint in Emerson Monday at 5:30pm.

The GHSA playoff brackets for the 2016 state tournament were made available Friday morning. Both Cartersville teams won Region 7-AAAA and will host opening round matches against the Grady girls and Chamblee boys of Region 6-AAAA on Tuesday. The Adairsville girls finished second in Region 6-AAA and will host third-seeded West Hall of Region 7-AAA in the first round. The Cass boys enter the state tournament as the No. 4 seed from Region 7-AAAAA. The Colonels will travel to face the Region 6-AAAAA champions, Dunwoody.

The Cartersville girls and boys tennis teams won the Region 7-AAAA championship tournament played Wednesday and Thursday. The Cartersville girls defeated Ridgeland and Northwest Whitfield by identical 5-0 scores Wednesday to reach the finals on Thursday against LaFayette. The Cartersville boys team defeated Ridgeland and Heritage on Wednesday to meet Gilmer in the region finals. The Lady Canes defeated LaFayette, 4-0, in the title match. The No. 1 doubles line did not complete their match, but all Cartersville players were unbeaten for the tournament. The Lady Canes lineup included Emma McCary at No. 1 singles, Ansley Thompson No. 2 singles, and Kenly King at No. 3 singles. The doubles teams consist of Kendyl Westmoreland and Jordan Ross at first doubles; Taylor Riddle and Kindra Woodman play No. 2 doubles. The Canes topped Gilmer in the championship match, 4-1. Matthew Slocum lost in three sets for the Canes, but Davis Edwards and Will Allen won in singles play. The doubles teams of Russell Mathison/Ross Norwood and Juan Zazueta/Ivy Nelson both won. Both Cartersville teams will begin play in the GHSA Class AAAA state tournament Tuesday at Dellinger Park at 4:30pm. The Lady Canes face Grady and the Canes will host Chamblee. Both opponents finished fourth in Region 6-AAAA.

The Adairsville boys soccer team qualified for the Region 6-AAA playoffs next week by defeating Ringgold Thursday night at home, 2-0. Joseph Pacheco and Jesus Garcia scored the two Adairsville goals. The Tigers also recognized their 2016 seniors in their final home match of the regular season. The seniors include: Jesus Garcia (captain), BJ Hardman (captain), Salvador Grimaldo Jr (captain), Gideon Perez (captain), Canon Wheeler, Cayd Martin, Jordan Harriss, Austin Barry, and Charlie Johnson. "This group of seniors have been tremendous for us this year," noted Adairsville coach Kelly Abernathy. "They are a great group of guys and leaders on the field." The Region 6-AAA playoffs will begin Monday, April 18.

Dalton broke open a tight game Thursday night with a six-run seventh inning on their way to a 12-4 win at Woodland. The win completed a three-game sweep of the Wildcats this week and kept Dalton atop the Sub-Region A standings in Region 7-AAAAA. Dalton scored four runs in the first inning and two more in the fourth to take a 6-0 lead, but the Wildcats battled back into contention with a four-run sixth. Garrett Cornett singled and Jacob Frye was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Hunter Reaid then reached on an infield error that allowed Cornett to score. Brandon Allen followed with an RBI double and Cauy Williams drove home two more with another double to make the score 6-4. In the next half inning, the Catamounts struck for three singles, two doubles, three walks, and a hit batsmen to put the game away, 12-4. J.P. Tighe and Cade Gabriel combined for seven hits and seven RBI to lead the Dalton offense. Harrison Hughes picked up the pitching victory with 5 and 1/3 innings of work. He allowed three earned runs on five hits and struck out three. Williams (4 IP, 6R, 2ER, 5H, 5BB, 6K) was saddled with the pitching loss for Woodland. Grayson Bagwell (2.2 IP, 6ER, 4H, 4BB, 4K) and Kolby Stansel (0.1 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB) also pitched for the Wildcats. Williams had two hits, including a double and two RBI. Grant Robinson, Zach Woods, Reaid (RBI), Allen (RBI), Stansel, and Cornett had the other Woodland hits. Dalton improved to 19-4 overall and 15-3 to win the sub-region. They will play a best-of-three series next week against the sub-region B winner (either Forsyth Central or Cambridge) for the Region 7-AAAAA championship. Woodland (5-18, 4-14) will play a cross-over opponent from sub-region B next week in a three-game series to conclude the season. The Wildcats could face North Springs, Riverwood, or Sprayberry pending outcomes of games on Friday.

Cartersville took an early 3-1 lead Thursday at Ridgeland before they ever got their first hit, but the Panthers scored three times in the fifth to come from behind and defeat the Purple Hurricanes, 4-3, in Rossville. Ridgeland pitcher, Jalyn Shelton walked six in his complete game victory, but limited the Canes to only one hit in the contest. Cartersville pitchers were almost as effective. Freshman starter Mason Barnett (4 IP, 1R, 0ER, 1H, 1BB, 5K), Zach Yancey (0.2 IP, 3R, 0ER, 2H, 2BB), and Spencer Dickey (1.1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB) combined to allow only three hits, four walks, and no earned runs, but on this day it was not enough. The Canes committed four errors that contributed to all of the Panthers' runs. Cartersville took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first without benefit of a hit. Carrington Evans walked and came around to score when Parker Tidwell reached on an error. Ridgeland scored a run in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of a Cartersville error, to tie the game 1-1. The Canes went up 3-1 in the top of the third. Elliott Anderson was hit by a pitch, Tidwell walked, and both baserunners scored when Yancey bunted and reached on an error by the Panthers' pitcher. Ridgeland’s three-run fifth came on a pair of singles, two errors, two walks, and a sacrifice fly. Yancey suffered the tough-luck pitching loss for the Canes despite not allowing an earned run. Tidwell had the only Cartersville hit. It was a line drive single to right field to lead off the fifth inning, but the Canes did no further damage in the frame. The Panthers improved to 13-9 overall and 6-5 in Region 7-AAAA with the victory. Cartersville (14-9, 10-2) slips a game behind Heritage-Catoosa on the loss side of the region standings. The Canes travel to Turner Field Friday for a non-region matchup with North Hall. They host their final two region games next week against Heritage-Catoosa Tuesday and LaFayette on Thursday. Both games are slated for 5:55pm starts.

The Adairsville girls tennis team won twice Wednesday to reach the championship match of the Region 6-AAA tournament Thursday, but lost to host Calhoun, 4-1. The two victories on Wednesday had already locked up a state playoff berth and a home match for the opening round of the GHSA Class AAA state tournament. The loss in the region finals means Adairsville will host the third-seed from Region 7-AAA in the first round of the state playoffs. That opponent and the date/time for the match will be determined soon, but GHSA requires completion of the first round by April 21. Kylee McCauley picked up the only Adairsville win in the title match playing at the No. 1 singles line. Her Calhoun opponent had to retire with a foot injury during the match. Abby Asbridge and Hannah Adcock played the second and third line singles matches for Adairsville. The two Lady Tigers' doubles teams both lost in tight matches. The top line doubles pair of Chloe Powell and Cali Mealer lost 7-6 in a tie breaker in the first set and 7-5 in the second set. The Adairsville No. 2 line doubles team of Molly Smith and Makenzie Davis lost in a three-set match. The Lady Tigers blanked North Murray 5-0 in Wednesday’s first round and edged Sonoraville, 3-2, in the region semifinals to reach the title match against Calhoun.

In a battle of two of the top three teams in Region 6-AAA, Ringgold topped Adairsville Wednesday night, 8-4. Adairsville fell behind 3-0 in the second inning, but scored three times in the top of the third to tie. Ringgold responded with a three run third of their own to take a lead they would not relinquish. Adairsville narrowed the margin to 6-4 in the top of the fourth, but that would be as close as they would come. Landon Howren had two hits, including a homerun with two RBI. Hayden Morrow drove in a run with two hits, and Sam Seaman doubled twice for the Tigers’ hits. Noah O’Kelley (2.2 IP, 6ER, 7H, 2BB, 2K) took the pitching loss for Adairsville. Kyler Pelfrey (2.2 IP, 2R, 0ER, 3H, 1BB, 3K) and Maddox Teems (0.2 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 1K) both pitched in relief. Cade Gilbert, Andre Tarver, and Noah Parrish had two hits each for Ringgold. Nathan Camp finished with three RBI. Ringgold’s Devin Lancaster (7 IP, 4R, 3ER, 6H, 1BB, 6K) tossed a complete game for the pitching victory. Ringgold (17-5 overall) remained unbeaten and in first place in Region 6-AAA with their 12th region win. Adairsville (12-9, 8-5 in 6-AAA) has three region games remaining next week. The Tigers host Gordon Central on Tuesday (April 19, 5:55pm), travel to Murray County on Thursday (April 21, 5:55pm), and entertain Calhoun on Friday (April 22, TBA).

The Adairsville girls tennis team won two rounds in the Region 6-AAA tennis tournament Wednesday to advance to the championship match against Calhoun Thursday at the Calhoun Tennis Center. The two victories also locked up a state playoff berth and a home match for the opening round of the GHSA Class AAA state tournament. Depending on the outcome of the championship match, Adairsville will host either the third-seed or fourth-seed from Region 7-AAA in the first round. The Lady Tigers blanked North Murray 5-0 in Wednesday’s first round and edged Sonoraville, 3-2, in the region semifinals to reach the title match. “It was a great effort by all the players today,” said Adairsville coach Brett Tolbert. Kylee McCauley, Abby Asbridge, and Hannah Adcock play the three singles lines for the Lady Tigers. The doubles teams are Chloe Powell/Cali Mealer and Molly Smith/Makenzie Davis. “This will be the first time our girls have ever hosted a state tennis playoff match,” Tolbert added. The region championship match is Thursday in Calhoun. The date and time for the opening round of the state playoffs will be determined once the competitors are set. The first round must be completed by April 21.

The Cass girls soccer team struck first at Sprayberry Wednesday evening, but the Lady Jackets responded with four, unanswered first half goals on their way to a 5-3 win over the Lady Colonels. Cass Sophomore Kyla Michienzi opened the game’s scoring in the first minute of the contest off an assist from freshman, Logan Vermaas. The two Cass second half goals were scored by senior, Sidney Vermaas. She scored on a penalty kick in the 63rd minute and hit a corner kick in the 73rd minute. Sprayberry improved to 8-7 with the win. Cass (3-11) plays at North Springs Friday and will travel to Kell on Tuesday, April 19.