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Updates on local collegiate athletes currently participating in college football. Bartow Sports Zone does periodic updates on these athletes and those of other collegiate sports. You may check each athlete's link on our Athletes Beyond Bartow page on this site. Here are the updates on games of Saturday, November 7: TARRIS BATISTE — Georgia State University (Sr., Cass HS) … a starter at safety for the Panthers, Batiste made 9 tackles, one for a loss, and added a pass break up Saturday in a 23-21 loss to Louisiana Lafayette at the Georgia Dome. He now has 72 tackles through eight games and is second on the team in that category. He has 4.5 tackles for loss, a quarterback hit, a forced fumble, five pass break-ups, and an interception for the season. Georgia State plays at Texas State Saturday in San Marcos, TX. COLLIN BARBER — University of Georgia (Sr., Cartersville HS) … had one punt for the Bulldogs Saturday vs. Kentucky. It went for 44 yards and was a touchback. Georgia improved to 6-3 on the season and plays at Auburn Saturday. HAYES LINN — Air Force Academy (Jr. Cartersville HS) … saw action for the Falcons in their 20-3 home victory over Army. Air Force improved to 6-3 overall and became bowl eligible. Linn has 12 tackles and a pair of pass breakups on special teams and as a safety. He has played in all nine games for the Falcons and started three. Air Force will host Utah State Saturday as they return to Mountain West Conference play. AUSTIN HARRELL — The Citadel (R-Jr., Adairsville HS) … defensive lineman continued to see action Saturday for the Bulldogs as they defeated VMI 35-14. Harrell has appeared in all nine games for The Citadel and has twelve tackles. The Bulldogs (7-2, 6-0) travel to Chattanoonga Saturday and will look to remain undefeated in the Southern Conference as they challenge the Mocs. Chattanooga is 5-1 in the conference. JUSTIN FLOYD — Furman University (R-Sr., Cartersville HS) … continues to be a regular starter for the Paladins at left guard. Furman (4-5, 2-3 in Southern Conference) lost 48-10 Saturday at Western Carolina (6-3, 4-2). The Paladins host Mercer Saturday. T.L. FORD — UNC-Charlotte (Soph., Cartersville HS) … was credited with 3 rushing yards after advancing a recovered fumble and caught one pass for 7 yards in a 48-31 loss at Florida International University Saturday in Miami. The 49ers fell to 2-7 overall and 0-6 in Conference USA. Charlotte will host Texas-San Antonio this week. BROOKS BARDEN — UNC-Charlotte (R-Fr., Cartersville HS) … was 9 for 12 passing for 82 yards and a TD in the 49ers 48-31 loss at FIU (5-5, 3-3 C-USA) Saturday in Miami. His longest completion went for 16 yards and he threw one interception after entering for starter Lee McNeill in the third quarter. Barden also had a long rush of 6 yards. The 49ers (2-7, 0-6) host UTSA Saturday. NIAGEL CURTISS — Reinhardt University (Sr., Adairsville GA, Gordon Cent. HS) … rushed for 98 yards and five touchdowns on 24 attempts in a 70-56 loss at No. 17 Campbellsville (KY) (8-2, 5-0 in Mid-South Conference) Saturday. The Eagles (8-1, 3-1) entered the game ranked No. 7 nationally in NAIA. The Eagles host Bethel University Saturday in Waleska. TWAN TERRELL — Cornell University (Sr., Woodland HS) … had one tackle in last Friday night’s loss to Dartmouth. Terrell is up to a dozen stops on the year and the Big Red fell to 0-8 on the year. Cornell hosts Columbia in another Ivy League game Saturday in Ithica, NY. CHAZ ROKINS — Maryville College (Soph., Cass HS) … had only one carry Saturday in a 38-14 loss at Huntingdon (AL). Rokins has now seen action in eight of the last nine games and has a pair of rushing touchdowns. Maryville fell to 7-2 and 4-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference. The Scotts host Greensboro (NC) Saturday. DA’KELIN WELLS — Maryville College (Soph., Cass HS) … continues to be a regular starter at cornerback for the Scotts. Wells has 18 tackles on the season with a pair of pass break ups and one interception. Maryville (7-2, 4-2 USA South) plays Greensboro (NC) on Saturday in another conference matchup. QUADRE ALLEN — Tusculum College (R-Fr., Woodland HS) … saw action in the Pioneers 24-6 home loss to Catawba. He has four total tackles on the season and has appeared in all ten games. The Pioneers travel to Carson-Newman on Saturday. BRANDON THOMPSON — Tusculum College (R-Jr., Woodland HS) … saw action in a 24-6 home loss to Catawba. Thompson has two tackles on the season and has played in nine games. The Pioneers (4-6, 2-4 South Atlantic Conference) play at Carson-Newman Saturday. ISAIAH ROSS — Point University (Soph., Woodland HS) .. had four tackles in the Skyhawks 49-14 home win over Ave Maria (FL) Saturday. Point improved to 8-2 overall and 5-0 in the NAIA Sun Conference. Ross has appeared in six games this season. He has 30 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and a kickoff return of 5 yards. Point hosts Concordia College (AL) Saturday. DAKOTA HINES — Kentucky Christian University (Soph., Adairsville HS) … continues to serve as a kickoff specialist for the Knights who fell to 1-9 Saturday. KCU head coach Steve Barrows “He's a weapon for us! Great student of the game; hard worker; blessing to have in the program,” KCU head coach Steve Barrows. Kentucky Christian closes its 2015 season next Saturday at Bluefield (VA) College. If we have omitted a local athlete you think should be included, please use our Contact page or the attached form on the Athletes Beyond Bartow page to let us know.​

The Cartersville girls team placed 15th, Cartersville boys 18th, Adairsville boys 24th, and local runners Lindsay Scifers of Woodland and Bree Cole of Cartersville both had top 30 finishes Saturday at the GHSA State Cross Country Championships in Carrollton. Course conditions were not ideal in Carrollton with all the recent rain. Times were slowed by the wet and often muddy course conditions. The Lady Hurricanes, led by Cole (26th, 22:30.50) had three runners finish in the top half of the Class AAAA field. Abby Forristall (77th, 24:12.40) and Kayla Carpenter (94th, 25:06.76) were the other two leaders for Cartersville. Vanna Beach (112th, 26:10.29), Edith Milian (114th, 26:17.63), and Victoria Martino (192nd, 30:02.69) rounded out the Cartersville team. Marist won the girls Class AAAA state title with all five runners finishing in the top 12 individual spots. The Cartersville boys team finished 18th in the Class AAAA race also won by Marist. The War Eagles edged St. Pius X by seven points with both teams scoring all their runners in the top 27 spots. Robby Earick (68th, 19:25.81) and Haden Boone (69th, 19:27.43) led the Hurricanes. They were followed by teammates Patrick Gordon (85th, 19:41.63), Andy Sims (86th, 19:41.17), Will Pruitt (148th, 20:48.65), Jacob Busek (163rd, 21:15.19), and Jake Hacker (171st, 21:33.78). The Adairsville boys team finished 24th in Class AAA. Blessed Trinity took the state title placing five runners in the top 15 spots. Dylan Coker (107th, 20:54.91), Danile Sullivan (119th, 21:12.04), Spencer Rawlins (138th, 21:40.35), Grayson Dailey (196th, 23:59.24), and Arl Longmore, (198th, 24:02.25) were the Tigers’ scoring runners. Lindsay Scifers of Woodland qualified as an individual runner for the Class AAAAA State Championship race. Scifers (photo) placed 29th overall in a field of 216 runners with a time of 21:59.97. Samantha Cameron and Dunwoody teammate Kelly May Sheehan finished first and second individually to lead their team to the Class AAAAA title.

CARTERSVILLE 35, PICKENS 0 Game links: Atlanta Journal-Constitution The Daily Tribune News Next: Cartersville (10-0) hosts either Arabia Mtn. or Columbia (they play each other Saturday) in 1st Rd. of Class AAAA state playoffs. ADAIRSVILLE 63, GORDON CENTRAL 15 Game links: The Daily Tribune News NorthwestGeorgiaNews Next: Adairsville (9-1) hosts Franklin Co. in 1st Rd. of Class AAA state playoffs. FORSYTH CENTRAL 36 WOODLAND 10 Game links: The Daily Tribune News​ Woodland (1-9) season is over. CASS 43, NORTH ATLANTA 12 Game links: The Daily Tribune News Cass (6-4) season is over.

The Georgia Recreation and Parks Association (GRPA) District 5 youth football playoffs begin for the Bartow County all-star teams on Saturday, November 14. The Bartow Rec Department released all-star rosters today to Bartow Sports Zone. In the 12U age group Bartow opens pool play November 14 at 11am against Cedartown at the Cedartown Recreation Department field. Other teams in the District 5 playoffs include Calhoun, Rockmart, Gordon County, Dalton, and Murray County. In the 10U division, Bartow will host Dalton at Hamilton Crossing Park at 12 noon Saturday, Nov. 14. Other teams in the 10U division include Cartersville, Calhoun, Gordon County, Rockmart, Murray County, and Cedartown. In the 8U division, pool play also begins Saturday, Nov. 14. Bartow hosts Dalton at 10am at Hamilton Crossing Park. Other teams in the 8U division include Cedartown, Murray County, Gordon County, Rockmart, Calhoun, and Cartersville. Teams will be seeded into a championship bracket based on results from the preliminary pool play games played at various sites November 12 and 14. The GRPA District 5 single-elimination championship brackets for all three age divisions will begin Tuesday, Nov. 17 with all three championship games ultimately at Calhoun High School November 21. Starting times for 8U, 10U, and 12U will be 10am, noon, and 2pm. Rosters for the Bartow County teams are listed below. BARTOW COUNTY 8U FOOTBALL ALL-STARS Lucas Baker, Ja’kai Baldwin, Tylan Beeman, Devyn Brown, Aiden Caylor, Cameron Cochran, Casen Cochran, Xavior Darby, Reed Ezell, Anterrius Hames, Aderion Harris, Grady Higgins, Judd Hyde, Gavin Johnson, Isaiah Livsey, Kyron McClendon, Kolt McCord, Kelson Mitchell, Talan Nix, Logan Shrewsbury, Zachary Wallace, Righley Worthington, Nicolas Wright. Head Coach: Kevin Nix. Assistants: LaShon Darby, Geoff Shrewsbury, and Luke Bunce. BARTOW COUNTY 10U FOOTBALL ALL-STARS Easton Adams, Kace Adams, Sebastian Boggs, William Buttrum, Martavius Cochran, Caleb Cooley, Caden Copeland, Jake Crapps, Collin Fletcher, Adrian Harris, Truitt Hayworth, Devin Henderson, Kevin Henderson, Richard Houston, Hunter Kelly, Jamarian Pullum, Kymoni Pullum, Chris Roper, Evan Sanders, Jaylen Scott, Jaeden Smith, and Madix Young. Head Coach: Jody Fletcher. Assistants: Tarvis Scott, T.J. Pullum, and Calvin Cooley. BARTOW COUNTY 12U FOOTBALL ALL-STARS Jaiden Avalos, Zachary Bootz, Jordan Carson, James Gaines, Tommy Good, Chris Green, Emmanuel Hayes, Nicholas Johnson, Santino Jones, Elijah Knight, Thomas Knight, Isaac Linley, Ian Lowe, JaQualyn Mayhall, Keylan McCarty, Jackson Moss, Andrew Murray, Andrew Nguyen, Devin Pryer, Caleb Wise, Chandler Wise, Tifton Worthington, Toronto Wynn. Head Coach: Joel Green. Assistants: Terance Benham, Richard Murray, and Terance Echols. Youth football results and information provided by BCRD and CPRD and sponsored on Bartow Sports Zone by CiCi’s Pizza of Cartersville.

Brad Stephens brings his own Southern flavored sports perspective and humor to Bartow Sports Zone. He is a Bartow County native and has his own law office in Cartersville, but he's mostly a Georgia Bulldogs' football fan. ________________ With all of the angst currently surrounding Georgia football, it is a hard task to find any silver lining. Our best player is gone. Our offensive play-calling is as dry and empty as the Gobi Desert, maybe because the quarterback position is in its worst state since 2009. We have lost to three big rivals and we still have two more to go. There are rumors of coordinators leaving, starters being demoted and the recruiting class all but prepared to unravel before our very eyes. Of course, there is Mark Richt’s future. It is as tenuous as a Miami Marlins roster. The old saying goes, “if there is smoke, there is fire.” Well, ladies and gentlemen, it is billowing from every corner of the state right now. From the big money donors in the skybox to the casual fans on the couch – nobody is happy. If this was a movie scene, it would be “300” when the sun-blocking Persian arrows are careening toward Leonidas and the handful of Spartans still alive writhing on the sand. In times like this, I am compelled to remember the good times. For one, I do enjoy Georgia football and I love Coach Richt. Secondly, and more importantly, it keeps me from bashing my skull into a cinder block wall. Last week against Florida was just too much to bear, I could not shake off the negativity. Whatever may happen, my love for my school and this team will never die out. For the sake of my head, old Larry Munson highlights and Youtube clips of the days of yore will be gracing my computer screen. The best time for me was 2002. It was my junior year at UGA and I was living at 595 Waddell Street with three of my fraternity brothers. Our apartment was the most disgustingly awesome $273 a month I ever spent. It was one of three units in an old house that needed more remodeling than Meg Ryan’s face. It had no driveway, just a dusty gravel parking lot that all tenants shared. We also shared three outdoor trash cans, which was about seven less than were needed. You could see the wharf rats digging in the trash bags on the ground after midnight. One would walk in our door and think “are homeless people squatting here?” The carpet was a concoction of brown discoloration – a canvas for artwork made of pizza grease, spilled beverages of all types, tracked-in mud and late night vomit. The hardwood floors were last cleaned in 1974. Our bathrooms were petri dishes of bacteria that scientists probably still have not discovered. The sink perpetually overflowed with dishes, the futons in the living room were bent from shenanigans of years past and the walls were covered with road signs, band posters and stains from a variety of unknown (and known) sources. We did everything we could to keep the management company from inspecting. If anything needed repairs, we would fix it on our own dime. I’m sure they knew it was a zoo, but we paid our rent faithfully so they never complained. Our friends loved the place because our door was always open. We could fill that parking lot with people on a random Tuesday night by simply dropping my tailgate, sitting down and cranking a burned CD complete with The Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker Band and Led Zeppelin. I wore out my camping chair, my speakers and my truck bed liner. Those are the days I will never forget. That was also Georgia’s best football season since 1980. As luck would have it, a group of us decided before the season started that we would attend every game, home or away. When we kicked off against Clemson on August 31, nobody had the foggiest notion this team would be so good. It was a hard-fought 31-28 victory and Musa Smith sealed it with a late first down dive at midfield. Jon Stinchcomb looked to the stands and pumped his fist, maybe he was thinking what I was – “we used to lose games like this.” The South Carolina game will always be memorable. We drove out of Athens to Columbia that Friday, six of us piled into a room at a Days Inn in a seedy part of town. Saying “seedy part of town” is a compliment actually. Columbia has no college atmosphere – it is like Atlanta, except about half the size, full of concrete and about 176% humidity. The Friday night happenings in Columbia are nothing to write home about. We went to the main drag with our Dawg gear on, got a few “you suck!” epithets thrown our way and called it an early night. I had to save my cash for a ticket and a poncho because rain was forecast for most of Saturday. The weatherman was not kidding. After finding a cheap ticket and tailgating for a couple of hours, I entered Williams-Brice Stadium with a scowl. South Carolina fans are among the rowdiest and we would have to conjure all our strength to outdo them. I saw the tunnel to my section and I climbed the stairs. Then I climbed some more….and more. I was so high up that God actually tapped my shoulder and asked me to scoot over when we kicked off. Well played, Carolina. As the two offenses stagnated, the ominous cumulonimbus clouds approached on the horizon. Neither team could move the ball, the South Carolina PA guy had to invent reasons to cue the “rooster crow” just to let people know he was still there. The first half was a quagmire of dropped passes, fumbles and missed opportunities. An older Dawg fan, presumably from south Georgia, turned to me at one point and with a “Gone with the Wind” drawl said “Boy, it’s gonna be one of THEM days.” The rumbling in the distance grew louder, Tropical Storm Hanna was about to make her presence known. Lightning flashed across the sky and right under my nose. God once again tapped my shoulder and said “hey man, y’all might want to head out.” The skies opened and nobody in our section was ready. We herded out of the bleachers, but not before we were all soaked from head to toe. For 52 minutes, we huddled in the tunnel – Georgians and South Carolinians united in dampness and discontent. The rain fell in buckets with the score 3-0, courtesy of Billy Bennett’s reliable foot. When the rain subsided, we returned to the waterlogged seats and the two teams slipped and slid all over the field. 14 penalties, 13 punts and seven fumbles sounds like a terrible afternoon for everyone. However, this game was not really known for its sloppiness. The fourth quarter became one of those moments etched in Dawg lore forever. The Dawgs pinned Carolina on the goal line courtesy of a masterful Jonathan Kilgo punt. The running game had been dismal for most of the day. The Gamecocks’ quarterback, Corey Jenkins, backed up to pass out of his own end zone. David Pollack, being blocked by a tackle and a running back, bulled his way to Jenkins and reached for the ball. Jenkins followed through with his throwing motion but the ball was gone, safely in the arms of the Georgia’s most talented defensive lineman. I did not see the play. Once again, up on my perch at Heaven’s Gate, I was unable to see the end zone below us. The Georgia faithful on the other side went haywire and our section lifted our arms in unison as if to ask “what happened?!?” The scoreboard read 9-0 and the Jumbotron showed the play in slow motion, as if it wanted to stick the knife in the Carolina people and turn it. Once we saw the play unfold, we joined our comrades across the way in celebration. The game still had 14 minutes to go and Carolina threatened to take the game away at the end. After a long Carolina drive for a touchdown and another Georgia field goal, the Dawgs held on to a 13-7 lead. Carolina drove down to the Georgia 2 yard line with seconds remaining. On a fourth down play, Jenkins tried to pitch to Andrew Pinnock, their large tailback who would likely score to tie the game at 13, with an extra point to win it. As the pitch neared his hands, Pinnock looked up to see Boss Bailey bearing down on him. The ball hit his chest and fell to the ground on the 2, where an unheralded safety from Shellman, Georgia named Thomas Davis fell on top of it. Our side erupted. Hugs and high fives were exchanged. The old south Georgian proclaimed, “Lawd, this bunch is gonna be the death of me!” Carolina people streamed out of Williams-Brice, defeated but defiant. “Y’all got lucky!” “Wait ‘til next year!” “We gonna win the SEC this year!” (still waiting….) I smiled. This was a special season already. Then God tapped me and said “Go Dawgs!” ______________________ What do you think? Post your comments on the Bartow Sports Zone Facebook page or on Twitter @bartowsportszon Use #bradstephens

The Georgia Recreation and Parks Association (GRPA) District 5 youth football playoffs begin play Thursday (Nov. 12) with a single 12U game, but most of the teams will open recreation all-star play Saturday, November 14. In the 12U division, opening round pool play will begin Thursday, Nov. 12 with Calhoun facing Murray County at North Murray High School at 7pm. The other pool games in the 12U age group will be played Saturday, Nov. 14. Bartow plays Cedartown at 11am at the Cedartown Recreation Department field. Calhoun meets Rockmart at the Old Rockmart High School field at noon, and Gordon County hosts Dalton at the Red Bud Middle School field at 2pm. In the 10U division, pool play opens Saturday, Nov. 14 at four sites. Cartersville hosts Calhoun at Dellinger Park at 12noon. Bartow hosts Dalton at Hamilton Crossing Park at 12noon. Gordon County hosts Rockmart at Red Bud Middle School at 12:30pm, and Murray County hosts Cedartown at Murray County High School at 1pm. In the 8U division, pool play begins Saturday, Nov. 14 with four games. Calhoun travels to Dellinger Park to face Cartersville at 10am. Dalton plays Bartow at 10am at Hamilton Crossing Park. Cedartown plays Murray County at Murray County High School at 11am, and Gordon County hosts Rockmart at 11am at Red Bud Middle School. Teams will be seeded into a championship bracket based on results from the preliminary pool play games. The GRPA District 5 single-elimination championship brackets for all three age divisions will begin Tuesday, Nov. 17 with all three championship games ultimately at Calhoun High School November 21. Starting times for 8U, 10U, and 12U will be 10am, noon, and 2pm. The Cartersville Recreation Department 8U all-stars include: Jachai Delgado, Malik Evans, Maddox Frazier, Brodie Harr, Landen Heath, Ja’Caiden Leonard, Baylon Long, Maverick Madonna, Brodie McWhorter, Bear McWhorter, Myles Mitchell, Xavier Parker, Luke Parker, Thomas Peters, JaKeveon Porter, Auntonio Quarles, Adam Reed, Preston Sorrells, Ricky Taylor, and Jordyn Woods. Josh McWhorter is the head coach. Jacob McWhorter, Chad Parker, and Cameron Thomas will serve as assistant coaches for the 8U Purple Hurricanes. The 10U Cartersville Recreation Department all-stars include: Turner Abernathy, Jayden Akins, Rowan Billings, Isaac Cunningham, Jayden Curtis, Myles Forristal, Paul Gamble, Trevor Harris, Christian Harrison, Avery Higgins, Braylon Inman, Malachi Jeffries, Pearse Mullinax, Eaiden Neal, McKaiden Reece, Nate Rosser, Bryan Sanchez, Luke Surrett, Davis Wilkey, and Christian Wood. The head coach is Blake Wilkey. Assistants include Carl Abernathy, James Gordy, Jason Billings, and Adam Williams. The Bartow County Recreation Department all-star rosters and the CRPD cheerleader rosters will be released soon. Youth football results and information provided by BCRD and CPRD and sponsored on Bartow Sports Zone by CiCi’s Pizza of Cartersville.

As we head into the final regular season Friday night of the 2015 high school football season, the Adairsville Tigers and the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes have locked up state playoff spots. Some mystery remains, however, in seeding positions and their opening round opponents. Results this week will decide the first round opponents as the state playoffs begin next Friday, Nov. 13. Adairsville (8-1 overall, 6-1 in 6AAA) hosts Gordon Central (1-8, 1-6) this week as the ninth-ranked Tigers celebrate and recognize senior night. The Tigers will be the number two seed from Region 6AAA behind top-ranked Calhoun. Adairsville will be paired with the number three team from Region 7AAA in the first round and that opponent is most likely Franklin County. The Lions (5-4), however, must win at Fannin County Friday night to lock up that third seed. A Franklin County loss and a Banks County win over East Hall, would cause a four-way tie for the final two state playoff spots in 7AAA and could cause an interesting event to determine Adairsville's first round opponent. The scenario would lead to a pair of GHSA formatted mini-games involving those four tied teams at a neutral site on Monday. The two mini-game winners would advance to the state playoffs with their regular season head-to-head result determining the final seeding. Cartersville (9-0, 6-0 in 7AAAA) travels to Pickens (8-1, 5-1) Friday night in a winner-take-all game for the Region 7AAAA title. A Cartersville loss and they will be a number two seed in the state playoffs. If Cartersville wins, Pickens falls to a No. 3 seed and Northwest will be the No. 2 seed due to their head-to-head victory over the Dragons. The winner will host the number four seed from Region 6AAAA. Cartersville, with a loss would still host the number three seed. Pickens must play an opening round road game if they lose to Cartersville. Grady can lock up the number three seed from 6AAAA with a Thursday night victory over winless Stone Mountain. Abrabia Mountain and Columbia play for the number four seed Saturday night at Godfrey Stadium. Region 7AAAAA will determine its playoff seeding Friday night with a round of sub-region crossover games. The two sub-region winners — Dalton and Kell — face off in Dalton to decide the region championship. The winner will be a number one seed in the state playoffs and the loser will be a number two seed. Meanwhile, the second and third place teams from each sub-region also play to decide the final two state playoff slots. Rome, who eliminated Cass from playoff contention last week, hosts Riverwood at Barron Stadium for one of those spots. Creekview hosts Cambridge in the other game with state playoffs implications. Either their head-to-head regular season result or a pre-determined GHSA tie-breaker will decide which of those two winners receives the number three seed. Woodland and Cass will also celebrate and honor their senior players this week. Both are hosting consolation crossover opponents to conclude their 2015 campaigns. Woodland (1-8, 1-5 in 7AAAAA-A) will host Forsyth Central (3-6, 1-5 in 7AAAAA-B). The two teams faced off September 4 with the Bulldogs taking a 39-7 victory. Cass (5-4, 3-3 in 7AAAAA-A) hosts North Atlanta (4-5, 2-4 in 7AAAAA-B) for the first time ever.

GHSA STATE CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS Saturday, Nov. 7 All GHSA classifications at Carrollton High School — Carrollton, GA — Class AAAAA girls, includes Woodland’s Lindsay Scifers, 9:50am — Class AAA boys, includes Adairsville, 10:35am — Class AAAA boys, includes Cartersville, 12 noon — Class AAAA girls, includes Cartersville, 12:40pm REGION COMPETITION CHEERLEADING SITES Saturday, Nov. 7 — 7-AAAAA includes Cass at Kennesaw Mountain. — 7-AAAA includes Cartersville at Dawson County. — 6-AAA includes Adairsville at Dawson County. — Woodland is a co-ed squad competing against approximately 35 other co-ed squads for a top-16 spot for the state tournament at Columbus State University. — Class A Private, which includes Excel Christian Academy is at CSU.

Updates on local collegiate athletes in fall tennis, swimming, and wrestling making their impact in their respective programs. Keep up with all the local college and professional athletes through Bartow Sports Zone at the 'Athletes Beyond Bartow' page. TENNIS PEYTON GOLLHOFER — Ball State University (Fr., Cartersville, GA, Laurel Springs Academy) … the true freshman had only one loss September 27 at the Wildcat Invite hosted by Northwestern University. Gollhofer wrapped up that event with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Drake University’s Mela Jaglarz. Gollhofer collected a pair of doubles wins at the University of Cincinnati Invitational Oct. 11. She combined with teammate Audrey Berger for a 6-4 win vs. Xavier and teammed with Carmen Bianco for a 7-6 (8-6) win over Cincinnati. The Lady Cardinals travel to Chapel Hill Saturday, Nov. 6 to compete in the Kitty Harrison Invitational hosted by the University of North Carolina. SWIMMING ELISE HART — Air Force Academy (Soph., Sprint-Free/Fly/Back, Cartersville HS) … has competed in multiple events for the Falcons. Hart was second in the 100 backstroke and the 100 butterfly vs. New Mexico. She was also a member of the fourth place 400 free relay team and the fourth place 200 medley relay team vs. the Lobos. At the UWF Invite in Pensacola, Hart competed with a team that took third in the 400 medley relay. She was also a member of the sixth place 200 medley relay team and took 12th in the 100 backstroke. The womens swim team at Air Force has wins this season over University of West Florida, Arkansas-Little Rock, North Dakota, Colorado Mines, Colorado Mesa, and Colorado State-Pueblo with losses to New Mexico, Hawaii, and Tulane. Their next meet is Saturday at University of Denver. MATTHEW SINIARD — Berry College (Sr., Freestyle/Butterfly sprints, Cartersville HS) … was a member of the first place 200 freestyle relay team as the Vikings defeated Point University October 17. He also was third in the 100 butterfly and fourth in the 50 freestyle. October 24 at Centre College in Danville, KY, Siniard was a member of the second place 400 freestyle relay, fourth place 400 medley relay, and added a 200 freestyle fourth place finish with a 100 freestyle fifth place result. Berry defeated Centre College 162-120. The Vikings host Emmanuel College Saturday Nov. 6. ROBYN ELLENBURG — Berry College (Jr., Freestyle/Backstroke sprints, mids, Cass HS) … was a member of the first place 200 freestyle relay team Oct. 17 as Berry defeated Point University. Individually, Ellenburg was fifth in the 100 freestyle and sixth in the 50 freestyle. In a loss Oct. 24 at Centre College in Danville, KY, she was a member of the fourth place 400 freestyle relay team and collected eighth place individual finishes in both the 50 and 100 freestyles. The Lady Vikings host Emmanuel College Saturday, Nov. 7 LEVI McKINLEY — Emmanuel College (Fr., Cass HS) … the Lions have early season dual meet wins over Point University and Bethel University. They finished behind King University and Life University October 24 in a home meet. McKinley is a member of the men’s team, but has no individual results posted at this point. WRESTLING EVAN COLE — Cumberland University (Soph., 149 Wt. Class, Cartersville HS) … went 2-2 in Cumberland’s first event of the year Oct. 31 at University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, KY. The Patriot Open event hosted a high-caliber NAIA East Region field. Next for Cumberland is the Hokie Open at Virginia Tech Sunday Nov. 8 and the Chattanooga Duals Saturday, Nov. 14. MONTAVIOUS TURNER — Life University (Fr., 157 Wt. Class, Cass HS) … competed in his first-ever collegiate event Oct. 31 at the Patriot Open in Williamsburg, KY. Turner went 0-2 in the event hosted by University of the Cumberlands. The Patriot Open included some of the top NAIA teams in the East Region. The Eagles compete Saturday, Nov. 7 in Franklin Springs, GA at the Georgia Intercollegiate Tournament and will travel to the Campbellsville Duals in Kentucky Nov. 14. ​​ Has Athletes Beyond Bartow missed a local collegiate athlete? Please let us know via our Contact page or use the link located on the Athletes Beyond Bartow page of this site.

The football teams at Cass and Woodland will wrap up their 2015 campaigns Friday night (Nov. 6) with home games against opponents from sub-region B of Region 7-AAAAA, while both the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes and Adairsville Tigers tune up for the state playoffs. Cass and Woodland are both members of sub-region A in Region 7-AAAAA. Since Region 7-AAAAA has 14 schools, the region is sub-divided for football and uses the tenth game of the schedule during Week 11 (Nov. 6) as a region playoff week. The top three teams in each sub-region qualify for region playoff games. The remainder of the teams play a crossover opponent in a season ending consolation game. With the Wildcats and Colonels both missing the region playoffs, they will each host a sub-region B opponent Friday night. Last year, all the playoff and consolation games were hosted by sub-region B. This year, sub-region A hosts all the games. Woodland finished sixth in sub-region A and will host the sixth place team from sub-region B, Forsyth Central, in one of the consolation games. Cass lost to Rome 42-0 last week in a game that determined the third place region playoff spot from sub-division A. As a result, Rome will host Riverwood Friday night with the winner advancing to the Class AAAAA state playoffs as either a 3-seed or 4-seed. The loss relegates Cass to hosting a consolation game against North Atlanta. The other state play-in game will be hosted by Creekview who finished second in sub-region A. The Grizzlies will host the Cambridge Bears with the winner earning either a 3-seed or 4-seed in the Class AAAAA state playoffs Nov. 13. Dalton -- winner of sub-region A -- will host the Region 7-AAAAA championship game Friday night against sub-region B winner, Kell. Both will advance to the state playoffs the following week (Nov. 13) and will play at home in the opening round. In other local high school football action this week, Cartersville travels to Jasper to play Pickens for the Region 7-AAAA championship. The top-ranked Hurricanes seek an undefeated regular season. The loser will be the region's No. 2 seed in the state playoffs. Adairsville, who will host a state playoff game Nov. 13 as a No. 2 seed from Region 6-AAA, hosts Gordon Central this week.

Brad Stephens brings his own Southern flavored sports perspective and humor to Bartow Sports Zone. He is a Bartow County native and has his own law office in Cartersville, but he's mostly a Georgia Bulldogs' football fan. ________________ I have a female friend from London, England who once coined the term, “horrible weekend of sport.” She is a lifelong Tottenham Hotspur fan, a Premier League soccer team known lately for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. According to her, it is a punishing lifestyle that yields much sorrow and more focus on which pub will be the venue to watch the failure take place. The crowd gathers with the knowledge that eventually, the glad tidings will be erased in a hail of goals by the other team. I guess if you are going to lose, you need to make sure the fish ‘n chips are palatable. There is no clear definition of this term other than a period of time, encompassing Friday evening to Sunday evening, where your favorite team(s) sucks the life out of you in humiliating losses. We have all had horrible weekends of sport, but this weekend was especially horrible for yours truly. A wasteland of fandom, a landfill of sadness and despair that has left me wondering: “would Taco Mac be a suitable place to watch games from now on?” You see, I am starting to focus more on who has the best chicken wings and the most televisions. Which place is closer to the house. The most convenient spot to pick up and leave to find other forms of entertainment as quickly as possible. Saturdays have become a day of dread, followed by Sundays of woe. What a sad existence. It all started on Friday at 12:17 p.m. I decided that I would make the drive to Rome, Georgia later on that evening to see Cass finally make the playoffs after a nine-year drought. Settling into my seat at Barron Stadium, I thought maybe I would witness a breakthrough. I did see a breakthrough; that much is certain. All I saw was Rome – breaking through the offense, defense and special teams with a vengeance. The Wolves invented new ways to score touchdowns and my poor alma mater could do nothing to stop them. It did not help that during the game, one of my esteemed friends of the Cane persuasion kept texting me the Cartersville-Lafayette score. “7-0, 14-0, 21-0, Lafayette might as well go home at halftime.” That game went exactly the opposite of what I saw in Rome that night. I am no fair-weathered bum, but when the scoreboard reads “28-0” and the fans are talking amongst themselves about hair appointments, getting overtime at the Shaw plant and the differences in gas prices in Cartersville and Blue Ridge – it is time to go. An inauspicious beginning that was the starting gun of a horrible weekend of sport. I had no crazy hopes that the Dawgs would be victorious on Saturday. Somebody sent me a hype video for the game, complete with Larry Munson calls, and I had zero reaction. When Larry’s voice does not stoke the fires in my soul and make me want to run through a cinder block wall, there is something wrong. I watched Lindsay Scott dash down the sideline, Dooley following him and the fans mob him as he pulled up and raised his fists in the end zone…..and nothing happened. That is a first for me, even during the Ray Goff days. The game was a horrid three-hour movie that Siskel &Ebert would give two thumbs down. It was like “Gigli” mixed with “Waterworld” and “Battlefield Earth.” There were big names, big budgets and big paying crowds there to see what was in store. All the emotion, all the high stakes and pressure were in place. Yet, an egg the size of Sri Lanka was laid and the Georgia faithful headed back to the Peach State in droves prior to the final horn. Who could blame them? Personally, I witnessed about ten minutes of the game, mostly by accident. Being unable to accept this unhappy fate, I watched anything and everything else to ignore what I had already played in my mind. The Gator Bowl (I will never call this place Everbank Field, it’s sacrilege) covered in Orange and Blue, the Chomp and “Go Gators!” every twelve seconds along with dejected Georgia people sitting next to them, staring into space and trying to envision the quickest way out of Jacksonville. The final score notwithstanding, this game was over before it started. Tickets were being sold at face value in the Atlanta area, nobody really wanted to go. We started a third-string quarterback that was beaten out by two players who have been slightly north of abysmal this season. ESPN mentioned the game a few times, but mostly referencing the famous tailgating that occurs and Will Grier’s “drug problem.” The country could not care less about the Georgia-Florida game of 2015. So, here we are. This “long, strange trip” has taken a turn for the surreal. We have not scored a touchdown since October 10th and the Kentucky game is now in question. The saddest part? I have come to expect it and have accepted our apparent complacency to finish second or third in the SEC East. How much longer can Georgia fans accept Liberty Bowl bids and egg-layings like those against Alabama and Florida? I have been a Richt apologist for years, but he is becoming a common denominator. Changes have been made across the board and the program continues on the same path from 2009 – the one to mediocrity and irrelevance. I would rather watch a car rust on Cassville Road than continue to have my hopes dashed like this. The 2015 season could go down as one that initiated a change, maybe one that can eliminate such horrible weekends of sport like the one I just witnessed. ______________________ What do you think? Post your comments on the Bartow Sports Zone Facebook page or on Twitter @bartowsportszon Use #bradstephens

The Adairsville Middle School academic team made it a clean sweep Saturday at Calhoun when they won the 2015 Bartow-Gordon Middle School Athletic Association academic team championship. Adairsville Middle was the BGMSAA regular season champion and followed that up with the tournament title. Adairsville had tournament victories over Calhoun Middle and Woodland Middle School to reach the finals where they defeated Cartersville Middle School. Cartersville, who was seeded sixth of eight teams following the regular season schedule, made the championship round with tournament victories Saturday over Red Bud Middle School and South Central Middle School. The championship Adairsville team was comprised as follows: Coach: Christina Lipham Captain: Brandon Lawhorn Co-Captain: Gabby Fritz Abbigail Brownlee Gabby Woodside Caelan Britt Lex Jackson Brendan Luginbuhl Landon Luginbuhl Eden Lipham