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October 26, 2024 The Adairsville Tigers took a step closer to the 2024 Class 3A state playoffs Friday night with a 28-0 home win over the Gilmer Bobcats. In the first season of the GHSA Post-Season Rankings for Class 3A, Gilmer entered Friday’s game as the No. 25 team in the classification. Adairsville started the night just outside the Top 32 teams at No. 33. Following the Tigers’ win, Adairsville moved to No. 25, with Gilmer falling to No. 31. Each of the eight region champions is guaranteed a spot in the 32-team state bracket, with the remaining slots filled by the highest-ranked teams.  Adairsville opened the scoring with an 80-yard drive in the latter half of the first quarter. The Tigers took seven plays in their march and scored on a 59-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Long to Xavious Nalls. Cooper Souders added the first of his four PAT kicks to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 4:07 remaining in the quarter. After trading possessions with the Bobcats, Adairsville added to their lead before the half with another lengthy drive. This time, the Tigers covered 83 yards in 18 plays. Long tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Barrett Fuller with 2.2 seconds left in the half to put Adairsville up 14-0 at halftime. The Tigers took advantage of outstanding field position in the latter stages of the third quarter to add to their lead. Starting at the Gilmer 48-yard line, Adairsville took nine plays to build a three-score lead. Long connected with Tre Winters on a 27-yard scoring strike with 2:32 left in the third quarter and a 21-0 lead. Adairsville sealed the win late in the fourth quarter on a pick-six by Winters. The interception of a pass by A.J. Callihan was returned 22 yards for a touchdown and a commanding 28-0 lead with 1:28 left in the game. The loss dropped Gilmer to 4-5 overall and 2-3 in Region 7-AAA. The Bobcats host Ridgeland next Friday, Nov. 1. Adairsville (6-3, 3-2) heads to Ringgold on Friday, Nov. 1, to take on the Heritage-Catoosa Generals (5-4, 3-2). Heritage lost 38-0 at Calhoun Friday night and is No. 26 in the GHSA Post-Season Rankings. NOTE:  Larry Gardner contributed to this report.

October 28, 2024 Former Cartersville High running back Quante Jennings of Presbyterian College and defensive back Evan Slocum of Wake Forest University established career highs in their games to highlight this week’s update. Local golfers Christian Surcey and Buck Brumlow also played productively for their teams at Florida State University and the University of Georgia. Clockwise starting top left: Quante Jennings, Evan Slocum, Christian Surcey, and Buck Brumlow. NFL TREVOR LAWRENCE — Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL, 4th-yr. pro; Clemson; Cartersville HS) …completed 21-of-32 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns Sunday in the Jaguars’ 30-27 home loss to the Green Bay Packers. He also rushed four times for ten yards, including a six-yard keeper for a touchdown in the second quarter. His TD passes went to Brian Thomas, Jr. from 14 yards in the third period and 14 yards to Evan Engram in the fourth. Jacksonville (2-6) plays at the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. FOOTBALL KOLBE BENHAM — Marist College (R-Jr., Cartersville HS) … made two tackles this past Saturday in a 17-14 home loss to Valparaiso, bringing his season total to 28. The Red Foxes (0-8, 0-5 Pioneer Football League) visit Drake on Saturday. HAYDEN CAGLE — Berry College (Sr., Cartersville HS) … a starter on the Vikings’ offensive line that helped produce 494 total yards of offense in a 38-35 overtime loss at Trinity University (TX). Berry (5-2, 3-1 Southern Athletic Association) hosts Centre College (KY) on Saturday. JONAH GAMBILL — University of Memphis (R-Sr., Cartersville HS) … a starter of the Tigers’ offensive line this past Saturday that helped produce 424 total yards in a 33-28 home win over Charlotte. Memphis (7-1, 3-1 American Athletic Conference) plays at UTSA on Saturday in San Antonio. KEVIN HENDERSON — University of Findlay (Fr., Cass HS) … made three tackles, including one sack and one for loss, from his linebacker position this past Saturday in a 34-17 win at Thomas More University. On Saturday, the Oilers (7-1, 5-1 Great Midwest Athletic Conference) host Walsh University (OH). SHADRE HURST — Tulane University (So., Cartersville HS) … a starter on the Green Wave’s offensive line that helped produce 472 total yards in a 45-37 win at North Texas. Tulane (6-2, 4-0 American Athletic Conference) carries a five-game win streak into Thursday night’s conference game at Charlotte. QUANTE JENNINGS — Presbyterian College (Sr., Cartersville HS) … rushed for a career-high 106 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries in a 42-14 win this past Saturday at Stetson University. He also caught one pass for three yards. The Blue Hose (3-6, 1-4 Pioneer Football League) host Dayton on Saturday afternoon. TYLER MARTIN — Berry College (Sr., Cass HS) … a starter on the Vikings’ offensive line that helped produce 494 total yards of offense in a 38-35 overtime loss at Trinity University (TX). Berry (5-2, 3-1 Southern Athletic Association) hosts Centre College (KY) on Saturday. DEVONTE ROSS — Troy University (Jr., Cartersville HS) … had 11 receptions for 126 yards and two kick returns for 30 yards this past Saturday in a 34-31 home loss to Arkansas State. On Saturday, Troy (1-7, 0-4 Sun Belt Conference) hosts Coastal Carolina. STEPHEN ROWSER — Morehouse College (Fr., Cartersville HS) … made two tackles this past Saturday in the Maroon Tigers’ 42-20 home loss to Fort Valley State University. Morehouse (1-7, 1-5 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) travels to Miles College on Saturday afternoon. COURTNEY SLOCUM — Mars Hill College (Sr., Adairsville HS) … made three tackles, one for a loss, broke up a pass, and returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown in a 31-17 win this past Saturday at Virginia-Wise. The Lions (3-3, 3-2 South Atlantic Conference) host Emory & Henry on Saturday. EVAN SLOCUM — Wake Forest University (Sr., Cartersville HS) … made a career-high ten tackles (four solo) this past Saturday in the Demon Deacons’ 27-24 win at Stanford. His season total is 47 tackles, and he has 141 for his career. Wake Forest (4-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) has a bye week before hosting California on November 8. CROSS COUNTRY DANIELLE THAYER — Augusta University (So., Woodland HS) … placed 39th individually in 19:52 this past Saturday as the Jaguars finished runner-up at the 10-team 2024 Peach Belt Conference 5K Championships in Gainesville, Georgia. The Flagler College women won the conference title with five harriers in the top nine and all seven runners in the top twelve. Augusta finished 34 points back. Next for Augusta is the NCAA D-II Southeast Regional in Spartanburg, South Carolina.   VOLLEYBALL MAKAYLA MALONE — Toccoa Falls College (Fr., Excel Christian Academy) … saw action in one set and had one service reception last Tuesday (Oct. 22) in a four-set loss at Brewton Parker College. The Screamin’ Eagles (7-14, 3-3 NCCAA) host Brenau University on Thursday night. MADELYN ORTON — LaGrange College (Jr., Cartersville resident, Cornerstone Prep Academy) … totaled six digs across appearances in four sets last week as the Panthers suffered losses to Clark Atlanta University, Covenant College, and Piedmont University. LaGrange (7-19, 4-10 Collegiate Conference of the South) visits Tuskegee University on Tuesday night and closes the regular season on Saturday in Decatur against Maryville College (Tenn.) and host Agnes Scott College. MEREDITH ORTON — LaGrange College (Jr., Cartersville resident, Cornerstone Prep Academy) … saw action in eight sets last week during the Panthers’ losses to Clark Atlanta University, Covenant College, and Piedmont University. Orton contributed four blocks, four digs, one kill, and one assist. LaGrange (7-19, 4-10 Collegiate Conference of the South) visits Tuskegee University on Tuesday night and closes the regular season on Saturday in Decatur against Maryville College (Tenn.) and host Agnes Scott College. SOCCER ABBEY CRAIG — Reinhardt University (Jr., Cartersville HS) … a defensive starter who logged all 90 minutes of a 2-0 home win this past Saturday over Union Commonwealth University and a 1-0 loss last Wednesday at Tennessee Wesleyan University. The Lady Eagles completed the regular season with a 9-5-1 mark and were third in the Appalachian Athletic Conference with a 9-3-1 record. Reinhardt will host a first-round match in the AAC tournament this week, with the date and opponent to be determined. BRADY CRAIG — Reinhardt University (Sr., Cartersville HS) … started on defense and logged 44 minutes of pitch time in the Eagles’ 2-0 loss last Wednesday at Tennessee Wesleyan University. RU also dropped a 4-0 home decision this past Saturday to Union Commonwealth. Reinhardt completed the regular season with a 4-9-4 record and a 3-6-3 Appalachian Athletic Conference mark. GOLF BUCK BRUMLOW — University of Georgia (Sr., Cartersville HS) … had his best 2024-25 season finish and tied for fourth October 20-21 at the Fallen Oak Invitational in Biloxi, Mississippi. Brumlow carded rounds of 72-70-70—212 to finish three shots behind tournament winner Jackson Buchanan of Illinois. The Bulldogs shot 5-under-par on the final day to finish in fourth place behind Ole Miss, Illinois, and LSU in the 13-team field. UGA will play in the Ka’anapali Classic on Nov. 2-4 in Maui, Hawaii. TYLER STEWARD — Hesston College (Fr., Adairsville HS) … shot 89-87-83 and placed 48th October 20-21 at the Sand Creek Station Intercollegiate in Newton, Kansas. Hesston tied for sixth of ten teams in the tournament, which Friends University (KS) won. It was the final Fall event for the Larks in the 2024-25 season. CHRISTINA SURCEY — Florida State University (Fr., Cartersville resident, North Cobb Christian) … carded rounds of 70-74-76—220 and tied for 24th individually in the Seminoles’ one-shot tournament win over Duke University at the 17-team Landfall Tradition this past weekend in Wilmington, North Carolina. Surcey had her score count each round in the team totals. The tournament was conducted at the par-72, 6,178-yard Country Club of Landfall Dye Course. Florida State will return to action January 31-February 1 at the 2025 Guadalajara Invitational in Mexico.

October 26, 2024 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Cartersville place kicker Ramsey Rowell drilled a 35-yard field goal as time expired Friday night, lifting the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes to a 45-43 victory over visiting Hiram. The win clinched a Region 7-AAAA championship for the Hurricanes and a perfect 10-0 regular season. Cartersville has now had ten undefeated regular seasons in the last 13 years and has a 126-3 record in regular season games during that stretch. Hiram led 21-14 at halftime, but Cartersville scored three consecutive touchdowns to open the second half and grabbed a 35-21 lead late in the third quarter. The Hornets drove for a score to pull within seven and tied the score 35-35 after taking advantage of an interception. The Canes answered to go up 42-35, but the Hornets responded with a touchdown and a two-point conversion to lead 43-42 with 2:07 left in the game. On the final possession, Cartersville drove within field goal range to set up Rowell’s kick as the game clock expired. Cartersville scored on the opening drive to take a 7-0 lead. Nate Russell’s 16-yard pass to Cole Crawford capped a 75-yard drive with 9:04 left in the first quarter. Hiram answered with a 90-yard march to knot the score. Kaden Hamilton punched in a five-yard run, and the score was 7-7 with 1:44 remaining in the opening frame. The Hornets took their first lead on their next possession. An 85-yard drive was cashed in with a 2-yard run by Amari Lindley to make the score 14-7 with 5:43 left in the second quarter. Cartersville’s next possession tied the score again. Baylon Long culminated the drive with a 1-yard plunge with 1:53 remaining in the second period. The drive included a brilliant diving catch by Brady Marchese on a long pass from Russell to move the Hurricanes into the red zone. Hiram moved back down the field in the final minute and scored on a tipped pass as time ran out in the first half. Ethan Latimore hurled a pass to the end zone that was tipped, but a Hornets receiver hauled it in for a 21-14 Hiram lead at halftime. The Canes built a 35-21 lead in the third quarter. Russell connected with Cayden Aleman for a 13-yard touchdown to tie the game at 21 with 7:10 left in the third quarter. A short punt by Hiram on the Hornets' next possession gave the Canes excellent field position, and they took advantage. Ja’Caiden Leonard scored on a 17-yard run to give Cartersville a 28-21 lead with 5:00 remaining in the period. The next Cartersville possession resulted in the Canes’ third touchdown of the half. Russell found a streaking A’darrian Taylor-Wilson for a 51-yard score, putting the Canes ahead 35-21 with 2:40 to go in the third quarter. Hiram rallied in the fourth quarter to tie the game for a fourth time. The Hornets finished a 77-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Hamilton with 7:59 remaining to cut the Canes’ lead to one score. After a Russell pass was intercepted, Latimore found Hamilton on a fourth-down play for a 10-yard touchdown pass that knotted the score at 35 with 5:02 to play. The back-and-forth battle continued, with Cartersville regaining the lead on the next possession. Russell connected with Ja’mauri Brice for a 52-yard touchdown, which put the Canes ahead 42-35 with 2:55 left in the game. Less than a minute later, Hiram answered and regained the lead for themselves. Hamilton got loose for a 65-yard scamper, and Amari Lindley added a 2-point conversion run for a 43-42 lead with 2:07 remaining. The Cane's final possession started at their 23-yard line with only one timeout remaining. Runs by Baylon Long picked up a first down at the 37-yard line. Russell then found an opening in the Hiram defense and raced deep into the Hornets' territory. A holding penalty negated part of the run, but the 28-yard net gain had the Canes at the Hornets’ 43-yard line. Next, Russell hit Brice for a 19-yard gain to the Hiram 24-yard line. That was followed by a 4-yard run by Long and a 2-yard screen pass from Russell to Long to set up the Hurricanes at the 18-yard line. Cartersville head coach Conor Foster then used his final timeout with 0:02 remaining and sent out the field goal unit. Rowell’s game-winning kick from the right hash marks was true, and the Canes celebrated. Russell was 16-for-22 passing for 245 yards and four touchdowns. He threw one interception. The junior quarterback also had 47 rushing yards on five attempts. Long and Leonard had 39 and 38 yards rushing, respectively. Marchese caught five passes for 74 yards. Brice finished with four receptions for 80 yards and one touchdown. Cole Crawford had three catches for 22 yards, and Taylor-Wilson hauled in two passes for 55 yards and one score. The loss dropped Hiram to 5-5 overall and 4-2 in Region 7-AAAA. The Hornets will represent the region as a No. 3 seed and will be on the road at the Region 6-AAAA runner-up on November 15 or 16. Cartersville (10-0, 6-0) will host the No. 4 team from Region 6-AAAA in the first round on one of those same dates. NOTE: Matt Santini and David Herron contributed to this report.

October 26, 2024 The Cartersville Lady Canes volleyball team defeated Blessed Trinity in four sets Saturday afternoon at Allatoona High School to advance to the GHSA Class 4A state finals on Monday, Nov. 4, at 7:30  p.m. at the LakePoint Champions Center in Emerson. The Lady Canes won 26-24, 22-25, 25-12, and 25-23 and will face Pace Academy in the state championship match. Pace Academy defeated Marist Saturday in four sets in the other state semifinal. Cartersville opened the first set with a 7-3 lead, but that would be the Lady Canes’ largest advantage before pulling out a 26-24 win. The Titans chipped away at Cartersville’s lead and tied the score at 19- all late in the set. The two teams traded points down the stretch with four more ties before the Hurricanes got a left-side block to go up 1-0. Blessed Trinity bounced back in the second set for a 25-22 win. Three kills by Destinee Chukelu and Chloe Anido of the Lady Titans built a 12-9 advantage. Cartersville then won a long rally and got a key block from Addie Rickman to end Blessed Trinity’s run and cut the margin to 12-11. The Titans followed with four consecutive points to lead 17-11 and later led 21-16 before Cartersville surged back to tie the score at 21-all on a kill by Amara Ejieke. However, Blessed Trinity scored four of the final five points in Set 2, and the Titans tied the match at one set each. Cartersville controlled the flow in Set 3 and had an early five-point run to build a 10-4 advantage. Dufrene and Addison Marisko had kills in the run, and Emma Wall added a service ace. After the Titans made it 10-5, the Lady Canes scored the next four points to go up 14-5. Adahlyn Womack had a kill in the sequence. Cartersville held a ten-point edge at 20-10 and banked the set win down the stretch with kills from Dufrene and Marisko for set point. Trailing by a set, Blessed Trinity battled to the final point of Set 4. Cartersville led 3-1 on a Riley Huff kill and a service error by the Titans, but Blessed Trinity responded with four straight points to take a 5-3 lead. Anindo had a kill in the sequence. After the Hurricanes got kills from Rickman and Dufrene, they had knotted the score again at 7-all. Blessed Trinity won four of the next five points for an 11-8 lead with kills by Anindo and Chukelu, but Womack and Huff had kills for Cartersville to keep the Canes close at 12-10. The Titans led 15-12 on a kill by Raquel Mina before Cartersville reeled off five straight points to gain the lead 17-15 and force Blessed Trinity to use a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, the Titans scored six consecutive points to build a 21-17 lead. Avery Russell's kill and dink were key plays in the scoring run. Cartersville head coach Kyle Lundberg used a timeout with Cartersville trailing, and the Lady Canes responded with four of the next five points to tie the score 21-21. Dinks by Dufrene and Womack were key plays in the run and set up the set’s dramatic final sequence. Riley Gilmore had a kill for Blessed Trinity to give the Titans a 22-21 lead, but Cartersville scored the next three points to set up a pair of match points at 24-22. Ansley Smith had a kill for Blessed Trinity to make the score 24-23 before a clutch block by Marisko sealed the Lady Canes’ 25-23 fourth-set victory. Dufrene paced the Cartersville front line with 12 kills and three blocks. Marisko had six kills and eight blocks. Huff contributed eight kills with four blocks, along with two aces. Rickman finished with six kills and five blocks. Ejieke added nine kills and one block. Mckenzie Wilkie produced 25 digs and added one kill. Aubree Barrett had ten digs, 17 assists, and one kill. Riley Jarrett contributed 14 digs and had one service ace. Emma Wall had 22 assists, seven digs, and one ace. Sydney Seigler added three digs and three aces. Blessed Trinity’s season ends with a 29-11 record. Cartersville improved to 33-11.

October 26, 2024 On Friday night in Acworth, the Cass defense held Allatoona to just 35 yards of offense in the first half en route to a 32-17 region victory. The Colonels capitalized on the host Buccaneers' special teams mistakes and built a 25-3 advantage by the middle of the third quarter. By winning, the Colonels secured their fourth consecutive spot in the state playoffs, marking the first time this achievement has occurred in the school's history. Allatoona gained one first down on the game’s opening possession but was forced to punt after just five plays. A nice punt by Buccaneers’ specialist Wilson Perry pinned the Colonels at their 5-yard line to begin their first possession. Eleven plays and 95 yards later, the Colonels were on the scoreboard to lead 7-0 with 4:30 remaining in the first quarter. Braylon Hill had an 11-yard run to open the drive, and quarterback Elijah Slocum connected on key pass plays to Naz Fleurine for 50 yards and Izak Koep for 22. Slocum capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run. Kicker Mason Madrid successfully converted the first of his four PAT kicks. On the ensuing possession, the Buccaneers moved to the Cass 45-yard line with a 34-yard pass from Cruz Paul to Xavier Rucker. Two negative rushing plays later, Cass’ Ian Williams sacked Paul and forced Allatoona to attempt a punt from their 42-yard line. A high snap on the Bucs’ punt attempt sailed over the head of Perry, who chased the bouncing ball back to his goal line. Perry then kicked the ball through the back of his end zone for a Colonels’ safety and a 9-0 Cass lead with 1:38 left in the initial period. Cass returned the free kick to their 45-yard line and pulled off a bit of trickery. Slocum threw a double pass (lateral) to Chase Tatum, who then connected with Jakai Baldwin 46 yards downfield at the Bucs’ 9-yard line.  Allatoona stiffened defensively and stopped the Colonels at the 1-yard line when they chose to run on a fourth-and-goal. Although the drive failed to produce points immediately, it put the Buccaneers in poor field position, leading to an eventual Cass score. The Bucs went three-and-out and punted from the end zone. Following two penalties that forced the Colonels to start from their 30-yard line, Hill ripped off a 56-yard run to the Bucs’ 14-yard line. Two plays later, Slocum found Fleurine in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass and a 16-0 Cass lead with 6:45 left in the first half. The Cass defense yielded just one first down on the next Allatoona possession and forced the Bucs’ fourth punt of the game. Slocum tried a deep pass on first down from the Colonels’ 20-yard line which was intercepted and returned to the Cass 47-yard line. Allatoona drove to the Cass 34-yard line on two running plays and a quarterback scramble but settled for a 50-yard field goal by Perry as time expired in the first half. Cass carried a 16-3 lead to the intermission. The Colonels’ opening drive of the second half reached the Allatoona 48-yard line before stalling. Hill had five short runs, and Slocum hit Tatum for a 14-yard pass play, but Cass had to punt the ball away. Tatum’s line drive punt was covered well by the Cass punt team, who pinned Allatoona at their 1-yard line. Three plays later, another high snap on the Bucs’ punt attempt sailed through the end zone for the second safety of the night. As a result, Cass led 18-3 with 6:18 left in the third quarter. The ensuing free kick resulted in one of the game’s highlights. Williams fielded the kick at the 15-yard line and returned it 85 yards for a Colonels touchdown and a 25-3 lead at the 6:04 mark of the third period. The stingy Cass defense forced Allatoona to commit another three-and-out on their next opportunity, but Slocum's fumble gave the ball back to the Buccaneers near midfield. Allatoona responded with their first touchdown of the game. The Bucs drove 48 yards in six plays and scored with a 15-yard pass from Paul to Rucker with 0:36 left in the third quarter. The extra point by Perry pulled Allatoona within two scores at 25-10. Starting from their 20-yard line after Perry’s long kickoff, Cass marched 80 yards on eight plays to build on their cushion. Koep caught a 40-yard pass from Slocum, and the quarterback added 15- and 19-yard chunk runs on the drive.  Hill finished the march with a 3-yard touchdown, putting the Colonels up 32-10 with 8:37 left in the game.  The two teams swapped punts on their next possessions before Allatoona drove 68 yards for the game’s final points. Rucker caught a 42-yard pass from Paul for most of the yardage and was also on the receiving end of a 15-yard touchdown throw. Cass covered an Allatoona on-side kick attempt, and Hill broke free on first down for a 26-yard run. Unfortunately, he fumbled at the end of the run, allowing the Bucs one more possession. Allatoona hit two pass completions and had one quarterback scramble to reach the Cass 28-yard line. Following a timeout, the Bucs tried a double-reverse play that finished with a Cass fumble recovery to effectively end the game. Slocum was 6-for-10 passing for Cass with one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed for 40 yards on four attempts with a touchdown. For the season, the receiver-turned-quarterback has over 1,000 yards receiving, rushing, and passing. Hill also eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark rushing for the season. The junior running back finished the night with 161 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries. Tatum threw a 46-yard completion and caught two balls for 18 additional yards. Koep and Fleurine had two receptions for 63 yards each. Baldwin had one catch for 46 yards. Allatoona finished the season with a 4-6 record. The Bucs were 2-4 in region play. Cass (6-4, 3-3) will have the next two Fridays off before the Class 4A state playoffs begin. The original schedule had a bye week for the Colonels in the final week before the Georgia High School Association added a week to the regular season due to hurricane cancelations. The Colonels will open the state playoffs on Nov. 15 or 16 at the winner of the Cambridge at Blessed Trinity game. The Titans and Bears play this Friday, Nov. 1 for the Region 6-AAAA championship.

October 26, 2024 The sixth-ranked Cedartown Bulldogs scored three first-quarter touchdowns and built a 40-0 lead by halftime en route to a 52-0 win Friday night over visiting Woodland. Cedartown had four players record rushing touchdowns, Wyatt Mosley threw touchdown passes to Demarcus Gardner and Jett Abrams, and the Bulldogs added two more touchdowns on defense. Astin Turner had a five-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter, and Michael Gibbons added a 67-yard scoring dash. Those two scores sandwiched a 25-yard pick-six by Kobe Dorsey. Mosley’s 43-yard touchdown pass to Gardner early in the second quarter put the Bulldogs ahead 26-0, and Juelz Davis broke loose for an 86-yard touchdown run with 1:59 remaining before the half.  On the ensuing possession by Woodland, Davis scooped up a fumble and returned it 75 yards with 0:57 remaining before the intermission to give Cedartown a 40-0 advantage at the intermission. In a running clock second half, Mosley connected with Abrams on an 18-yard touchdown pass with 2:25 left in the third quarter, and Breckin Ward had a 10-yard touchdown run for the Bulldogs with 3:30 left in the game for a 52-0 final score. Cedartown completed the regular season with a 9-1 record and a 5-1 mark in Region 7-AAAA. The Bulldogs will be the region’s No. 2 seed in the state playoffs and host the No. 3 seed from Region 6-AAAA on November 15 or 16 in the first round. Woodland (2-7, 0-5) completes the regular season slate on Friday, Nov. 1 at Dalton (0-9, 0-5).

October 25, 2024 The Adairsville boys’ cross country team placed fifth this past Thursday (Oct. 24) at the Region 7-AAA meet hosted by LaFayette. Heritage-Catoosa won the race, followed by Calhoun, Gilmer, and LaFayette.  Scoring runners for Adairsville were Griffin Bozeman (11th, 18:48), Johnathan Ringwell (12th, 18:31), Aaron Souders (25th, 20:54), Canyon East (32nd, 22:15), and Owen Kelly (37th, 23:27).  Demetrius Clavino of Calhoun won the individual race at 16:44. Fernanda Singer ran as an individual in the girls’ meet and placed 19th of 35 runners in 25:00. Next on the Adairsville schedule is the GHSA 3A Sectional #2 in Helen on Saturday.

October 24, 2024 Bill Gaines and Owen Wiggins of Woodland and Cartersville High Schools, respectively, won the Major League Fishing Abu Garcia High School tournament on October 19 at Tennessee’s Lake Chickamauga. The local duo caught five bass weighing 17 pounds, 10 ounces, to claim the title. The second-place team from Kingston, Tennessee, caught five bass weighing 13 pounds, 6 ounces. A release by MLF stated Gaines and Wiggins bested 36 other high school teams. The win also qualified the anglers and the top 10 percent of the field for the High School Fishing National Championship on June 25-27, 2025, at Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. The High School Fishing National Champions receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2025 MLF Toyota Series Championship.

October 23, 2024 On Tuesday evening, two strong pitching performances by Abby Lovell of Northside-Columbus lifted the host Patriots to a doubleheader sweep and a state quarterfinal series win over the Cartersville Lady Canes. Lovell struck out 13 and allowed just one hit in Northside’s 8-0, five-inning win in Game 1 of the best-of-three series. She followed up with 12 strikeouts in Game 2, yielding just one earned run and one hit over six innings.  Northside reliever Loreal Byrd closed out a scoreless seventh inning of Game 2 by striking out two. Northside scored two runs in the first, three in the second, and added three more runs across the fourth and fifth innings of Game 1. The Patriots produced eleven hits. Allana Williams had the only Cartersville hit in the opener. Zoie Shiflett (4.2 IP, 8R, 7ER, 11H, 4BB, 4K) took the pitching loss. In Game 2, Northside led 5-1 through two innings, and that score remained until the Patriots erupted for eight runs in the top of the seventh for a 13-1 win. Northside totaled 14 hits. Jordan Bishop had the only hit for Cartersville. It was a triple, with Kinsey Woodard picking up the Lady Canes’ RBI. Presley Crabbe (6.2 IP, 13R, 9ER, 14H, 2BB, 3K) was the pitcher of record for Cartersville. Shiflett entered to retire one out in the seventh. Northside-Columbus (30-2) advances to the GHSA Class 4A State Elite Eight double-elimination bracket on October 30-November 2 at the Columbus Softball Complex. Cartersville has its season end with a 24-7 record.

October 23, 2024 The Cartersville Lady Canes volleyball team advanced to the Class 4A Final Four Tuesday night with a thrilling five-set victory at North Oconee. The Titans were the champions of Region 6-4A. Cartersville won the first two sets 25-22 and 25-23. North Oconee battled back in the third and fourth sets, 25-20 and 25-21, but the Lady Canes prevailed in the tie-breaker fifth set, 15-12. Riley Huff and Amara Ejieke combined for 30 of the Lady Canes' 47 kills in the match. Huff finished with 13 kills, four blocks, and two aces. Ejieke had 17 kills, five digs, and an ace. Holly Dufrene contributed seven kills and three blocks. Addison Marisko pitched in six kills, four blocks, and one dig. Addie Rickman totaled four kills, three blocks, and four digs. Aubree Barrett and Emma Wall had 21 assists each to run the Cartersville offense. Barrett added 13 digs and three aces. Wall added six digs and an ace. McKenzie Wilkie distributed three assists and had 23 digs. Riley Jarrett and Sydney Seigler led Lady Canes' servers with four aces each. Jarrett added five digs. Cartersville (32-11) advances to face Blessed Trinity in the state semifinals on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Allatoona High School in Acworth. Blessed Trinity (29-10) reached the semifinals with a four-set win over Union Grove on Tuesday. Their other playoff wins were over Northside-Columbus and Hiram in three straight sets. Pace Academy (41-6) and Marist (31-3) will play in the other semifinal on Saturday at Allatoona at 1 p.m. The semifinal winners will play for the Class 4A State Championship on Monday, November 4 at LakePoint in Emerson at 7:30 p.m.

October 21, 2024 This week's update on local athletes nationwide in collegiate and pro sports. NFL TREVOR LAWRENCE — Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL, 4th-yr. pro; Clemson; Cartersville HS) … completed 15 of 20 passes for 193 yards and one touchdown as the Jaguars beat the New England Patriots 32-16 in London. The 25-year-old quarterback added 13 yards rushing on two attempts. His touchdown pass was a 6-yard completion to Brian Thomas Jr. in the second quarter. Jacksonville (2-5) hosts the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. FOOTBALL HAYDEN CAGLE — Berry College (Sr., Cartersville HS) … a starter on the Vikings’ offensive line that helped produce 551 total yards in a 53-10 home rout of Sewanee this past Saturday. 25th-ranked Berry (5-1, 3-0) travels to San Antonio this week to face Trinity University on Saturday afternoon. JONAH GAMBILL — University of Memphis (R-Sr., Cartersville HS) … a starter on the Tigers’ offensive line that helped produce 526 total yards in a 52-44 home win over North Texas. Memphis (6-1, 2-1 American Athletic Conference) hosts Charlotte on Saturday. KEVIN HENDERSON — University of Findlay (Fr., Cass HS) … made a start at linebacker and responded with five tackles, including one for a two-yard loss in the Oilers 26-10 win Saturday at Ohio Dominican. Findlay (6-1, 4-1 Great Midwestern Athletic Conference) plays at Thomas More on Saturday afternoon. SHADRE HURST — Tulane University (So., Cartersville HS) … a starter on the Green Wave’s offensive line that helped produce 306 total yards in a 24-10 home victory over Rice. Tulane (5-2, 3-0) plays Saturday at North Texas. QUANTE JENNINGS — Presbyterian College (Sr., Cartersville HS) … saw action at running back but had no stat line in a Blue Hose 19-16 overtime loss Saturday to Drake. Presbyterian (2-6, 0-4 Pioneer Football League) at Stetson. TYLER MARTIN — Berry College (Jr., Cass HS) … a starter on the Vikings’ offensive line that helped produce 551 total yards in a 53-10 home rout of Sewanee this past Saturday. 25th-ranked Berry (5-1, 3-0) travels to San Antonio this week to face Trinity University on Saturday afternoon. JAKE PARKER — Judson University (So., Cartersville HS) … the Eagles’ starting quarterback was 21-for-39 passing for 295 yards and one touchdown in a 49-20 home loss to Saint Francis (IN). He added ten rushing yards on nine attempts and had four passes intercepted. Judson (1-5, 0-1 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) plays at St. Francis (IL) on Saturday afternoon. DEVONTE ROSS — Troy University (Jr., Cartersville HS) … caught seven passes for 70 yards and one touchdown in the Trojans’ 25-9 loss at South Alabama last Tuesday (Oct. 15). He also had two kick returns for 31 yards and three punt returns for 40 yards. Troy (1-6, 0-3 Sun Belt Conference) visits Arkansas State on Saturday night. STEPHEN ROWSER — Morehouse College (Fr., Cartersville HS) … made two tackles this past Saturday in the Maroon Tigers’ 52-6 loss at Albany State. Morehouse (1-6, 1-4 SIAC) hosts Fort Valley State on Saturday afternoon. COURTNEY SLOCUM — Mars Hill University (Sr., Adairsville HS) … saw action, but the linebacker had no stat line in a 30-3 home win this past Saturday over Tusculum University. The Lions (2-3, 2-2 South Atlantic Conference) play at Virginia-Wise on Saturday. EVAN SLOCUM — Wake Forest University (Sr., Cartersville HS) … made four tackles, broke up two passes, and returned one interception eight yards this past Saturday in the Demon Deacons non-conference 23-20 win at UConn. Wake Forest (3-4, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) crosses the country this week to play at Stanford on Saturday afternoon. CROSS COUNTRY McKINLEY CHAPPELL — Berry College (Jr., Woodland HS) … placed 324th (27:44) of 437 runners this past Saturday at the 8K Augustana (IL) Interregional Invitational in Rock Island. The Vikings finished 14th of 30 teams.  ANDY FORSYTH — Berry College (Fr., Woodland HS) … placed 138th (27:50) of 437 runners this past Saturday at the 8K Augustana (IL) Interregional Invitational in Rock Island. The Vikings finished 14th of 30 teams.  TYLER JONES — University of West Georgia (So., Woodland HS) … placed 150th (28:35) of 199 runners as the Wolves finished ninth of 18 teams at the 8K USC Upstate Invitational in Spartanburg. West Georgia will compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship on November 2.  VOLLEYBALL MADELYN ORTON — LaGrange College (Jr., Cartersville resident, Cornerstone Prep Academy) … saw action in two sets during a loss to Asbury College and three during a win over Wesleyan College this past Saturday in Macon. She totaled one service ace and five digs. The Panthers (7-16, 4-8 Collegiate Conference of the South) host Clark Atlanta University on Wednesday and a tri-match with Piedmont University and Covenant College on Saturday. MEREDITH ORTON — LaGrange College (Jr., Cartersville resident, Cornerstone Prep Academy) … appeared in all six sets this past Saturday as the Panthers split matches in Macon with Asbury College and Wesleyan College. She had five kills, two digs, one block, and one assist in the two matches. LaGrange (7-16, 4-8 CCS) hosts Clark Atlanta University on Wednesday before Piedmont University and Covenant College visit on Saturday for a tri-match. SOCCER ABBEY CRAIG — Reinhardt University (Jr., Cartersville HS) … made starts on defense in both matches last Wednesday and Saturday, logging 39 minutes in a 3-0 win at University of Pikeville (KY) and 59 minutes during a 5-0 home win over Bluefield University (VA). The Eagles (8-4-1, 8-2-1 Appalachian Athletic Conference) visit Tennessee Wesleyan on Wednesday and host Union Commonwealth University (KY) on Saturday. BRADY CRAIG — Reinhardt University (Sr., Cartersville HS) … made starts on defense and logged all 180 minutes last week in a 4-2 Wednesday loss at University of Pikeville (KY) and a 1-1 home draw on Saturday with Bluefield University (VA). The Eagles (4-7-4, 3-4-3 Appalachian Athletic Conference) play at Tennessee Wesleyan on Wednesday and host Union Commonwealth University on Saturday night. TENNIS EMILY SURCEY — Samford University (Sr., Cass HS) … participating in the Blazer Battle last weekend with host UAB, Jacksonville State, Lipscomb, and Southern Mississippi, Surcey and partner Grace Keller went 2-1 in doubles action. She was 0-3 at Line 1 singles with a straight sets loss to her opponent from Lipscomb and three-set losses to Jacksonville State and UAB opponents. The Bulldogs will wrap up their Fall schedule Nov. 1 and 2 at the College of Charleston Invitational. GOLF BRODY TIDWELL — Georgia State University (So., Cartersville HS) … playing as an individual, carded rounds of 78-76-74 and placed 19th of 60 players Oct. 14-15 at the Pinetree Intercollegiate in Kennesaw. His teammates finished second of ten teams. Kennesaw State won the tournament. This past weekend, Tidwell shot 81-74-78 and tied for 79th at the Furman Intercollegiate. GSU finished 11th of 15 teams, and Texas A&M won the event.

October 19, 2024 The Cass Colonels had no margin for error entering Friday night’s Homecoming game against Dalton and ultimately took care of business by winning 27-0 at Doug Cochran Stadium. After starting the season 3-0, the Colonels lost four of their next five games, including three in the region.  That left Cass needing victories over Dalton and Allatoona to reach the state playoffs for an unprecedented fourth straight year. Step one of the process was accomplished Friday although it was messy at times. The Colonels committed nine penalties for 85 yards, turned the ball over three times with interceptions, and the offense managed only 182 total yards. Despite the problems, it was enough for an important win due to the dominance of the Cass defense and special teams. Ian Williams and Malachi Harris both blocked Dalton's punts. Izak Koep picked off two Dalton passes and had lengthy returns on both. Braylon Hill had two double-digit punt returns, and Ja’Kai Baldwin contributed a 50-yard punt return.  Meanwhile, the Cass defense limited the Catamounts to a mere 38 total yards (23 rushing / 15 passing) in the game. Colonel defenders forced eight negative-yardage plays and kept Dalton bottled up on their side of the 50-yard line for all but seven plays on the night. Both teams punted on their opening possessions, and Koep picked off the first of his two interceptions near the midpoint of the first quarter—his 45-yard return to the Dalton 5-yard line set up the game’s first score.  Braylon Hill ran between his center and left guard for a 5-yard touchdown that gave Cass a 7-0 lead with 5:57 remaining in the opening quarter. Mason Madrid drilled the first of his three PAT kicks. Dalton went three-and-out on their next possession, and Hill returned a punt 11 yards to the Catamounts’ 49-yard line. Six Cass running plays later, Dalton’s Adrian Gongora picked off an Elijah Slocum pass at the 15-yard line. A third-down sack by Cass defensive end Sergio Ochoa forced another Dalton three-and-out. Hill followed with a 20-yard punt return to the Dalton 40-yard line. Three consecutive runs by Hill covering 21 yards moved Cass to the 19-yard line. Jachai Delgado took over the rushing duties from there and made the score 14-0 on a 4-yard run with 8:00 left in the first half. Dalton’s fifth possession of the first half included one first down, but following a sack by Williams of Cass, Dalton quarterback Caine Woods was picked off again by Koep — his 42-yard return to the Cats’ 25-yard line set up another Cass touchdown. On first down, Hill darted straight through the middle of the Dalton defense for a 25-yard touchdown run and a 21-0 Cass lead with 3:15 left before intermission. The Cass defense forced one more punt before halftime and went to the locker room with a three-score advantage. The Colonels went three-and-out to begin the second half, but their defense forced the same from Dalton. Malachi Harris blocked the Catamounts’ punt, and the Cass special team recovered to set up possession in plus territory. Slocum completed an 18-yard pass to Koep to convert a third-and-ten. Hill also had a 14-yard run in the possession to move into the red zone. However, Dalton stymied the Cass drive when Kalem Staton picked off a Slocum pass at the 4-yard line and returned it to the 10. Again, Dalton picked up one first down but was forced to punt from their 26-yard line near the end of the third quarter. Baldwin’s long punt return to the Catamounts’ 15-yard line set up the final Cass touchdown as the final period began. On the second play of the fourth quarter, Delgado punched in a two-yard run with 11:23 left in the game. The PAT kick failed, but the Colonels had a 27-0 lead. Dalton did not earn a first down on either of their final possessions that sandwiched a lengthy, 13-play drive by the Colonels’ offense. Cass marched from their 11-yard line to the Dalton 30-yard line, but the drive ended on a fourth down interception in the end zone. PHOTOS: (clockwise from top left) Braylon Hill gets a block from Peyton Graham; Elijah Slocum runs the zone read with Hill; Izak Koep looks for blocking on one of his interception returns; and Mason Madrid boots one of his extra-point tries. Hill finished the night with 83 rushing yards on 11 attempts with two touchdowns. Delgado had 13 carries for 43 yards and two scores. Slocum was 5-for-10 passing for 40 yards. He also rushed eight times for seven yards. Chase Tatum caught two passes for 12 yards. Koep (18-yards), Delgado (8-yards), and Hill (two yards) contributed one reception. Dalton (0-9, 0-5) has a bye week before hosting Woodland on November 1. Cass (5-4, 2-3) visits Allatoona (4-5, 2-3) on Friday night. The winner will earn a state playoff berth.