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Courtesy GSGA.org KENNESAW, Ga. - Jack Hall of Savannah posted a 2-under-par 68 in the final round to claim his first Georgia Mid-Amateur Championship. The 34th annual state mid-amateur competition took place at Marietta Country Club, May 15-17. Hall, who finished at 5-under-par 205 (70-67-68) overall, earned the victory by one stroke over Christian Raynor of Kennesaw, who came in at 4-under-par 206 (68-69-69) to earn runner-up honors. Hall began the final round sharing the lead with Raynor after he turned in a 3-under-par 67 in the second round on Saturday. That day Hall posted seven birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey. To open Sunday's final round, Hall made par on one and two, then made his birdie putt on three before making bogey on four. After a par on five, bogey on six and par on seven, Hall capitalized again with a birdie on eight to make the turn at even-par. He made par on 10 and 11, added birdies on 12 and 14 then made par the rest of the way to seal the deal. Coming down the final few holes, Hall was so focused on his own game he was under the impression he was tied with Raynor rather than having a one-stroke advantage. According to Hall, the turning point of the round came on the 184-yard par 3 15th hole. "Christian had about 15 feet for birdie and I had about a 60-footer for a two-putt par. I knocked it about 10 feet behind and made it coming back. That's when the round turned around. Off the tee on 16 Christian missed a little to the left and I was able to capitalize and make par there. That's when I had a one-shot lead, but didn't realize it. I thought we were even. I forgot he hit it in the hazard on 16. I thought he made par, but he made bogey." Marietta Country Club this year celebrates its 100 birthday, and this week's Georgia Mid-Amateur Championship marked the third GSGA-sanctioned competition the club has hosted. "It's a fantastic course; very hospitable," Hall said about Marietta Country Club. "They made this one exceptionally nice for us. The clubhouse is beautiful and the facilities are first class. All of the employees were wonderful. We got to use these beautiful facilities on a beautiful weekend." This victory marks Hall's first on the GSGA circuit since 2013 when he captured three titles. That year he partnered with Danny Nelson of Savannah to win the Georgia Four-Ball Championship at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Evans. He then won the Georgia Senior Championship on the Deer Creek course at The Landings Club in Savannah. In the final GSGA competition of the year, Hall teamed with Chris Hall of Mableton to win the Georgia Senior Four-Ball Championship at the Country Club of Columbus. Bobby Brent III of Columbus (72-69-69) and Chad Branton of Cartersville (69-70-71) tied for third at even-par 210. Billy Mitchell of Roswell (70-72-69) and Stan Gann, Jr., of Bonaire (69-72-70) tied for fifth at 1-over-par 211. Dave Poteet of Suwanee finished seventh at 3-over-par 213 (71-74-68). Rounding out the top 10, seven players tied for eighth at 4-over-par 214 - 2013 Georgia Mid-Amateur champion Cameron Hooper of Atlanta (73-71-70); 2004 Georgia Mid-Amateur champion Doug Hanzel of Savannah (76-67-71); Michael Bugden of Newnan (75-68-71); Don Carpenter III of Athens (74-69-71); Bill Sharpe, Sr., of Albany (71-72-71); Cres Dodd of Calhoun (71-72-71) and Mike Combs of Roswell (69-71-74). Entries were open to male amateur golfers who are GSGA members, Georgia residents and age 25 or older as of the first day of the Championship. The starting field of 144 players was cut to the low 70 and ties after 36 holes. The cutline fell at 14-over-par 154 with 77 players advancing.

In 2014, Cartersville beat Buford two games to one to advance to the Class AAA state championship series. Those two teams will square off again Monday and possibly Tuesday to determine one of the 2015 state finalist spots in Class AAAA. The 22-10 Hurricanes of Coach Stuart Chester swept through the first two rounds of this year's Class AAAA playoffs beating North Oconee 4-1 and 13-8 in the first round and Thomas County Central 8-2 and 2-1 in the second round. Wayne County extended Cartersville to the bottom of the seventh in Game 3 of the quarterfinal round before the 'Canes pulled out a thrilling 4-3 walk off victory. Coach Tony Wolfe's Buford Wolves (30-2) won the 2015 Region 8-AAAA title by going unbeaten in league play and haven't lost at all since an 8-3 loss to Mountain View on March 24. The Wolves only other loss of the year came in the finals of the LaGrange (GA) Tournament to North Florida Christian by a 2-1 score. Buford has won six straight in the state playoffs, defeating Heritage-Catoosa (10-0, 8-1); Perry (13-0, 3-0); and Locust Grove (8-5, 10-0). The Wolves will be trying to return to the State Championship series for the first time since winning it in 2011. Buford also won a state baseball title in 1977. Cartersville lost to Blessed Trinity in the state finals last year and won state baseball championships in 2013, 2009, 2008, 2003, 2002, and 2001. MaxPreps.com has Buford as the No. 4 team in Georgia in all classifications and tops in Class AAAA with a No. 55 national ranking. MaxPreps.com rates the 'Canes as the No. 7 team in Georgia's Class AAAA, 50th overall in Georgia, and 1138th nationally. The best-of-three semifinal series opens Monday, May 18 at Richard Bell Field at the Cartersville Baseball Complex. Game 1 is scheduled to begin at 4:30pm with the second game to begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opener. If a Game 3 is needed, it is scheduled for Tuesday (May 19) at 6pm, also at Richard Bell Field in Cartersville. SEE ALSO: Jason Greenberg's article 'Youth defines Cartersville's playoff run' in The Daily Tribune News Jason Greenberg's article 'Cartersville faces familiar nemesis in Final 4' in The Daily Tribune News

Cartersville golfer, Chad Branton, will be in the final group Sunday and paired with the co-leaders as the 2015 Georgia State Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship concludes at Marietta Country Club. Branton, who fired an even par 70 Saturday, is two shots back of co-leaders Jack Hall of Savannah and Christian Raynor of Kennesaw. Hall shot a 3-under 67 Saturday to move into a tie for the lead. Raynor fired a 1-under 69 to go with his 68 from Friday. Hall made birdie on four of his first five holes Saturday and seven birdies in the round. Raynor made bogey on three of his first four holes Saturday, but recovered with five birdies on the day. Branton started his Saturday round on hole number 10 and made bogey at holes 11 and 18. A birdie at the par-5 14th hole gave him a 1-over total on his opening nine. He then made birdies on holes 3 and 4 to go with a bogey on the par-5 8th to finish with a 1-under 34 on his second nine and an even par round for the day. Other local scores of interest include: Cres Dodd (T8, +3, 71-72) Chris Hall (T20, +6, 75-71) Scott Davenport (T32, +8, 77-71) Jayce Stepp (T71, +14, 79-75) Winston Morris (MC, 78-79) Clay Heath (MC, 77-80) The 2015 GSGA Mid-Am concludes Sunday at the 6793-yard, par-70 Marietta Country Club. Three former Georgia Mid-Amateur champions have made the cut and will play in Sunday's final round. Cameron Hooper of Atlanta (winner in 2013) sits at 4-over-par 144 (73-71); Doug Hanzel of Savannah (winner in 2004) posted a 3-over-par 143 (76-67); and Rusty Strawn of McDonough (winner in 1993) recorded a 13-over-par 153 (79-74). Entries were open to male amateur golfers who were a GSGA member, Georgia resident and age 25 or older as of May 15. A total of 407 players entered this year's championship. There are 28 exempt players competing this weekend. The remaining 116 spots were filled by the entrants who competed in one of six, 18-hole qualifiers that took place statewide in March and April.

Six local athletes competed again Friday (May 15) at the 2015 Georgia High School Association Track & Field Championships in Jefferson, GA Adairsville’s Jordan Character advanced to Saturday’s 300 meter hurdles in Class 3A during preliminary qualifying. Character also placed ninth in the Class 3A 110 meter hurdles with a time of 15.68. Omar Morales of Adairsville placed 13th in the 3200 meter run with a time of 10:52.22 Cartersville seniors Trevor Carlton, Anthony Walls, and Austin Montgomery represented the ‘Canes. Carlton finished 9th in the Class 4A discus (131-11) and 16th in shot put (41-6). Walls (15.87) and Montgomery (15.99) finished 15th and 16th, respectively, in the Class 4A 110 meter hurdles. Cass senior, Walter Brown, followed up his fourth place finish in the Class 5A high jump on Thursday with a 12th place finish in the 110 meter hurdles. Brown’s jump was 6 feet, 4 inches. His 110 hurdles time was 15.49. The 2015 GHSA Boys State Track & Field Championships conclude on Saturday, May 16.

The second annual Cartersville-Cass Alumni football game generated a lot of excitement and a family atmosphere for players and spectators alike. The Cass alumni squad won for the second year in a row, taking a 20-12 decision at Weinman Stadium on the campus of Cartersville High School. For details, please see David Royal's story in The Daily Tribune News.

Adairsville’s Jordan Character placed fifth Saturday in the Class 3A boys 300 meter hurdles at the GHSA State Track & Field Championships in Jefferson. Character qualified in the preliminaries on Friday with a time of 40.74 and ran a 41.08 in the finals. Tyler Terry of Central-Carroll won the Class 3A event with a 38.83 time, followed by Bailey Durham of Blessed Trinity (38.97), Brandon Bawn of Rutland (39.10), Dalton Hill of Jefferson (40.44), and Character.

Chad Branton of Cartersville is one of only four players under par after the opening round of the 2015 Georgia State Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship tournament at Marietta Country Club. Branton fired a 1-under par 69 to tie for second place after one round. Christian Raynor of Kennesaw leads the field with an opening 2-under 68. Mike Combs of Roswell and Stan Gann, Jr. of Bonaire also shot 69s. Entries were open to male amateur golfers who were a GSGA member, Georgia resident and age 25 or older as of May 15. A total of 407 players entered this year's championship. There are 28 exempt players competing this weekend. The remaining 116 spots were filled by the entrants who competed in one of six, 18-hole qualifiers that took place statewide in March and April. Other first round local scores of interest include: Cres Dodd (T8, +1), Chris Hall (T38, +5), Scott Davenport (T58, +7), Jayce Stepp (T84, +9), Clay Heath (T84, +9), Winston Morris (T84, +9). The 54-hole event continues Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17.

The second annual Cartersville-Cass Alumni football game is tonight (May 15) at 7pm at Weinman Stadium in downtown Cartersville. The contest is a fundraiser for the football programs at the two schools. SEE: David Royal's story at The Daily Tribune News

Cass senior, Walter Brown, placed fourth in the Class 5A high jump finals at the 2015 GHSA Boys State Track & Field Championships in Jefferson Thursday, May 14. Brown cleared 6 feet, 4 inches to finish two inches behind Cody Clements of Starr’s Mills. Phillip Almeda (Cedar Shoals) and Jonathan Mays (New Manchester) tied for second. (Photo courtesy Danny Fairbanks) Other local results on Thursday included a fifth place finish by Woodland’s DaMek Lewis in the Class 5A discus throw; Duane Davis of Woodland finished 12th in the Class 5A triple jump; and Cartersville’s Trevor Carlton placed ninth in the Class 4A discus throw and sixteenth in the Class 4A shot put. Local competitors on Friday are listed below with their qualifying times. The 2015 state meet continues through Saturday. FRIDAY, MAY 15 Class 3A 110 Meter Hurdles Jordan Character, Adairsville, 15.71 Class 4A 110 Meter Hurdles Anthony Wells, Cartersville, 15.76 Class 5A 110 Meter Hurdles Walter Brown, Cass, 15.61 Class 3A 300 Meter Hurdles Jordan Character, Adairsville, 41.55 Class 3A 3200 Meter Run Omar Morales, Adairsville, 10:46.39

The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes were extended to the final half inning of Game 3 by host Wayne County, but Carrington Evans delivered a liner over the centerfielder’s head in the bottom of the seventh for a game winning walk off RBI. The clutch hit clinched the quarterfinal series and propelled Cartersville into the Class 4A Final Four. It is the tenth time in the last seventeen years the ‘Canes have advanced to their classification’s state semifinals. Both teams had plenty of opportunities, but it was Cartersville that delivered the late rally after the Jackets had erased a 3-0 deficit. Wayne County out-hit the ‘Canes nine to eight, but the Yellow Jackets stranded twelve baserunners. Cartersville starting pitcher, Elliott Anderson kept Wayne County under control for 5 and 1/3 innings and had them scoreless when he left the mound in the sixth with a baserunner on board. Anderson struck out seven and yielded only one earned run on three hits and three walks. Lane Wilson, who relieved Anderson, picked up the pitching victory by going the final inning and two-thirds. Cartersville took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth scoring runs on an RBI walk by Anthony Seigler and a two-run double by Anderson. That lead held until the Yellow Jackets scored twice in the top of the sixth and tied it in the top of the seventh. Ford Townsend and Chase Hinson had the Wayne County RBI. Cartersville’s Jacob Fowler was 2-for-2 at the plate with a single in the third and seventh innings. Anderson had a pair of hits with his two RBI. Parker Tidwell and Elliott Berrey had hits along with the walk-off winner by Evans. The victory advances the Hurricanes to the Class 4A semifinals. They will host a best-of-three series with the Buford Wolves beginning Monday, May 18 with a doubleheader at Richard Bell Field and the Cartersville Baseball Complex. SEE ALSO: Jason Greenberg's story at The Daily Tribune News.

The following local high school track and field athletes are competing Thursday, May 14 through Saturday, May 16 at Memorial Stadium in Jefferson at the 2015 Boys State Track & Field Championships. Most events are preliminaries on Thursday and/or Friday with the finals on Saturday. Event and Classification, Athlete, School, Qualifying time, distance, etc. THURSDAY, MAY 14 Class 4A Discus Throw Trevor Carlton, Cartersville, 128-10 Class 4A Shot Put Trevor Carlton, Cartersville 44-11 Class 5A Triple Jump Duane Davis, Woodland, 45-01 Class 5A Discus Throw DaMek Lewis, Woodland, 157-00 Class 5A High Jump Walter Brown, Cass, 6-0 FRIDAY, MAY 15 Class 3A 110 Meter Hurdles Jordan Character, Adairsville, 15.71 Class 4A 110 Meter Hurdles Anthony Wells, Cartersville, 15.76 Class 5A 110 Meter Hurdles Walter Brown, Cass, 15.61 Class 3A 300 Meter Hurdles Jordan Character, Adairsville, 41.55 Class 3A 3200 Meter Run Omar Morales, Adairsville, 10:46.39 FINALS, SATURDAY, MAY 16 To be updated as information becomes available.

A pair of local collegiate baseball players are facing off today in their respective teams’ opening round game of the 2015 NCAA D-II College Baseball Southeast Regional. The University of North Georgia is set to play Georgia College and State University at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina at 11am Thursday (May 14). The NCAA D-II regionals continue across the nation Thursday through Sunday (May 17) with 8 regional winners advancing the the D-II World Series in Cary, NC. Former Cartersville High School standout (2010 grad), Colton Montgomery, has started all 50 games in 2015 for the Georgia College Bobcats and was penciled in to start in left field and bat seventh in the order. Former Adairsville standout (2011 graduate), Bo Edwards, has started 36 of the University of North Georgia games in 2015. Edwards was tabbed to hit third in the order and play right field in the Nighthawks’ NCAA regional opener. UNG carries a 35-15 record into the national tournament. Montgomery, a 6-foot, 205 senior, hit .309 in 188 at bats during the regular season and conference tournament as Georgia College rolled to a 33-17 record. Montgomery has totaled 8 homeruns and 38 RBI while carrying a .505 slugging percentage. Edwards, a 6-2, 210, redshirt junior, is hitting .293 in 133 at bats this season. He has 26 RBI and 4 homeruns on the season. All the NCAA D-II regional action may be followed at NCAA Division II Regionals