Woodland volleyball split a pair of home, non-region matches Tuesday with Model and Rockmart. Woodland defeated Model 25-22 and 25-17 in a straight set win, but lost to Rockmart 25-17, 25-16. Woodland is now 8-8 on the season. Next matches for Woodland: Thur Aug 27 — at Cass w/ Fannin County, 6pm Tue Sep 1 — at Creekview w/ Cass, 5:30pm Thur Sep 3 — at Hiram w/ East Paulding, 5pm

Cartersville softball improved to 4-5 on the season and won in region play for the first time this season with a 3-2 home victory over Ridgeland Tuesday. The Lady Canes are now 1-3 in region play. Tara Mathis struck out five in a complete game win in the circle for the Lady Canes. She allowed five hits and seven walks. Cartersville scored three runs on three hits — all in the fourth inning. Paris Poston, Taylor Waits, and Kennedy Bailey had the Cartersville hits while they built a 3-1 advantage. CARTERSVILLE 3, RIDGELAND 2 RIDGELAND —— 0-0-1-0-0-1-0 —— 2R | 4H | 1E CARTERSVILLE —— 0-0-0-3-0-0-x —— 3R | 3H | 2E Cartersville hitters: Molly Wilson — 1BB Brittany Huth — 1BB Kennedy Bailey — 1H, 1BB, 1RBI Madison McKinney — 1R, 1BB Tara Mathis — 1BB Colbi Ballard — 1BB Paris Poston — 1R, 1H Taylor Waits — 1R, 1H, 1BB, 2RBI Cartersville pitching: Tara Mathis — 7 IP, 4H, 2R, 0ER, 7BB, 5K Next games for Cartersville: Thur Aug 27 — PICKENS — 5:55pm Fri Aug 28 — vs. North Cobb (Buc Bash) — 5pm Fri Aug 28 — vs. Lowndes (Buc Bash ) — 8:30pm Sat Aug 29 — vs. South Cobb (Buc Bash) — 2:30pm Sat Aug 29 — at Buccaneer Bash — 4:30pm Tue Sep 1 — at Southeast Whitfield — 5:55pm

The Lady Wildcats' bats came alive at Sequoyah Tuesday night pounding out ten hits and a pair of homeruns in a 13-5 sub-region win. Courtney Godfrey (photo with coach Colman Roberts) homered and Shelby Rainey hit a grand slam as Woodland scored in five of six innings. Lilly Watson scattered six hit in the circle, walked only one, and struck out seven to earn the pitching victory. WOODLAND 13, SEQUOYAH 5 WOODLAND —— 2-0-2-6-1-2 — 13R | 10H | 2E SEQUOYAH —— 0-0-4-0-1-0 — 5R | 6H | 7E Woodland hitters: Kylie Knox — 1R, 3BB Taylor Calhoun — 1R, 1H, 1BB Kereston Franklin — 1R, 1H, 1BB Brittney Cox — 2R Courtney Godfrey — 2R, 3H, HR, 1BB, 2RBI Jamison Kilgo — 2R, 1H, 2BB, 1RBI Victoria Dabbs — 2R, 1H, 2RBI Shelby Rainey — 1R, 2H, 1BB, HR, 4RBI Brittney Griffith — 1BB Keri Cagle — 1R, 1H, 1BB, SacFly, 1RBI Woodland pitching: Lillly Watson — 6 IP, 3ER, 6H, 1BB, 7K Next games for Woodland: Fri Aug 28 — ARMUCHEE — 5pm Fri Aug 28 — COLUMBUS — 6:45pm Sat Aug 29 — CAMPBELL — 8:30am Sat Aug 29 — NORTHSIDE COLUMBUS — 10:30am Sat Aug 29 — DARLINGTON — 6:30pm Tue Sep 1 — at Creekview — 5:55pm Wed Sep 2 — DARLINGTON — 5:30pm Photo courtesy, Becky Dabbs

Adairsville softball was shutout Tuesday in a Region 6-AAA game at Murray County. The loss dropped the Lady Tigers to 3-6 overall and 1-3 in region play. MURRAY COUNTY 5, ADAIRSVILLE 0 MURRAY CO. —— 1-0-0-0-4-0-0 —— 5R | 6H | 0E ADAIRSVILLE —— 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 —— 0R | 6H | 3E Adairsville Hitters: Emily Collum — 1H Hannah Knapp — 1BB Loren Harris — 2H Morgan Deboard — 2H Havyn Isaac — 1H Adairsville Pitching: Loren Harris — 7 IP, 5R, 3ER, 6H, 5BB, 6K Next Games for Adairsville: Thur Aug 27 — at LFO — 6pm Mon Aug 31 — GORDON CENTRAL — 5:30pm Tue Sep 1 — at Coahulla Creek — 5:30pm

Excel Christian Academy softball lost at Trion Tuesday afternoon 12-4 in five innings. Whitney Harris scored twice and had a pair of hits to lead the Lady Eagles' offense. Brighton McCollum, Lindsay Mauldin, Taylor Gibson, and Xena Enos each added one hit. McCollum and Gibson scored one run apiece. Gibson (3 IP) and Aliza Baker (2 IP) split the pitching duties for ECA. The Lady Eagles host Mount Zion Thursday before traveling to Macon Saturday to take on Tatnall Square Academy (noon) and Stratford Academy (3pm).

Adairsville softball suffered a 5-0 region loss at Sonoraville Monday and managed only one hit in the contest. The Phoenix scored three times in the bottom of the first and added two more in the fifth for the margin of victory. Sonoraville totaled ten hits. Alyssa Hughs took the pitching loss for Adairsville although only three runs against her were earned. She struck out one and allowed one base on balls. Loren Harris pitched a scoreless inning also with one strikeout. Hannah Knapp had the lone hit for the Lady Tigers. It was a one-out single in the top of the first. She also stole a base in the opening frame. Adairsville managed five more baserunners on walks and batters hit by pitches, but could not muster another basehit. Next games for Adairsville: Tue Aug 25 — MURRAY CO. — 5:30pm Thur Aug 27 — at LFO — 6pm Mon Aug 31 — GORDON CENTRAL — 5:30pm Tue Sep 1 — at Coahulla Creek — 5:30pm

Cedartown pitcher, Ava Tillman, tossed a four inning no hitter Monday night against visiting Cass to win 12-0 in a non-region matchup. Tillman, who has committed to Ole Miss, walked four and struck out four. The Lady Bulldogs scored twice in the bottom of the first and pushed eight runs across in the third to put the game away. Cedartown closed out the victory with two more runs in the fourth. Cedartown totaled eleven hits. The Lady Colonels return to the diamond Thursday at Creekview and will play five games in a tournament Friday and Saturday at Stars Mill and South Paulding. Cass will face River Ridge and South Cobb Friday night at Stars Mill and will play South Paulding, Ridgeland, and Camden County on Saturday at South Paulding.

Seven PGA Tour stars affiliated with Cartersville Country Club's Scott Hamilton Golf Academy have advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs which begin this week at The Barclays. Acworth resident and former SHGA player, Jason Bohn, is also 33rd in the standings heading into the playoffs. Results from this past week on professional tours and how the SHGA players fared. The standings for the playoffs are also listed. PGA Tour Wyndham Championship August 20-23 / Sedgefield CC / Greensboro, NC Winner: Davis Love III (-17) over Jason Gore (-16) Scott Hamilton Golf Academy Players T31 — Harris English (-9) MC — Tom Gillis MC — Jim Renner MC — Boo Weekley MC — Brendon Todd ______________ The FedExCup Playoffs include four events at the end of the PGA TOUR Season -- The Barclays, Deutsche Bank Championship, BMW Championship and the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. The PGA TOUR Season standings determine the top-125 players who qualify for the first event, The Barclays. Each playoff event offers 2,000 points (quadruple the number of points during the PGA TOUR Regular Season). The second event, the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston, will have a 100-player field. The third tournament, the BMW Championship in Chicago, will have 70 players (with no cut). The finale, the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola in Atlanta, will be comprised of the top-30 qualifiers following the BMW Championship. Following a points reset, those players will compete for the FedExCup, with one to be crowned the FedExCup champion. Each tournament will have an $8 million purse in addition to the $35-million FedExCup bonus pool. FEDEXCUP PLAYOFF STANDINGS Leader: Jordan Spieth Scott Hamilton Golf Academy Players 22nd — Steven Bowditch 29th — Chris Kirk 33rd — Jason Bohn (Acworth resident, former SHGA player) 38th — Russell Henley 42nd — Harris English 53rd — Brendon Todd 60th — Boo Weekley 142nd — Tom Gillis FedExCup Playoffs Schedule: Aug 27-30 — The Barclays, Plainfield CC, Edison, NJ Sep 4-7 — Deutsche Bank Championship, TPC Boston, Norton, MA Sep 17-20 — BMW Championship, Conway Farms GC, Lake Forest, IL Sep 24-27 — TOUR Championship, East Lake GC, Atlanta, GA ______________ Champions Tour Boeing Classic August 21-23 / TPC Snoqualmie Ridge / Snoqualmie WA Winner: Billy Andrade (-9) over Bernhard Langer (-8) Scott Hamilton Golf Academy Players T42 — Joe Durant (+2) Next: Aug 28-30, Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, En-Joie GC, Endicott, NY ______________ WEB.com Tour News Sentinel Open by Pilot August 20-23 / Fox Den CC / Knoxville, TN Leader thru 54 holes: Matt Fast (-15) Scott Hamilton Golf Academy Players T26 — Hunter Hamrick (-9) T42 — Mark Silvers (-6) MC — Brent Witcher MC — Kelvin Day Next: Aug 27-30, WinCo Foods Portland Open, Pumpkin Ridge GC, North Plains, OR

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. _______________________ On Friday night, across the state of Georgia, the sound of cleats and pads will be heard for the first time in eight months for many Georgians. The smell of barbecue and burgers will waft through the air while fans clad in their school colors file into stadiums from Clayton to Bainbridge, from Kingsland to Trenton and all points between. Shops close early and downtown areas resemble a scene from the Walking Dead with its silence and lack of human activity. Businessmen in ties and farmers in overalls come together under the collective lights with the ever-present attitude of “this may be our year.” Rocks go into milk jugs, buttons with pictures of the hometown heroes adorn every momma’s shirt in the bleachers and nervous dads talk to other nervous dads about the other side’s giant offensive line or the opposing quarterback who supposedly threw a 70-yard bomb from his knees in yesterday’s practice. “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” “Louie Louie” and the occasional hip-hop song will blare out of the horns and beat out of the drums until feet meet the pigskin and high school football makes its grand entrance. It is a tradition that defines our state. In Bartow County, nowhere is this tradition more evident than when the Cass Colonels and Cartersville Purple Hurricanes meet on the field. It has been said that if a criminal wanted to rob somebody in Bartow and get away with it, the night of the Cass-Cartersville showdown is the night to do it. Every home from Pleasant Valley Road to Euharlee Road will be deserted. Only Wal-Mart and the Waffle House remain open for those who choose not to partake in the festivities. Yes, this game means everything to this community. However, if any outsider examined the history, they would probably wonder why this game is played at all. If one was to view the all-time record between Cass and Cartersville, several questions come to mind: Why does Cass continue to play this game? Why do fans bother to show up? Does Cass just enjoy pain? The all-time record as it stands before Friday night is 5-40, in favor of Cartersville. It began in 1956 and was all Purple and Gold for many years. In fact, Cass was winless in the series until 1983, which remains the Colonels’ best season to date. There have been some close ones, but those are exceeded by embarrassing blowouts and games that were over in a matter of minutes. The wins dot the landscape like tiny ponds in a giant desert of desolation. Glutton for punishment, thy name is Cass High. Being the fourth person in my family to graduate from Cass High, I have seen my share of these defeats. As a small child, I remember sitting at the Waffle House on Cass-White Road before the fourth quarter started because we could not stand to watch another second. I would drown my sorrows in sweet tea and scattered, smothered and covered hash browns, wondering if we would ever win again. Cartersville always seemed better prepared, more talented and exuded that swagger that Cass never could match. The series took a break from 1990-93 and was rekindled at Earl Cunningham Stadium on the night of September 16, 1994. I was 13 years old at the time and as luck would have it, I was one of the team managers for Cass High’s football team and my main job was the carrying the headset cord for head coach Bruce Miller. Coach Miller’s daughter was one of my best friends and in 1992, she asked me and a few other folks if we would help out with the team. It was a no-brainer for me and after helping out with wet footballs, catching extra points and carrying equipment, Coach decided that he wanted me to carry his headset cord full time. Up until that September night, several great things had taken place while I was there. The team went 0-10 in 1991 and the guys in 1992 were all fired up, many of them saying, “0-10, never again!” That season, the Colonels went 6-4, which was the first winning season since 1983. Although we did not make the playoffs, the feeling of that monkey coming off Coach’s back was wonderful. I witnessed my first bench clearing brawl at Gordon Central, where Coach picked me up and sat me behind the bench and said “don’t you move, boy!” Our running back body-slammed their linebacker right in front of me and I remember our safety doing his best Chuck Liddell impression, throwing haymakers at anyone from Gordon County. We won the game and the fight handily, the bus was about implode as we trekked home down Highway 41. There were some tough guys on that team – you don’t mess with folks from White, Cassville, Acworth and Emerson like that. 1993 was not as successful but there was a feeling that Cass was moving in the right direction. Yet, there was always that murmur around that we did not play Cartersville anymore. As if somehow, that winning season was tainted. This September night was not only about rekindling, it was about proving that Cass was no fluke. The entire week before, all of my friends from Cartersville were taking their shots: “Yep, we might as well play the JV in the first half.” “Maybe they’ll let us spot y’all two touchdowns to make it fun.” “Isn’t there a trailer park in y’all’s stadium?” After absorbing this and talking myself out of cherry-bombing their mailboxes, I figured I would just save the talking until after the game. As the guys warmed up, I looked over at the visiting bleachers, full of the smug faces I had seen all week. I could not wait to see our guys shut them up. As the sun started going down, I was standing next to Coach and I said, “Coach, I got a good feeling about tonight.” He replied, “Me and you both, son. We are ready.” Then he says into the headset, “let’s get one in the left-hand column tonight.” The game, if anyone recalls, was a slobber-knocking defensive struggle. With all the offensive talent that Cartersville had, our guys matched it with toughness and grit unlike I had ever seen. They heard all the jeers, the condescending comments and knew the history. I have never heard pads popping like that in my life, not even Between the Hedges in Athens, Georgia. Players on both teams were limping to the sidelines all night. This was years of frustration versus a program with a long history of success. The only scoring that took place was a blocked punt. One of our defensive backs came off the edge and blocked Cartersville’s punt into the end zone and we recovered. I was nearly stampeded by the extra point squad as all the coaches screamed and herded guys off and on the field. The feeling was too much apparently and we missed the extra point, leaving a 6-0 on the scoreboard. My heart sank, I just knew how this would turn out. I thought of all those times in the Waffle House, moping. As the fourth quarter trickled away, we punted to Cartersville to give them a chance to drive down and win. Their quarterback and number one receiver had been effective but could not find the end zone all night. Our defense was completely exhausted. Coach kept saying aloud, “c’mon boys, one more time!” I looked across the field and saw hands on hips, with faces hanging. No matter what happens, Cartersville will walk away respecting us tonight. It was not the cakewalk they expected. Seconds remained and Cartersville had marched down to our five-yard line. All I could think of was them scoring and kicking the extra point, beating us 7-6 and enduring a year of smack talk and trailer park references. Coach Miller was basically foaming at the mouth. Our defensive line coach was throwing hand signals so aggressively that he almost knocked out a ball boy. One freshman prayed aloud behind me. The Cass crowd was going absolutely ballistic, I heard combinations of cuss words that I did not know existed. The final snap lasted about three years. I saw it in slow motion. The quarterback backed up and then took it up the middle, as if the play was a designed draw. He had an open lane and he was fast, so I muttered, “oh God, no.” His footsteps crossed the four, the three, the two and then……BOOM. Our bespectacled linebacker came from nowhere and stuck him. They struggled for a split second and fell to the grass, short of the goal line. The clock read zero. Pure elation and insanity ensued. I will never forget Coach Miller addressing the team on the field after that. Despite the ugly past, it was all gone that night. Everybody hugged everybody. The feeling of pride and relief is unforgettable. I could not wait to get to the Quality Inn after church on Sunday, so I could rub it in to all the Methodists and Presbyterians behind me in line who not only lost on Friday, but were going to get the leftover fried chicken. We all walked a little taller in 1994. Despite the terribly one-sided numbers, I still enjoy this rivalry because of that night. We won a couple of more times in the late 90’s but nothing will match that first taste of victory. Momentum is firmly with Cartersville right now, but the game still must be played. This Cass team can channel their inner-1994 and crack the Canes just like those guys did. Pride can do amazing things when put to good use. If not, there is always the Waffle House.

The Woodland volleyball team went 4-1 over the weekend and won the Silver Bracket division of the "At the Rock" volleyball tournament at Rockmart High School. The Lady Wildcats defeated Chapel Hill, Haralson County, Bremen, and Adairsville to win their bracket. The lone loss was to Douglas County. This week, the Lady Wildcats have a home match against Rockmart and Model on Tue Aug 25, 5pm and they travel to Cass Thursday Aug 27 to face the Lady Colonels and Fannin County. Matches Thursday begin at 6pm. Photo courtesy Bartow/Polk FCA

Excel Christian Academy’s softball team opened the 2015 season at the Dalton Invitational this past Friday and Saturday winning once and dropping three games. The Lady Eagles found themselves down early to Dade County Friday afternoon, but battled back to tie their opener 4-4 before the Lady Wolverines scored twice in the final frame for a 6-4 win. Sophomore pitcher, Taylor Gibson, went the distance but suffered the pitching loss for the Eagles. Whitney Harris and Brighton McCollum were both 2-for-3 at the plate for Excel. In the nightcap, Sonoraville handed Excel a 12-5 loss. Freshman, Haley Owens, got her first high school start in the circle for the Lady Eagles. Gibson was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate in the loss. “We played pretty well against Dade even though we have a lot of players adjusting to new positions,” said ECA coach Eric Harris. “Owens did fine in her first pitching outing. We just made too many mistakes behind her against Sonoraville.” On Saturday morning, the Lady Eagles notched their first win of the year behind the pitching of junior Aliza Baker. Excel defeated Lovett 9-3. In the victory, Lindsay Mauldin was 3-for-3, while Hannah Cauthen and Gibson were both 2-for-2. Dalton defeated Excel 8-0 in the Lady Eagles’ final game of the weekend tournament. The Lady Catamounts broke open a close game with six runs in the fourth inning on their way to the shutout victory. Harris and McCollum had the only hits for Excel against Dalton. Gibson went the distance again in the circle. “Baker had not pitched in a while, but she did an outstanding job in the circle Saturday morning,” noted Harris. “We hung in there for a while with Dalton too. It was only 1-0 for a while, but they pulled away late.” The Lady Eagles tried to get their season opener played earlier last week at Walker, but lightening in the area forced that game to be postponed and replayed from the beginning although ECA was leading 2-1 early after a couple of delays. ECA is scheduled to play at Trion Tuesday (Aug 25) at 5:30pm before playing Mt. Zion at home on Thursday (Aug 27) at 4:30pm. The Eagles will then travel to Macon Saturday (Aug 29) for a double header playing Tattnall Square Academy and Stratford Academy.

The Adairsville Lady Tiger volleyball team brought home second place in the Silver Bracket at Rockmart's "At the Rock" volleyball tournament this past Saturday. Sierra Matthews had a great day and led Adairsville with 6 aces, 6 blocks, 34 kills, and 32 digs for the day. Chloe Powell added 17 aces, 6 kills and 54 digs. Aimee Pacheco totaled 9 aces, 3 kills, 3 digs, and 30 assists. Mackenzie Stephenson had 6 aces, 8 blocks, 11 kills, 12 digs, and 5 assists. Courtney Evans had 5 aces, 4 kills, and 20 digs. Lauren Hardin had 1 ace and 24 digs. Lauren James had 3 aces, and 11 digs. Logan O'Neal had 4 blocks and 4 kills. Josie Summerville had 6 blocks and 3 kills. The Lady Tigers are scheduled to take on Coahulla Creek and Calhoun at Coahulla Creek Tuesday (Aug 25) at 5pm. Adairsville also has matches this week against Armuchee and Calhoun on Thursday (Aug 27, 5pm) and will play in the Fannin County Rally at the Ridge Tournament Saturday, August 29.