March 8, 2025 Mary Beth Hackney (shown vs. Allatoona) assisted on one of the Lady Canes' goals Friday in a 5-0 win over visiting Cass. The Cartersville Lady Canes started fast and controlled the action for most of the match Friday night, winning 5-0 at home against Cass at Weinman Stadium. Scout Hullander gave Cartersville a 1-0 lead in the opening minute off an assist from Annabelle Williams. The Hurricanes extended their lead to 2-0 at the intermission when Kiley McMichael finished off a feed from Mary Beth Hackney. In the second half, Hullander fed McMichael in the 52nd minute to make the score 3-0. Six minutes later, Annabelle Williams converted a nice 20-yard free kick into the top corner of the far post for a 4-0 lead. The final goal was an own goal off a Cass defender when Hullander made a lovely cross in front of the Lady Colonels’ net. Cartersville (1-4, 1-1) hosts Dalton on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Cass (0-6, 0-2) will host Hiram on Tuesday. NORTHWEST WHITFIELD 3, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 1 The Adairsville girls’ soccer team began Region 7-AAA play Friday night with a 3-1 home loss to Northwest Whitfield. The Lady Tigers, who won their first five non-region games, trailed 1-0 at halftime and were outshot by the visiting Bruins. Adairsville goalkeeper Chikondi Banda saved 17 shots in the loss. Alexa Damer scored the Lady Tigers’ goal in the 64th minute off an assist from Addi Jerauld. Adairsville assistant coach Amanda Jones commended the play of Samantha Gough. She was credited with making quick decisions and identifying gaps and key players for the Bruins that needed to be shut down. Coach Jones also noted Banda’s play in goal under challenging circumstances.  Northwest Whitfield improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in region matches. The Lady Tigers (5-1, 0-1) will host Calhoun on Tuesday for another region contest. DALTON 5, WOODLAND GIRLS 2 Woodland girls’ soccer fell to visiting Dalton Friday night 5-2 in a Region 7-AAAA match. The Woodland Lady Cats opened the scoring in the 27th minute when Bri Carver finished a feed from Sammi Espinosa to lead 1-0. Just over six minutes later, Dalton scored an equalizer, sending the teams to the intermission tied 1-1. Dalton scored two goals in the first eight minutes of the second half to lead 3-1, but Espinosa narrowed the margin to 3-2 in the 49th minute. Dalton answered with two more goals down the stretch. The Catamounts went ahead 4-2 in the 53rd minute and added an insurance goal in the 72nd minute. The Lady Catamounts improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in region play. Woodland (2-4, 1-1) will host Allatoona on Tuesday in a 6 p.m. kickoff.

March 7, 2025 The Cartersville High School Rifle Team will compete in the state tournament for the first time in program history. Although the Canes lost to Upson Lee in the second round of the playoffs on Feb. 27, their score qualified them for a consolation bracket alongside two other teams. The three-way tie was settled with a sudden death shootout on March 6.   With about a day’s notice, said JROTC Sr. Army Instructor and coach Edwin “Chief” Bonayon, the team traveled to Winder-Barrow High School to compete with Kendrick and Northside Columbus high schools for two relays. Chance Van Pelt, Bryson Newport, and Luis Rangel shot in Relay 1, with Lucy Evans and Maggie Sheffield shooting in Relay 2. The Canes won with 1130 points, securing the last spot in the State bracket.  Evans continued her dominant season by leading all shooters with 292. Sheffield followed at 281, with Rangel close behind at 280. Newport finished with a 277, and Van Pelt with a 272.  The Canes travel to Waycross to compete on Saturday, March 15.

March 6, 2025 The Georgia Highlands College men’s basketball team suffered a heartbreaking one-point loss on Wednesday night at South Georgia Tech in Americus. The loss diminishes the Chargers’ hopes of hosting a first-round tournament game in the upcoming Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association playoffs. The Chargers trailed 42-35 at halftime on Wednesday and rallied in the second half, only to come up short, 80-79. Jalexs Ewing led the Jets in scoring with 25 points. Hendrens Bartelus finished with a double-double — 14 points and 10 rebounds. South Georgia Tech moved into a three-way tie for third in the conference standings at 9-6. The Jets are 12-17 overall with one regular season game remaining at home against Gordon College on Saturday. The Chargers slipped to 8-7 in conference play and are tied for sixth with Central Georgia Tech. GHC (16-11) wraps up regular season play on Saturday at home against Southern Crescent Tech in a 3 p.m. tip.

March 6, 2025 The tennis teams at Cass and Woodland lost region matches on Thursday evening to Cedartown and Hiram, respectively. Cass results: CEDARTOWN 4, CASS GIRLS 1 Singles Line 1 — Carly Cagle lost 0-6, 1-6 Line 2 — Makenna Martin lost 0-6, 0-6 Line 3 — Vivienne Willingham lost 0-6, 0-6 Doubles Line 1 — Darianna Sosa/Rainey Parham won 6-2, 6-0 Line 2 — Bethany Batts/Aubrey Edmonds lost 6-3, 4-6, 3-6 CEDARTOWN 5, CASS BOYS 0 Singles Line 1 — Lincoln Ritter lost 4-6, 0-6 Line 2 — Acelin Mullinax lost 0-6, 1-6 Line 3 — Drake Brush lost 1-6, 0-6 Doubles Line 1 — Liam Herfurth/Jackson Armona lost 4-6, 3-6 Line 2 — Kirtan Maisuria/Zalen Lambert lost 4-6, 1-6 Cass hosts Hiram on Tuesday at Hamilton Crossing Park. Woodland results: HIRAM 4, WOODLAND GIRLS 1 Singles Line 1 — Diana Librado lost 1-6, 1-6 Line 2 — Ellie Holt lost 0-6, 0-6 Line 3 — Ella Bridges lost 3-6, 2-6 Doubles Line 1 — Caleigh Williams/Katie Anne Jones won 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 Line 2 — Skyler Lee/Sydlee Wade lost 0-6, 0-6 HIRAM 5, WOODLAND BOYS 0 Singles Line 1 — Hawke Johnson lost 1-6, 1-6 Line 2 — Kristof Reyes lost 2-6, 1-6 Line 3 — Woodland forfeit Doubles Line 1 — Cooper Slygh/John Dollar lost 0-6, 0-6 Line 2 — Christian Hudson/Mason Roberson lost 2-6, 3-6 Woodland hosts Cedartown in a Region 7-AAAA match on Tuesday.

March 6, 2025 Calhoun scored seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning Thursday night and defeated visiting Adairsville 9-3. The two teams struggled through three scoreless innings before Calhoun grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth on four walks and a single.  Adairsville went three-up and three-down in the top of the fifth and the Yellow Jackets sent thirteen men to the plate in the bottom of the frame to take full control. Calhoun used five hits, three walks, a hit batsman, and an error to produce their seven-run frame. The Tigers put four hits together with a Calhoun error in the top of the sixth to score three runs, but could not pull closer. Both teams finished with six hits. Hudson Parr (3.1 IP, 2ER, 1H, 3BB, 5K) started on the mound for Adairsville and was charged with the pitching loss. Kaiden Coker (1.2 IP, 7R, 0ER, 5H, 4BB, 3K) and Ethan Long (1 IP) pitched in relief. Jack Nelson had two hits and one RBI for the Tigers. Jarrett Scott (double), Harrison Cole, Peyton Bowen, and Brody Varner added one hit. Calhoun (6-5, 2-0) visits Adairsville (5-4, 0-2) on Friday at 5:30 p.m. to complete the three-game series.

March 6, 2025 The Adairsville girls’ soccer team scored eight goals in the first half Wednesday and cruised to a 10-0 home victory over Gordon Central.  Alexa Damer scored a hat trick of goals in the first 22 minutes for the Lady Tigers as they grabbed a 3-0 lead early. Alivia Joslin and Ella Edwards scored twice in the first half, and Zonya Gomez-Perez scored a goal in the 39th minute for a dominant halftime lead. Greer Cofield, Addi Jerauld, Braylynn Martin, Joslin, and Damer added first-half assists. The Lady Tigers padded their advantage in the second half. Ten minutes into the second half, Bella Brown scored off an assist from Emma Edwards, and Jerauld scored in the 54th minute on a feed from Damer. Adairsville (5-0) begins play in Region 7-AAA on Friday at home against Northwest Whitfield at 5 p.m. GORDON CENTRAL 1 (PK), ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 1  The Adairsville and Gordon Central boys’ soccer teams battled to a 1-1 draw in regulation on Wednesday night, but the visiting Warriors walked away with a victory on penalty kicks. Tigers’ goalkeeper Charlie Potter was credited with 25 saves in regulation to keep Adairsville in the contest that remained scoreless at the intermission. The Adairsville second-half goal came off the foot of Griffin Bozeman, assisted by Kydin Silverberg.  Gordon Central made all five penalty kicks in the extended session, with Adairsville converting only four. “The loss was heartbreaking, but the boys kept their composure late in the game and rallied together to force the shootout,” said Adairsville coach Jason McGuire after the game. Gordon Central (1-4) collected its first win of the season. The Tigers (3-2) will host Northwest Whitfield at 7 p.m. on Friday in their first Region 7-AAA match.

March 5, 2025 The Dave Hunter + Corky Kell Classic announced its four-day, 11-game football schedule this week, and it will once again include the Cass Colonels in a season-opening game at Barron Stadium in Rome. This will be the fourth straight season Cass has played in the Classiic, having previously faced Kennesaw Mountain, Rome, and Callaway. The event, which started in 1992, is played during the opening week each season. This year’s schedule features multiple games between perennial top-10 teams and will include one state champion — 3A-A private champ, Hebron Christian. The Dave Hunter + Corky Kell Class 2025 schedule: Wednesday, August 13 at Kell High School 4:30 p.m. — Prince Avenue Christian v. Callaway 8 pm — Kell v. South Paulding Thursday, August 14 at West Forsyth 4:30 p.m. — Hebron Christian v. North Atlanta 8 p.m. — Douglass v. West Forsyth Friday, August 15 at Buck Godfrey Stadium in Atlanta 2 p.m. — Therrell v. Cedar Grove Friday, August 15 at Barron Stadium in Rome 5 p.m. — LaGrange v. Cass 8 p.m. — Creekside v. Rome Saturday, August 16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta 10 a.m. — St. Pius X v. Dunwoody 1 p.m. — Brookwood v. Houston County 4 p.m. — McEachern v. Walton 7 p.m. — Douglas County v. North Gwinnett

March 5, 2025 The Georgia Highlands Chargers lost their conference opener at South Georgia State on Tuesday and took out some of their frustration Wednesday in a doubleheader sweep of visiting USC Salkehatchie.  GHC beat the Indians 22-0 in the opening game and 23-1 in Game 2 to sweep the two games. Both games only lasted 4-½ innings each. The Chargers had 27 hits on the day. Sixteen of those hits went for extra bases, including ten homers. Max Eichenberger tossed a five-inning shutout in the first game. He allowed three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. Five Georgia Highlands pitchers worked one inning each in Game 2, and each hurler had at least two strikeouts. Nic Kane, Ethan Fuller, Reece Robertson, Garrett Goblish, and Gavin Webster took the mound in the second game for the Chargers. Kenskey Thomas (three homers, two doubles, 11 RBI) and Ali Banks (homer, eight RBI) had six hits during the two games. Ryan Martin (four homers, double, nine RBI) and Grayson Godbee (homer, sac fly, three RBI) contributed five hits. Heath Whitlock had a homer and a double with five RBI. Wyatt Gatlin (double), Ian Fullerton (double), and Andrew Bishop (RBI) added one hit. Anthony Miller drove in two runs and Joe Johnson one. The two losses left USC Salkehatchee with a 1-19 record. Georgia Highlands (19-4, 0-1) has a conference doubleheader at Andrew College on Friday at 2 p.m.

March 5, 2025 The Adairsville High School tennis teams lost road matches Tuesday at Calhoun. The Tigers lost 5-0, and the Lady Tigers dropped four of five matches. Adairsville results: CALHOUN 5, ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 0 Singles Line 1 — Braden Mathis lost 2-6, 0-6 Line 2 — Caleb Sorrell lost 0-6, 0-6 Line 3 — Beckett Collin lost 0-6, 1-6 Doubles Line 1 — Canyon East/Caleb Black lost 0-6, 0-6 Line 2 — Ja’Sean Harper/Jaylin Simpson lost 0-6, 0-6 CALHOUN 4, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 1 Singles Line 1 — Adysen Garvey lost 7-6, 4-6, 0-1 Line 2 — Stella Rood lost 4-6, 3-6 Line 3 — Camdyn Collin lost 3-6, 2-6 Doubles Line 1 — Caroline O’Kelley/Allison Potter lost 1-6, 3-6 Line 2 — Sophie Hovatter/Gio Marroquin won 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 The Adairsville teams host Heritage-Catoosa on Thursday at Hamilton Crossing Park.

March 4, 2025 Region 7-AAAA play began on Tuesday night for local high school soccer teams, with the Woodland Lady Cats and the Cass Colonels garnering victories under very windy conditions. WOODLAND GIRLS 4, CEDARTOWN 1 The Lady Cats built on a 1-0 halftime lead with three second-half goals to win their Region 7-AAAA opener at Cedartown 4-1. Ansley Burns scored in the 16th minute off an assist from Libby Morgan for Woodland’s first-half advantage. In the second half, Bri Carver scored in the 48th minute and the 60th minute to give the Lady Cats a 3-0 lead. Carver’s first goal was unassisted. Burns assisted on the second score. Cedartown scored 24 seconds later to narrow the margin to 3-1, but Burns added her second goal of the night in the 66th minute off an assist from Carlie Forman to seal the victory. The loss dropped the Lady Bulldogs to 4-1 overall and 0-1 in region play. Woodland (2-3, 1-0) hosts Dalton on Friday. CASS BOYS 1, SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 0 The Cass boys’ soccer team kicked off region play with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Southeast Whitfield on Tuesday night in Cochran Stadium.  Kayden Pineda provided the decisive moment just seven minutes into the match, delivering a stunning finish from outside the box from Melvin Velasquez's well-placed assist. From there, both teams battled relentless winds in a tense contest with no additional goals.  Southeast Whitfield created several dangerous opportunities, but goalkeeper Saul Villela stood firm, making key saves to preserve the shutout. The defensive standout of the night was center-back Chris Mederos, whose commanding presence and timely interventions consistently thwarted the Raiders’ attacking threats. The loss left Southeast Whitfield with a 4-2 record overall and 0-1 to begin region play. Cass (3-3, 1-0) turns its attention to a region showdown at Cartersville on Friday, set for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. CEDARTOWN BOYS 5, WOODLAND 0 The host Bulldogs controlled play and defeated visiting Woodland on Tuesday night, 5-0, in a Region 7-AAAA opener for both teams. Cedartown (5-0, 1-0) led 2-0 at the intermission and added three more goals in the second half. Woodland goalkeeper Pedro Montalvo had 15 saves for the Wildcats. Woodland (2-3, 0-1) hosts Dalton on Friday. SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 4, CASS GIRLS 0 The visiting Lady Raiders improved to 5-2 on the season and 1-0 to begin Region 7-4A action with a 4-0 win at Cass. The Lady Colonels (0-5, 0-1) will visit Cartersville on Friday. ALLATOONA 9, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 0 The Allatoona Lady Buccaneers won at Cartersville on Tuesday night, 9-0, to open play for both teams in Region 7-AAAA. The Lady Bucs led 3-0 at halftime and added on in the second half, improving to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in region play. Cartersville (0-4, 0-1) hosts Cass on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ALLATOONA 7, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 1 The visiting Buccaneers scored three times in the first half and added four more goals in the second half to win at Cartersville on Tuesday night, 7-1. Allatoona improved to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in Region 7-AAAA. Cartersville (1-2, 0-1) hosts Cass on Friday in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

March 4, 2025 In Region 7-AAAA tennis action Tuesday night at Woodland High School, the Lady Cats defeated Cass 4-1, while the Cass boys beat Woodland 5-0. WOODLAND GIRLS 4, CASS 1 Singles Line 1 — Diana Librado (W) d. Carly Cagle (C), 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 Line 2 — Ellie Holt (W) d. Makenna Martin (C), 6-2, 6-3 Line 3 — Sarah Smith (W) d. Vivienne Willingham (C), 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 Doubles Line 1 — Darianna Sosa/Dainey Popham (C) d. Caleigh Williams/Ryleigh Hawley (W), 6-3, 7-6 Line 2 — Ella Bridges/Katie Anne Jones (W) d. Carleigh Higgins/Bethan Batts (C), 6-2, 6-0 CASS BOYS 5, WOODLAND 0 Singles Line 1 — Lincoln Ritter (C) d. Kaiden Holbrook (W), 6-4, 6-1 Line 2 — Acelin Mullinax (C) d. Hawke Johnson (W), 6-1, 6-0 Line 3 — Drake Brush (C) d. Kristof Reyes (W), 6-0, 6-0 Doubles Line 1 — Liam Herfurth/Nicolas Moser (C) d. John Dollar/Cooper Slygh (W), 6-0, 6-0 Line 2 — Jackson Armona/Kirtan Maisuria (C) d. Christian Hudson/Mason Roberson (W), 6-1, 6-2 Woodland will play region-foe Hiram on Thursday. The Lady Cats will host, and the Woodland boys will be on the road. Cass heads to Cedartown for a region match on Thursday.

March 4, 2025 Region schedules started for all four local high school baseball teams on Tuesday night. CASS 8, DALTON 2 Hunter Lovett The Colonels scored runs in each of the first five innings Tuesday night to take an 8-0 lead and held off the visiting Dalton Catamounts, 8-2. Cass starting pitcher Hunter Lovett allowed just one hit and one walk through the first five innings to keep Dalton off the scoreboard. Lovett fanned five in the game, including his 100th career strikeout. Chase Tatum (1 IP, 2ER, 1H, 2BB, 2K) and Nic Wright (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 0BB, 2K) worked one inning of relief each. To pace the Colonels' offense, Zach Stiles had three hits, including one double and two RBI. Jacob Johnson had two hits, including a solo home run in the second inning. Tatum (RBI) and Wright added one hit. The loss dropped Dalton to 5-2 overall and 0-1 in Region 7-AAAA. Cass (6-3, 1-0) makes the trip to Dalton on Friday for a doubleheader to complete the three-game series. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. ALLATOONA 8, CARTERSVILLE 0 Allatoona pitchers Cooper Underwood and Thomas McAuley combined for 15 strikeouts. They allowed only two hits Tuesday evening to blank the Purple Hurricanes, 8-0, in the opening game of their three-game Region 7-AAAA series in Acworth. Underwood, a Georgia Tech commit, went five innings and allowed one hit and one walk. The southpaw struck out twelve. McAuley worked the final two innings, allowing one hit and four walks. He fanned three. The matchup was scoreless through the first three innings. The Buccaneers (8-2, 1-0) broke the ice in the bottom of the fourth inning when Sam Tomczak hit a three-run homer. They added five more runs in the fifth inning. The big blow was a grand slam off the bat of Dylan Mancini. Avery Shiflett made the pitching start for Cartersville and worked the first four innings. He allowed three runs (two earned)  on three hits and three walks while striking out seven. Maddox Frazier (1ER, 2BB) and Nolan Elrod (2 IP, 4ER, 4H, 1BB, 1K) pitched in relief for the Hurricanes. Andrew Purdy and Brady Kerlin had one hit for the Canes (4-6, 0-1). The series continues Friday at Richard Bell Field with a 5 p.m. doubleheader. CEDARTOWN 5, WOODLAND 2 The Wildcats led 2-1 through four innings Tuesday night, but visiting Cedartown scored two runs in the fifth inning and added two more in the top of the seventh to win 5-2. Cedartown starter Samuel Formby struck out eleven in 6-⅔ innings to collect the pitching win. Everett Perkins entered with two outs in the seventh to record the final out. Formby (two RBI) and Gavin Allred had two hits for the Bulldogs. Christian Duran (5 IP, 3R, 1ER, 3H, 1BB, 2K) started on the mound for Woodland and was tagged with the loss. Lucas Baker (2 IP, 2R, 1ER, 3H, 1BB, 2K) pitched the final two frames.  Alfredo Romo had two hits, including one triple for the Wildcats. Conner Lujan (RBI), Baker, and Preston Sorrells added one hit each. Cedartown improved to 4-6 overall and 1-0 in Region 7-AAAA. Woodland (5-3, 0-1) visits Cedartown on Friday for a doubleheader to complete the three-game series. CALHOUN 10, ADAIRSVILLE 6 On Tuesday, the visiting Yellow Jackets scored seven runs in the last two innings for a come-from-behind Region 7-AAA win at Adairsville. The Tigers outhit Calhoun nine to eight but committed five errors, leading to four unearned runs. Peyton Bowen had three hits for Adairsville, including two doubles and one RBI. Ethan Long hit a leadoff homer in the first inning. Braxton Ryan (RBI), Isaac Burnett, Brody Varner, Jarrett Scott, and Harrison Cole added one hit for the Tigers. Adairsville utilized five pitchers in the series opener. Jack Nelson (0.2 IP, 3R, 2ER, 4H) entered as a relief pitcher with one out in the sixth inning and was tagged with the loss. Scott (3.2 IP, 3R, 0ER, 3H, 2BB, 6K) made the pitching start. Kaiden Coker (0.1 IP, 1BB), McCayden Hufstetler (1.1 IP, 3ER, 1H, 3BB, 3K), and Cole (1 IP, 1ER, 0H, 2BB) pitched in relief. The three-game series continues on Thursday and Friday. Calhoun (5-5, 1-0) will host on Thursday, and Adairsville (5-3, 0-1) will host on Friday.