February 16, 2025 The Cass Colonels won the GHSA Class AAAA State Traditional Wrestling Championship after winning the State Dual Championship in January. Cass has seven state titles in wrestling since 2006. The Cass Colonels’ wrestling team backed up its State Duals Championship in January with a 2025 Class AAAA State Traditional Tournament Championship this past weekend at the Macon Centreplex. Cass had competitors reach the State Finals Tournament in twelve of the fourteen weight classes, and nine of those qualifiers reached the podium. Cass senior Hunter Barrett won an individual state title in the 120-pound weight class and senior teammate Aiden Piatt captured the 144-pound division. Both Colonels won four bouts to claim championships in the 16-man State Finals brackets. The Colonels completed the tournament with 186 points. They were 26.5 points ahead of runner-up Central-Carroll and 43 points ahead of third place Woodland. Ola and Eastside rounded out the top five teams in Class AAAA. Cartersville finished 20th with 37.5 points. Three Cass grapplers earned state runner-up finishes with narrow losses in their state championship bouts. They were each 3-1 in their respective weight divisions. Freshman Hayden Trimm (106 pounds) lost 10-8 in his state title bout. Junior Mason Tompkins (175) dropped a 4-1 decision, and senior Kirecg Roe (190) was edged 7-6 in the finals. Other Colonels reaching the podium included Luka Jensen (third at 132, 4-1), David Jewell (fourth at 150, 3-2), Ethan Harrington (fifth at 157, 4-2), and John Abernathy (sixth at 285, 3-3). Codey Dean (215, 2-2), Gavin Walker (113, 1-2), and Rowdy Duck (138, 1-2) added Cass team points in the tournament. With this title, Cass has state traditional championships in 2006, 2022, and 2025 and state dual championships in 2008, 2022, 2024, and 2025. Zachary Wallace captured the 165-pound individual title for Woodland, while Wildcats Paul Lanier (157, 3-1) and John Gill (215, 3-1) finished state runner-up. Other Wildcat wrestlers reaching the podium included Adrian Zapata (126, 5-1, third place), Nick Weathersbee (106, 4-2, fourth place), Dylan Couey (138, 3-2, fifth place), Owen Jones (190, 4-2, fifth place), and Nathan Cates (132, 3-3, sixth place). Cartersville senior Talan Nix (150) went 4-1 and placed third in his weight class. In Class AAA, Adairsville’s Jett Johnson finished as state runner-up in the 285-pound division. Johnson won three straight bouts before falling in the finals. He scored 22 bracket points and single-handedly had the Tigers 25th in the AAA state tournament. In the GHSA Girls State Championships, Adairsville sophomore Jaylee Long was state runner-up in the 100-pound division. She won two bouts by pin and one by 5-0 decision to reach the title bout.

February 15, 2025 Xavious Nalls scored 19 points Saturday in the Region 7-AAA Championship game. The Adairsville Tigers battled with the Calhoun Yellow Jackets Saturday night for the Region 7-AAA tournament championship but came up short 61-48. The two teams had split games during the regular season, with each team winning on the road. Calhoun won the rubber game Saturday night at home for the region title, and both teams are expected to host first-round games in the Class AAA State Tournament, which begins on Wednesday. Calhoun led 14-9 after one period Saturday and pushed their lead to eight in the second quarter. Adairsville narrowed that margin late in the second period, and a Tre Winters dunk at the buzzer sent the Tigers to the intermission trailing 27-25. Tre Winters scored 12 points Saturday in the region title game. In the second half, the Yellow Jackets surged again and maintained a six to ten-point lead throughout most of the final two quarters. Calhoun led 43-36 at the end of the third period en route to a 13-point win. Trace Hawkins and Blake Hammett scored 16 points each to lead Calhoun. Trey Perkins tossed in 10 points, and Jaxon Moore added nine for the Jackets. Xavious Nalls led Adairsville with 19 points. Tre Winters followed with 12. Jamarian Pullum scored eight points. Tyrek Hames contributed six points, and Ben Abernathy scored three for the Tigers. Adairsville (17-10) and Calhoun (19-3) await their first-round opponents when the GHSA Post-Season Rankings for the Class AAA public schools are released on Sunday.

February 15, 2025 The Cartersville High School riflery team recently placed third in the Area 10 Championship Meet and earned the right to host a GHSA first-round playoff match on February 24. The Cartersville Rifles finished the regular season with an 11-3 record in head-to-head matches. Lucy Evans and Maggie Sheffield were both named to the All-Area Team. Evans was the top shooter in all three positions in Area 10. She has also qualified as an individual for the State Championship Meet.

February 15, 2025 Georgia Highlands College baseball won both games of a Friday doubleheader with Lincoln Trail College at Robert Bentley Field in Cartersville but in very different fashions. The Chargers built an early 5-0 lead in Game 1 and held on to win 7-3, but battled the Statesmen for seven innings and managed only two hits to escape with a 1-0 victory in the nightcap. Ryan Martin doubled and homered with two RBI in Game 1 to pace the GHC attack.  Andrew Arnold (5 IP, 3ER, 4H, 1BB, 5K) made the pitching start and collected the win on the mound. Jackson Greer (1 IP, 1K) and William Homan (1 IP, 2K, Save) worked scoreless frames to close the game. Kenton Collier, Anthony Miller, Kenskey Thomas, Heath Whitlock, Grayson Godbee (RBI), and Andrew Bishop (two RBI) added one hit. In the Chargers’ Game 2 win, Max Eichenberger scattered five hits with eight strikeouts across the first five innings while keeping Lincoln Trail off the scoreboard. Gavin Webster (1 IP, 0R, 0H), and Hunter Ward (1 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 1K, Save) kept the Statesmen off the board in the final two innings. Joe Johnson coaxed a one-out walk in the bottom of the fifth inning and later scored the game’s only run on an infield error off the bat of Ali Banks. Emiliano Dominguez had the only two GHC base hits in the game. Georgia Highlands (8-1) and Lincoln Trail (1-5) continue their series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon.

February 14, 2025 On Wednesday night, the Georgia Highlands College men's basketball team got back into the win column with a 91-58 victory over the Gordon State College Highlanders 91-58 in Rome. The GHC win snapped a three-game skid. The Chargers led 40-25 at the intermission and outscored Gordon 51-33 in the second half. They also shot 50 percent from the field and 34 percent from beyond the arc. Marquin Thompson (South Gwinnett HS) led the Chargers with 26 points. Cameron Baldwin (Allatoona HS) contributed five blocked shots. Georgia Highlands (13-8, 5-4 GCAA) has conference road games Saturday at Andrew College and Sunday at Albany Tech.

February 15, 2025 Georgia Highlands softball made it nine wins in the first ten games of the 2025 campaign Friday with a doubleheader sweep of visiting USC Sumter. The Chargers won 10-2 and 8-2 to make the current streak of wins five straight. In Game 1, GHC scored three times in the bottom of the first inning. After the Fire Ants narrowed the margin to 3-2, the Chargers posted seven runs over the subsequent two frames to put the game away in five innings. Grace Kendrick and Hayden Joyner shared the pitching duties in the first game and combined to scatter seven hits and one walk. The duo allowed just one earned run, and Kendrick had three strikeouts. Georgia Highlands started quickly again in Game 2, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning. USC Sumter scored two runs in the top of the fifth to cut the Chargers’ lead to 5-2 but would get no closer.  Maci Andrews and Ahmani Green shared time in the pitching circle in Game 2. The Chargers’ hurlers allowed five hits and six walks but no earned runs with six strikeouts. Emma Darrow had four hits and one RBI in the Friday doubleheader for the Chargers. Cayden Warren (two RBI) and Haylee Dishmon (triple, RBI) finished with three hits. Athens Hudson hit a pair of two-run homers, and Green totaled two hits, including a triple and one RBI. Mary Catherine Kimball (RBI), Faith Gauthier (RBI), Abbey Yates (RBI), Abbi Hall, and Andrews added one hit. Georgia Highlands (9-1) and USC Sumter (0-5) complete their series with a Saturday doubleheader at Carol Brown Field scheduled for 1 p.m.

February 15, 2025 The Adairsville Tigers hit two late-inning home runs Friday evening to take the lead and, later, put away the Cass Colonels 9-3. Braxton Ryan hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning, which put the Tigers ahead 4-3. In the next frame, Jarrett Scott hit a grand slam to build the Tigers a 9-3 final advantage. Cass led 3-1 through three innings and held a 3-2 margin heading into the bottom of the fifth off Tigers’ starting pitcher Jack Nelson (4 IP, 3R, 2ER, 2H, 3BB, 5K). Adairsville relievers Kaiden Coker (2 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 3K) and Scott (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 2BB, 2K), however, did not allow another Cass run, and Coker collected the pitching win. Scott paced the Adairsville offense with two hits and four RBI. Seven other Tigers contributed one hit, including Ryan (two RBI), Nelson (two RBI), Brody Varner, Isaac Burnett, Harrison Cole, Peyton Bowen (double), and Ethan Long. Long also reached base in each plate appearance with three walks. Hunter Lovett (double) and Zach Stiles had the only Cass hits. Landon Lamb and Nic Wright were credited with one RBI. The Colonels utilized five pitchers in the contest. Jacob Johnson (3 IP, 1ER, 4H, 2BB, 3K) made a start on the mound for Cass. Dustin Wallin (1 IP, 1R, 0ER, 0H, 2BB), Trenton Elario (1 IP, 2ER, 2H), Chase Tatum (0.1 IP, 3R, 2ER, 2BB, 1K), and Wright (0.2 IP, 2ER, 2H, 1BB, 1K) all toed the rubber for the Colonels. Adairsville (1-1) plays at Cartersville on Wednesday at 4 p.m. and has a doubleheader at Darlington on Saturday afternoon. Cass (1-1) will face Bremen, Cambridge, and Osborne on Friday night and Saturday afternoon at LakePoint in the Georgia Dugout Challenge.

February 15, 2025 Cass boys' soccer coach Justin Fitzgerald The Cass boys' soccer team, preseason ranked No. 3 in Class 4A, dropped a second straight match on Friday night to a Class 5A opponent. Despite a valiant effort, the Colonels fell to Rome 1-0 in a closely contested match. The lone goal came in the final five minutes of the first half, but Cass responded with resilience and determination throughout a scoreless second half. "Our young team controlled much of the game, creating numerous scoring opportunities but, unfortunately, was unable to find the back of the net," noted Cass coach Justin Fitzgerald. Chris Mederos was a standout for the Colonels at center back. He commanded much of the game and provided the foundation for Cass to press forward and maintain possession. Kayden Pineda covered an incredible amount of ground in the midfield, consistently winning the ball and driving the Colonels' efforts. "Despite our best efforts, time ran out before we could secure an equalizer," Fitzgerald added. Cass (1-2) hosts East Paulding following the school's winter break on Monday, February 24.

February 14, 2025 Pickens scored six runs early, and the Dragons’ pitching limited Woodland to only two hits Thursday night for a 12-2 five-inning win over the Wildcats in Jasper. The Dragons led 7-0 through four innings before Woodland got on the scoreboard. A base on balls and back-to-back singles by Woodland’s Sammy Ray and Preston Sorrells loaded the bases. A pitch hit Jonathan Ryan, and Conner Lujan coaxed a two-out walk to force the two Wildcats’ runs. Austin Daves made the pitching start for Woodland and was tagged with a loss. Tucker James (0.1 IP, 1ER, 1H), Kallen Reynolds (0.2 IP, 2ER, 0H, 2BB), Steven Tumlin (0.2 IP, 3ER, 1H, 1BB), and Zaylen Cochran (0.0 IP, 1H, 1BB) pitched for the Wildcats. Pickens improved to 3-0. Woodland (1-1) plays at Rome on Wednesday at 5:55 p.m.

February 14, 2025 The Cartersville High School tennis teams opened play this week by defeating Sequoyah on Tuesday and suffering narrow defeats to Darlington. The Cartersville results were as follows: CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 3, SEQUOYAH 2 Singles Line 1 — Chloie O'Banion won 6-4, 6-2 Line 2 — Chloe Bush won 6-2, 6-2 Line 3 — Bristol O'Banion lost 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 Doubles Line 1 — Taryn Bradley/Haylee Harris lost 5-7, 1-6 Line 2 — Katherine Bowen/Tateum Mealer won 7-5, 2-6, 1-0   CARTERSVILLE BOYS 4, SEQUOYAH 1 Singles Line 1 — Brock Wilson Won 6-2, 6-1 Line 2 — Walker Cooney Won 6-2, 6-0 Line 3 —Bryce Summey Won 6-2, 6-2 Doubles Line 1 — Julian Cline/ Ben Caswell Won 6-0, 6-2 Line 2 — River Gun/ Jack Johnson Lost 2-6, 6-6, 0-7 DARLINGTON 3, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 2   Singles  Line 1: Chloie O'Banion won 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 Line 2: Chloe Bush won 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 Line 3: Bristol O'Banion lost 2-6, 2-6 Doubles  Line 1: Taryn Bradley/Kaitlyn Shook lost 2-6, 3-6 Line 2: Lily Clark/Tateum Mealer lost 5-7, 6-3, 0-1 DARLINGTON 3, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 2   Singles Line 1: Brock Wilson lost 1-6, 0-6 Line 2: Walker Cooney lost 5-7, 4-6 Line 3: Jack Johnson lost 1-6, 0-6 Doubles Line 1: Julian Cline/Bryce Summey won 7-5, 6-4 Line 2: Ben Caswell/River Gunn won 6-0, 1-6, 1-0

February 13, 2025 The Lady Canes defeated local rival Cass Thursday night to reach the Region 7-AAAA championship game on Friday night. The Cartersville boys will play in the region's third-place game on Friday after falling to Dalton in the semifinals. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 61, CASS 40 KK Arnold The Lady Hurricanes pulled away in the second half Thursday night to defeat rival Cass, 61-40, in the semifinals of the Region 7-AAAA Tournament at Allatoona. Cartersville led 24-21 at the intermission but outscored the Lady Colonels 22-11 in the third quarter to build a 46-32 advantage and take control. KK Arnold led Cartersville with 17 points, and Senai Camper followed with 16. Zoe McCurry also reached double figures with 12 points. Arnold added seven steals and four rebounds. Camper had four steals and five rebounds. McCurry contributed six assists and five rebounds. KK Evans scored 18 points for the Lady Colonels, and Darianna Sosa scored 14. Cass (11-14) will play Hiram (12-14) in the Region 7-AAAA third-place game Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Allatoona High School. Cartersville (18-8) will face Dalton (23-3) in the championship game at 7 p.m. All four girls' teams in Friday’s games will advance to the Class AAAA State Tournament next Tuesday.  Cartersville and Dalton will host games. Cass and Hiram will have first-round road games. DALTON 55, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 45 Wyatt Thomason The Canes started slowly Thursday night but battled their way back into a competitive battle before falling to Dalton 55-45 in the Region 7-AAAA semifinals at Allatoona High School. The Catamounts led 11-2 in the first eight minutes, but Cartersville narrowed that margin to 21-18 at the intermission. Dalton pulled back ahead 35-26 by the end of the third quarter and held on in the final period for a 10-point win. Dalton had a balanced scoring attack. Kobi Cooper led the way with 15 points. Cole Loubscher followed with 12. Drew Snyder and CJ Weaver added 11 points for the Catamounts. Wyatt Thomason and Kyron McClendon finished with double-doubles. Thomason grabbed 11 rebounds and scored 10 points. McClendon contributed 10 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Nas Bennett led the scoring column for Cartersville with 17 points and added five boards and one steal. Grayson Warmack pitched in six points with four rebounds and Shakai Taylor added four rebounds. Dalton (15-11) advanced to the Region 7-AAAA championship game Friday night against host Allatoona (20-5).  Cartersville (16-11) will face Cedartown (15-13) in the third-place game on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Allatoona. All four boys' teams playing on Friday have secured state tournament berths. Dalton and Allatoona will host first-round games. Cartersville and Cedartown will have road games in the opening round next week.

February 13, 2025 The Woodland girls' and boys' soccer teams blanked visiting Rockmart Thursday night, while the Adairsville girls' team shut out visiting Hiram. WOODLAND GIRLS 8, ROCKMART 0 The Woodland girls’ soccer team opened the 2025 season Thursday night at home with an emphatic 8-0 blanking of visiting Rockmart. Ansley Burns scored three goals and assisted two more in the Lady Cats’ win. Brionna Carver also scored three goals. Maddie Weightman assisted on three of the scores. Carlie Forman contributed one goal and one assist. Sammie Espinoza scored an unassisted goal, and Allie York added one assist for Woodland. The Lady Cats (1-0) visit North Cobb on Tuesday for a 4 p.m. kickoff. WOODLAND BOYS 10, ROCKMART 0 The Wildcats scored five times each half Thursday night at home to swat the visiting Rockmart Yellow Jackets 10-0. Aiden Carrillo put the Wildcats on the scoreboard in the first five minutes on a goal assisted by Deiby Sanchez. Seven minutes later, Sanchez found the back of the net off an assist from Juan Mendoza. Edwin Vazquez and Juan Mendoza added unassisted goals before the intermission, and Alex Esteban scored on a penalty kick to put Woodland ahead 5-0 at the break. It was all Wildcats again in the second half. Sanchez scored his second goal and had a second assist. Danny Chavez, Hunter Limbaugh, Connor Henderson, and Marvin Morales scored goals. Mendoza, Esteban, and Abel Pineda produced second half assists. Starting goalkeeper Pedro Montalvo did not face a Rockmart shot. Seth Goodall played the second half in the net and made one save. Woodland (1-0) plays at North Cobb on Tuesday. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 10, HIRAM 0 The Lady Tigers scored six first-half goals Thursday night and controlled most of the action in a 10-0 home victory over the Lady Hornets of Hiram. Ella Edwards scored three goals in the first 20 minutes — each off feeds from Alexa Damer — as the Lady Tigers took charge in the early going. Damer also assisted on goals by Braylynn Martin and Addison Jerauld in the first half. Ella Edwards added her fourth goal of the game (unassisted) for a 6-0 advantage at the intermission. In the second minute of the second half, Damer scored off an assist from Ella Edwards. Zonya Gomez-Perez, Carly Edwards, and Ansley Standley scored the final three Adairsville goals. Jerauld and Martin had second-half assists. Goalkeeper Bethany Kilgore made a save on Hiram’s only shot on goal. Adairsville assistant coach Amanda Jones noted the efforts of Baylynn Martin and Jacksyn Elrod following the win. “Braylynn showed she could play deep into the game and performed well in multiple positions. She carried the ball, made great passes, put some shots on goal, and fed some nice crosses. Jacksyn works her zone so well. She has improved defensively and on offense, sending balls upfield to drive the attack.” The Lady Tigers (2-0) have their first road match on February 25 at Pickens.