February 9, 2025 Jaylee Long and Jett Johnson advanced to the GHSA State Finals Tournament. This weekend, two wrestlers from Adairsville High School secured victories in their respective weight class divisions at GHSA Section Tournaments, earning a spot in the GHSA State Finals Tournament, which will take place from Thursday through Saturday at the Macon Centreplex. Jaylee Long secured victory in the 100-pound weight category at the Girls Section D Tournament at East Jackson High School in Commerce. Long achieved a 3-0 record to claim the Section title. Jett Johnson achieved a 4-0 record to claim victory in the 285-pound category of the Class AAA Section B Tournament held at Chestatee High School in Gainesville.

August 7, 2025 The Georgia Highlands Chargers opened a home four-game weekend series with Pellissippi State CC by sweeping a doubleheader with the Panthers on Friday, 6-3 and 9-0. In the opener, Georgia Highlands trailed 1-0 early before posting two runs in the bottom of the third, fifth, and sixth innings to take a 6-1 lead. Pellissippi State scored two runs in the top of the seventh on a homerun but got no closer. Andrew Arnold made the Chargers’ pitching start and picked up the win. He allowed one earned run on two hits and three walks while striking out five. Jackson Greer (3 IP, 0R, 1H, 1K) worked the subsequent three frames on the mound, and Nic Kane (1 IP, 2ER, 3H, 1K) pitched in the seventh inning. Kenskey Thomas (two RBI), Ali Banks (double), Grayson Godbee (triple), and Caden Marcos (double, RBI) had two hits in Game 1. Heath Whitlock (double, RBI) and Andrew Bishop (solo HR) had the other Georgia Highlands hits. Anthony Miller drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. The Chargers’ Game 2 win was dominated by the shutout pitching performances of starter Max Eichenberger (6 IP, 0R, 0BB, 1H, 6K) and Calvin Koo (1 IP, 0R, 1BB, 3K). Ryan Martin had three hits, including a pair of homers and five RBI. Banks (two RBI), Tyler Phillips (double), and Caden Morris produced two hits. Thomas (RBI), Whitlock, Bishop (solo HR), and Godbee contributed one hit.  Georgia Highlands (5-0) and Pellissippi State (2-2) continue their series on Saturday at noon.

February 8, 2025 Georgia Highlands Softball swept a home doubleheader with USC Salkehatchie on Friday, winning 10-2 and 19-4. A five-run first inning sparked the Chargers in the opener. After the Indians narrowed the lead to 4-2, GHC struck for four more runs in the fifth inning to take command. Hannah Mounce (3 IP, 2R, 1ER, 3H, 1K) and Athens Hudson (3 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 3K) worked three innings in the circle each. In Game 2, the Chargers posted three runs or more in each of the first four innings to close out a five-inning victory. Chargers’ pitcher Grace Kendrick limited USC Salkehatchie to two earned runs on five hits and two walks. She fanned four. Sapphire Baker had three hits and four RBIs in the doubleheader for Georgia Highlands. Emma Darrow (two RBI), Ahmani Green (four RBI), Chloe Fowler, Ally Graden (RBI), and Hayden Joyner (four RBI) contributed two hits. Haylee Dishmon (two RBIs), Athens Hudson (two RBIs), Cayden Warren (two RBIs), and Mary Catherine Kimball (four RBIs) had one hit. Raeghan Thompson and Abbi Hall added one RBI. The Chargers (7-1) host a doubleheader with Cleveland State CC on Tuesday at 2 p.m. CHARGERS SPLIT DOUBLEHEADER AT GADSDEN STATE CC GHC Softball split a doubleheader at Gadsden State CC on Thursday, dropping the opener 6-4 before winning the second game 14-3. The Chargers scored single runs in the first three innings of the first game to grab a 3-0 lead, but the Cardinals posted four runs in the third inning and two more in the sixth to seal the victory. Grace Kendrick (5.2 IP, 6ER, 8H, 0BB, 2K) suffered the pitching loss for GHC. Athens Hudson (0.1 IP, 1BB, 1K) retired the final out in the sixth inning. The Chargers rebounded quickly in the second game and took a 10-0 lead by the middle of the fourth inning en route to a mercy run-rule five-inning win. Hayden Joyner allowed three earned runs on seven hits and two walks in the Chargers’ circle. She struck out five. Emma Darrow (triple) and Cayden Warren (double, two RBI) had four hits in the twin bill. Abbey Yates (two doubles, sac fly, three RBIs) followed with three hits in the two games. Hailey Love (double), Sapphire Barker (double, three RBIs), Haylee Dishmon, and Mary Catherine Kimball (double, three RBIs) produced two hits. Ahmani Green (triple, RBI) and Chloe Fowler (RBI) added one hit. The Chargers also stole five bases in each game to spark the offense.

February 8, 2025 The Adairsville High School basketball teams concluded their regular season schedules Friday night at LaFayette and picked up Region 7-AAA wins. Both teams now prepare for next week's Region 7-AAA tournament. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 44, LAFAYETTE 39 NaXyria Roberts The Lady Tigers outlasted the host Lady Ramblers Friday night, 44-39. LaFayette led 8-7 after the opening eight minutes, but Adairsville pulled ahead by halftime 21-18. The Lady Tigers extended their advantage to 33-25 by the end of the third quarter and held on in the fourth quarter for a five-point road win. NaXyria Roberts led Adairsville with 16 points. Ziyah Hicks followed with eight points, and Rihanna Crittenden added seven. Erin Grant paced the Ramblers (14-10, 3-8) with 19 points. The Adairsville girls (11-14, 4-8) will finish fifth in the region and avoid a Monday play-in game unless LaFayette upsets Calhoun on Saturday. The Region 7-AAA tournament begins Monday, with sites and pairings to be announced this weekend. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 61, LAFAYETTE 43 Xavious Nalls scored 41 points Friday night at LaFayette. Xavious Nalls made ten three-pointers Friday night and scored 41 points as the Tigers pulled away in the second half and cruised to a 61-43 region win at LaFayette. Adairsville led 17-13 by the end of the first quarter and 31-20 at halftime. The Tigers extended their lead to 52-37 by the end of the third period and won by 18. Tre Winters contributed 12 points for Adairsville. Ben Abernathy grabbed 13 rebounds and added six points. Khalas Finley led the Ramblers (13-11, 4-7) with 20 points. Adairsville (16-9, 10-2) holds the No. 2 spot in the Region 7-AAA standings and will receive a bye in the region tournament until the semifinals. The Tigers have won 10 of 11 entering post-season play. The tournament begins Monday, with sites and pairings to be finalized this weekend.  This past Thursday, the Tigers won a non-region game at Darlington 62-53.

February 7, 2025 The Georgia Highlands College men's basketball team was edged by Southern Crescent Tech on Wednesday night, 89-86, in Griffin. The conference tilt stayed tightly contested throughout, but the Tigers outscored the Chargers 49-40 in the second half to escape with a narrow conference win. Josh Cooper scored 18 points off the GHC bench to lead the scoring. Landen Williams followed with 13. Jay’Quan Nelson and Jordan Johnson produced 12 and 11 points, respectively, for the Chargers. Matthew Willis led Southern Crescent with 29 points. JaCarlin Dennis finished with 18 for the Tigers (4-17, 1-6). Georgia Highlands (12-7, 4-3) returns to action on Saturday at East Georgia State in a 3 p.m. tip.

February 6, 2025 On Thursday night, the Excel Christian Academy Eagles surged with 37 points in the third quarter, distancing themselves from Unity Christian School to secure an 80-51 victory in the GAPPS Region 1-A championship game played in Rome. Excel led 14-11 after one quarter and 33-21 at halftime before outscoring the Lions by twenty points in the third quarter for a comfortable lead. Evan Chappell led four Eagles in double figures with 19 points. Carter May finished with 14 points. Kaiyu Huffman and Jayden Jinks tossed in 12 points. TJ Hubert added eight for ECA. Andreo Sawyer scored a game-high 26 points to lead Unity Christian. Beau Matson contributed 11 points for the Lions (8-16). Excel Christian (16-8) advanced to the GAPPS State Tournament and will host their first game. The tournament's first round begins on Monday, and the quarterfinal round is February 14-15.   The final seeding for the state bracket has not yet been determined.

February 6, 2025 The Cass High School girls’ and boys’ tennis teams lost matches at Gordon Central on Thursday evening with the following results: GORDON CENTRAL 3, CASS GIRLS 2 Singles Line 1 — Carly Cagle lost 0-6, 0-6 Line 2 — Rainey Parham lost 0-6, 2-6 Line 3 — Makenna Martin won 3-6, 6-1, 10-8 Doubles Line 1 — Allison Garrett / Vivienne Willingham lost 1-6, 3-6 Line 2 — Trinity Allen / Carleigh Higgins won 6-1, 6-4 GORDON CENTRAL 3, CASS BOYS 2 Singles Line 1 — Acelin Mullinax lost 3-6, 0-6 Line 2 — Drake Brush won 6-3, 6-4 Line 3 — Liam Herferth won 6-2, 6-4 Doubles Line 1 —Zane Ajmal / Kirtan Maisuna lost 3-6, 1-6 Line 2 — Cass forfeit Next for the Colonels is a match against Adairsville on Tuesday at Hamilton Crossing Park.

February 6, 2025 The Woodland High School tennis teams lost to North Paulding Thursday evening with the following results: NORTH PAULDING 4, WOODLAND GIRLS 1 Singles Line 1 — Diana Librado lost 0-6, 0-6 Line 2 — Ellie Holt lost 1-6, 2-6 Line 3 — Ella Bridges lost 1-6, 0-6 Doubles Line 1 — Sarah Smith / Katie Anne Jones lost 3-6, 3-6 Line 2 — Caleigh Williams / Ryleigh Hawley won 6-3, 6-4 NORTH PAULDING 5, WOODLAND BOYS 0 Singles Line 1 — Kaiden Holbrook lost 1-6, 0-6 Line 2 — Hawke Johnson lost 2-6, 6-7 (8-10) Line 3 — John Dollar lost 0-6, 5-7 Doubles Line 1 — Christian Hudson / Kristof Reyes lost 0-6, 2-6 Line 2 — Woodland forfeit The Wildcats host Gordon Central on Monday.

February 6, 2025 The Adairsville Tigers started their 2025 tennis season Wednesday at Gordon Central with two victories. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 5, GORDON CENTRAL 0 Singles Line 1 — Adysen Garvey won 6-1, 7-6 Line 2 — Stella Rood won 6-3, 6-2 Line 3 — Camdyn Collin won 6-1, 6-2 Doubles Line 1 — Caroline O’Kelly/Presley Goble won 6-1, 7-6 Line 2 — Sophie Hovatter/Jamie Tanksley won 6-0, 6-1 ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 3, GORDON CENTRAL 2 Singles Line 1 — Braden Mathis lost 4-6, 4-6 Line 2 — Caleb Sorrell lost 2-6, 6-7 Line 3 — Becket Collin won 7-5, 6-4 Doubles Line 1 — Ja’Sean Harper/Caleb Black won 6-2, 6-2 Line 2 — Canyon East/Mark Story won 6-1, 6-0 Adairsville returns to action on Tuesday against Cass in a match at Hamilton Crossing Park.

February 5, 2025 The Cartersville High School girls’ and boys’ basketball teams completed their regular season schedules Wednesday night with a make-up game at Southeast Whitfield. The Lady Canes and Hurricanes rolled to easy Region 7-AAAA victories. The Cartersville girls won 73-28 and the boys won 92-30. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 73, SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 28 Jabryanna Henderson The Lady Canes powered to a 45-15 lead by halftime Wednesday night and eased to a 73-28 win at Southeast Whitfield. KK Arnold scored 27 points and added nine rebounds and six steals in the win. Trinity Montgomery finished with eight points, three rebounds, and three assists. Zoie Shiflett tallied seven points, five steals, and four rebounds. Jabryanna Henderson added six points. Johanna Ortiz scored nine points for the Lady Raiders (5-15, 4-10). The Lady Canes (17-8, 13-1) finished tied with Dalton for first place in the regular season and will be the No. 1-seed in next week’s Region 7-4A tournament by virtue of a coin toss. Cartersville receives a bye to the tournament semifinals, thus clinching a state playoff berth. They will play the survivor of games played Monday and Tuesday. Cedartown plays Woodland at 7 p.m. on Monday. The winner of that game plays Cass at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.  The survivor of those two games faces Cartersville at 7 p.m. on Thursday. All games in the region tournament will be played at Allatoona High School in Acworth. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 92, SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 30 James Lee The Canes raced to a 26-7 first quarter lead and were never threatened in a 92-30 win Wednesday night at Southeast Whitfield. Cartersville was ahead 58-11 at halftime and 77-23 at the end of the third quarter. James Lee scored 18 points with two rebounds and two steals for the Canes. Will Bishop finished with 13 points, five steals, four rebounds, and one blocked shot. Kyron McClendon totaled 11 points, four steals, and one rebound. Jordan Akins added nine points, three steals, and two rebounds. The Raiders finished their season winless at 0-24 overall and 0-14 in region play. Cartersville (15-10, 10-4) will receive an opening round bye in the Region 7-AAAA tournament next week and will begin play on Tuesday night. The final seeding and pairings for the tournament were not ready at the time of this release. The Region 7-AAAA tournament, which begins on Monday, will be hosted by Allatoona High School.

February 5, 2025 The Cartersville Lady Canes maintained pace at the top of the Region 7-4A standings Tuesday night with a blowout win over visiting Cedartown. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 64, CEDARTOWN 32 Zoie Shiflett The Lady Canes raced to a 43-9 lead by halftime and cruised to a 64-32 home win Tuesday night over Cedartown in Region 7-4A action. Zoie Shiflett led a balanced scoring attack for Cartersville with a double-double of ten points and ten rebounds. She added four assists. Senai Camper and KK Arnold scored nine points. Camper had three rebounds. Arnold added three assists. Allana Williams, Trinity Montgomery, and Zoe McCurry contributed seven points for the Lady Canes. Camilla Solomon scored 15 points for Cedartown (9-16, 6-8). The Cartersville girls (16-8, 12-1) wrap up the regular season and region play Wednesday at Southeast Whitfield in a 5 p.m. tip. CALHOUN 52, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 39 Visiting Calhoun outscored Adairsville 19-5 in the third quarter Tuesday night to take control of the game en route to a 52-39 Region 7-AAA win. Sa’Niah Dorsey led Calhoun with 16 points. Asia Milliam and Kat Atha added nine points for the Lady Yellow Jackets (13-8, 8-2). Lily Roberts paced the Lady Tigers with 12 points. NaXyria Roberts followed with 11, and Alivia Joslin added six points. The Adairsville girls (10-14, 3-8) wrap up regular season and region play on Friday at LaFayette in a 7 p.m. start. HIRAM 58, CASS GIRLS 30 The Lady Colonels managed only seven points in the second half Tuesday night and lost at Hiram, 58-30. Taylor Crawford led the Lady Hornets with 22 points. Damariah Windmon finished with 15 points for Hiram (11-13, 10-4). KK Evans scored 10 points for the Lady Colonels, and Cadie Paez scored nine. Cass (10-13, 7-7) awaits its seeding assignment in the Region 7-4A tournament that begins next week at Allatoona High School. OAKWOOD CHRISTIAN 56, EXCEL CHRISTIAN GIRLS 33 The Excel Christian Academy Lady Eagles (4-15) lost in the first round of the GAPPS Region 1-IA tournament Tuesday night to Oakwood Christian Academy, 56-33. Oakwood (11-7) advanced to the region tournament finals on Thursday against tournament host Unity Christian School. SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 57, WOODLAND GIRLS 23 The Woodland girls lost their regular season finale on Tuesday night, falling at Southeast Whitfield 57-23. The Lady Cats (1-25, 1-13) begin the Region 7-4A tournament on Monday at 7 p.m. against Cedartown. The tournament will be hosted by Allatoona High School.

February 5, 2025 Clifton Puckett, GHC Georgia Highlands College softball swept visiting Coastal Alabama-North on Tuesday at Carol Brown Field in Cartersville, 12-3 and 9-0, respectively. The wins put the Chargers at 4-0 on the young season under first-year head coach Tanner Robertson.   In Game 1, GHC used a 4-run 1 st  inning to jump out to an early lead, but Coastal Alabama responded with 3 2-out runs in the next inning. However, the Chargers rallied big in the bottom of the 3 rd  to take a commanding lead. Emmalee Freeman (Lee Co. HS) scored Cayden Warren (East Paulding HS) from second base with a single, and shortstop Sapphire Barkley (West Hall HS) followed with a 2-run single of her own. Abbey Yates (Bellevue HS) then scored Barkley with an RBI double.    The Chargers finished off the Coyotes in the 5 th  inning. Barkley opened the frame with a triple, and Cass High School product Faith Gauthier brought her home with a single. Emma Darrow (South Effingham HS) capped off the mercy-shortened game with a 2-run inside-the-park home run. Hayden Joyner pitched all five innings to earn her second win of the season.   Game 2 was less dramatic, with GHC scoring a couple of runs in the 1 st  and one in the 3 rd . In the 4 th  inning, Hailey Love (Hampton HS) began the runs parade with a double, and in the 5 th  ending, Gauthier ended the mercy-shortened game with another inside-the-park home run. Grace Kendrick pitched all five innings for her first win of the season.   The Chargers return to action Thursday as they visit Gadsden State for a doubleheader.