December 11, 2024 The Woodland High School swim team won a tri-meet Tuesday evening at the Adairsville High pool, with Cartersville finishing runner-up and Cass third. The Woodland boys scored 105 points, and the Lady Cats scored 102 of the winning 207 total. The Cartersville girls (93) and Cartersville boys (89) totaled 182. The Cass boys scored 38 points, and the Lady Colonels scored 36 of their 74 points. Event winners: Boys 200-yard medley relay — Woodland — Grayson Moore, Isaiah Muriel, Isaac Muriel, Kadin Keith (1:54.76). Girls 200-yard medley relay — Woodland — Emily Guin, Peighton Young, Natalie Guin, Paisley Harp (2:14.87) Boys 200-yard freestyle — Cartersville — Nate Rives (2:25.19) Girls 200-yard freestyle — Woodland —Jomana Edens (2:52.77) Boys 200-yard individual medley — Woodland — Grayson Moore (2:14.33) Girls 200-yard individual medley — Woodland — Natalie Guin (2:58.76) Boys 50-yard freestyle — Woodland — Isaac Muriel (24.76) Girls 50-yard freestyle — Woodland — Emily Guin (29.20) Boys 100-yard butterfly — Woodland — Kadin Keith (1:21.46) Girls 100-yard butterfly — Cartersville — Sophia Burns (1:14.72) Boys 100-yard freestyle — Woodland — Isaiah Muriel (53.99) Girls 100-yard freestyle — Woodland — Paisley Harp (1:10.79) Boys 500-yard freestyle — Cartersville — Tripp Chitwood (7:22.36) Girls 500-yard freestyle — Cartersville — Layne Callan (7:53.67) Boys 200-yard freestyle relay — Woodland — Isaiah Muriel, Kadin Keith, Isaac Muriel, Grayson Moore (1:38.53) Girls 200-yard freestyle relay — Cartersville — Sophia Burns, Layne Callan, Laney Saunders, Adahyln Womack (1:57.79) Boys 100-yard backstroke — Woodland — Grayson Moore (58.36) Girls 100-yard backstroke — Woodland — Emily Guin (1:20.36) Boys 100-yard breaststroke — Cass — Alex Mendoza (1:36.57) Girls 100-yard breaststroke — Cartersville — Sophia Burns (1:16.92) Boys 400-yard freestyle relay — Cass — Sawyer Foy, Christopher Rosi, Timothy Roach, Brandon Silva-Escuen (4:30.76) Girls 400-yard freestyle relay — Woodland — Jomana Edens, Haley Garcia, Sarah Reyes, Karynne McKenney (5:28.86) Woodland will participate in the Adairsville High Whoville Classic on Saturday. Cass will compete at the Darlington Invitational on Saturday, and Cartersville is scheduled to swim in a meet at Rome next Tuesday.

December 10, 2024 Wyatt Thomason The Cartersville girls and boys basketball teams swept games at Cass on Tuesday night, and Woodland girls’ coach Whitney Harris picked up her first career win in local high school basketball action. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 52, CASS 51 The Cartersville boys edged host Cass on Tuesday night 52-51 in a game that went down to a final missed shot. The Colonels led 11-8 after one quarter and 31-23 at halftime before the Canes outscored their hosts 17-4 in the third quarter to take a 40-35 lead. Nas Bennett paced Cartersville with 20 points. Wyatt Thomason scored 13, and Jake Johnson added 10 for the Canes. Dylan Miller and Jason Brown scored 16 points for the Colonels. Comari Nettles added ten. Cartersville (3-3, 1-2) hosts Hiram on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Trion on Saturday at 3 p.m. Cass (4-5, 2-1) hosts Cedartown on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and visits Unity Christian School on Saturday for a 5:30 p.m. tip. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 65, CASS 14 The Lady Canes led 42-10 by halftime and cruised to a 65-14 Region 7-4A win Tuesday night at Cass. Senai Camper scored a game-high 17 points for Cartersville. Blakely Morris finished with 11 points. Zoie Shiflett and Kaytlin Arnold contributed ten points each. Rahkia Pace and Bayley Stanley added eight and five points, respectively. Cadie Paez scored seven points for the Lady Colonels. Cass (4-5, 2-1) hosts Cedartown on Friday at 6 p.m. and plays at Unity Christian on Saturday at 4 p.m. Cartersville (4-5, 3-0) hosts Adairsville on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Hiram on Friday at 6 p.m. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 60, HERITAGE-CATOOSA 52 The Tigers held off visiting Heritage-Catoosa down the stretch Tuesday night for a 60-52 win in Region 7-AAA action. The game was tied at halftime at 30-30. Adairsville held a narrow 44-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The loss dropped the Generals to 3-3 overall and 0-2 in region play. Maddox Henry and Cooper Bell scored 12 points for Heritage. “Ugly win, but a win nonetheless, said Tigers’ head coach Alex Disbrow. “Winning ugly is better than losing pretty. We had a sluggish night on offense and defense.”  Ben Abernathy had a double-double for Adairsville with 18 rebounds and 10 points.  Adairsville (4-3, 2-0) plays another region game on Friday at 8:30 p.m. at Northwest Whitfield. HERITAGE-CATOOSA 44, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 22 The visiting Lady Generals outscored the Adairsville Lady Tigers 25-10 in the second half Tuesday night en route to a 44-22 Region 7-AAA win. Kayla Lopez led Heritage (5-3, 1-1) with 15 points. Macie Collins scored 12 for the Lady Generals.  NaXyria Roberts scored 12 points for Adairsville. The Lady Tigers (4-5, 1-1) play at Cartersville on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and visit Northwest Whitfield for another region game on Friday at 7 p.m. WOODLAND GIRLS 41, ALLATOONA 39 Woodland coach Whitney Harris First-year Lady Cats’ coach Whitney Harris picked up her first career win Tuesday night at Allatoona, 41-39. Woodland led 20-17 at halftime and extended the lead to 32-22 by the end of the third quarter. The Lady Cats held off the Lady Buccaneers in the final period for a two-point region win. Alana Carnes scored 12 points for Woodland. Bitsy Hartsfield and Bailey Sakacsi added eight. Nevaeh Smith-Ferman contributed seven points. Sophie Macurak led Allatoona (1-7, 0-3) with 17 points. Woodland (1-10, 1-2) returns to action on Friday at Dalton at 6 p.m. ALLATOONA 77, WOODLAND BOYS 54 The host Buccaneers stayed unbeaten in Region 7-4A play Tuesday night with a 77-54 victory over Woodland.  Allatoona built a 47-28 lead by halftime and rolled to a 23-point region win. Dean Salisby and Andre Dupree led Allatoona (5-4, 3-0) with 21 and 18 points, respectively. Woodland got 18 points from Amir Heath. Bryson Van Tonder contributed nine points. Jayden Metcalf scored eight, and Tylen Metcalf added seven points. Woodland (3-7, 0-3) visits Dalton on Friday for an 8:30 p.m. tip. EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 70, UNITY CHRISTIAN 37 Kaiyu Huffman poured in 18 points, and Jorge Ricardo tossed in 11 as the Eagles defeated visiting Unity Christian on Tuesday night in Emerson. Excel led 45-23 by halftime and cruised to their first region win of the season. Gentry Allen led the Lions (0-6, 0-1) with 13 points. Excel Christian (6-4, 1-0) hosts Praise Academy on Thursday and Oakwood Christian on Friday. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.

December 9, 2024 Clockwise starting top left: Caleb Henson, Jaxon Smith, Angel Banda, and Lee Camp Local college wrestlers led the way this past week with performances at tournaments nationwide. Former Woodland star Caleb Henson won the prestigious Las Vegas Cliff Keen Invitational; former Wildcat Jaxon Smith won the George Mason Patriot Open; and former Adairsville grappler Angel Banda and former Cass wrestler Lee Camp shared co-champion titles at the Conner Oppenheimer Open hosted by Doane University (Nebraska). CHINA - CBA BASKETBALL ASHTON HAGANS — Xinjiang Flying Tigers (5th yr. pro; Cartersville native; University of Kentucky; Newton HS) … totaled 37 points, five steals, and six rebounds as the Flying Tigers beat Ningbo but lost to Guangsha. Xinjiang (11-3) hosts Liaoning and Jillin this week. FOOTBALL SHADRE HURST — Tulane University (So., Cartersville HS) … a season-long starter on the Green Wave’s offensive line that helped produce 324 yards of total offense this past Friday in a 35-14 American Athletic Conference Championship Game loss to Army in West Point, New York. Tulane (9-4) will play Florida on December 20 in the Gasparilla Bowl. Sacovie White SACOVIE WHITE — University of Georgia (Fr., Cass HS) … saw limited action with no stat line in the Bulldogs’ 22-19 Southeastern Conference Championship Game win in overtime over Texas. White is allowed to participate in post-season games without impact on his redshirt eligibility this season. Georgia (11-2) is the No. 2 seed in the 12-team College Football Playoffs and will play the Notre Dame/Indiana winner in the quarterfinals. Georgia’s quarterfinal will be the night of January 1 at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. WRESTLING ANGEL BANDA — Reinhardt University (Sr., Adairsville HS) … won four straight bouts to reach the finals in the Open 125-pound division this past Saturday at the Conner Oppenheimer Open hosted by Doane University (Nebraska). Banda and Eagles teammate Lee Camp were the finalists in the division and did not go head-to-head. They were named co-champions. LEE CAMP — Reinhardt University (Fr., Cass HS) … won three straight bouts to reach the finals in the Open 125-pound division this past Saturday at the Conner Oppenheimer Open hosted by Doane University (Nebraska). Camp, now ranked No. 12 nationally in NAIA, and Eagles teammate Angel Banda, ranked No. 20 at 133 pounds, were the finalists and did not go head-to-head. They were named co-champions. KYLE GOLLHOFER — University of Northern Iowa (R-Sr., Woodland HS) … went 3-2 in the 125-pound division of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational this past weekend. The Panthers host Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday in a dual match. CALEB HENSON — Virginia Tech (Jr., Woodland HS) … went 5-0 and won the 149-pound division of the 2024 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational this past weekend. Henson is ranked No. 1 nationally in his weight class. The Hokies return to action on Thursday, Dec. 19 at Oklahoma State. BRYCE KRESHO — Franklin & Marshall College (Jr., Cass HS) … went 2-1 in the 141-pound division at the 2024 George Mason University Patriot Open this past Sunday. Next on the schedule for the Diplomats is the Sheridan Open in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on December 20. TYLER-XAVIER McKNIGHT — Davidson College (So., Cass HS) … defeated his opponent by technical fall (20-3) last Friday in the Wildcats’ 22-21 loss at Duke. It was McKnight’s eleventh win of the season. This past Sunday, he also suffered a 12-10 loss in a 30-10 team loss to Edinboro University (Pennsylvania). The Wildcats host American University on Sunday. JAXON SMITH — University of Maryland (R-Jr., Woodland HS) … took home the 184-pound division title this past weekend at the George Mason Patriot Open. Smith, ranked seventh nationally, picked up three wins, including two over ranked opponents. Maryland faces Pittsburgh, South Dakota State, and Rider on December 20 in Lawrenceville, NJ. JABRIL WILLIAMS — Midway University (Graduate Student, Cartersville HS) … won by pin at 165 pounds this past Friday in a 42-13 Eagles’ win at the University of Pikeville (Kentucky). Midway will face Brewton-Parker College, Andrew College, Keiser University, and Reinhardt University on Saturday at the Smokey Mountain Duals in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. ANETRA WITHERSPOON — Life University (Fr., Cartersville HS) … lost twice in bouts at 180 pounds but picked up two wins by forfeit as the Runnin’ Eagles participated at the University of Cumberlands Patriot Duals. Life went 6-1 in duals with Campbellsville University, Lindsey Wilson College, Indiana Tech, and the host Patriots. The Eagles return to action December 29-30 at the Soldier Salute in Iowa City, Iowa. BASKETBALL BRAXTON BENHAM — Berry College (Sr., Cass HS) … scored 13 points with seven rebounds and four assists last Friday in a 104-80 win at home over Pfeiffer University. The Vikings (4-3) will play East Texas Baptist in the LaGrange College tournament on Saturday. NA’YEL CAMPER — Reinhardt University (Fr., Cartersville HS) … totaled nine points, ten rebounds, four steals, and three assists in wins last week at Truett-McConnell University and Union Commonwealth University. The Lady Eagles (9-3, 5-1 Appalachian Athletic Conference) visit Columbia International on Tuesday and host St. Thomas University on Thursday. JA’KA’YAH DRAUGHN — Chattanooga State CC (So., Cartersville HS) … scored five points with one steal, one assist, and one rebound last Wednesday (Dec. 4) in a 60-36 home loss to Walters State CC. The Lady Tigers also lost to Wallace State-Hanceville CC at home this past Friday. Chattanooga State (8-2, 5-1 TCCAA) visits Gadsden State CC on Wednesday and plays at Wallace State-Hanceville on Saturday afternoon. ANSLEY GRIFFIN — North Carolina Wesleyan University (Fr., Cartersville HS) … saw brief action in losses last week at Brevard and Christopher Newport. She totaled one point, one rebound, and one assist. The Battlin’ Bishops also had a win at Pfeiffer University during the week. North Carolina Wesleyan (4-4, 1-1 Conference USA South) hosts Southern Virginia on Friday and Piedmont University on Sunday. ZION HAYES — Weatherford CC (Fr., Cass HS) … scored three points and had one blocked shot in a 66-64 loss on Dec. 3 at Paris Junior College. The Coyotes (4-5) play at Howard College on Tuesday and at Dallas College-Cedar Valley on Saturday. DAVID JINKS — University of Maine-Augusta (Fr., Excel Christian Academy) … saw action but had no stat line in two games last week. The Moose (2-9, 2-4) beat New Hampshire Tech but lost to Vermont State-Randolph and Paul Smith’s College. Maine-Augusta hosts Washington County CC on Wednesday, plays at Vermont State-Johnson on Friday, and at Word of Life on Saturday. HALEY JOHNSON — Reinhardt University (Jr., Cass HS) … totaled 16 points with six rebounds,  five assists, and three steals in wins last week at Truett McConnell and Union Commonwealth. The Lady Eagles (9-3, 5-1 Appalachian Athletic Conference) visit Columbia International on Tuesday and host St. Thomas University on Thursday. KEARA McDANIEL — Toccoa Falls College (Jr., Cass HS) … had one rebound and one assist Dec. 2 in a 60-33 Screamin’ Eagles home loss to Clinton College (SC). This past Monday (Dec. 9), she had nine points, four assists, and two steals in an 82-73 victory at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Toccoa Falls (1-9) returns to action on January 6 at home against Paine College. MEGAN SCHULTZ — Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (Fr., Woodland HS) … scored five points with one rebound last Saturday in an 81-57 home loss to College of Coastal Georgia. She added one rebound on Monday in an 82-73 home loss to Toccoa Falls College. The Fillies (5-7, 0-2 Southern States Athletic Conference) visit College of Coastal Georgia on Saturday. LONDAISHA SMITH — St. Andrews University (Sr., Cass HS) … scored ten points with 15 rebounds,  three steals, and one blocked shot last week as the Lady Knights lost at Montreat (NC) and won a home game with Brenau University. St. Andrews (4-7, 2-4 Appalachian Athletic Conference) hosts St. Thomas University on Friday night.

December 8, 2024 The Woodland swim team finished first overall, and Adairsville was second at the 10-team Adairsville High School Tiger Plunge meet this past Saturday.  Woodland’s girls scored 466 points to lead the Wildcats, and the Adairsville boys posted 482 points to lead their team.  Bremen was third overall, followed by Pickens and Northwest Whitfield, rounding out the top five teams. Top local swimmer results: First Place Woodland girls 200-yard medley relay — Emily Guin, Peighton Young, Natalie Guin, Paisley Harp (2:13.74) Adairsville boys 200-yard freestyle relay — Gabriel Greenway, Dylan Barrett, Andrew Harris, Brayden Rizer (1:41.77) Woodland girls 200-yard freestyle relay — Natalie Guin, Karynne McKenney, Paisley Harp, Emily Guin (2:00.85) Adairsville boys 400-yard freestyle relay — Gabriel Greenway, Eli Burke, Andrew Harris, Brayden Rizer (3:53.75) Boys 200-yard individual medley — Gabriel Greenway, Adairsville (2:19.17) Girls 100-yard butterfly — Natalie Guin, Woodland (1:16.35) Boys 100-yard freestyle — Isaiah Muriel, Woodland (55.20) Boys 500-yard freestyle — Isaac Muriel, Woodland (6:32.66) Boys 100-yard breaststroke — Brayden Rizer, Adairsville (1:06.61, state qualifying time) Girls 100 yard breaststroke — Ella Bailey, Adairsville (1:23.91) Second Place Adairsville boys 200-yard medley relay — Brian Allen, Dylan Barrett, Eli Burke, Toby Johnson (2:02.43) Woodland boys 200-yard freestyle relay — Kaleb Dennis, Joel McSwain, Grant Davenport, Isaiah Muriel (1:48.22) Woodland boys 400-yard freestyle relay — Isaiah Muriel, Gavin Hubbard, Kadin Keith, Isaac Muriel (4:03.44) Woodland girls 400-yard freestyle relay — Karynne McKenney, Peighton Young, Jomana Edens, Ireland Perkins (5:31.62) Girls 200-yard freestyle — Harper Lee, Adairsville (2:41.64) Boys 200-yard freestyle —  Andrew Harris, Adairsville (2:14.39) Boys 200-yard individual medley — Brayden Rizer, Adairsville (2:20.29) Girls 50-yard freestyle — Emily Guin, Adairsville (29.10) Boys 100-yard butterfly — Gabriel Greenway, Adairsville (1:02.48) Boys 500-yard freestyle — Hayden Erickson, Adairsville (7:44.84) Girls 500-yard freestyle — Harper Lee, Adairsville (7:03.92) Both teams will compete in the Adairsville High School Whoville Classic on Saturday.

December 8, 2024 The Adairsville High wrestling team finished eleventh of thirteen teams this past Saturday at the Dalton High Carpet Capital Invitational. The McCallie School of Chattanooga and Thompson tied for the top spot at the event, followed by Toombs County, Ringgold, and Heritage-Catoosa. Top results for Adairsville: 106 — Jonathan Ringwell, 7th place (2-2) 138 — Braxton Elrod, 8th place (2-3) 138 — Madden Boyce (1-2) 157 — Victor Singer, 5th place (4-1) 165 — Jay Chancey, 5th place (4-1) 175 — David Coon, 6th place (2-2) 285 — Jett Johnson, 1st place (3-0, two pins and one major decision) Next for the Tigers is the McCallie Invitational on Friday and Saturday. The Cartersville High wrestling team competed on Saturday at the 22-team North Atlanta High School Invitational. No team scores were kept with schools allowed to enter more than one participant in a weight class. Top results for Cartersville: 113 — Jair Flores, 4th place (2-2) 120 — Adrian Morales (2-2) 126 — Grant Adams, 1st place (4-0, three pins and one tech fall) 132 — Will Benson, 3rd place (4-1) 132 — James Neal (3-2) 138 — John Hullander (2-2) 144 — Grey Williams (3-2) 150 — Talan Nix, 1st place (3-0, three pins) 157 — Cole Henson, 3rd place (4-1) 175 — Palarreus Richards (1-2) Next for the Hurricanes is the Smokey Mountain Duals on Friday and Saturday in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

December 7, 2024 THERRELL 74, ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 72 The Tigers battled toe-to-toe with Therrell Saturday afternoon at Etowah High School, but they could not pull the game out at the end, losing 74-72 at the Wood Elite Showcase. Therrell led 41-33 at halftime and 61-56 entering the fourth quarter before Adairsville made a fourth-quarter challenge. The Panthers (3-2) had 23 points from MJ McWhorter, 19 from Gordon Davis, and 14 from Torey Baisden. Tre Winters paced Adairsville with 24 points. Xavious Nalls contributed 20 points, and Ben Abernathy added 18 for the Tigers. “Therrell has a very athletic and well-coached team,” said Tigers’ coach Alex Disbrow. “We have been in some close games, and with the late addition of our football players, we need some time to implement our end-of-game situations.” Adairsville (3-3, 1-0) returns to Region 7-AAA play Tuesday night at home when the Tigers host Heritage-Catoosa at 7:30 p.m. NORTHVIEW 58, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS  40 In a Saturday morning game at the Wood Elite Showcase held at Etowah High School, the Lady Tigers lost 58-40 to Northview. Coming off a region game at Gilmer on Friday night, it was a quick turnaround for the Lady Tigers. Northview (6-4) led 24-11 at halftime and maintained a 41-27 lead heading into the final period. Milan Johnson and Tamariana Bivins led the Lady Titans with 13 and 11 points, respectively. NaXyria Roberts scored 10 points for Adairsville. Alivia Joslin tossed in eight and Lily Roberts seven for the Lady Tigers. Adairsville (4-4, 1-0) hosts Heritage-Catoosa on Tuesday at 6 p.m. NEW MANCHESTER 52, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 40 Jae’lah Whyte scored 18 points, and Kyara Lawrence added 12 in a 52-40 win by New Manchester Saturday afternoon at Cartersville. The Lady Jaguars led 25-15 at halftime and held off the Lady Canes down the stretch to stay unbeaten on the season at 6-0. Senai Camper led Cartersville with 14 points. Rahkia Pace chipped in with eight. The Lady Canes (3-5, 2-0) return to region play Tuesday at Cass at 6 p.m. NEW MANCHESTER 63, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 43 The visiting Jaguars improved to 7-0 this season with a 63-43 non-region win at Cartersville on Saturday afternoon. Cartersville (2-3, 0-2) returns to Region 7-4A play on Tuesday at Cass in a 7:30 p.m. tip.

December 7, 2024 The Cass wrestling team finished fifth of twenty teams this past weekend at the Creekview High School Invitational Tournament.“We had some guys out due to injury or taking SATs but had a dozen guys competing,” commented Cass head coach Derston Koontz. Top competitors for the Colonels: 113 — Hayden Trimm, 2nd place (3-1) 120 — Gavin Walker (3-2) 126 — Hunter Barrett, 3rd place (4-1) 132 — Luka Jensen, 2nd place (3-1) 144 — Austin McArthur (2-2) 150 — Ethan Edwards (1-2) 157 — Zeke Medina (1-1) 165 — Ethan Harrington, 3rd place (5-1) 175 — Logan Crisp (3-2) 215 — Codey Dean (1-2) 285 — John Abernathy (2-2) Cass returns to action on Friday and Saturday (Dec. 13-14) in Gatlinburg at the Smokey Mountain Duals.

December 6, 2024 Three local high school girls basketball teams collected region road wins Friday night. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 78, ALLATOONA 10 Eleven Lady Canes scored as the Cartersville girls won big at Allatoona Friday night, 78-10. Cartersville cruised to a 57-3 lead by halftime in the rout. Trinity Montgomery scored 17 points for the Lady Canes. Zoe McCurry and Layla Whitener finished with nine points. Akira Leonard added eight for Cartersville. Nakiyah Thatcher scored four points for the Lady Buccaneers (1-6, 0-2). The Lady Canes (3-4, 2-0) host New Manchester at noon on Saturday. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 40, GILMER 33 Host Gilmer rallied from a nine-point deficit at halftime and trailed by only one point heading into the final eight minutes Friday night in Ellijay, but the Lady Tigers held on for a 40-33 Region 7-AAA win. Adairsville led 20-11 at the intermission before Gilmer cut that margin to 27-26 after three quarters. The Lady Tigers outscored the Lady Bobcats 13-7 in the fourth quarter to earn the win. NaXyria Roberts led Adairsville with 19 points. Alivia Joslin and Lily Roberts added six. Paula Robertson led Gilmer (2-4, 0-1) with 13 points. Adairsville (4-3, 1-0) plays Northview on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. in the Wood Elite Showcase at Etowah High School. CASS GIRLS 61, SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 32 The Lady Colonels won their third straight game and evened their season record Friday night with a Region 7-4A victory at Southeast Whitfield, 61-32. The Lady Colonels led 22-15 at halftime and extended their lead to 36-23 by the end of the third quarter. In the final eight minutes, Cass outscored Southeast 25-9. Four Cass players reached double-figures, led by Anizah Taylor with 14 points. Cadie Paez and KK Evans posted 13, while Darianna Sosa finished with 11 points. Johanna Ortiz scored 17 points to lead the Lady Raiders. The loss dropped Southeast Whitfield to 1-3 on the season and 0-2 in region play. Cass (4-4, 2-0) hosts Cartersville on Tuesday at 6 p.m. HIRAM 77, WOODLAND GIRLS 22 The visiting Lady Hornets remained unbeaten in Region 7-4A play with a 77-22 win at Woodland on Friday night. Hiram improved to 3-7 overall and 2-0 in region games. Woodland (0-10, 0-2) visits Allatoona on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com In conjunction with WBHF and Bartow Sports Zone, Elite Stone Supply presents the ELITE ATHLETES OF THE MONTH. Each month, local high schools name an Elite Athlete of the Month from their varsity programs and present the information on their honoree through Bartow Sports Zone and on 100.3FM and AM1450, WBHF in Cartersville. Zoe McCurry is the November Elite Athlete of the Month, representing Cartersville High School. A freshman member of the Lady Canes’ basketball and tennis teams, McCurry has already been an integral contributor this season from her point guard position. “Zoe is a great student-athlete,” noted Cartersville coach Karisma Boykin. “She is an unselfish player and loves getting her teammates involved. She is a leader.” The daughter of Tyler and Kathryn McCurry, she is on the All-A’s Honor Roll and has plans to play college basketball. The Cass High School Elite Athlete of the Month for November is Comari Nettles. Nettles is a senior and team captain for the Colonels’ basketball team, averaging more than 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists per game.  “Comari demonstrates true leadership through his impact on people off the court,” said Cass Athletic Director Nicky Moore. “He constantly encourages others, builds connections, and shares a positive word in the locker room and our hallways.” “His work ethic and strong character have helped make him a great teammate and a leader in our program,” added Cass boys’ basketball coach Kevin Cunningham. Comari, the son of Misti and Cody Nettles, is an active community member and maintains a 3.32 grade point average.  NaXyria Roberts is the November Elite Athlete of the Month, representing Adairsville High School. A senior member of the Lady Tigers’ softball and basketball teams, she has excelled early in the season as a point guard. “NaXyria is a prime example of a student-athlete,” noted Adairsville head coach Melissa Winters. “She leads the team with her actions and helps teach the younger players. NaXyria is dedicated to improving, committed, coachable, and a great teammate. She always helps with anything needed and works exceptionally hard on the court. High school athletics needs more young people like her.” Roberts leads the Lady Tigers in scoring and steals at this point in the season. She has also been a spotlight player for both of the team's exposure events this year. NaXyria, the daughter of Nameschicka Richards, has a 3.8 grade point average and plans to pursue a degree in nursing. Zachary Wallace is the Woodland High School Elite Athlete of the Month for November. A senior on the Wildcats’ wrestling team, Zachary competes in the 165-pound weight class and has a 7-1 record so far this season. He is unbeaten in team duals.  “Zach is an excellent athlete and leader in our wrestling room,” commented Woodland head coach Brett Shedd. “He has a bright future in the sport and life after high school.” The son of William and Chrissy Wallace, Zach received multiple Student of the Month awards and the 2023 highest GPA Award. He plans to continue his wrestling career in college while pursuing a degree in medicine. Editors Note: The respective schools and athletic departments supply Bartow Sports Zone and WBHF with photos and bios. Elite Stone Supply Co., LLC is the monthly sponsor. Athletes receive a plaque and recognition during a radio feature on WBHF. #EliteAthletesoftheMonth #Cass #Cartersville #Woodland #Adairsville #highschool

December 6, 2024 The Adairsville Tigers and the Cass Colonels picked up one-sided region basketball wins on the road Friday night.  ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 63, GILMER 43 The Tigers led by just three points at halftime Friday night but turned up the defensive pressure in the second half to pull away for a 63-43 Region 7-AAA win at Gilmer. Adairsville led 28-25 at the intermission but pushed that advantage to 49-32 by the end of the third quarter. Ben Abernathy led the Tigers’ scoring attack with 21 points. Tre Winters poured in 19, and Xavious Nalls added 11 for Adairsville. Keegan Bryant scored 14 points to lead the Bobcats (3-3, 0-1). Adairsville (3-2, 1-0) plays Therrell on Saturday at noon in the Wood Elite Showcase at Etowah High School. CASS BOYS 92, SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 31 Five Colonels finished in double-digits Friday night in a 92-31 Region 7-4A win at Southeast Whitfield. Cass rushed to a 21-7 lead after the opening eight minutes and led 42-13 by halftime. Xavier Lowe scored 14 points for Cass. Derrick Sams and Parnel Gamble finished with 13. Dylan Miller and Camron Beauford added 11 and 10 points, respectively.  Mason Williams scored 11 points for the Raiders (0-7, 0-2). Cass (4-4, 2-0) hosts Cartersville on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ALLATOONA 62, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 45 Visiting Allatoona outscored the Canes 24-10 in the third quarter Friday night to take command in an eventual 62-45 Region 7-4A win at The Storm Center.  Andre Dupree led the Buccaneers with 17 points. Dean Soulsby finished with 16 points, and Matthew McAuley added 15 points and seven steals for Allatoona (4-3, 2-0). Wyatt Thomason scored 18 points for Cartersville. Shakai Taylor added 12. The Hurricanes (2-2, 0-2) host New Manchester on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.  HIRAM 77, WOODLAND BOYS 47 Hiram built a 36-20 lead by halftime and won at Woodland Friday night, 77-47. Mason McKinney led the Hornets with 16 points. Kavon Fluker and Kingston Wilcox produced 13 each for Hiram (3-4, 2-0). For the Wildcats, Amir Heath scored 11 points, Jayden Metcalf scored 10, and Bryson Van Tonder added 8. Woodland (3-6, 0-2) visits Allatoona on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

December 6, 2024 The Woodland girls’ and boys’ basketball teams split home games with Unity Christian School of Rome on Thursday night in non-region action. The Wildcats defeated the Lions 67-37, and the Unity girls topped the Lady Cats 61-13. WOODLAND BOYS 67, UNITY CHRISTIAN 37 Jayden Metcalf scored 18 points to lead the Wildcats to a 67-37 victory over visiting Unity Christian on Thursday night. Woodland led 14-2 after one quarter and extended the lead to 34-16 by halftime in an eventual 30-point victory. Isaiah Livsy and Bryson Van Tonder contributed nine points for the Wildcats. Amir Heath added seven. Sam James paced Unity Christian (0-4) with 12 points. Woodland (3-5, 0-1) will host Hiram at 7:30 p.m. on Friday in a Region 7-4A matchup. UNITY CHRISTIAN 61, WOODLAND GIRLS 13 The visiting Lady Lions won their first game of the season Thursday night at Woodland, 61-13, improving to 1-3 on the season. The Lady Cats (0-8, 0-1) host Hiram on Friday at 6 p.m.

December 4, 2024 The Cass High swim team finished second in combined scores Tuesday night in a four-way meet hosted by the Colonels at the Adairsville High School pool. Dawson County won the meet with 92 combined points. Cass was second with 55 points, followed by Model (50) and Armuchee (11). The Model girls edged Cass by ten points while the Dawson County boys bested the Colonels, 65-25. Top finishes for Cass: 1st — Cass girls 200-yard freestyle relay — Jimena Perez, Ryland Piatt, Haley Davy, and Adyson Doolittle (2:16.42) 2nd — Cass girls 200-yard medley relay — Ryland Piatt, Kaitlyn Armstead, Adyson Doolittle, and Jimena Perez (2:38.46) 2nd — Boys 50-yard freestyle — Sawyer Foy (28.54) 2nd — Girls 50-yard freestyle — Jimena Perez (31.26) 2nd — Boys 100-yard freestyle — Brandon Silva-Escuen (1:11.81) 2nd — Girls 100-yard freestyle — Adyson Doolittle (1:13.45) 2nd — Cass boys 200-yard freestyle relay — Alex Mendoza, Christopher Rosi, Brandon Silva-Escuen, and Sawyer Foy (2:02.85) Cass's next meeting is Tuesday, Dec. 10, when the Colonels host Cartersville and Woodland at the Adairsville pool.