August 20, 2024 Woodland volleyball won all three sets in a non-region match at Excel Christian Academy on Tuesday evening. The Lady Cats, led by Bella King with five aces and Brooke Kolowski with six kills, won 25-18, 25-11, and 25-13. The loss dropped ECA to 1-3 on the season. The Lady Eagles play at Oakwood Christian next Tuesday, August 27. Woodland (2-8) travels to East Paulding on Thursday.  ADAIRSVILLE DROPS TWO HOME MATCHES ON TUESDAY The Adairsville Lady Tigers volleyball team lost a pair of home matches on Tuesday night, falling to Coosa and Sonoraville. Adairsville won the middle set with Coosa 26-24, but dropped the opening set 22-25 and the tie-breaking set, 11-15. Alivia Wynn had six kills and seven digs in the Tigers’ loss to Coosa. Alexis Scott also had six kills. Ansley Mims had five kills and one block. Delaney Baxter contributed four kills, one block, and nine digs. Addie Pearson amassed 18 digs. Sonoraville topped the Tigers 25-20 and 25-16. Scott contributed eight kills. Ella Steward had four blocks. Wynn finished with 12 assists and Pearson totaled 15 digs. Adairsville (5-8) begins play in Region 7-3A on Thursday at home against Gilmer and Calhoun.

August 20, 2024 Cartersville softball scored eight runs in the top of the first inning on Tuesday evening at Hiram and went on to win 19-5. Hiram didn’t fade away immediately. The Hornets answered with five runs in the bottom of the second inning to make the score 8-5, but the Lady Canes added 11 more runs over the next two frames. Cartersville winning pitcher Pressley Crabbe shut out Hiram over those same two innings to seal the win. Maddox Key (two RBI), Taryn Bradley (two RBI), Jordan Bishop (double, RBI), and Addi Burns led the Cartersville offense with two hits. Kinsey Woodard (double, four RBI), Jaycee Blackwell (home run, two RBI), Zoie Shiflett (home run, two RBI), Layne Callan (RBI), Reese Dumas, Ansleigh Tilley (double), and LaKaiya Banks (double) had one hit. Crabbe (sac fly) and Allana Williams added one RBI. Hiram (0-8, 0-7) remained winless on the season. Cartersville (8-2, 6-0) hosts Cedartown on Thursday at 5 p.m. ADAIRSVILLE 2, GILMER 1 The Adairsville Lady Tigers won the first game of a home-and-home series this week with Gilmer on Tuesday evening, 2-1. The host Tigers led 1-0 through five innings before the Bobcats tied the game in the top of the sixth. Adairsville answered with a run in the bottom of the sixth on Brie Patterson’s RBI single to retake the lead.  Gilmer loaded the bases in the top of the seventh inning, but Tigers pitcher Maddie Baggett induced a flyout to keep the Bobcats off the scoreboard. Ashlyn Carlton (double), Lily Roberts (double), Ansley Powell, Ashlynn Durden, and Baggett also had one hit each for the Lady Tigers. Baggett (5 IP, 1R, 0ER, 3H, 3BB, 2K) went five innings in relief to earn the pitching win for Adairsville. Jordan Clay (2 IP, 0R, 2H, 0BB, 2K) was the Lady Tigers starter in the circle. Adairsville (5-5, 1-4) heads to Ellijay on Thursday for the rematch with Gilmer (3-8, 0-4) at 5:30 p.m. WOODLAND 10, SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 9 The Woodand softball team trailed visiting Southeast Whitfield 9-0 through 4-½ innings on Tuesday night but rallied to post 10 runs over their final three offensive frames to earn a 10-9 Region 7-4A victory. The win was the third straight for the Lady Cats since starting the season 0-4. With the score knotted at nine each in the bottom of the seventh, Bailey Ryan reached on an outfield error by the Lady Raiders and later scored the game-winning run when Jordan Hammonds reached on an infield error. Gracie Korb (7 IP, 9R, 3ER, 8H, 2BB) worked all seven innings in the circle for the Lady Cats and collected the pitching win. Five Wildcats had two hits each including Ryan (RBI), Hammonds (RBI), Kamryn Smith (two RBI), Bitsy Hartsfield (RBI), and Alana Carnes (two RBI). Bailey Gerstner added one hit with two RBI. The Lady Raiders (0-8, 0-5) remained winless for the season. Woodland (3-4, 3-3) plays at Allatoona on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ALLATOONA 4, CASS 0 Lady Bucs junior pitcher Aubrey Moore limited Cass to only three hits and one walk to earn a 4-0 shutout on Tuesday in White. Moore struck out eight in her seven-inning, complete-game effort as Allatoona remained one game behind Cartersville in the Region 7-4A standings. Allatoona scored single runs in the first, third, fourth, and fifth innings and totaled seven hits. Lily Powell (7 IP, 4ER, 7H, 2BB, 2K) also went the distance in the circle for Cass but was saddled with the pitching loss. Braelyn Franklin, Darianna Sosa, and Bailey York had the three Lady Colonels hits — all singles. The Lady Buccaneers improved to 6-1 overall and 6-1 in Region 7-4A. Cass (5-4, 3-3) hosts Dalton on Thursday in a 5:30 p.m. start.

August 18, 2024 The cross country teams at Cartersville High and Woodland High participated in the 9th annual Hoya 2-Mile Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Allatoona Creek Park in Acworth. The Cartersville boys placed sixth out of 15 teams fielding full team results. The Canes’ Barrett Stepp finished 21st overall in 10:28. Will Feuerbach (34th, 10:39), Kaleb Lanier (41st, 10:44), Hayden Mitchell (43rd, 10:46), and Carson Robinson (47th, 10:50) rounded out the top five for Cartersville. Sofia Burns (12:00) and Kylie Ham (13:42) paced the Cartersville girls' results. Genevieve Alessandro (15:02) and Olivia Cox (15:03) were also among the top Cartersville times. Lucy Dicara, Mary Beth Milam, and Ella Sabaka had the next best times for the Lady Canes. Miranda Pelow (13:27), Allison Snead (14:10), and Abby George (15:20) posted the best times for the Woodland Lady Cats. Sophia St. James, Sierra Woodie, and Katie Anne Jones were next for Woodland. The top five times for the Woodland boys included Juan Mendoza (10:54), Will Parker (11:29), James Morris (11:57), Gabe Hardin (12:08), and Logan Marr (12:15). Woodland will compete in the Ridge Ferry Invitational in Rome on Saturday. Cartersville will send competitors to the Bob Blastow Invitational in Whitesburg and the Ridge Ferry Invitational on Saturday.

August 19, 2024 Cartersville and Woodland collected Region 7-4A softball victories on Monday night while Cass fell at Cedartown and Adairsville dropped a Region 7-3A decision at LaFayette. CARTERSVILLE 12, ALLATOONA 3 The Lady Canes trailed Allatoona briefly on Monday at home but took the lead for good in the bottom of the second inning and cruised to a 12-3 region win over the Lady Buccaneers. Cartersville led 5-2 after two innings, added a Jordan Bishop solo home run in the fourth, and closed out the run-rule, six-inning victory when Zoie Shiflett hit a walk-off grand slam. Shiflett earned the pitching victory for Cartersville. She allowed three earned runs on seven hits and one walk. The Lady Canes’ hurler struck out four. In addition to the two Canes’ homers, Kinsey Woodard (two RBI), LaKaiya Banks, Allana Williams (sac fly, RBI), and Layne Callan had one hit. Kennedy Crenshaw drove in two runs. The loss was the first of the season for Allatoona (5-1, 5-1). Cartersville (7-2, 5-0) travels to Hiram on Tuesday for a 5:30 p.m. start and will host Cedartown on Thursday at 5 p.m. WOODLAND 9, HIRAM 4 The Lady Cats won at Hiram on Monday night for their second straight win after starting the season 0-4. Woodland started fast with five runs in the top of the first inning and three more in the second to build an 8-1 lead. The Hornets scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh and had two more runners on base in the frame but Lady Cats pitcher Kamryn Smith induced a ground out and a fly out to end the late Hiram threat. Smith went the distance in the circle for the pitching win. She allowed three earned runs on 12 hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Jordan Hammonds (double, RBI) and Bitsy Hartsfield (RBI) paced the Woodland offense with three hits each. Bailey Gerstner (double, two RBI) and Smith (RBI) contributed two hits. Ashlyn Baines (double, two RBI), Mackenzie Araya (RBI), Bailey Ryan, and Alana Carnes added one hit. Hiram slipped to 0-7 overall and 0-6 in Region 7-4A. Woodland (2-4, 2-3) hosts Southeast Whitfield on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. and will travel to Allatoona on Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. start. CEDARTOWN 7, CASS 2 The Lady Colonels fell behind 4-0 early and had a four-game winning streak snapped on Monday evening at Cedartown, 7-2. The Lady Bulldogs scored two runs in the bottom of the first and two more in the second for a 4-0 lead. Cass scored a run in the top of the fourth but Cedartown added single insurance runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to take control. The Bulldogs outhit the Colonels eleven to three. Lily Powell (2 IP, 4ER, 6H, 0BB, 1K) made the pitching start for Cass and was tagged with the loss. Kylie Gentry (4 IP, 3R, 2ER, 5H, 0BB, 1K) also pitched for the Colonels. Sydney Satterfield (double), Braelyn Franklin, and Harlee Thomason had one hit for Cass. Cedartown improved to 6-2 overall and 4-2 in Region 7-4A. The Lady Colonels (5-3, 3-2) host Allatoona on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. and Dalton on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. LAFAYETTE 7, ADAIRSVILLE 2 The host LaFayette Lady Ramblers scored runs in five of their six offensive frames on Monday night to earn a 7-2 Region 7-3A win over Adairsville. LaFayette starting pitcher, Olivia Free, limited the Lady Tigers to only three hits in her six innings of work. Ashlyn Carlton (6 IP, 7ER, 9H, 2BB, 5K) was saddled with the pitching loss for Adairsville. Katie Anglian (RBI), Lily Roberts, Riley Mounger, and Ashlynn Durden had one hit each for the Tigers. LaFayette remained undefeated on the season at 8-0 overall and 3-0 in Region 7-3A. Adairsville (4-5, 0-4) hosts Gilmer on Tuesday at 5:55 p.m. in another region game and travels to Ellijay for a rematch with the Bobcats on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

August 19, 2024 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com During another busy week for the local MiLB athletes, former Cartersville High star Anthony Seigler hit two home runs and .375 for the week as his Somerset Patriots won four of five games at the Hartford Yard Goats. MiLB MASON BARNETT — Midland RockHounds (3rd-yr. pro; Oakland A’s Double-A affiliate; Texas League; Auburn; Cartersville HS) … made a strong seven-inning start this past Thursday (August 15) to earn his seventh pitching win of 2024. The righty did not allow a run, issued no walks, and surrendered just five hits while striking out 10 in a 3-0 shutout at the Tulsa Drillers. The 23-year-old is now 7-7 this season with a 4.33 ERA in 108 innings pitched across 22 appearances. Midland (66-48 overall) has moved into first place in the Texas League’s South Division second-half standings. The Rockhounds lead the Frisco RoughRiders by 1-½ games and have a six-game home series this week with the Wichita Wind Surge. LOGAN MARTIN — Columbia Fireflies (2nd-yr. pro; Kansas City Royals Single-A affiliate; Carolina League; Kentucky; Cartersville HS) … notched his third win of the season this past Saturday in a five-inning pitching start at Myrtle Beach. The 23-year-old held the Pelicans scoreless while scattering six hits with no walks in a 5-1 Fireflies victory. The right-hand hurler struck out four. He also made a five-inning start on August 11 at home against Kannapolis but received no decision. Martin allowed one earned run on three hits and three walks with four strikeouts. He has a 3-3 record this season in 21 appearances and 13 starts. He also has three saves. Martin has a 4.02 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 85 innings. Columbia (60-50 overall) is 25-20 in the Carolina League’s second-half standings and in second place behind the Charleston RiverDogs in the South Division. The Fireflies host the Fredericksburg Nationals for a six-game series this week. ANTHONY SEIGLER — Somerset Patriots (7th-yr. pro; NY Yankees Double-A affiliate; Eastern League; Cartersville HS) …  in four starts last week at the Hartford Yard Goats, he was 6-for-16 at the plate with two home runs, one double, two walks, and five RBI. Seigler scored four runs and added one stolen base as Somerset went 4-1 for the week. The 25-year-old second baseman has a .216 batting average in 287 official at-bats this season. He has 11 home runs, 38 RBI, and has swiped 20 bases. The Patriots (57-55 overall) are 25-18 in the Eastern League’s second-half standings and trail Portland in the Northeast Division by 5-½ games. Somerset plays six games this week at the Portland Sea Dogs. PGA CHAMPIONS TOUR JASON BOHN — Champions Senior Tour (Acworth, 51, 33-yr. pro; Cartersville CC member)  … carded rounds of 74-71-71—216 this past Friday through Sunday and finished in 75th place at the Rogers Charity Classic in Calgary, Alberta. The tournament was played at the 7,093-yard, par-70 Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club and was won by Ken Tanigawa with a 54-hole total of 193 (17-under-par). Bohn is currently 124th in the season-long Schwab Cup standings. The next Champions Tour event is the Ally Challenge this Friday through Sunday in Grand Blanc, Michigan.

August 18, 2024 The Adairsville Volleyball team hosted their annual Welcome to the Jungle Tournament on Saturday and finished 2-3 in the event. North Paulding won the tournament title with a victory over Pickens in the finals. The Lady Tigers had wins over Coosa (25-19, 26-24) and Sonoraville (25-19, 21-25, and 18-16) during Saturday’s competition. Their losses were to North Paulding (16-25, 4-25), Pickens (18-25, 9-25), and Southeast Whitfield (15-25, 14-25). "It was a good day of competition," noted Adairsville coach Kaylie Martin. "We know the win over Sonoraville was the first in at least 16 years for this program." Adairsville (6-5) hosts Coosa and Sonoraville in a tri-match on Tuesday starting at 5 p.m.

August 18, 2024 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com The Cass Colonels opened the 2024 season on Saturday night at Cochran Stadium with an impressive 42-7 win over the Class 2A 4th-ranked Callaway Cavaliers. The game site and starting time were shuffled around at least five times in recent days but eventually kicked off Saturday night on the Cass High campus. Cass junior quarterback, Brodie McWhorter, tossed three touchdown passes and ran for one more as the Colonels offense enjoyed a productive and efficient night. The Cass defense also performed well and even added to the scoring with a pick-six in the second quarter. The Colonels’ offense set the tone for the night with an opening drive that took almost 10 minutes off the game clock. The 65-yard, 16-play march included three, fourth-down conversions including the scoring play. McWhorter found receiver Elijah Slocum on the goal line for a difficult catch in traffic and a 4-yard touchdown. The PAT kick attempt failed, but Cass held an early 6-0 lead with 2:22 remaining in the initial period. After the Cass defense forced a punt, the Colonel offense added another long scoring drive. Junior running back, Braylon Hill, culminated a seven-play, 93-yard drive with a 46-yard touchdown scamper. This time Mason Madrid converted the PAT kick for a 13-0 Cass lead with 9:46 left in the second quarter. Following the ensuing kickoff, Cass defensive back Jakai Baldwin intercepted a Cavalier pass and returned it 50 yards for a pick-six. The Colonels tried a two-point conversion pass that failed but held a 19-0 advantage with 9:27 remaining in the first half. Callaway’s next possession resulted in a turnover on downs at the Cass 46-yard line and the Colonel offense rewarded the defensive unit by driving for another score. The 11-play, 54-yard drive included key runs by McWhorter and Hill. It was completed when McWhorter scored on a 5-yard keeper with 2:45 left before the intermission. Madrid converted the extra point and the Colonels had a 26-0 lead. The Cavaliers scored their only points of the night on their next possession. Callaway quarterback Blake Harrington did a lot of the damage on the ground by calling his own number. The 58-yard, 10-play drive was also aided by a pass interference call in the end zone. The scoring play was a 4-yard pass from Harrington to Xae Anderson with 0:21 remaining in the half. Noah Hart booted the Cavaliers’ PAT and the two teams went to the locker room with Cass leading 26-7. Callaway’s offensive success continued on the first possession of the second half. The Cavs started at their 30-yard line and drove 61 yards before stalling with miscues and penalties. The 10-play drive reached the Colonels’ 9-yard line but ultimately turned the ball over on downs at the Cass 14-yard line. Cass then marched 86 yards in nine plays to extend the lead. A 40-yard pass from McWhorter to Baldwin was the biggest play of the drive. Jachai Delgado caught a 1-yard swing pass for the Colonels’ touchdown. Madrid’s kick made the score 33-7 with 1:04 left in the third period. A bad punt snap set up the Colonels’ final touchdown. Ian Williams tackled Callaway’s punter at the 15-yard line giving Cass a short field early in the fourth quarter. Three plays later, McWhorter found Izak Koep open at the right-side front pylon for a 12-yard touchdown. Madrid’s fourth PAT kick put Cass up 40-7 with 9:47 remaining. The Colonels’ reserve defense added a safety on Callaway’s next possession to make the score 42-7 with 8:28 left. Reserves for both teams played out the remaining running clock time. McWhorter was 9-of-10 passing for 114 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed for 51 yards on nine attempts. Hill had a game-high 131 rushing yards on 17 carries with one touchdown. Delgado totaled 34 yards rushing on seven attempts. Baldwin led the Colonels receiving corps with 67 yards on three receptions. Slocum hauled in four catches for 34 yards and one touchdown. The Colonels offense produced 378 total yards on 54 plays. The team rushed for 264 yards in 44 attempts. Callaway (0-1) has a bye week to make adjustments and will travel to face Opelika (Ala.) on Friday, August 30. Cass (1-0), ranked 10th in this week's Georgia High School Football Daily Class 4A cumulative poll, hosts Model on Thursday in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff at Cochran Stadium.

August 17, 2024 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com EDITOR'S NOTE: AT APPROXIMATELY 1 PM ON SATURDAY, BSZ WAS NOTIFIED THAT THE CASS vs. CALLAWAY GAME HAS NOW BEEN MOVED TO DOUG COCHRAN STADIUM AT CASS FOR A 7:30 P.M. KICKOFF. THE CHANGE TOOK PLACE AFTER THIS STORY WAS PUBLISHED. THE GAME WILL BE BROADCAST BY BARTOW SPORTS ZONE AT THE LINK LISTED IN THE STORY, BUT WILL NOW BEGIN WITH PREGAME COVERAGE AT 7 P.M. The Cass Colonels first football game of the 2024 schedule with the Callaway Cavaliers has now been rescheduled for a third time following a long night of waiting for storms to move through the Rome area on Friday night. The Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic Game was originally scheduled for Barron Stadium in Rome and a 5:30 p.m. kickoff on Friday. It was later shifted to a 7:30 p.m. kickoff after the host Rome Wolves had to pull out of the event. Several Rome players were slightly injured following a bus accident returning home from their scrimmage with Rockmart on August 9. Heavy rain and lightning moved into the Rome area Friday evening around 7:15 p.m. and event officials responded quickly during warm-ups to send teams to the fieldhouse. Spectators were then asked to exit the stadium to wait out the storm in their vehicles. The delay continued until almost 10 p.m. when event officials, coaches, and school administrators decided to postpone the game for a Saturday evening kickoff. Cass will now travel south for a 6 p.m. kickoff at the city of LaGrange's Callaway Stadium. The game will be broadcast live via BartowSportsZone.com at the following link. Pregame coverage will begin on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. LINK TO LISTEN -- https://bartowsportszone.mixlr.com/

August 17, 2024 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Woodland-Cartersville’s Nick Miranda booted a 20-yard field goal as time expired on Friday night to lift the Wildcats to a season-opening 38-35 win at Woodland-Stockbridge. The thrilling finish was set up by a crucial 31-yard pass completion from quarterback J.D. Trail to running back Isaiah Livsey. The pass play put the Wildcats in chip-shot range at the Wolfpack 3-yard line. The victory for new head coach Andy Scott was his first with the Wildcats after taking over the program from Brandon Haywood who moved on to become the head coach at Pepperell. The 38 points were also the most for a Woodland-Cartersville team since scoring 41 in the final game of 2022 — a 51-41 loss at Hiram. The Wildcats trailed Woodland-Stockbridge 7-0 midway into the second quarter when defensive back Keve Porter returned a blocked punt 20 yards for a touchdown. Miranda’s PAT kick knotted the score on what would be a rain-soaked evening. After the Wolfpack regained the lead 14-7, Porter made another big defensive play. His interception just before the intermission was returned for a 9-yard, pick-six that sent the two Woodland squads to the locker room tied 14-14. Woodland-Stockbridge, coming off an 0-10 season in 2023 under second-year head coach Robert Cummings, posted 21 points in the third quarter and built a 35-21 lead in the period before the Wildcats rallied. A muffed punt set up Woodland-Cartersville’s third-quarter score.  Josue Escobar made the fumble recovery that set up a 17-yard touchdown run by Isaiah Livsey.  The Wildcats continued to trail by two touchdowns midway through the fourth quarter when Trail connected with Cam Williams for a 28-yard touchdown strike. The locals then attempted a two-point conversion that failed leaving the deficit at 35-27. On Woodland-Stockbridge’s ensuing possession, the Woodland-Cartersville defense came up with its fourth key turnover and second scoring play. Nehemiah Colon stripped the ball from a Wolfpack ball carrier and raced 28 yards for a Wildcats’ touchdown. Woodland-Cartersville was then successful on a two-point conversion pass from Trail to Williams to tie the game at 35-35 heading into the final minutes. Woodland-Stockbridge (0-1) visits Jones County to start Region 2-4A play next Friday. Woodland-Cartersville (1-0) will host Class 5A Woodstock on Thursday night.

August 15, 2024 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes opened the 2024 season on Thursday night at Weinman Stadium with a dominant 40-0 win over the Columbia Eagles. Sophomore quarterback, Nate Russell, had a tipped pass intercepted on the Hurricanes’ first drive but bounced back with two touchdown passes and a touchdown run on the next three Canes’ possessions to take control in the first quarter. Russell connected with A’darrian Taylor-Wilson for a 41-yard touchdown with 7:15 remaining in the initial period but the PAT kick was blocked leaving the Hurricanes with a 6-0 advantage. After recovering a pooched-type ensuing kickoff, Cartersville finished off the possession with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Russell to Jamauri Brice in the back corner of the end zone to take a 12-0 lead with 5:06 left in the opening quarter. On the Canes’ next possession, Russell culminated the drive with a 5-yard run with 1:22 remaining in the quarter. This time Johan Ramirez converted the PAT kick to put Cartersville ahead, 19-0. Baylon Long had a 4-yard touchdown run to give the Hurricanes a 26-0 lead with 10:49 remaining in the second quarter and Tyon Coe closed out the first half scoring with an 11-yard touchdown scamper. The Coe run came with 6:15 left in the half and built a 33-0 lead at the intermission. Freshman Tripp Chatmon had a 1-yard touchdown plunge for the Canes and the only score of the second half with 9:36 remaining in the game. Cartersville (1-0) will host Rockmart next Friday in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. ~~ contributions from Matt Santini ADAIRSVILLE 28, ALLATOONA 27 The Adairsville Tigers won a thrilling season opener on Thursday night over Class 4A Allatoona, 28-27. The Tigers built a 21-7 lead late in the third quarter but survived with a one-point victory when the visiting Buccaneers missed a PAT kick with just 0:48 remaining in the game. The two teams traded promising drives in the first quarter, but both ended with interceptions. Xavious Nalls picked off another Allatoona pass with 0:01 left in the opening period at the Bucs’ 42-yard line to set up the game’s first score. A short Adairsville drive led to a 27-yard field goal by Cooper Souders. That gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead with 8:02 left in the first half. Just before the intermission, the Tigers mounted another scoring drive.  Quarterback Ethan Long connected with Tre Winters for a 5-yard pitch and catch with 0:21 remaining. A two-point conversion run by Nalls gave Adairsville an 11-0 lead at halftime. Allatoona struck first in the second half to narrow the Tigers’ advantage to 11-7 but Adairsville responded with the next 10 points. The Bucs' Xavier Rucker got free for a 15-yard touchdown run with 9:18 remaining left in the third quarter for Allatoona's first score. Long followed with a 12-yard screen pass toss to Nalls for a touchdown that gave the Tigers an 18-7 lead midway through the third quarter. Souders later booted a 28-yard field goal with 4:08 left in the period and a 21-7 Tigers lead. Buccaneers running back Ethan Corpus capped off a pair of Allatoona scoring drives with short runs that knotted the score at 21. The first of those two drives was a 71-yarder that took seven plays. The second of those drives covered 48 yards in seven plays. Adairsville grabbed a 28-21 lead late in the fourth quarter before having to hold off a late rally by Allatoona. The Tigers' scoring play used a bit of trickery. Long made a lateral toward the sideline to tailback Tamarius Wilkey who then made a run-fake before connecting downfield with Nalls for a 22-yard touchdown pass. Allatoona charged back down the field to score with only 0:48 left in the game. The Bucs punched in a 1-yard run by Corpus to culminate a 14-play, 80-yard drive. The Bucs missed the extra point kick, however, when it banged off the left upright. The visitors attempted an onside kickoff but it was recovered by the Tigers who ran out the clock. Adairsville (1-0) visits Pepperell next Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. ~~ contributions from Larry Gardner

August 15, 2024 LADY TIGERS VOLLEYBALL SWEEPS TEMPLE AND CASS The Adairsville Lady Tigers volleyball team won a pair of home matches Thursday evening over Cass and Temple. Adairsville defeated Cass 25-9 and 25-23. Addie Pearson paced the Lady Tigers with four kills, eight assists, and seven digs. Cara Harp and Lexi Adcock contributed eight digs. Abby Farr posted four kills and Alivia Wynn finished with five assists. The Tigers dropped the first set to Temple 25-20 but rallied to win the match with a 25-23 win in the second set and a 16-14 victory in the third set. Pearson again led with five kills, two blocks, six assists, and four digs. Wynn totaled three digs and seven assists. Farr, Harp, and Alexis Scott contributed three kills. Myka Colston and Ansley Mims added two blocks. Adairsville hosts the Welcome to the Jungle tournament on Saturday with matches beginning at 8 a.m. Cass (0-2), who also lost to Temple on Thursday in straight sets, travels to Gordon Central on Tuesday where the Lady Colonels will also face Fannin County starting at 6 p.m. WOODLAND SPLITS HOME MATCHES Woodland volleyball split home matches on Thursday night defeating Gordon Central in straight sets but dropped two straight sets to Haralson County. The Lady Cats defeated Gordon Central 25-19 and 25-20. Haralson County won 25-20 and 25-17. Brooke Kozlowski led Woodland in attacks with seven. Katie Clowers finished the evening with six service aces. Woodland (1-8) plays at Excel Christian Academy on Tuesday at 5 p.m. CARTERSVILLE DEFEATS NORTH ATLANTA, FALLS IN MATCH WITH LOVETT The Lady Canes split a pair of straight-set matches on Thursday night at The Lovett School in Atlanta. Lovett defeated the Hurricanes in a hard-fought match, 25-19 and 27-25 then rebounded to defeat North Atlanta (5-4) in two sets, 25-19 and 25-15. In the loss to Lovett, Amara Ejieke led the Lady Canes with six kills and Riley Huff added four kills with four blocks. McKenzie Wilkie led the team with four aces and 17 digs. Aubree Barrett paced Cartersville with eight assists.  In the victory over North Atlanta, Ejieke had 6 kills. Addison Marisko and Huff added five kills and Holly Dufrene totaled four kills. Barrett and Riley Jarrett produced three service aces and Sydney Mcnair-Seigler added two. Huff and Marisko each tallied two blocks. Emma Wall and Jarrett finished with six digs. Wall and Barrett distributed seven assists.  Cartersville (5-4) hosts Sequoyah and Harrison on Tuesday starting at 5:30 p.m. EXCEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY SWEPT AT CHEROKEE CHRISTIAN The Lady Eagles lost in three straight sets on Thursday night at Cherokee Christian, falling 15-25, 11-25, and 7-25. The host Lady Warriors evened their season mark at 2-2. Excel Christian (1-2) plays at Notre Dame Academy on Monday at 6 p.m. and will host Woodland on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

August 15, 2024 The Woodland Lady Cats won a slugfest Thursday night at Dalton, 16-12. The two teams not only totaled 28 runs but also 33 hits. Woodland had 20 hits including nine for extra bases and scored in five of their seven offensive frames but trailed 6-4 after two innings and 8-7 through four innings. Woodland posted six runs in the top of the fifth inning to regain the lead for good and held on for a four-run victory. Five Wildcats had three hits each to pace the Woodland offense including Bailey Ryan (home run, two RBi), Jordan Hammonds (triple, double, RBI), Bitsy Hartsfield (double, RBI), Ashlyn Baines (double, RBI), and Mackenzie Araya (double, RBI). Kamryn Smith (home run, double, four RBI) and Bailey Gerstner (double, two RBI) had two hits for the Lady Cats. Lanie Calhoun added one hit. Gracie Korb (4 IP, 8R, 5ER, 8H, 5BB, 2K) collected the pitching win. Smith (3 IP, 4R, 3ER, 5H, 1BB, 1K) worked three frames in the circle. CARTERSVILLE 12, SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 0 The Lady Canes rattled off 15 hits in just five innings Thursday evening en route to a  12-0 win at Southeast Whitfield. Seven of the Cartersville hits went for extra bases. The Hurricanes scored five runs in the second inning, then added on two in the third, four in the fourth, and one more in the fifth inning. Zoie Shiflett (3 IP, 0R, 3H, 0BB, 6K) struck out six in her three-inning start and picked up the win. Kennedy Stevens (2 IP, 0R, 2H, 0BB, 3K) retired the final six outs. Jordan Bishop (home run, double, three RBI), Kinsey Woodard (triple, RBI), Layne Callan (double, two RBI), and Ansleigh Tilley (double, two RBI) all had two hits. Maddox Key (double), Kennedy Crenshaw, Shiflett, LaKaiya Banks, Allana Williams (double), Jaycee Blackwell (RBI), and Addi Burns had one hit for Cartersville. The loss dropped Southeast Whitfield to 0-7 overall and 0-4 in Region 7-4A. Cartersville (6-2, 4-0) hosts Allatoona on Monday at 5 p.m. CASS 6, HIRAM 4 The Cass Lady Colonels built a 5-0 lead through four innings on Thursday night and held on down the stretch to defeat Region 7-4A visitor Hiram, 6-4. Hiram scored four runs in the top of the fifth to narrow the Cass advantage to a single run. Cass added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Bailey York (5 IP, 4ER, 8H, 0BB, 2K) made the pitching start and collected the victory in the circle. Lily Powell (2 IP, 0R, 2H, 0BB) earned a two-inning save. Braelyn Franklin led the Cass offense with three hits including a triple and four RBI. Molli Morrow and Emily Gibson (triple) followed with two hits. Bailey York (double) and KK Evans (triple) had one hit. Darianna Sosa and Harlee Thomason (sacrifice fly) added one RBI.  The loss dropped Hiram to 0-6 overall and 0-5 in Region 7-4A. Cass (5-2, 3-1) travels to Cedartown on Monday for a 5:30 p.m. region contest. CALHOUN 10, ADAIRSVILLE 2 Calhoun completed a two-game sweep of Adairsville on Thursday evening with a 10-2 win at home. The Lady Jackets let 6-1 through two innings and added on two runs in the fourth and fifth innings to close out the contest. The Lady Tigers scored single runs in the first and fifth frames. Jordan Clay (2 IP, 6ER, 6H, 4BB) started in the circle for Adairsville and was tagged with the pitching loss. Maddie Baggett (2.1 IP, 4ER, 7H, 2BB) pitched in relief. Brie Patterson, Lily Roberts, and Alivia Joslin had one hit for the Tigers. Ashlynn Durden was credited with two RBI. Calhoun improved to 2-2 overall and 2-1 in Region 7-3A. Adairsville (4-4, 0-3) travels to LaFayette for a 5:30 p.m. start on Monday.