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Local and area high school softball players, coaches, and umpires will be sharpening their skills this week (June 22-25) at Woodland High School. Softball teams from Woodland, Cass, Cartersville, Carrollton, Rockmart, Creekview, East Paulding, and Darlington will spend the week playing one another in a summer camp format. Games are schedule each day for 9am, 11am, 1pm, and 3pm. The camp is not only designed for summer team work, it is part of the umpire training program conducted by the Georgia High School Association. GHSA officiating representative, Bob Earwood, will be leading and training the umpires in a camp atmosphere for the game officials as well. The Woodland camp is one of eleven such umpire camps conducted by GHSA all across the state during the months of June and July. For more about the camp, please see David Royal's 'Woodland softball hosting 4 play days' at The Daily Tribune News.

Cartersville High School football competed in one of Georgia's premier 7-on-7 summer football tournaments last week at the Corky Kell Invitational. Cartersville head coach, Joey King, had an opportunity to see his players in action against some high-caliber competition. For more, see Jason Greenberg's story, 'Canes go 3-3 at Corky Kell 7 on 7' at The Daily Tribune.

Georgia Highlands College and the Bartow County Recreation Department have partnered to offer a youth softball camp Monday, June 22 through Thursday, June 25 at Stars Field on the campus of Stars Pre-K Center. The camp offers player instruction each day from 9am to 12 noon for ages 6 to 12 years old. Drop off for campers begins at 8:30am each day with pick up by 12:30pm. Online registration is available at www.bartowcountyparksandrec.org/camps.html or call 770-387-5149 for more information.

The Bartow County 9-year-old all stars defeated Powder Springs Saturday night and have advanced to meet the Kennesaw Generals in the third round of the Dizzy Dean District 2 tournament Sunday at 5pm. The tournament is being played at New Georgia Baseball Association in Paulding County. Bartow opened the tournament Friday night (June 19) with a 25-4 victory over New Georgia in four innings. Bartow scored seven runs in the first inning and plated 17 more in the top of the fourth to rout the host team. Starting pitcher Layton Sanford (3 IP, 4K) picked up the pitching win for Bartow. Landon Cole led Bartow’s offense with a 5-for-5 performance that included four doubles. Aiden Cottingim and Ryan Johnson both went 3-for-4 for the locals. Hayden Blalock (2-for-4), Rylan Lewallen (2-for-3), and Easton Elrod (2-for-2 with 2 walks) added to the Bartow blowout. The 9-year-old Dizzy Dean District 2 tournament continues in Paulding County through Tuesday (June 23). ************ The Bartow 7-year-old all-stars were eliminated from their Dizzy Dean District 2 tournament Saturday with a loss to Powder Springs. The 7-year-old Dizzy Dean district tournament is being held at Adams Park in Kennesaw. In an opening 14-4 loss to New Georgia, Bartow’s Reed Ezell was 2-for-2 with a pair of runs scored. Cameron Scott and Lucas Baker were also 2-for-2 against New Georgia and scored one run each. ************ Upcoming Bartow teams at Dizzy Dean District 2 tournaments Bartow 6-year-old baseball team vs. Acworth Blue — Thursday (June 25) at 5:30pm at Oregon Park in Cobb County. Bartow 8-year-old baseball team vs. Oregon Park Piranhas — Friday (June 26) 7:30pm at Acworth Bartow 10-year-old baseball team — Friday (June 26) 6pm vs. Rome. Rome Baseball League is the host.

The Bartow County 12-and-under softball all-stars opened the GRPA District 5 tournament at Veterans Park in Chatsworth with a pair of victories over Rockmart and Whitfield County. Those wins placed Bartow 12U in the winners’ bracket final against host Murray County Saturday afternoon (June 20). Those results were not immediately available, but will be updated on Bartow Sports Zone. Bartow beat Rockmart 13-0 in both teams’ tournament opener Friday night (June 19). Madison Bentley pitched a complete game no hitter for Bartow. She recorded 11 strikeouts. Maggie Pruitt and Kyla Jenkins had three hits and a walk each to lead the Bartow offense. Harper Powell added a pair of hits. In a 3-2 win over Whitfield County, Bentley again pitched a complete game with six strikeouts. Bartow pulled out a back-and-forth contest in the bottom of the sixth inning. Tied 2-2 to start the sixth inning, Kyla Jenkins led off the inning with a walk. Jenkins then stole second on the first pitch to Harper Powell. Powell would then lay down a perfect bunt and Whitfield County made a throwing error that got past the first baseman and into right field. The mistake allow Jenkins to cross the plate for Bartow’s winning run. Harper Powell and Macy Vaughn were the leading hitters for Bartow against Whitfield. The 12U District 5 softball tournament continues Monday and Tuesday (June 22-23) in Chatsworth. Bartow 8U places 4th at district The Bartow County 8-and-under softball all-stars won a pair of elimination games Saturday to stay alive in the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association District 5 tournament at Gordon County, but later lost 14-8 to Whitfield County to finish fourth. Bartow lost to Gordon County 11-0 Friday night in their tournament opener, but wins over Bremen and Pickens County placed them in an elimination game against Whitfield County late Saturday afternoon. Haley Collum, Kate Self, Naxyria Roberts, and Elizabeth Hartsfield all had one hit apiece for Bartow in the opening loss to Gordon County. Bartow 8U bounced back, however, with a 5-3 win over Bremen Saturday. Kaitlyn Arnold, Haley Collum, Marlee Pruitt, Harley Powell, Kamryn Smith, and Alanya Carnes all had 1 hit each in the win. Bartow scored twice in the fifth and two more in the sixth to overcome a 2-1 deficit before a sixth inning Bremen rally came up just short. Bartow then defeated Pickens County 11-9. A five-run third inning proved to be the difference for Bartow as they held off a late rally by Pickens. Marlee Pruitt, Harley Collum, Aaron McCrary (double), Lane Callan, Alanya Carnes (triple), and Naxriya Roberts all had one hit apiece. Calhoun, Gordon County, and Whitfield County will continue to battle for the tournament title Monday.

Cartersville 10U Purple defeated Cartersville 10U White Saturday afternoon by an 11-5 score to advance in the GRPA District 5 tournament in Ellijay. Meanwhile, Cartersville 9U Gray knocked off Bartow Blue and Calhoun to also advance to a showdown with their familiar Purple Cartersville opponents. Both Cartersville teams remain the only unbeatens as the tournament takes a day off on Sunday. Cartersville Purple and Cartersville Gray will face off Monday at Ellijay's River Park at 7:45pm. Monday's winner in the double-elimination format will move into the District 5 championship game(s) and will need only one more victory to win the tournament. The loser on Monday will not be eliminated, but will need three straight wins to take the district title. Cartersville Purple (post game photo shown) took a 9-0 lead after the first two innings Saturday against Cartersville White and held on for their second win in the tournament. Thomas Norris, Trip Bradley, and Paul Gamble shared the pitching duties for Cartersville 10U Purple. The pitching trio scattered four hits and had five strikeouts going less than two innings each. Hunter Kelly had two hits including a homerun and 2 RBI, while A.J. Christina was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with an RBI to lead the offense. Gamble (2 RBI) and Norris also had two hits apiece. Bradley (RBI), Avery Higgins, Will Litton, and Brice Craig each added a hit. Nicholas Kennedy drove in a run. Cartersville 10U White plays again Monday at 6pm at River Park Field in Ellijay in an elimination game against Bartow 10U Blue. The Cartersville White roster includes: Brody Tidwell, Cole Jackson, Chandler Mathison, Silas Freeman, Kaden Stephenson, Gabriel Cox, Carson Horn, Knox Neal, Jack Chatman, Jordan Hall, Collin Genrich, and Joshua Clay. The manager is Ben Genrich and the coaches are Steven Chatman and Brian Cox. Cartersville 9U Gray defeated Bartow 10U Blue 9-4 Saturday and followed that with a victory over Calhoun. The win over Calhoun was Cartersville Gray's third straight win in the district tournament. The roster for Cartersville 9U Gray includes: Nicholas Hruby, Joseph Womack, Caleb Daniel, Gavin Shrewsbury, Grant Knight, Miles Owen, Connor Stermer, Hayden James, Turner Abernathy, Andrew Stiles, Ayden Ray, and Coby Barrett. The manager is Daniel Knight and the coaches are Richard Daniel and Justin James. Following their earlier defeat on Saturday, Bartow 10U Blue held off Pickens County 7-4 to avoid elimination. The Bartow White/Haralson County winner (in progress Saturday night) plays Calhoun Monday at 6pm at the Gilmer Co. High School softball field. Monday’s game is also an elimination game.

Results from the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association District 5 12-and-under baseball tournament at Westside Park in Whitfield County. Bartow County 12U lost to Calhoun 11-2 Saturday night. Next: Monday at 6pm vs. Gilmer County in an elimination game. Cartersville 12U Team No. 1 defeated Dalton 29-0. Next: Monday at 8pm vs. Whitfield County. Cartersville 12U Team No. 2 lost to Whitfield County, 10-9. Next: Monday vs. Dalton in an elimination game. The GRPA District 5 12U baseball tournament continues in Whitfield County through Thursday, June 25.

The Bartow County Recreation Department will be hosting a pair of Georgia Recreation and Parks Association District 5 softball tournaments this coming week (June 22-27). The 10-and-under Mite Division Girls Fast Pitch (live pitching) and 10-and-under Mite Girls Machine Pitch tournaments get started Monday evening on Fields #9 and #10 at Hamilton Crossing Park. Bartow County has teams in both divisions. In the machine pitch tournament, Bartow plays Gilmer at 6:30pm Monday (June 22) on Field #9. Dalton and Whitfield County also have teams in this division. The machine pitch double-elimination tournament continues through Thursday. A possible “if game” will be Friday if needed. All games are at Hamilton Crossing Park. Members on the 10-and-under pitching machine team for Bartow are De’Andra Applin, Gabby Becerra, Addison Coker, Haylee Dishmon, Alayna Findley, Amaya Ford, Heidi Garner, Emma Hensley, Alyssa Jarrett, Savannah Jordan, Harley Owens, Malaney Teems, Kelly Young. Head Coach Chris Owens. In the 10U live pitcher District 5 tournament, Bartow’s first round opponent is Calhoun. The opener will be Monday night (June 22) at 6:30pm on Hamilton Crossing Park Field #10. Other teams in the tournament include Rome/Floyd County, Rockmart, and Murray County. The live pitcher tournament continues through Friday. A possible “if game” will be Saturday morning if necessary. All games for this event are also played at Hamilton Crossing Park. The 10-and-under live arm team members for Bartow are Lainey Baker, Madison Flemons, Emma Frothingham, Michiah Hicks, Ansley Hight, Cassie Jones, Rylee Massingill, Saydee Najarro, Hayley Stiles, Olivia Talarico, Makayla Wade.

Chris Kirk is the only player among those affilliated with the Scott Hamilton Golf Academy to make the cut at the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay Golf Club this week in University Place, Washington. Jordan Spieth, who shot 67 Friday, and Patrick Reed are the co-leaders after 36 holes at 5-under-par. Branden Grace and Dustin Johnson are only one shot back. Kirk shot 70-73 in the first two rounds and is currently tied for 35th place heading into the weekend. Russell Henley and Brendon Todd, both SH Golf Academy players, qualified for the U.S. Open. Both missed the 36-hole cut. Kirk grew up in Woodstock, GA and was a member of the 2005 National Championship golf team at University of Georgia. Scott Hamilton is the Director of Golf at Cartersville Country Club and works with many prominent members of the PGA Tour through his instruction and teaching. Bartow Sports Zone tracks those PGA tour players each week.

All three Cartersville teams participating in the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association District 5 10-and-under tournament in Ellijay won Friday night (June 19) by one-sided scores. Cartersville Gray 9U defeated Haralson County 20-1 and advanced to face Bartow Green at 10am Saturday at Gilmer County River Park Field #1. Cartersville White 10U defeated Gilmer 16-0 and advanced to meet Cartersville Purple 10U Saturday at 11:30am at the Gilmer High School softball field. Cartersville Purple 10U (in photo post-game) shutout Bartow White 15-0 to advance. Drake Carver tossed three innings of no-hit baseball to lead Cartersville Purple 10U. Carver struck out seven and walked only two. Cartersville Purple 10U struck for a pair of runs in the first inning to take their initial lead, then poured on six runs in the second frame and seven more in the third for the mercy rule, three-inning win. Nicholas Kennedy had a pair of hits and two RBI to lead the Cartersville Purple 10U offensive attack. Brice Craig (RBI), Avery Higgins (RBI), Paul Gamble (3 RBI), Trip Bradley (RBI), Thomas Norris (RBI), and Carver added one hit each. Hunter Kelly added an RBI. A.J. Christina and Will Litton chipped in with runs scored. J.J. Norris is the manager of the Cartersville Purple 10U team. His coaches are Jeremy Carver and J.J. Jones. The tournament continues throughout the day Saturday, June 20. The schedule skips Sunday, but resumes with games Monday and Tuesday. If the losers’ bracket survivor knocks off the only unbeaten team Tuesday night, an “if game” will be played Wednesday night. The District 5 GRPA 10U tournament is hosted by Gilmer County Parks and Recreation at River Park and Gilmer County High School in Ellijay.

Bartow County native and Cass High School graduate, Todd Wofford, has always loved sports. While excelling at football, he also played basketball and ran track in high school to stay competitive all year long. "I would have played baseball in high school too, if it were not at the same time as track," said Wofford. His passion for sports and love of competition has ultimately led him to a profession he loves as well. Wofford, now the head football coach at Central Gwinnett High School in Lawrenceville, was a standout receiver at Cass High School and later at Presbyterian College. Like most coaches, the route to a head coaching position has taken him down many roads. Following his playing days at Presbyterian, Wofford spent time as an assistant coach for the Blue Hose. His resume' also includes coaching stops as an assistant at Woodland in Cartersville, Hiram, Peachtree Ridge, and Gainesville High Schools before becoming the head coach for the Central Gwinnett Black Knights in 2010. The father of four (Kennedy, age 9; Christian 6; Peyton and Parker 3) and wife Aja now make their home near work in Lawrenceville, but says he still feels the draw of family and friends back in Bartow County. “I try my best to get back to Cartersville once a month or so,” said Wofford, “but sometimes my schedule simply doesn’t allow it.” He believes the Gwinnett County school is the right spot for building a championship caliber program. “Central is an attractive situation because it is a Class AAAAAA school at the highest level in Georgia and we play in the toughest county in the state. There is a ton of talent and tradition around here as well. The administration is really supportive and a huge reason we’ve been able to turn things around,” the coach remarked. “With all that, I believe we can ultimately win a state championship here.” After a pair of 4-6 seasons in 2010 and 2011, the Black Knights were 6-4 in 2012. Wofford’s team slipped to 2-8 in 2013, but last season was a huge change of direction for the program full of accomplishments and a 7-5 record. “Last season was a great experience for myself and the community of Lawrenceville,” noted Wofford. “Making the playoffs for the first time since 2005 was huge and getting to the second round of the state playoffs was exciting. Accomplishing that in my fifth year as a head coach was nice. When I was hired, we projected that it might take that long to get the program turned around. We had a winning season in 2012, but last season was the true turn around. Beating county rival Brookwood for the first time in 21 years helped too,” Wofford said. The veteran coach says men he played for and worked with over the years have influenced him and the way he works with players. “Coaches Bruce Miller and John Camp had a huge impact on my style,” said Wofford, “but I’ve also been impacted by a lot of other coaches I’ve worked with throughout my career.” Wofford has quite a list of accomplished former players, including Kendrick Lewis (Gainesville) who is currently playing for the Baltimore Ravens and T. J. Jones (Gainesville) who is currently with the Detroit Lions. Other notable players coached by Wofford include: Blake Sims (Gainesville) Alabama; Trevor Lindley (Hiram) former Philadelphia Eagle; Antonio Sims (Hiram) UGA; Trey Johnson (Central Gwinnett) Ohio State; Adonis Thomas (Central Gwinnett) Alabama; and Francis Kallon (Central Gwinnett) Georgia Tech. Wofford not only looks forward to the future at Central Gwinnett, he is excited about his chosen profession. “I expect Central to continue to improve. We are always working to get back into the playoffs and expect to make another run in the state playoffs,” added Wofford. “The challenge of going against great competition and great coaches excites me. It’s also exciting to watch young men progress both on and off the field,” the coach concluded. Central Gwinnett plays in Region 8-AAAAAA with Archer, Berkmar, Brookwood, Dacula, Grayson, Parkview, Shiloh, and South Gwinnett. Coach Wofford and his Black Knights open the 2015 season at home August 28 when they host Collins Hill.

In conjunction with the Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department, the Andre Fluellen / Ronnie Brown Summer Football & Cheer Camp will be at Cartersville High School on Saturday, June 20. Cartersville natives and NFL stars Andre Fluellen and Ronnie Brown will lead instruction for football athletes ages 8 to 18. The cheerleading instruction for the camp will be led by Brittani Richards, Golden Girls Dance Team Coach at Florida State University. The cheerleading instruction is for ages 5 to 18. Andre Fluellen and Ronnie Brown are both former players at Cartersville High School. Fluellen, entering his eighth NFL season, was recently picked up by the Buffalo Bills. Ten year NFL veteran, Ronnie Brown, is currently a free agent hoping to be picked up by an NFL club to play another year. NFL Players Chris Davis, Sammie Hill, Landon Cohen, Everette Brown and Damario Pressley will also participate in this year's camp. Participants may register at www.fluellenbrowncamp.com. For additional information, contact Nakia Clarke at 404-232-0555. On site registration for the cheer camp will begin at 7am on the day of the camp with instruction from 8am until 11am. On site registration for the football camp will begin at 8am on the day of the camp with instruction from 9am until 11am. For even more about the upcoming camps, see Jason Greenberg's story 'Brown, Fluellen set for 5th annual camp' at The Daily Tribune News.