Canes advance with playoff win at Drew

April 25, 2026

Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com

For the first time in 20 years, the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes boys soccer team secured a road victory in the Georgia High School Association state playoffs, defeating the host Drew Titans of Riverdale 3-2 in overtime Friday night in a Class AAAA first-round matchup.

Drew jumped out to an early lead, scoring within the first five minutes of the game. Cartersville responded in the 20th minute when Rhett Jacobs was fouled in the box, drawing a penalty kick. Brayden Alonso stepped up and calmly converted the spot kick to even the score at 1-1.

The Titans regained the advantage just five minutes later. A long ball slipped past the Hurricanes’ defense to an open striker, who made no mistake in finishing to put Drew back in front 2-1.

Cartersville refused to go away. With just three minutes left in the first half, Abraham Zavala Grande headed home the first goal of his high school career off a corner kick delivered by Jacobs, leveling the match at 2-2 heading into halftime.

The second half remained tightly contested, even after Zavala Grande received a red card, forcing the Hurricanes to play a man down for the final 30 minutes of regulation. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Cartersville’s defense held firm, and the game remained deadlocked at 2-2 through the end of regulation.

In the first overtime period, the Hurricanes found the decisive moment. Joy Toure received a perfectly weighted through ball from Alonso and raced in on a breakaway, slotting the ball past the Drew goalkeeper to give Cartersville a 3-2 lead.

The Purple Hurricanes then showed their resilience, digging in defensively for the remainder of overtime to protect the lead and run out the clock for the hard-fought victory.

Drew’s season came to an end with a final record of 13-4. Cartersville improved to 11-7 and advances to the second round, where it will travel to Walnut Grove. The Warriors (16-3) earned their spot in the next round with a 3-0 shutout victory over Ware County in the first round.