Preparations for the 2021 local high school football season are well underway

Woodland players ready for action at this summer's East Paulding padded camp.

With high school football pre-season scrimmages now only three weeks away and regular season openers now five weeks out, the four local programs are fully entrenched in workouts and practices to prepare for what should be an exciting 2021 campaign.

The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes led the way for local teams in 2020 by finishing 12-2 including a playoff run all the way to the Class 5A state championship game. The Adairsville Tigers also qualified for the state playoffs last season but fell to Dawson County in the Class 3A opening round to complete a 6-4 campaign. The Cass Colonels turned a bit of a corner in 2020 under new head coach Steve Gates and reeled off five straight wins to open the season before finishing 6-4 and the Woodland Wildcats had two games canceled due to COVID protocols but finished 4-4 at the .500-mark.

Cartersville football players have shifted to a different practice field during the installation of sports turf in Weinman Stadium.

Both Cass and Woodland tied for the final state playoff berth from Region 7AAAAA, but were edged out on a point differential tie-breaker by Hiram.

On Friday, August 6, Cartersville will scrimmage against Jonesboro at Weinman Stadium on the newly installed sports turf while Woodland will host Model in a scrimmage at Wildcats Stadium. The following Friday, August 13, Adairsville will travel to Bremen for the Tigers’ preseason scrimmage and Cass will host a scrimmage against Cedartown at Cochran Stadium.

The Cass offense is set to run a play at a summer, padded camp.

Friday, August 20 marks opening night of the 2021 regular season for all four Bartow County programs.

Adairsville and Cass will start on the road at Chattooga and Dawson County, respectively. Cartersville will host Morrow and Woodland will entertain Gordon Central.

Adairsville linemen during a summer workout session.

In anticipation of the 2021 season, BartowSportsZone.com recently polled all four local head coaches to develop a “Players to Watch” list. The responses are listed below along with the local high school football schedules and the broadcast schedules for WBHF-Cartersville and BartowSportsZone.com.

ADAIRSVILLE TIGERS

CARTERSVILLE PURPLE HURRICANES

CASS COLONELS

WOODLAND WILDCATS

Complete 2021 local high school football regular season schedules.

The 2021 high school football broadcast schedules for WBHF-Cartersville and BartowSportsZone.com. WBHF is available at 100.3FM / AM1450, online at WBHFradio.org, and on the free TuneIn app by searching for WBHF.

The Bartow Sports Zone game of the week can be heard via BartowSportsZone.com and on the free Mixlr app by searching for Bartow Sports Zone. TBD games will be decided later in the season and usually based on potential playoff considerations.

The Bartow Sports Zone radio show on WBHF gets each Friday started (7:10-9am) with local coach interviews, visits with sports personalities, and the BSZ Team with discussions on the "hottest" topics in sports. You can listen live "on air" or subscribe for free to the Bartow Sports Zone Podcast to listen at your convenience.