Thursday night's action on the pitch: Lady Tigers clinch region title, Cartersville teams sweep Southeast Whitfield
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March 20, 2026
Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com
Lady Tigers clinch Region 7-AAA championship with rout of Generals
The Adairsville Lady Tigers put on a dominant display Thursday night at Adairsville High School Stadium, defeating the Heritage-Catoosa Lady Generals 8-1 to secure the 2026 Region 7-AAA championship trophy.
Adairsville wasted little time asserting control, striking early and often.
Braylynn Martin opened the scoring in the 12th minute off an assist from Sam Gough. Just three minutes later, Alivia Joslin made it 2-0 with a finish assisted by Alexa Damer. The Lady Tigers extended their lead in the 23rd minute when Sam Gough rose for a beautiful header off a corner kick from Carly Edwards, sending Adairsville into halftime with a commanding 3-0 advantage.
The second half saw the Lady Tigers continue their relentless attack.
Braylynn Martin netted her second goal in the 49th minute, assisted by Alivia Joslin. Alexa Damer added to the tally in the 57th minute off a feed from Ella Edwards. Alivia Joslin completed her brace in the 62nd minute with help from Addi Jerauld. Addi Jerauld then converted a penalty kick in the 68th minute for her own goal, followed by Ryleigh Parker capping the scoring in the 79th minute on an assist from Addi Jerauld.
The victory highlighted Adairsville's sharp passing and composure throughout the match. “Our team knew the importance of tonight's game,” said Lady Tigers coach David Sexauer. “They were very focused and played with a lot of poise against a quality team. This was a signature passing night. We didn't revert to the 50/50 ball style of play.”
The win improves Adairsville to 10-1 overall and a perfect 5-0 in Region 7-AAA, clinching the region title. Heritage-Catoosa falls to 5-6 overall and 3-3 in the region.
The Lady Tigers wrap up region play Tuesday with a road match against the Ridgeland Panthers at Ridgeland High School.
Lady Canes improve to 4-1 in region play
The Cartersville Lady Canes unleashed a relentless offensive attack Thursday night at Weinman Stadium, cruising to a commanding 9-1 victory over the Southeast Whitfield Lady Raiders in Region 7-AAAA action.
From the opening whistle, Cartersville controlled possession and peppered the Lady Raiders' goal with shot after shot. The Canes' early pressure paid off quickly as sophomore Lundyn Eubanks opened the scoring on a crisp assist from classmate Mary Beth Hackney. Moments later, another sophomore connection paid dividends when Scout Hullander delivered a perfectly placed pass to Eubanks, who finished for her second goal of the night.
The onslaught continued as sophomore striker Lexi Fennelly netted the third goal. Then, in the 40th minute, Eubanks completed her hat trick with a clinical finish, sending the Lady Canes into halftime with a dominant 4-0 lead.
Cartersville showed no signs of letting up after the break. Hullander got on the scoreboard herself in the second half, followed by tallies from Ali Evans and Fennelly. Senior Mallory Nicklas capped the scoring with a late goal to account for the final 9-1 margin.
The loss drops Southeast Whitfield to 1-12 overall and 0-6 in region play, while Cartersville improves to 7-4 on the year and 4-1 in Region 7-AAAA. With the victory, the Lady Canes move into second place in the standings behind Allatoona.
Cartersville returns to action next Tuesday when they host Hiram at home. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Canes edge Raiders to win overtime thriller
In a wild Region 7-AAAA showdown Thursday night at Weinman Stadium, the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes staged a dramatic comeback, scoring four unanswered goals—including two in overtime—to defeat the Southeast Whitfield Raiders 4-3.
Southeast Whitfield jumped out to a commanding start, netting two goals in the first 20 minutes and carrying a 2-0 lead into halftime while looking like the sharper side throughout the opening 40 minutes.
The Hurricanes began to turn the tide in the second half, creating chances early but struggling to convert until the final 15 minutes. That breakthrough arrived when Pepe Rangel cut quickly to his right and unleashed a rocket from 30 yards out that soared into the upper right corner, slicing the deficit in half at 2-1.
Cartersville kept pushing, and with just five minutes remaining in regulation, Joy Toure controlled a ball at the top of the 18-yard box and laid it off perfectly to Daniel Millan, who was positioned about 25 yards from goal. Millan’s low shot found the lower right corner, knotting the score at 2-2 and forcing overtime.
The extra periods belonged to the home side. In the first five minutes of the first overtime, Cartersville struck twice. Fily Duarte lined up a free kick from the sideline roughly 30 yards out and curled a precise shot that slipped past the diving keeper to give the Hurricanes their first lead of the night. Moments later, the Canes forced a turnover near midfield, and Brayden Alonso collected the ball before rifling a shot from 20 yards out into the upper corner to make it 4-2.
Southeast refused to go quietly, pulling one back with three minutes left in the first overtime to narrow the gap to 4-3, but the Hurricanes held firm through the remainder of the extra time to secure the thrilling victory.
The loss drops Southeast Whitfield to 8-4 overall and 3-3 in Region 7-AAAA play. Cartersville improves to 5-6 overall and 2-3 in the region.
The Purple Hurricanes return to action Tuesday when they host Hiram at Weinman Stadium with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
Tigers fall in overtime
Chasing their first win of the season, the Adairsville Tigers dropped an overtime heartbreaker to visiting Heritage-Catoosa on Thursday night, 1-0.
The two battled to a scoreless tie through regulation 80 minutes, sending the game to two five-minute overtime periods. The visiting Generals (5-7, 3-3) scored in the second overtime to escape with a 1-0 Region 7-AAA victory.
Adairsville (0-10, 0-5) will try again at Ridgeland on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Rossville.
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