February 9, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Special Photo / Excel Christian School: (L-R) Coach Carson Ford, Colton Sims, Russell Jones, Gabriel Gossett, Levi McMillan, and Avery Honeycutt. Excel Christian Academy wrestler Gabriel Gossett won the 215-pound weight class of the Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools (GAPPS) state championships on January 30 at Cherokee Christian Schools to lead four Eagles who medaled at the tournament. Excel’s Levi Mc

February 9, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com It is one of the busiest times of the year for collegiate sports, as winter sports conclude regular-season play in preparation for postseason play and spring sports begin with early-season games, matches, and tournaments. This week’s 'Athletes Beyond Bartow' update includes contributions from 38 local athletes across eight sports nationwide. WRESTLING LEE CAMP — Reinhardt University (So., Cass HS) … won a 17-2 technical f

February 9, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com The Georgia Highlands Chargers swept a four-game home series with USC Lancaster on Friday and Saturday, outscoring the Lancers 40-15. The Chargers hit ten home runs in the first two games to win 16-5 and 13-3 on Friday. Starting pitcher David McKechnie tossed five scoreless innings, and closer Jack Burns collected two saves in Saturday’s games for 3-0 and 8-7 wins. Andrew Bishop had seven hits, including one homer and fou

February 7, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com The wrestling teams at Woodland and Cass finished first and second, respectively, in Region 7-AAAA, and repeated that order on Saturday at the GHSA Class AAAA Section A at Cambridge High School in Milton. Woodland finished first in the Sectional with 412-½ points, and Cass was runner-up with 316. Dalton (199-½), Ware County (197), and Cambridge (181-½) rounded out the top five teams. Cartersville (48) placed 16th. The Wid

February 7, 2026 Jaylee Long advanced to the GHSA Girls State Finals with a runner-up finish at the State Sectionals on Friday at Coahulla Creek. Photo credit: Adairsville Wrestling Community on Facebook. Adairsville sophomore wrestler, Jaylee Long, followed up her recent Area 7 championship with a runner-up finish on Friday at the GHSA Girls State Sectional at Coahulla Creek High School in Whitfield County. Long, who went 2-1 in the 100-pound weight class, advanced to the G

February 7, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com The Cartersville girls’ and boys’ basketball teams completed regular-season sweeps of Woodland on Friday night at the Storm Center, while the girls’ teams at Adairsville and Cass also picked up region wins. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 66, WOODLAND 18 The 8th-ranked Lady Canes overpowered visiting Woodland on Friday evening in the Storm Center, 66-18, to remain tied with Dalton at the top of the Region 7-AAAA standings with one lea

February 5, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com The Excel Christian Academy boys basketball team won the GAPPS Region 1-IA championship on Thursday night in Powder Springs with an 85-69 victory over Praise Academy. The Eagles led 25-15 after one quarter; 47-35 at halftime; and 67-58 through three quarters en route to a 16-point win. Damir McBride led ECA with 33 points. Mier Bell scored 17, and Jamari Gatson added 13 points. Hunter Ivey paced Praise Academy (17-7) with

February 5, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Thirteen local high school swimmers competed on Thursday in the 2026 finals of the GHSA Swimming Championships at Georgia Tech. The girls’ and boys’ teams from Greater Atlanta Christian won the Class A-AAA team championship. The Adairsville boys tied for 36th place. In Class AAAA, Marist won the girls’ and boys’ team titles. The Woodland girls finished 22nd, and the Cartersville boys placed 18th. Results for local swimmer

February 5, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com A total of thirteen swimmers from local high schools advanced through the Georgia High School Association’s State Championship Preliminaries this week to reach the State Finals on Thursday at Georgia Tech. Adairsville, Cartersville, Cass, and Woodland will be represented across nine events in their respective classifications. In Class A-AAA, Andrew Harris of Adairsville qualified in the 100-yard butterfly with a 59.85 pre

February 4, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Cartersville boys' basketball head coach Mike Tobin (back center) collected his 600th career coaching victory on Tuesday as the Purple Hurricanes routed visiting Southeast Whitfield 72-19. The Cartersville High School basketball teams maintained their leading positions in the Region 7-AAAA standings with home victories on Tuesday night against Southeast Whitfield. The Lady Canes, ranked 8th, are still tied with 6th-ranked