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October 26, 2024 On Friday night in Acworth, the Cass defense held Allatoona to just 35 yards of offense in the first half en route to a 32-17 region victory. The Colonels capitalized on the host Buccaneers' special teams mistakes and built a 25-3 advantage by the middle of the third quarter. By winning, the Colonels secured their fourth consecutive spot in the state playoffs, marking the first time this achievement has occurred in the school's history. Allatoona gained one first down on the game’s opening possession but was forced to punt after just five plays. A nice punt by Buccaneers’ specialist Wilson Perry pinned the Colonels at their 5-yard line to begin their first possession. Eleven plays and 95 yards later, the Colonels were on the scoreboard to lead 7-0 with 4:30 remaining in the first quarter. Braylon Hill had an 11-yard run to open the drive, and quarterback Elijah Slocum connected on key pass plays to Naz Fleurine for 50 yards and Izak Koep for 22. Slocum capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run. Kicker Mason Madrid successfully converted the first of his four PAT kicks. On the ensuing possession, the Buccaneers moved to the Cass 45-yard line with a 34-yard pass from Cruz Paul to Xavier Rucker. Two negative rushing plays later, Cass’ Ian Williams sacked Paul and forced Allatoona to attempt a punt from their 42-yard line. A high snap on the Bucs’ punt attempt sailed over the head of Perry, who chased the bouncing ball back to his goal line. Perry then kicked the ball through the back of his end zone for a Colonels’ safety and a 9-0 Cass lead with 1:38 left in the initial period. Cass returned the free kick to their 45-yard line and pulled off a bit of trickery. Slocum threw a double pass (lateral) to Chase Tatum, who then connected with Jakai Baldwin 46 yards downfield at the Bucs’ 9-yard line.  Allatoona stiffened defensively and stopped the Colonels at the 1-yard line when they chose to run on a fourth-and-goal. Although the drive failed to produce points immediately, it put the Buccaneers in poor field position, leading to an eventual Cass score. The Bucs went three-and-out and punted from the end zone. Following two penalties that forced the Colonels to start from their 30-yard line, Hill ripped off a 56-yard run to the Bucs’ 14-yard line. Two plays later, Slocum found Fleurine in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass and a 16-0 Cass lead with 6:45 left in the first half. The Cass defense yielded just one first down on the next Allatoona possession and forced the Bucs’ fourth punt of the game. Slocum tried a deep pass on first down from the Colonels’ 20-yard line which was intercepted and returned to the Cass 47-yard line. Allatoona drove to the Cass 34-yard line on two running plays and a quarterback scramble but settled for a 50-yard field goal by Perry as time expired in the first half. Cass carried a 16-3 lead to the intermission. The Colonels’ opening drive of the second half reached the Allatoona 48-yard line before stalling. Hill had five short runs, and Slocum hit Tatum for a 14-yard pass play, but Cass had to punt the ball away. Tatum’s line drive punt was covered well by the Cass punt team, who pinned Allatoona at their 1-yard line. Three plays later, another high snap on the Bucs’ punt attempt sailed through the end zone for the second safety of the night. As a result, Cass led 18-3 with 6:18 left in the third quarter. The ensuing free kick resulted in one of the game’s highlights. Williams fielded the kick at the 15-yard line and returned it 85 yards for a Colonels touchdown and a 25-3 lead at the 6:04 mark of the third period. The stingy Cass defense forced Allatoona to commit another three-and-out on their next opportunity, but Slocum's fumble gave the ball back to the Buccaneers near midfield. Allatoona responded with their first touchdown of the game. The Bucs drove 48 yards in six plays and scored with a 15-yard pass from Paul to Rucker with 0:36 left in the third quarter. The extra point by Perry pulled Allatoona within two scores at 25-10. Starting from their 20-yard line after Perry’s long kickoff, Cass marched 80 yards on eight plays to build on their cushion. Koep caught a 40-yard pass from Slocum, and the quarterback added 15- and 19-yard chunk runs on the drive.  Hill finished the march with a 3-yard touchdown, putting the Colonels up 32-10 with 8:37 left in the game.  The two teams swapped punts on their next possessions before Allatoona drove 68 yards for the game’s final points. Rucker caught a 42-yard pass from Paul for most of the yardage and was also on the receiving end of a 15-yard touchdown throw. Cass covered an Allatoona on-side kick attempt, and Hill broke free on first down for a 26-yard run. Unfortunately, he fumbled at the end of the run, allowing the Bucs one more possession. Allatoona hit two pass completions and had one quarterback scramble to reach the Cass 28-yard line. Following a timeout, the Bucs tried a double-reverse play that finished with a Cass fumble recovery to effectively end the game. Slocum was 6-for-10 passing for Cass with one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed for 40 yards on four attempts with a touchdown. For the season, the receiver-turned-quarterback has over 1,000 yards receiving, rushing, and passing. Hill also eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark rushing for the season. The junior running back finished the night with 161 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries. Tatum threw a 46-yard completion and caught two balls for 18 additional yards. Koep and Fleurine had two receptions for 63 yards each. Baldwin had one catch for 46 yards. Allatoona finished the season with a 4-6 record. The Bucs were 2-4 in region play. Cass (6-4, 3-3) will have the next two Fridays off before the Class 4A state playoffs begin. The original schedule had a bye week for the Colonels in the final week before the Georgia High School Association added a week to the regular season due to hurricane cancelations. The Colonels will open the state playoffs on Nov. 15 or 16 at the winner of the Cambridge at Blessed Trinity game. The Titans and Bears play this Friday, Nov. 1 for the Region 6-AAAA championship.

October 26, 2024 The sixth-ranked Cedartown Bulldogs scored three first-quarter touchdowns and built a 40-0 lead by halftime en route to a 52-0 win Friday night over visiting Woodland. Cedartown had four players record rushing touchdowns, Wyatt Mosley threw touchdown passes to Demarcus Gardner and Jett Abrams, and the Bulldogs added two more touchdowns on defense. Astin Turner had a five-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter, and Michael Gibbons added a 67-yard scoring dash. Those two scores sandwiched a 25-yard pick-six by Kobe Dorsey. Mosley’s 43-yard touchdown pass to Gardner early in the second quarter put the Bulldogs ahead 26-0, and Juelz Davis broke loose for an 86-yard touchdown run with 1:59 remaining before the half.  On the ensuing possession by Woodland, Davis scooped up a fumble and returned it 75 yards with 0:57 remaining before the intermission to give Cedartown a 40-0 advantage at the intermission. In a running clock second half, Mosley connected with Abrams on an 18-yard touchdown pass with 2:25 left in the third quarter, and Breckin Ward had a 10-yard touchdown run for the Bulldogs with 3:30 left in the game for a 52-0 final score. Cedartown completed the regular season with a 9-1 record and a 5-1 mark in Region 7-AAAA. The Bulldogs will be the region’s No. 2 seed in the state playoffs and host the No. 3 seed from Region 6-AAAA on November 15 or 16 in the first round. Woodland (2-7, 0-5) completes the regular season slate on Friday, Nov. 1 at Dalton (0-9, 0-5).

October 25, 2024 The Adairsville boys’ cross country team placed fifth this past Thursday (Oct. 24) at the Region 7-AAA meet hosted by LaFayette. Heritage-Catoosa won the race, followed by Calhoun, Gilmer, and LaFayette.  Scoring runners for Adairsville were Griffin Bozeman (11th, 18:48), Johnathan Ringwell (12th, 18:31), Aaron Souders (25th, 20:54), Canyon East (32nd, 22:15), and Owen Kelly (37th, 23:27).  Demetrius Clavino of Calhoun won the individual race at 16:44. Fernanda Singer ran as an individual in the girls’ meet and placed 19th of 35 runners in 25:00. Next on the Adairsville schedule is the GHSA 3A Sectional #2 in Helen on Saturday.

October 24, 2024 Bill Gaines and Owen Wiggins of Woodland and Cartersville High Schools, respectively, won the Major League Fishing Abu Garcia High School tournament on October 19 at Tennessee’s Lake Chickamauga. The local duo caught five bass weighing 17 pounds, 10 ounces, to claim the title. The second-place team from Kingston, Tennessee, caught five bass weighing 13 pounds, 6 ounces. A release by MLF stated Gaines and Wiggins bested 36 other high school teams. The win also qualified the anglers and the top 10 percent of the field for the High School Fishing National Championship on June 25-27, 2025, at Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. The High School Fishing National Champions receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2025 MLF Toyota Series Championship.

October 23, 2024 On Tuesday evening, two strong pitching performances by Abby Lovell of Northside-Columbus lifted the host Patriots to a doubleheader sweep and a state quarterfinal series win over the Cartersville Lady Canes. Lovell struck out 13 and allowed just one hit in Northside’s 8-0, five-inning win in Game 1 of the best-of-three series. She followed up with 12 strikeouts in Game 2, yielding just one earned run and one hit over six innings.  Northside reliever Loreal Byrd closed out a scoreless seventh inning of Game 2 by striking out two. Northside scored two runs in the first, three in the second, and added three more runs across the fourth and fifth innings of Game 1. The Patriots produced eleven hits. Allana Williams had the only Cartersville hit in the opener. Zoie Shiflett (4.2 IP, 8R, 7ER, 11H, 4BB, 4K) took the pitching loss. In Game 2, Northside led 5-1 through two innings, and that score remained until the Patriots erupted for eight runs in the top of the seventh for a 13-1 win. Northside totaled 14 hits. Jordan Bishop had the only hit for Cartersville. It was a triple, with Kinsey Woodard picking up the Lady Canes’ RBI. Presley Crabbe (6.2 IP, 13R, 9ER, 14H, 2BB, 3K) was the pitcher of record for Cartersville. Shiflett entered to retire one out in the seventh. Northside-Columbus (30-2) advances to the GHSA Class 4A State Elite Eight double-elimination bracket on October 30-November 2 at the Columbus Softball Complex. Cartersville has its season end with a 24-7 record.

October 23, 2024 The Cartersville Lady Canes volleyball team advanced to the Class 4A Final Four Tuesday night with a thrilling five-set victory at North Oconee. The Titans were the champions of Region 6-4A. Cartersville won the first two sets 25-22 and 25-23. North Oconee battled back in the third and fourth sets, 25-20 and 25-21, but the Lady Canes prevailed in the tie-breaker fifth set, 15-12. Riley Huff and Amara Ejieke combined for 30 of the Lady Canes' 47 kills in the match. Huff finished with 13 kills, four blocks, and two aces. Ejieke had 17 kills, five digs, and an ace. Holly Dufrene contributed seven kills and three blocks. Addison Marisko pitched in six kills, four blocks, and one dig. Addie Rickman totaled four kills, three blocks, and four digs. Aubree Barrett and Emma Wall had 21 assists each to run the Cartersville offense. Barrett added 13 digs and three aces. Wall added six digs and an ace. McKenzie Wilkie distributed three assists and had 23 digs. Riley Jarrett and Sydney Seigler led Lady Canes' servers with four aces each. Jarrett added five digs. Cartersville (32-11) advances to face Blessed Trinity in the state semifinals on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Allatoona High School in Acworth. Blessed Trinity (29-10) reached the semifinals with a four-set win over Union Grove on Tuesday. Their other playoff wins were over Northside-Columbus and Hiram in three straight sets. Pace Academy (41-6) and Marist (31-3) will play in the other semifinal on Saturday at Allatoona at 1 p.m. The semifinal winners will play for the Class 4A State Championship on Monday, November 4 at LakePoint in Emerson at 7:30 p.m.

October 21, 2024 This week's update on local athletes nationwide in collegiate and pro sports. NFL TREVOR LAWRENCE — Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL, 4th-yr. pro; Clemson; Cartersville HS) … completed 15 of 20 passes for 193 yards and one touchdown as the Jaguars beat the New England Patriots 32-16 in London. The 25-year-old quarterback added 13 yards rushing on two attempts. His touchdown pass was a 6-yard completion to Brian Thomas Jr. in the second quarter. Jacksonville (2-5) hosts the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. FOOTBALL HAYDEN CAGLE — Berry College (Sr., Cartersville HS) … a starter on the Vikings’ offensive line that helped produce 551 total yards in a 53-10 home rout of Sewanee this past Saturday. 25th-ranked Berry (5-1, 3-0) travels to San Antonio this week to face Trinity University on Saturday afternoon. JONAH GAMBILL — University of Memphis (R-Sr., Cartersville HS) … a starter on the Tigers’ offensive line that helped produce 526 total yards in a 52-44 home win over North Texas. Memphis (6-1, 2-1 American Athletic Conference) hosts Charlotte on Saturday. KEVIN HENDERSON — University of Findlay (Fr., Cass HS) … made a start at linebacker and responded with five tackles, including one for a two-yard loss in the Oilers 26-10 win Saturday at Ohio Dominican. Findlay (6-1, 4-1 Great Midwestern Athletic Conference) plays at Thomas More on Saturday afternoon. SHADRE HURST — Tulane University (So., Cartersville HS) … a starter on the Green Wave’s offensive line that helped produce 306 total yards in a 24-10 home victory over Rice. Tulane (5-2, 3-0) plays Saturday at North Texas. QUANTE JENNINGS — Presbyterian College (Sr., Cartersville HS) … saw action at running back but had no stat line in a Blue Hose 19-16 overtime loss Saturday to Drake. Presbyterian (2-6, 0-4 Pioneer Football League) at Stetson. TYLER MARTIN — Berry College (Jr., Cass HS) … a starter on the Vikings’ offensive line that helped produce 551 total yards in a 53-10 home rout of Sewanee this past Saturday. 25th-ranked Berry (5-1, 3-0) travels to San Antonio this week to face Trinity University on Saturday afternoon. JAKE PARKER — Judson University (So., Cartersville HS) … the Eagles’ starting quarterback was 21-for-39 passing for 295 yards and one touchdown in a 49-20 home loss to Saint Francis (IN). He added ten rushing yards on nine attempts and had four passes intercepted. Judson (1-5, 0-1 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) plays at St. Francis (IL) on Saturday afternoon. DEVONTE ROSS — Troy University (Jr., Cartersville HS) … caught seven passes for 70 yards and one touchdown in the Trojans’ 25-9 loss at South Alabama last Tuesday (Oct. 15). He also had two kick returns for 31 yards and three punt returns for 40 yards. Troy (1-6, 0-3 Sun Belt Conference) visits Arkansas State on Saturday night. STEPHEN ROWSER — Morehouse College (Fr., Cartersville HS) … made two tackles this past Saturday in the Maroon Tigers’ 52-6 loss at Albany State. Morehouse (1-6, 1-4 SIAC) hosts Fort Valley State on Saturday afternoon. COURTNEY SLOCUM — Mars Hill University (Sr., Adairsville HS) … saw action, but the linebacker had no stat line in a 30-3 home win this past Saturday over Tusculum University. The Lions (2-3, 2-2 South Atlantic Conference) play at Virginia-Wise on Saturday. EVAN SLOCUM — Wake Forest University (Sr., Cartersville HS) … made four tackles, broke up two passes, and returned one interception eight yards this past Saturday in the Demon Deacons non-conference 23-20 win at UConn. Wake Forest (3-4, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) crosses the country this week to play at Stanford on Saturday afternoon. CROSS COUNTRY McKINLEY CHAPPELL — Berry College (Jr., Woodland HS) … placed 324th (27:44) of 437 runners this past Saturday at the 8K Augustana (IL) Interregional Invitational in Rock Island. The Vikings finished 14th of 30 teams.  ANDY FORSYTH — Berry College (Fr., Woodland HS) … placed 138th (27:50) of 437 runners this past Saturday at the 8K Augustana (IL) Interregional Invitational in Rock Island. The Vikings finished 14th of 30 teams.  TYLER JONES — University of West Georgia (So., Woodland HS) … placed 150th (28:35) of 199 runners as the Wolves finished ninth of 18 teams at the 8K USC Upstate Invitational in Spartanburg. West Georgia will compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship on November 2.  VOLLEYBALL MADELYN ORTON — LaGrange College (Jr., Cartersville resident, Cornerstone Prep Academy) … saw action in two sets during a loss to Asbury College and three during a win over Wesleyan College this past Saturday in Macon. She totaled one service ace and five digs. The Panthers (7-16, 4-8 Collegiate Conference of the South) host Clark Atlanta University on Wednesday and a tri-match with Piedmont University and Covenant College on Saturday. MEREDITH ORTON — LaGrange College (Jr., Cartersville resident, Cornerstone Prep Academy) … appeared in all six sets this past Saturday as the Panthers split matches in Macon with Asbury College and Wesleyan College. She had five kills, two digs, one block, and one assist in the two matches. LaGrange (7-16, 4-8 CCS) hosts Clark Atlanta University on Wednesday before Piedmont University and Covenant College visit on Saturday for a tri-match. SOCCER ABBEY CRAIG — Reinhardt University (Jr., Cartersville HS) … made starts on defense in both matches last Wednesday and Saturday, logging 39 minutes in a 3-0 win at University of Pikeville (KY) and 59 minutes during a 5-0 home win over Bluefield University (VA). The Eagles (8-4-1, 8-2-1 Appalachian Athletic Conference) visit Tennessee Wesleyan on Wednesday and host Union Commonwealth University (KY) on Saturday. BRADY CRAIG — Reinhardt University (Sr., Cartersville HS) … made starts on defense and logged all 180 minutes last week in a 4-2 Wednesday loss at University of Pikeville (KY) and a 1-1 home draw on Saturday with Bluefield University (VA). The Eagles (4-7-4, 3-4-3 Appalachian Athletic Conference) play at Tennessee Wesleyan on Wednesday and host Union Commonwealth University on Saturday night. TENNIS EMILY SURCEY — Samford University (Sr., Cass HS) … participating in the Blazer Battle last weekend with host UAB, Jacksonville State, Lipscomb, and Southern Mississippi, Surcey and partner Grace Keller went 2-1 in doubles action. She was 0-3 at Line 1 singles with a straight sets loss to her opponent from Lipscomb and three-set losses to Jacksonville State and UAB opponents. The Bulldogs will wrap up their Fall schedule Nov. 1 and 2 at the College of Charleston Invitational. GOLF BRODY TIDWELL — Georgia State University (So., Cartersville HS) … playing as an individual, carded rounds of 78-76-74 and placed 19th of 60 players Oct. 14-15 at the Pinetree Intercollegiate in Kennesaw. His teammates finished second of ten teams. Kennesaw State won the tournament. This past weekend, Tidwell shot 81-74-78 and tied for 79th at the Furman Intercollegiate. GSU finished 11th of 15 teams, and Texas A&M won the event.

October 19, 2024 The Cass Colonels had no margin for error entering Friday night’s Homecoming game against Dalton and ultimately took care of business by winning 27-0 at Doug Cochran Stadium. After starting the season 3-0, the Colonels lost four of their next five games, including three in the region.  That left Cass needing victories over Dalton and Allatoona to reach the state playoffs for an unprecedented fourth straight year. Step one of the process was accomplished Friday although it was messy at times. The Colonels committed nine penalties for 85 yards, turned the ball over three times with interceptions, and the offense managed only 182 total yards. Despite the problems, it was enough for an important win due to the dominance of the Cass defense and special teams. Ian Williams and Malachi Harris both blocked Dalton's punts. Izak Koep picked off two Dalton passes and had lengthy returns on both. Braylon Hill had two double-digit punt returns, and Ja’Kai Baldwin contributed a 50-yard punt return.  Meanwhile, the Cass defense limited the Catamounts to a mere 38 total yards (23 rushing / 15 passing) in the game. Colonel defenders forced eight negative-yardage plays and kept Dalton bottled up on their side of the 50-yard line for all but seven plays on the night. Both teams punted on their opening possessions, and Koep picked off the first of his two interceptions near the midpoint of the first quarter—his 45-yard return to the Dalton 5-yard line set up the game’s first score.  Braylon Hill ran between his center and left guard for a 5-yard touchdown that gave Cass a 7-0 lead with 5:57 remaining in the opening quarter. Mason Madrid drilled the first of his three PAT kicks. Dalton went three-and-out on their next possession, and Hill returned a punt 11 yards to the Catamounts’ 49-yard line. Six Cass running plays later, Dalton’s Adrian Gongora picked off an Elijah Slocum pass at the 15-yard line. A third-down sack by Cass defensive end Sergio Ochoa forced another Dalton three-and-out. Hill followed with a 20-yard punt return to the Dalton 40-yard line. Three consecutive runs by Hill covering 21 yards moved Cass to the 19-yard line. Jachai Delgado took over the rushing duties from there and made the score 14-0 on a 4-yard run with 8:00 left in the first half. Dalton’s fifth possession of the first half included one first down, but following a sack by Williams of Cass, Dalton quarterback Caine Woods was picked off again by Koep — his 42-yard return to the Cats’ 25-yard line set up another Cass touchdown. On first down, Hill darted straight through the middle of the Dalton defense for a 25-yard touchdown run and a 21-0 Cass lead with 3:15 left before intermission. The Cass defense forced one more punt before halftime and went to the locker room with a three-score advantage. The Colonels went three-and-out to begin the second half, but their defense forced the same from Dalton. Malachi Harris blocked the Catamounts’ punt, and the Cass special team recovered to set up possession in plus territory. Slocum completed an 18-yard pass to Koep to convert a third-and-ten. Hill also had a 14-yard run in the possession to move into the red zone. However, Dalton stymied the Cass drive when Kalem Staton picked off a Slocum pass at the 4-yard line and returned it to the 10. Again, Dalton picked up one first down but was forced to punt from their 26-yard line near the end of the third quarter. Baldwin’s long punt return to the Catamounts’ 15-yard line set up the final Cass touchdown as the final period began. On the second play of the fourth quarter, Delgado punched in a two-yard run with 11:23 left in the game. The PAT kick failed, but the Colonels had a 27-0 lead. Dalton did not earn a first down on either of their final possessions that sandwiched a lengthy, 13-play drive by the Colonels’ offense. Cass marched from their 11-yard line to the Dalton 30-yard line, but the drive ended on a fourth down interception in the end zone. PHOTOS: (clockwise from top left) Braylon Hill gets a block from Peyton Graham; Elijah Slocum runs the zone read with Hill; Izak Koep looks for blocking on one of his interception returns; and Mason Madrid boots one of his extra-point tries. Hill finished the night with 83 rushing yards on 11 attempts with two touchdowns. Delgado had 13 carries for 43 yards and two scores. Slocum was 5-for-10 passing for 40 yards. He also rushed eight times for seven yards. Chase Tatum caught two passes for 12 yards. Koep (18-yards), Delgado (8-yards), and Hill (two yards) contributed one reception. Dalton (0-9, 0-5) has a bye week before hosting Woodland on November 1. Cass (5-4, 2-3) visits Allatoona (4-5, 2-3) on Friday night. The winner will earn a state playoff berth.

October 19, 2024 The cross country teams at Cartersville and Woodland attended two invitationals on Saturday to prepare for the upcoming GHSA Class 4A State Sectionals. Cartersville participated in the 5K Randolph Invitational in Huntsville, Alabama, and Woodland competed in the Varsity Division of the 5K Coach Wood Invitational in Whitesburg, Georgia. The Cartersville boys placed seventh of 44 teams in Huntsville in a race that McCallie School of Chattanooga won. The boys' race included 184 runners. Will Feuerbach led the Canes with a 13th-place finish in 16:07. He was followed by scoring runs by Barrett Stepp (26th, 16:21), Ethan Empie (62nd, 17:00), Hayden Mitchell (66th, 17:11), and Carson Robinson (77th, 17:23). The Cartersville girls finished eleventh of 35 teams in a race won by Page High School of Franklin, Tennessee. The girls' race included 102 harriers. Sofia Burns placed fourth individually in 18:36.  Other Lady Canes scoring runs were completed by Kylie Ham (54th, 21:07), Vivi Vest (88th, 22:08), Jordan Hathaway (95th, 22:21), and Samantha Stepp (102nd, 22:34). The Woodland boys placed 15th of 35 teams in their division at the Coach Wood Invitational. Northgate won the competition, which included 268 runners. Juan Mendoza (15th, 16:55) led the Wildcats. Will Parker (54th, 17:41), James Morris (91st, 18:08), Conner Cruz (160th, 19:10), and Gabe Hardin (187th, 19:39) had scoring runs for Woodland. The Lady Cats finished 22nd out of 32 teams in the varsity division. South Forsyth won the race, which included 244 competitors. Allison Snead ran to a 13th-place finish in 20:25 to pace the Woodland girls. Miranda Pelow (31st, 21:16), Addison Brown (66th, 22:26), Katie Anne Jones (204th, 26:24), and Lily Hiott (208th, 26:49) added scoring runs for the Lady Cats. Next for Cartersville and Woodland is the GHSA 4A Sectional 2 race for Regions 3, 5, 6, and 7 in Fayetteville on November 2.

October 19, 2024 Cartersville Volleyball outlasted the visiting Midtown Knights Saturday afternoon for a five-set win in the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs. The Lady Canes won the first two sets in the best-of-five match 25-21 and 25-14 before Midtown won the next two sets 25-21 and 25-19. Cartersville won the decisive fifth set 15-12, ensuring their place in the state quarterfinals, which are set for Tuesday. Amara Ejieke paced the Hurricanes’ front line with 16 kills and five blocks. Riley Huff had seven kills, eight blocks, and three aces. Holly Dufrene finished with 13 kills, two blocks, and five digs. Aubree Barrett contributed 20 assists, six digs, and three aces. Sydney Seigler produced 19 digs and three aces. Emma Wall had 18 assists and nine digs, while Mckenzie Wilkie totaled 22 digs. Midtown’s season ended with a 29-10 record. On Tuesday, Cartersville (31-11) will travel to North Oconee (33-14) for a state quarterfinal match. The Titans, Region 8-4A champs, have not lost a set in the state playoffs with wins over Locust Grove and Druid Hills.

October 18, 2024 The Adairsville Tigers fell behind early and were not able to recover Friday night, losing 38-14 to the Northwest Whitfield Bruins in Tunnel Hill. After trading possessions for most of the first quarter, the Bruins went ahead 14-0 on back-to-back possessions late in the initial period. Bruins' quarterback Gavin Nuckolls punched in a three-yard touchdown run to complete a four-play, 30-yard drive with 3:04 left in the first quarter. Northwest added a second score less than a minute later when Nuckolls connected with Will Wade for a 33-yard strike. PAT kicks by Jayden Garcia gave the Bruins a two-score lead with 2:17 remaining in the quarter. The hosts added to their lead midway through the second quarter with a 26-yard field goal by Garcia. The successful kick gave the Bruins a 17-0 lead with 7:33 left before the intermission. Adairsville charged back into the contest with back-to-back scoring possessions of their own. Ethan Long connected with Tre Winters for both scoring plays. The first Adairsville touchdown was an 8-yard pass to cap a six-play, 76-yard drive with 4:52 left in the second quarter. The second score was a 30-yard connection to finish off a three-play, 44-yard drive with 3:49 remaining in the half. Cooper Souders booted both extra points, and the teams went to the locker room with the Bruins up, 17-14. All of the scoring in the second half belonged to Northwest Whitfield. The Bruins drove 61 yards in seven plays to take a 24-14 lead with 8:09 left in the third quarter. Caden Ramsey scored on a five-yard run. The next Northwest possession ate up most of the remainder of the third period and finished on the first play of the fourth. The 15-play, 68-yard march culminated with a 7-yard keeper by Nuckolls just five seconds into the fourth quarter, giving the Bruins a 31-14 advantage. The final scoring came on a miscue by the Tigers with just seconds remaining in the game. A bad snap sailed over the head of Adairsville backup quarterback Braxton Elrod, and it was recovered by Caiden Crysel of Northwest with just 13.9 seconds remaining, making the final score 38-14. Long was 14-for-31 passing for 149 yards and one touchdown. The Tigers quarterback was picked off once. Winters finished with seven receptions for 87 yards and one score. He also completed one pass for 30 yards to Long. Xavious Nalls caught four passes for 46 yards. Ethan Brown and Winters had 12 tackles each for the Tigers. Riley Worthington finished with ten tackles. Colton Sanford had nine. Northwest Whitfield improved to 7-2 on the season and 3-2 in Region 7-AAA. The Bruins will finish the regular season next Friday at Ridgeland. Adairsville slipped to 5-3 for the season and 2-2 in region play. The Tigers host Gilmer (4-4, 2-2) next Friday and will play at Heritage-Catoosa (5-3, 3-1) on November 1.  ~~ Larry Gardner contributed to this report.

October 19, 2024 Cartersville Purple Hurricanes emerged victorious in a tough matchup against Cedartown on Friday night, securing -- for now -- the top spot in the Region 7-4A standings with a 19-14 win. The Canes' victory was their fifth straight over the Bulldogs, and it moved Cartersville one step closer to clinching the region title. The second-ranked Hurricanes will likely need a win against Hiram at Weinman Stadium next Friday to secure the region's No. 1 seed for the state playoffs. Both teams scored on their opening drives with methodical precision. After receiving the opening kickoff, Cartersville got on the scoreboard first with a two-yard Baylon Long run. Ramsey Rowell converted the extra point to put the Canes up 7-0 with 9:12 remaining in the quarter. Cedartown answered with a time-consuming drive of their own. Clemson-commit Tae Harris cashed in the possession with a 28-yard run, knotting the score at 7-7 with just 0:28 showing on the first quarter clock. A scoreless second period saw Cartersville possessions end with a sack by the Bulldogs’ Quinlan Cothron and an interception by UCF-commit Demarcus Gardner. Cedartown also attempted and missed a long field goal from midfield in the quarter.  Cedartown received the second-half kickoff, but the Hurricanes reclaimed the lead on the first play from scrimmage. Harris fumbled on the Bulldogs’ opening play, and the Canes’ Reed Ezell returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. Cothron blocked the PAT, but Cartersville held a 14-13 advantage with 11:41 remaining in the third quarter. Harris responded on the Bulldogs’ next possession with a long touchdown run to take the lead. His 59-yard dash to the end zone gave Cedartown a 14-13 edge with 8:46 left in the quarter. The Hurricanes answered immediately with a quick drive that gave them the lead for good. On a third-and-eight play, Nate Russell connected with Brady Marchese for a 28-yard strike in the end zone. The PAT missed again, but Cartersville held a 19-14 lead with 7:53 remaining in the third quarter. Both defenses locked in for the remainder of the night, although the Canes did get in position to miss a field goal attempt in the fourth quarter. Cedartown’s penultimate possession ended with a turnover on downs with less than two minutes remaining. The Canes then used up most of the remaining clock but did have to punt back to the Bulldogs in the final seconds before holding on for the win. Russell was 7-for-14 passing for 142 yards and one touchdown. He threw one interception and added 65 rushing yards on nine carries. Marchese caught five passes for 132 yards and one touchdown. Jamauri Brice had two receptions for ten yards. Long contributed 77 yards rushing on 15 attempts and one touchdown. The loss leaves fifth-ranked Cedartown at 8-1 on the season and 4-1 in Region 7-4A. The Bulldogs host Woodland on Friday to conclude the regular season slate. Cartersville (9-0, 5-0) hosts Hiram (5-4, 4-1) on Friday. The Hornets routed Allatoona on Friday night, 52-7. ~~ Matt Santini contributed to this report.