Athletes Beyond Bartow: Locals shine as Fall sports continue and Winter sports begin

There were standout performances sprinkled throughout the contributions of local athletes at the collegiate and professional levels over the past week.

Some of the former Bartow County stars are getting off to solid starts to their winter sports seasons, while others are putting the finishing touches on their fall campaigns.

On the gridiron, Cartersville High graduate Terry Berdin exploded for 175 yards and three touchdowns for Reinhardt; Emmanuel Jones, a Woodland product, returned from injury to put up great defensive stats again; and Cartersville resident Jake Walker scored two touchdowns for Furman.

Meanwhile, Kingston native Spencer Fields has helped his Rhodes College cross country team reach the NCAA Division III championship, following a great performance at nearby Berry College.

As for the quick starts, ex-Woodland wrestler Jake Huffine earned an overtime win against a foe from a top-25 program.

Elsewhere, Elijah Robinson continued his great start to professional basketball in Argentina; Ryan Davis started hot for Francis Marion; and Furman's Jaylon Pugh hit a pair of 3-pointers in his first career game.

PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL

Vic Beasley Jr. (Atlanta Falcons; Adairsville) — Beasley's quiet 2018 season continued with another game in which he failed to record a tackle. The Falcons' tough 2018 season also continued Sunday as Atlanta fell to Cleveland on the road by a 28-16 final score.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Quadre Allen (Tusculum Sr., Woodland) — Allen played but didn't land on the stat sheet during Tusculum's 16-12 loss to Wingate on Saturday.

DeAndre Applin (Georgia State Sr., Adairsville) — Applin recorded two solo tackles in a 36-22 loss to Louisiana on Saturday.

Terry Berdin (Reinhardt Fr., Cartersville) — Berdin erupted for a huge game in the Eagles' regular-season finale, piling up 175 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries. He scored on runs of 7, 29 and 78 yards with the 78-yarder coming on the first play of the second half in the 62-0 win over Union (Kentucky). His stellar showing landed him Mid-South Conference offensive player of the week honors. Fourth-ranked Reinhardt (9-1) will host No. 13 seed Concordia (Michigan) in the first round of the NAIA playoffs at 1 p.m. Saturday in Waleska.

Chris Blackston (West Georgia Jr., Adairsville) — Blackston started for the Wolves but didn't record any stats in a 47-31 loss to Valdosta State on Saturday. With the defeat, West Georgia missed out on an unbeaten regular season. The Wolves will host Wingate in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs at noon Saturday in Carrollton.

Bryce Burgess (Reinhardt Fr., Adairsville) — Burgess carried the ball five times for 13 yards, including a long of 8 yards, in Saturday's 62-0 victory over Union.

Trevor Carlton (Reinhardt Sr., Cartersville) — Carlton recorded a 4-yard sack and totaled six tackles (three solo) in Saturday's rout.

Marcus Childers (Northern Illinois R-So., Adairsville) — Childers accounted for three total touchdowns to help extend Northern Illinois' winning streak to six straight games. He threw a 33-yard scoring pass in the first half and had touchdown runs of 1 and 23 yards in the third quarter to seal a 38-15 win over Toledo last Wednesday. Childers completed 13 of 19 passes with the one touchdown and one interception. He added 58 yards on the ground.

Xavior Coaxum (LaGrange So., Cartersville) — Coaxum tied his season high with seven tackles, including a 6-yard tackle for loss, in a 42-14 loss to Huntingdon on Saturday. Coaxum finished his sophomore year with 39 tackles.

Jonathan Cruz (Charlotte Fr., Cartersville) — Cruz drilled all three of his kicks on Saturday, nailing a pair of field goals and an extra point in a 30-13 loss to Marshall on Saturday.

Dalen Curtis (Brevard So., Cartersville) — Curtis hauled in a 10-yard pass for his fourth catch of the year in a 28-7 victory against Greensboro on Saturday.

Kurtis Feanny (Lenoir-Rhyne Fr., Woodland) — Feanny made the participation report but not the stat sheet in Lenoir-Rhyne's 10th consecutive win. Following a season-opening loss to West Alabama, the Bears haven't lost, including a 63-21 triumph over Catawba on Saturday to complete an undefeated SAC season. Lenoir-Rhyne will host Florida Tech in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Jordan Ferguson (Middle Tennessee State So., Cartersville) — Ferguson assisted on a tackle in a 48-32 win over Texas-El Paso on Saturday.

Miller Forristall (Alabama R-So., Cartersville) — Forristall saw time on the field in top-ranked Alabama's 24-0 shut out of Mississippi State on Saturday.

Rico Frye (Bowling Green Fr., Cartersville) — Frye posted 45 yards on 12 carries with a long of 27 in a 24-13 win over Central Michigan on Saturday. The total yards and individual 27-yard burst were both season highs for Frye.

Cameron Gonyea (Saint Anselm Fr., Cass) — Gonyea totaled two tackles and a pass breakup in Saint Anselm's 33-10 loss to Pace on Saturday.

Gabriel Gridley (Angelo State So., Cartersville) — Gridley was busy on Saturday, punting 10 times in a 41-13 defeat against Texas A&M-Commerce. He averaged 38 yards with a long of 56 and one punt inside the 20-yard line.

Sean Holton (Davidson So., Cartersville) — Holton saw playing time but didn't land on the stat sheet in a 56-52 loss to San Diego on Saturday.

Brady Jernigan (Maryville Jr., Woodland) — Jernigan assisted on two tackles and recovered a fumble in a 31-14 triumph over N.C. Wesleyan on Saturday.

Lucas Johnson (Georgia State Sr., Cass) — An offensive lineman, Johnson was once again listed as a starter for the Panthers, although it was at wide receiver, in Saturday's defeat.

Emmanuel Jones (Colorado State So., Woodland) — Jones (photo left) returned from injury and picked up where he had left off. He made five tackles (four solo), two tackles for loss and a 10-yard sack against Nevada. However, the Rams came up on the losing end of a 49-10 scoreline.

Bradley Kirk (Shorter Fr., Cartersville) — Kirk racked up seven tackles, including five solo stops, and also intercepted a pass in Shorter's season finale against Florida Tech on Saturday.

Trevor Lawrence (Clemson Fr., Cartersville) — Lawrence threw for just shy of 300 yards and accounted for two touchdowns, as the Tigers remained perfect on the season. He completed 29 of 40 pass attempts for 295 yards and one score to earn his fourth ACC rookie of the week honor. A recently named semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien Award for the nation's best quarterback, Lawrence added a rushing touchdown in Saturday's 27-7 win over Boston College.

Nyvin Nelson (Chattanooga Fr., Cartersville) — Nelson didn't record any stats, but he did see the field in a 13-9 setback against Mercer on Saturday.

Dorian Pitt (Southwestern Oklahoma State Jr., Adairsville) — Pitt saw playing time along the offensive line for the Bulldogs in a 35-14 loss to Northwestern Oklahoma State in the final game of the regular season on Saturday.

Mark Quattlebaum (Charlotte R-Sr., Cartersville) — Quattlebaum had an 11-yard reception and a 9-yard punt return on his only two touches of Saturday's defeat.

Seven Richards (Jacksonville Fr., Cass) — Richards started at offensive guard during Jacksonville's 48-30 loss to Valparaiso. He helped the Dolphins rush for 439 yards in the game.

Macland Shay (New Mexico Highlands Fr., Cass) — Shay saw action in a 52-24 loss to Colorado Mesa on Saturday.

Jake Walker (Furman So., Cartersville resident) — Walker had an outstanding showing in a 49-13 romp against Virginia Military Institute, as he hauled in two passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns. His first catch resulted in a 33-yard score and his second was a 69-yarder.

PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL

Elijah Robinson (Villa San Martin, Argentina; Excel) — Robinson continues to shine in the Argentina professional league. He posted 16 points and nine rebounds in his most recent outing — a 75-70 win over Hindu Club. On the season, Robinson is averaging 16 points and seven rebounds, while shooting 49 percent from the floor, 53.3 percent from 3 and 76.9 percent from the line.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Ryan Davis (Francis Marion Sr., Cartersville) — Davis has gotten off to a hot start to the season with 44 points combined through his first two games. He posted 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting with four rebounds and four assists in a 115-84 loss to Catawba to open the year. Davis followed that up with 28 points (11-of-17 shooting) and nine boards in a 105-86 win over Newberry.

Whitney Harris (Toccoa Falls Fr., Woodland) — Harris started both of Tocca Falls' games this past week. She totaled five points and five rebounds across the pair of defeats.

Carter Hedden (Hocking Fr., Cass) — Hedden scored a total of 19 points during this past week's three games. He had nine points in a loss to Cincinnati-Claremont and five points apiece in a loss to Lorain County and a win over Westmoreland County. He added five rebounds, four steals, two assists and a block across the three games.

Jonathan Pritchett (Vermont Tech So., Woodland) — Pritchett started both games for Vermont Tech this past week, as the Knights remained undefeated on the young season. Foul trouble slowed him down in the first game of the week, limiting Pritchett to just seven points, two rebounds, two steals and an assist. He saw 35 minutes the next game, posting four points and five assists against just one turnover.

Jaylon Pugh (Furman Fr., Cartersville) — Pugh played 14 minutes in Furman's season-opening win over Bob Jones last Tuesday. He nailed two of his six 3-point attempts, while grabbing two rebounds and recording a steal. He didn't the floor in Furman's upset win on the road Friday against Loyola-Chicago, which reached the Final Four last season.

Darius Thrower (Truett McConnell Jr., Excel) — Thrower saw action but didn't record any points in a loss to Union College on Wednesday. He knocked down a pair of triples in a win over Columbia International on Saturday.

Carrod Watson (North Georgia Jr., Woodland) — North Georgia got off to a 1-1 start to the season with a loss to North Greenville and a win against Erskine in the Peach Belt-Conference Carolinas Challenge over the weekend. Watson saw three minutes in each game, totaling two points, two blocks and a rebound.

CROSS COUNTRY

Spencer Fields (Rhodes Sr., Kingston native) — Fields finished 13th as Rhodes College placed first out of 33 teams in the NCAA Division III South/Southeast Regional Saturday in Rome. Back in his old stomping grounds, the Darlington graduate completed the course in 26 minutes, 14.63 seconds. Rhodes will compete this coming weekend in the NCAA D-III Championship in Winneconne, Wisconsin.

WRESTLING

Robby Earick (Life So., Cartersville) — Earick scored a 9-4 win during Life's season opener against Truett McConnell on Nov. 1. He then went 1-2 in the Patriot Open that weekend in Williamsburg, Kentucky.

Jake Huffine (Chattanooga Jr., Woodland) — Huffine recorded a thrilling victory in the 133-pound division in Chattanooga's Sunday matchup against 21st-ranked North Carolina. Huffine fell behind twice during regulation against James Szymanski but managed to force overtime. In the extra period, the junior scored a takedown for an 8-6 win. Chattanooga, though, fell by a score of 23-10.

--- NOTE 1: This week's report courtesy the staff at The Daily Tribune News

— NOTE 2: All information comes from the official websites of the teams or schools listed above. Questions regarding collegiate stats and/or participation for any individual should be directed to their sports information department.