Calhoun girls clinch Region 6-AAA title with win on the road
After a dramatic win in penalty kicks over their rival Sonoraville last Thursday, the Calhoun girls were securely in the driver’s seat for the Region 6-AAA title coming into this week, needing just one win in their last two region contests to accomplish the feat.
The Lady Jackets took care of that hurdle on Tuesday to clinch the region title with a 4-1 win at Coahulla Creek. Calhoun (10-3, 8-0) fell behind 1-0 early in the contest, but fought back with two goals in the first half to take a 2-1 lead at the break and then finished things off with two more goals in the second half.
Calhoun coach Randy Rice said it has been a tough season for his team, but they never wavered in working hard toward and eventually accomplishing their goal of winning a region title.
“I am completely overwhelmed by the girls winning the region title this year,” said Rice. “It has been a physical and mental roller coaster this season to say the least. We were greeted at the start of the season by losing an allstar performer in Tori Roper to a season-ending knee injury. Then, captain MeriKathryn Black went down with a season-ending hip injury. Captain Carter Baggett, foot, and captain Leah Prather, neck, also lost some playing time due to injuries. At one point we were playing with one captain, Michelly Huitanda.
“But give the girls credit. They overcame the injuries. Young players stepped up and filled the holes. We are now finally healthy and are looking forward to the State Playoffs.”
On Tuesday, Calhoun was led by Mari Morales who scored two goals in the first half and one more in the second for a hat trick. Karimar Ramos added the final goal, and Prather, Adamariz Perez and Emily Sorrow each had an assist. The Lady Jackets defense also clamped down after surrendering the early goal and shut Coahulla Creek out from there.
Calhoun wrapped up their region schedule on Thursday at home against Adairsville as they aimed for an undefeated region record. (For details on that match, see Wednesday’s Calhoun Times.) They will get a final non-region tune-up on Friday at Sprayberry at 5:30 p.m. before hosting the first round of the Class AAA State Playoffs on Tuesday against the No. 4 seed from Region 8-AAA.
In other recent prep sports action:
SOCCER Calhoun boys 5, Coahulla Creek 1
The Jackets wrapped up the No. 2 seed and a home playoff game in the first round with a business-like region road win on Tuesday.
Calhoun (11-4, 7-1) got two goals each from Brock Stewart and Eric Garcia, and Daniel Isep had one. Jorge Aranda added three assists, and Isep also had one.
The Jackets were back home on Thursday to close out the region schedule against Adairsville. (For details on that game, see Wednesday’s Calhoun Times.) They will visit Sprayberry on Friday at 7:30 p.m. for a non-region test to wrap up the regular season before entering the Class AAA State Playoffs next week.
Gordon Central girls 6, Chattooga 0
Gordon Central finished out the season on a high note on Monday by shutting out Chattooga for a home region win on Senior Night.
The Lady Warriors (3-9, 3-7) got a hat trick from Jennifer Franco to lead the way. Jackie Alvarez added two goals, and Gaby Cardona scored one. Candy Avila had a shutout in goal, recording a save on Chattooga’s lone shot as Gordon Central controlled possession for the majority of the game.
Following the win, Nidian Almazan, Yesenia Jacobo and Yamilet Ramirez were honored as part of Senior Night festivities.
GOLF Lady Jackets finish second at Lady General Invitational
The Calhoun girls traveled to Nob North to compete in the Lady General Invitational and came away with a strong runner-up finish.
The Lady Jackets shot a 257 as a team to finish second behind Dalton (246). Kate Mashburn shot an 80, the second lowest score overall in the tournament, to lead the team. Completing Calhoun’s team score was Katie Kauffman (87) and Molly Mashburn (90). Maddie Crump (93) and Ella Bennett (109) also completed rounds.
The Gordon Central girls also competed in the tournament and finished eighth with a score of 343. Abbigail Hayes had the team’s low score with a 111, and Ciera Lawson (114) and Celeste Huffman (118) rounded out the team score. Amberly Wilson also completed a round of 120.
Both teams were at the Calhoun Elks Club on Thursday for Day 1 of the City/County Tournament. (For details on that tournament, see Wednesday’s Calhoun Times.) The Lady Jackets will next play in the Jack and Jilly Tournament on May 1 at Indian Hills, and Gordon Central is back at Calhoun Elks Club on Monday to host Pepperell and Dade County for a tri-match.
Gordon Central hosts tri-match at Fields Ferry
The Warriors hosted Northwest Whitfield and Chattooga on Tuesday for a tri-match at Fields Ferry and finished second.
Gordon Central shot a 176 to finish behind Northwest Whitfield (167). Leading the Warriors was Branton Lawson with a 43. Issac McEntyre and Joshua Hardin both shot a 44, and Jordan Hardin and Zeb Reddix each carded 45s.
The Warriors were at the Calhoun Elks Club on Thursday for Day 1 of the City/County Tournament. ( For details on that tournament, see Wednesday’s Calhoun Times.) They are back at the Calhoun Elks Club on Monday to host Pepperell and Dade County for a tri-match.
BASEBALL Coahulla Creek 3, Calhoun 2
Calhoun gave up three runs Pace Academy as State berths will be on the line. Both coaches said they are excited to see how their qualifiers compete against some of the best talent in the state.
“I think we’ve got a good opportunity to stack up vs. the competition at sectionals,” said Murry. “I expect our athletes to in the fourth, and that was all the Colts needed to earn a region road win on Wednesday.
The Jackets (15-11, 10-6) led 1-0 going to the fourth before Coahulla Creek rallied and took the lead with a three-run frame. Calhoun pulled within one run with a score in the bottom half of the inning, but they wouldn’t get any closer.
Carson Kemp had a hit and an RBI to lead the way offensively for the Jackets, and Austin Trammell also drove in a run. Ryan Randall, Tanner Gallman, Bryson Davis and Jackson Braden also had hits on the day.
Davis Allen took the loss on the mound despite pitching a complete game. The sophomore gave up three runs on five hits while striking out eight.
Calhoun visited Adairsville on Thursday for another region game. (For details on that game, see Wednesday’s Calhoun Times.) They wrap up the regular season on Friday at home against Haralson County at 5:55 p.m. do well there and move on from there to State. We have a strong senior class, but we’re also still very young on both the girls and boys side. We’re very excited about what we can do at Sectionals and also about what we can do over the next few years.”
“Last year, we faced
Model 9, Gordon Central 8
The Warriors kept battling all night but came up just short of their first win of the season on Wednesday.
Gordon Central ( 0- 22) trailed 5-0 in the second and 7-2 after three but pulled within a run with seven runs combined over the second, third and fourth innings. After Model scored again to make it 9-7 in the sixth, the Warriors pulled within one with a run in the seventh but couldn’t keep the rally going.
Bryson Fowler led the Warriors offense with two hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Dawson Cline and Lason Hefner also had two hits apiece, and Spencer Amos and Logan Hefner each had a hit and an RBI. Jacob Silvers also drove in a run. Silvers pitched 2 2-3 innings of relief to keep his team in it, giving up one run (unearned) on three hits while striking out one. the best competition in the state with how Sectionals were divided up,” said Green. “You find out really quickly how good you are. Our girls sprinters got shut out at Sectionals last year so they have a little motivation and something to prove this year as does our whole team.”