The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes (9-1, 7-0) defeated the Pickens Dragons (8-2, 5-2) on Friday by a score of 27-2. The Canes captured the 7-AAAA Championship in their first season in the region. Defenses held strong in the first half of action, as Cartersville took a 6-0 lead into the half, thanks to two Jonathan Cruz field goals. Though Cartersville had the lead, they left points on the board by not turning red zones visits into touchdowns. The Dragons did not play sharp in the first half either, as they had several miscues on their snaps, which resulted into turnovers and stalled drives.
The Purple Hurricanes struck with a vengeance in the second half, as they outscored the Dragons by a score of 21-2. Cartersville seemed to make their adjustments at the half, while Pickens still struggled to get the ball snapped cleanly. Kalin Heath had two touchdown runs of nine and four yards, and Terrius Callahan was untouched on a 5-yard screen pass in the third quarter. The Cartersville special teams also had an impressive showing, including a few big returns by Trase Fezzia. The Canes did lose Tiamon Pennymon for the game following a 53-yard run in the first quarter. Cartersville will play White County next week at 7:30 at Weinman Stadium.