Center Grove may be a public high school, but uniforms are the norm on Fridays in the fall.
On game days, Trojan football players sport their jerseys during the school day in an effort to get the rest of the student body fired up for that evening’s game.
Typically, the 2,500 high school students don’t need much motivating — and neither does the Center Grove community in general. Football has become a huge deal for the community, and with the Trojans making a push toward a second consecutive Class 6A state championship, it’s bigger than ever.
Showings of support are everywhere. South of Chicago Pizza & Italian Beef in Greenwood has a Center Grove football helmet in its display case, and the team’s 2016 poster adorned with the #AnotherOne hashtag is displayed prominently behind the register.
Several other local businesses have gotten in the spirit as well. Ella’s Frozen Yogurt has set up a booth at all Center Grove home games for about the past five years. Co-owner Lorrie Gray says that in-store business takes a hit on football Fridays because everyone is at the game, "but it’s well worth it."
"We definitely will promote (the team) through social media," Gray added, "and I think other businesses do the same thing — they call it a football family, but the community wants to be on their shirttails and be a part of that."
At school, the students, faculty and staff — and especially the other athletes — always throw their full support behind the football team.
"This school’s a really big family," senior volleyball player Macy Carrabine said, "and we have something very, very special at Center Grove — and even though we’re not in the same sport, we’re really close, and I think that’s really cool. We push each other.
"On Fridays after school, we try to get into practice, work hard and try to get out as fast as possible so we can go support the football team."
Football is equally big at Roncalli, and the buzz from the unbeaten Rebels’ run toward a Class 4A state crown can be felt in Johnson County as well.
Dan Lauck, a 2010 Roncalli grad who grew up in Greenwood and now teaches and coaches at his alma mater, has felt it since childhood.
"The southside community, and the southside Catholic community specifically, just rallies around the team, and there’s just such a tradition of Roncalli that — it’s unlike anything I’ve seen."
Lauck recalls growing up in a neighborhood where half of his friends joined him at Roncalli and the other half played at Center Grove. While the Trojans are the area’s favorite team, Lauck notes that "the Roncalli hand in the Catholic community definitely stretches down in Johnson County, there’s no doubt about that."
Whether it’s the Rebels or the Trojans you’re backing, it’s clear that a winning team can boost morale all across the area — and fans of both teams are eager to keep the ride going for as long as possible.
"I love being in a community where that program brings so much," Gray said.
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Good luck to the Trojans and Rebels
You won’t want to miss the big good luck send-off for the Center Grove Trojans and the Roncalli Rebels inside today’s Daily Journal.
Both football teams are competing in semistate games tonight. With victories, they’ll advance to the state championship games next week.
We’ve got team photos and good luck messages for the players, and a poster for each team that you can rip from the newspaper and hang.
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