<p><strong>W</strong>hile it would have been understandable if Center Grove had treated Monday’s boys golf sectional like a foregone conclusion, the top-ranked Trojans knew better than to take anything for granted.</p>
<p>On a day that saw No. 4 Westfield fail to advance out of its sectional on the north side of the city, Center Grove made sure to take care of business, rolling to victory at Hickory Stick on Monday.</p>
<p>The Trojans finished with a team total of 288, safely ahead of runner-up Franklin (309). Both teams move on to Thursday’s Providence Regional, which will be played at Champions Pointe in Henryville.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
<p>Center Grove coach Matt Rodman was pleased with his team’s consistency — the five Trojans played just one hole worse than bogey between them.</p>
<p>“The boys were locked in on the very first tee,” Rodman said. “We had five really good tee shots on the first hole, and I could just tell they were focused and determined from the get-go.”</p>
<p>Leading the way for the Trojans was senior Noah Gillard, who earned medalist honors with a 2-under-par 69. Logan Anderson had the next lowest round of the tournament with a 71, while Sam Jean had a 73 and both Alex Heck and Luke DeHaven finished at 75.</p>
<p>“All of us are really comfortable out here; I knew we were playing pretty well,” Gillard said. “I don’t expect any big numbers from our top five. We’re all really steady and consistent, which is really nice to have.”</p>
<p>Franklin powered its way to a second-place finish behind senior Matt Jordan and freshman Damon Dickey, who both carded 72s to tie for the third-lowest round of the day. Jordan closed strong, shooting a 1-under-par 35 on the back nine.</p>
<p>“I felt pretty good,” Jordan said of his round. “On the front I wasn’t making putts; on the back I was starting to roll the ball a little better.”</p>
<p>Quin Edwards added an 80 and Blake McIntire carded an 85 for the Grizzly Cubs, who finished eight shots up on third-place Roncalli. The Rebels (317) edged Perry Meridian by two strokes for the final regional berth.</p>
<p>Whiteland wound up tied with Southport for fifth, posting a team total of 363. Zach Ricketts led the Warriors with an 83.</p>
<p>Gabe Vessely’s 86 and Zachary Garcia’s 88 helped Greenwood Christian to its best-ever sectional showing. The Cougars shot a 371, good for seventh place.</p>
<p>Greenwood, led by rounds of 86 from Chris Ashmore and Trent Vislay, placed ninth with a total of 381.</p>
<p>Indian Creek finished 10th with a 392. Scott Russell and Chandler Donahue paced the Braves at 90 and 92, respectively.</p>
<p>For Center Grove and Franklin, the focus shifted quickly to Thursday, where a precious few spots in the state championship field will be at stake.</p>
<p>“We’ll sit down here around the table in just a minute and spend a minute congratulating ourselves on a victory,” Rodman said after play ended on Monday, “but we’re going to be locked in and focused for (regional).”</p>
