Trojans move on in boys tennis regional

<p>Senior Trey Thixton is convinced his Center Grove tennis team is poised for this spot.</p><p>“I feel like we’re playing pretty confident right now and a lot of us have our games figured out,” Thixton said. “I feel like this whole season has been a buildup to this moment. We’ve had a lot of tough matches and played a lot of really hard teams. To build up some momentum as we go further into the state tournament, I think we’re going to turn out pretty well.”</p><p>The No. 5 Trojans dropped just one game in its three singles matches and five in the two doubles matches in blowing past Shelbyville 5-0 Tuesday in a regional semifinal on their home courts.</p><p>“We wanted to play with a sense of urgency and get off the court as quick as you can and play as well as the competition allows you,” Trojans coach Ivan Smith said. “I feel like we did that.”</p><p>Center Grove (18-4) will now play Perry Meridian, a 4-1 winner over Roncalli in the other semi, in today’s 4:30 p.m. championship. The Trojans beat the Falcons 4-1 earlier this season.</p><p>The one loss in that match was by Thixton at No. 1 singles to Sajin Smith, son of Bryan Smith, who won two state singles titles at Center Grove.</p><p>“He’ll have to play relaxed,” Ivan Smith said of Thixton. “Sometimes he has a tendency to not play tight, but not play loose. The times he does play well, he’s been able to play relaxed and hit his shots.”</p><p>Thixton has never beaten Sajin, a state singles quarterfinalist last season, in high school competition.</p><p>“He’s a tough player,” Thixton said. “He gets a lot of stuff back and he can kind of do anything from anywhere.”</p><p>Thixton topped Shelbyville’s Austin Dwenger 6-1, 6-0 on Tuesday.</p><p>At No. 2 singles, senior Mitch Runkle shut out Austin Perry 6-0, 6-0. Runkle’s brother Mason, a junior, won by the same score over Shelbyville’s Alex Knarr.</p><p>The Trojans’ No. 1 doubles duo of senior Nic Ballesteros and junior Grant Herron beat Luke Asher and Connor Phelps 6-0, 6-2. Center Grove’s No. 2 doubles team of senior J.T. Embrey and sophomore Dhrumil Patel downed Matthew Bunton and Layton Stieneker 6-1, 6-3.</p><p>“From top to bottom (in the lineup), each one has kind of the same record,” Smith said. “We don’t have three really strong points. We have five strong points, so that’s enabled us to have success. I’m pleased with the progress this year. I’m pleased with the progress (these seniors) have had since they were freshmen. When they were freshmen, they won five matches and sophomores they won four matches. Last year we were 9-11 going into the sectional and ended up having a winning record (before losing in semistate to Park Tudor). We’ve kind of had steady progress.”</p><p>Roncalli’s lone point on Tuesday came at No. 2 doubles, where sophomore Kaden Meek and senior Tyler Pollard beat the Falcons’ Tristan Nguyen and Christenzio Salemi 6-4, 6-3.</p>