<p>It’s possible, perhaps even likely, that Mason Runkle is Center Grove’s No. 1 singles player next season. Until then, the junior is content with the role he plays for the state’s fifth-ranked boys tennis team.</p><p>The Trojans captured their 28th regional championship on Wednesday, defending their home courts with a 4-1 victory over Perry Meridian.</p><p>Playing No. 3 singles, Runkle downed the Falcons’ Victor Barona, 6-0, 6-0 — one of three matches Center Grove won without surrendering a game. The others were by senior Mitch Runkle at No. 2 singles and the Trojans’ top doubles pairing of senior Nic Ballesteros and junior Grant Herron.</p><p>“I have been thinking about (next year), but right now I just have to stay in the moment and do my part for the team as it is right now,” the headband-wearing Runkle said after improving his record to 21-5. “I’ve definitely learned a lot from all the upperclassmen. They’ve been really supportive.”</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>Center Grove’s dominance qualified it for Saturday’s semistate. The Trojans play at noon on their home courts against 28th-ranked Richmond, which won its own regional on Wednesday with a 5-0 shutout of East Central.</p><p>How far into the postseason this squad can venture remains to be seen. But with four battle-tested seniors in his starting lineup, longtime coach Ivan Smith knows better than to set limits.</p><p>“This team is much better than last year’s team,” Smith said. “The thing that’s kind of separated us is we’ve won a lot of three-set matches. We’ve been tested and we’ve played a pretty tough schedule.</p><p>“We could lay an egg, but we scored a point against North Central, scored a point against Homestead, scored a point against Carmel and scored a point against Park Tudor. It’s not like we were overmatched. We’re just trying to keep getting better and hopefully be stronger mentally.”</p><p>The Trojans No. 2 doubles team of senior J.T. Embrey and sophomore Dhrumil Patel picked up a point, prevailing over Perry Meridian’s Tristan Nguyen and Christenzio Salemi, 6-0, 6-2. This duo also holds a 21-5 record, as do Ballesteros and Herron.</p><p>Both Center Grove doubles combinations are new this season; Ballesteros and Embrey were playing Nos. 2 and 3 singles, respectively, a year ago.</p><p>“We started the season together,” Herron said of working with Ballesteros. “The first match we lost to Brownsburg, but then after that we started to work as a team more instead of individually.”</p><p>The Falcons picked up a point at No. 1 singles. Junior Sajin Smith defeated Center Grove senior Trey Thixton, 6-1, 6-2.</p><p>Coming into Wednesday’s match, only three boys tennis programs in Indiana had won more regionals than Center Grove — Munster (34), North Central (32) and Homestead (30). Center Grove’s 11 semistate titles rank seventh all-time.</p>
