Center Grove’s boys golf team has become accustomed to being everyone else’s target at the state championships the last couple of years.
This time around, the Trojans have a chance to play the role of the hunter rather than the hunted.
Sure, Center Grove is still among the top contenders entering today’s first round at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel; it tied for the lowest regional score and was ranked fourth in the final state poll. But the Trojans certainly aren’t going in as the heavy favorite that they were the past two seasons.
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Matt Rodman’s squad bulldozed the field in 2017, shooting 7 under par as a team on the second and final day to win by 13 strokes, before losing to rival Carmel by one stroke in a mild upset last June.
This time around, it’s the Greyhounds that enter as the team to beat. Will Center Grove fare better without all eyes on them? Will it come down to the two MIC powers for the third year in a row, or will someone else upset the apple cart?
Check inside for a breakdown of this year’s field to see how Center Grove’s team — and Franklin sophomore Damon Dickey, who is competing as an individual — stack up against the field.
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IHSAA State Finals
Where: Prairie View GC, Carmel
When: Today and Wednesday, 8 a.m.
Admission: $12 per person, good for both days
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Participating teams, ranked by regional scores (all courses were par 288): Carmel 291, Center Grove 291, Evansville North 297, Noblesville 300 Castle 301, Floyd Central 301, Yorktown 301, Columbus North 303, Fort Wayne Dwenger 305, Plainfield 307, Hamilton Southeastern 309, Warsaw 318, Crown Point 320, Guerin Catholic 321
Rankings in final state poll: Carmel (1), Guerin Catholic (2), Noblesville (3), Center Grove (4), Penn (7), Floyd Central (8), Columbus North (10), Evansville North (11), Hamilton Southeastern (12), Crown Point (15), Fort Wayne Dwenger (17), Yorktown (HM)
Players to watch on qualifying teams: Carmel — Nick Dentino, Clay Stirsman, Cole Harris, Jack Crawford, Luke Prall; Center Grove — Alex Heck, Luke DeHaven, Peyton Short, Mitchel Sanders, Caleb Tidd; Evansville North — Stewie Hobgood, Nathan Hoss, Mitchell Johnson, Chase Claymer; Guerin Catholic — Connor McNeely, Ty Gingerich, Andrew White; Noblesville — Clay Merchant, Jacob Deakyne; Plainfield — Kasey Lilly; Yorktown — Alex Bratton
Individuals to watch: Caleb Bopp, Fishers; Damon Dickey, Franklin; Ben Hoagland, Evansville Memorial; Nick Hoffman, Harrison; Peyton Snoeberger, Seeger; Griffin Hare, Tipton; Joey Wiseman, Corydon
What to watch for: Center Grove has had the steadiest postseason run of any team in the state thus far, and its team score has improved by two strokes each time out recently as each tournament has gotten bigger (295 at county, 293 at sectional, 291 at regional). Top-ranked Carmel, meanwhile, suffered an upset loss to Zionsville in its sectional before coming back with a convincing 21-stroke regional win. On paper, the Greyhounds are the clear favorite; they beat the Trojans by 15 shots in the MIC tournament and have been atop the state poll all season long. The sectional loss, though, provides at least a glimmer of hope for the other top contenders; if it happened once, perhaps it can happen again? Noblesville, Evansville North and Guerin Catholic could all end up in the mix if they play well, but it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see it come down to the Trojans and Greyhounds yet again. The first day’s pairings would seem to benefit Center Grove, which is playing alongside tougher competition (Evansville North, Noblesville) than Carmel (Dwenger, Yorktown) is.
Individually, only four players statewide posted regional scores in the 60s — Tipton’s Hare and Plainfield’s Lilly each shot 67 while Heck and Evansville Memorial’s Hoagland fired 69s. Dickey, who did shoot a 66 in winning the Mid-State conference, is capable of going as low as anyone. How will he respond to the pressure of his first state championship event?
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