With three sophomores and a freshman in the starting five a year ago, Franklin’s girls golf team surprised itself a little bit with the success it had.
That success has those same girls setting a much higher bar for themselves this fall.
"We’re all more confident than we were last year, because this year we actually know our potential," sophomore Ava Ray said.
With four starters, including three All-County selections, back from a team that won Johnson County and Mid-State Conference championships in 2018, the Grizzly Cubs enter this season wearing the self-assuredness that comes from knowing they’re capable of playing with anyone.
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Franklin beat Center Grove by four strokes in the county tournament and Martinsville by nine for the league title during an impressive regular season that saw the team in the state’s top 20 most of the way. It is ranked 12th in the IHSGCA’s 2019 preseason poll.
Even during a postseason that brought its share of heartbreak — the Grizzly Cubs lost the sectional to Center Grove in a tiebreak and finished one shot back of Guerin Catholic for the final state qualifying bid at the brutal Roncalli Regional — the team found plenty of positives to build upon.
Playing the regional in the same group with a Westfield team that featured individual state champion and U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifier Jocelyn Bruch, Franklin not only held its own but finished two spots ahead of the seventh-ranked Shamrocks.
"As we got there and we played with the girls, we realized they weren’t as crazy high above us as we thought they were," junior Carly Woodward said.
It’s with that experience, and a productive summer of tournament golf as individuals, that Franklin has set loftier goals for itself. When the girls were asked where they had their sights set this season, Woodward didn’t hesitate to deliver a one-word reply: "State."
Coach Chris Kacarab is on the same page.
"The goal this year would be to advance out of regionals," he said. "That’s the ultimate goal. It’d be nice to beat Center Grove in the sectional, but I think our eye overall would be to repeat county, repeat conference, maybe do a little better at sectional and take it all the way to the state."
Kacarab has a rock-solid top three as his foundation — Ray and junior Liv Parramore had the two lowest individual scores the Mid-State tourney last year, and junior Ellie Beavins was the county medalist. Those three, he believes, can play with anyone in the state.
For Franklin to get over the top and reach its goals, though, it will need to find a reliable fourth score to bank on — and the team has three strong candidates to fill that role. Woodward played in the No. 5 spot last season, senior Alexa Wilkison is back on the course after sitting out last season and freshman Morgan Sandrock has shown some promise.
"That’s the trick in high school golf is, can you get that fourth and fifth score consistently?" Kacarab said. "That’s what we’re going to try to do."
Talk to any of the returning players, and the increase in self-confidence and hunger is noticeable. The Grizzly Cubs may not have gone into last season thinking they could play with the state’s best, but by late last September they knew they could.
Their coach can see the difference, and he’s eager to see what becomes of it over the next two months or so.
"One thing I’ve noticed — they were mature last year, but their golf knowledge, their golf maturity, is growing, and that comes from consistent competition," Kacarab said. "The way they talk about the game, the way they talk about the rules, the way they talk about strategy, their heads are in the right place. It should be a fun year."
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Center Grove Trojans
Coach: Cale Hoover
Last season: Second in Johnson County and MIC tournaments; won Whiteland Sectional, fifth at Roncalli Regional
Key returnees: Hope Davis and Maddie Heinemann, seniors; Meg Fosnot and Lauren Pagel, juniors; Lanie DeHaven, sophomore
Newcomers to watch: Haiden Brooks, Sage Parsetich and Natalie Wilson, freshmen
Outlook: Depth won’t be a problem at all for the 16th-ranked Trojans, who have as many as nine players capable of cracking the lineup this fall. What will make the difference in how far the team goes this season is whether any of those players can emerge as stars now that two-time Player of the Year Lucy Young has graduated. Hoover says that Center Grove will "go as far as our top two or three players will take us," and he’s hopeful that if Fosnot and DeHaven in particular can take steps forward, the Trojans can be a state qualifier.
Edinburgh Lancers
Coach: Doug Weddle
Last season: Second in Mid-Hoosier Conference, sixth in county tournament; seventh at Bloomington North Sectional
Key returnees: Haven Link and Maddie McGaha, seniors; Morgan Calhoun, junior; Callie Hancock, sophomore
Newcomer to watch: Annelise Lollar, junior
Outlook: The Lancers were competitive in league play last fall and should be again with a pair of returning all-conference players at the top of the lineup in Calhoun and Link. The key to the Lancers’ success will be getting better third and fourth scores, and Weddle is optimistic that this group can produce those.
Franklin Grizzly Cubs
Coach: Chris Kacarab
Last season: Won Johnson County and Mid-State Conference tournaments; second at Whiteland Sectional, fourth at Roncalli Regional
Key returnees: Ellie Beavins, Liv Parramore and Carly Woodward, juniors; Ava Ray, sophomore
Newcomers to watch: Alexa Wilkison, senior; Morgan Sandrock, freshman
Outlook: The No. 12 Grizzly Cubs got a taste of success last year and narrowly missed out on more, losing a sectional tiebreaker and falling one stroke short of making the state tournament. With a solid nucleus of Beavins, Parramore and Ray leading the way, Franklin is again setting the bar high. Qualifying for state is among the goals at the top of the list, along with repeating as county and conference champion and claiming the sectional crown.
Greenwood Woodmen
Coach: Brittany Runge
Last season: Third in county tournament, fourth in Mid-State Conference; second at New Palestine Sectional, 14th at Lapel Regional
Key returnees: Jessica Kjerstad, Maecee Terhune, Taylor Watson and Maeci West, seniors; Maura Guilfoy and Madison Shaffer, sophomores
Outlook: With her top four back intact from a team that reached the regional last season, expectations are high heading into this fall. Runge says the Woodmen haven’t gotten in quite as much work this summer as last, but she still expects them to round into form by the time the postseason arrives. Greenwood has two of the county’s top talents in Terhune and Guilfoy, and Runge believes that edging New Palestine for a sectional title is a realistic goal. Terhune hopes to advance to state in her final season.
Greenwood Christian Cougars
Coach: Shannon Witte
Last season: Did not score as a team at county or regional
Key returnees: Kayla Kovacs and Sophia Valant, senior; Rose O’Neal and Ashtyn Witte, juniors
Outlook: The Cougars didn’t field a full team for 18-hole tournaments last year, but now that Kovacs and O’Neal have a year of experience under their belts, GCA is playing a complete schedule for the first time this fall, including a pair of invitationals. There still isn’t any wiggle room with only four players on the roster, but Ashtyn Witte was a regional qualifier last year and Valant was an all-conference selection. Those two should give the Cougars a solid foundation to build from over the course of the fall.
Indian Creek Braves
Coach: Rose Moore
Last season: Second in WIC and fifth in county tournament; fifth at Bloomington North Sectional
Key returnees: Jacqui Button, Brooke Coy and Jozie Farris, seniors; Ally Koron and Annie Stephens, juniors; Bremey Brock, sophomore
Newcomer to watch: Hannah Emenhiser, freshman
Outlook: The Braves lost a pair of regulars to graduation but add some potential help in Emenhiser and have an individual regional qualifier at the top of the lineup in Button. Whether Indian Creek can get some consistent scoring from the bottom half of the lineup will determine how successful the team is this season.
Whiteland Warriors
Coach: John Morin
Last season: Fourth in county tournament and fifth in Mid-State Conference; third at Whiteland Sectional, 10th at Roncalli Regional
Key returnees: Kierra Mitchell and Allie Watson, seniors; Dylani Sullivan and Tara Watson, sophomores
Outlook: The Warriors will be a bit lean at the outset, with just four players back to tee it up under first-year coach Morin, who had previously worked with the middle school team. Mitchell and the Watsons were regulars for last year’s regional-qualifying squad and should lead the way this time around. The hope is that a few more girls will join the roster and give Whiteland some depth, but there’s enough talent back either way to be competitive.
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