Neither Center Grove nor Franklin was feeling much pressure heading into Monday’s girls golf sectional at The Legends. The sixth- and ninth-ranked teams in the state knew that a natural disaster was about the only thing that could have kept them from finishing in the top three and advancing.
Sure enough, the Trojans and Grizzly Cubs finished a comfortable 1-2, but both teams head into Saturday’s Roncalli Regional at Smock knowing they can play better — and that with five of the top 10 teams in Indiana vying for just three berths in the state finals, they’ll have to.
"I guess if you’re going to struggle, today is the day," Center Grove coach Cale Hoover said. "You don’t ever want to struggle, but we’ll get back in there."
Center Grove finished first on Monday with a team score of 325, while Franklin (337) was second despite the absence of senior Liv Parramore, the team’s No. 2 player, due to a COVID-19 quarantine.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryWhiteland (424) was sixth, followed by Roncalli (462) in seventh.
Though the Trojans and Grizzly Cubs have generally been closely matched throughout this season, Center Grove has gotten the upper hand more often than not thanks to its superior depth. That was the case again, as freshman Camille Short posted the team’s low round of 77 from the No. 5 position.
"I was really doing well on the greens today," Short said. "I probably only had like 25 putts, which was a best for me. I could have done better off the tee, but I’ll take it."
Meg Fosnot and Sage Parsetich finished at 79 and 83, respectively, for Center Grove, while Abby Rich and Lanie DeHaven each carded an 86.
Franklin stayed within range thanks largely to the duo of Ellie Beavins and Ava Ray. Beavins stayed solid throughout and dropped in a birdie on the 18th hole to come in at 73, good for medalist honors on the day.
Beavins, who had missed some matches recently due to discomfort from subluxation in her ribs, said she was feeling good Monday after getting some physical therapy over the weekend.
"I felt like my ball striking was really good, and I had a lot of confidence going into today," Beavins said. "I knew that we were going to make it out any way we played, so I just didn’t put any pressure on myself. I was like, ‘Just try to get 18 pars and do the best you can,’ and that’s what I did."
Ray, who moved up a spot to No. 2 in Parramore’s absence, was second overall with a 75. Kara Heuchan (93) and Kalyn Dickey (96) rounded out the Franklin scoring.
Whiteland was led by Chloe Cooper’s 97, while Roncalli got a 95 from Elsie Kerr.
While Center Grove and Franklin will be the lone local representatives at Smock on Saturday, two other county players kept their seasons alive at other sectional sites.
Greenwood junior Maura Guilfoy turned in an 82 at Hawk’s Tail on Monday, good enough to advance out of the New Palestine Sectional and on to Saturday’s Lapel Regional at Edgewood Golf Club. Greenwood Christian senior Ashtyn Witte lost out on the final individual spot in a playoff. Greenwood was fourth in the team standings at 423, 10 shots back of New Palestine for the third and final regional berth.
In the Bloomington North Sectional at Cascades, Indian Creek’s Hannah Emenhiser claimed one of the individual qualifying bids with a round of 88. The Braves finished eighth as a team with a 429, two spots behind Edinburgh (402), which was led by rounds of 94 and 96 from Morgan Calhoun and Annelise Lollar.
Center Grove and Franklin will face much tougher sledding on Saturday than they during this latest outing, with No. 2 Carmel, No. 3 Westfield, No. 10 Zionsville and No. 14 Brownsburg among the teams they’ll be battling for a chance at state.
Both squads feel good about their chances going in.
"Saturday’s going to be more pressure," Beavins said, "but since we’re going to be at full strength again, I’m really not worried about regionals. I feel like we should just not put any pressure on ourselves and play our game, and we have a fair chance."
"I think we need to trust our stuff," Hoover said. "This is by far the most talented group we’ve had, so we’ve just got to believe and have faith in what we’ve got."
