<p><strong>F</strong>rom an individual standpoint, Center Grove knew it didn’t stand much of a chance at Saturday’s Johnson County cross-country meet.</p><p>The Trojans were more focused on team success, and they found it.</p><p>Ranked seventh in the state, the boys held most of their top runners out but still narrowly edged runner-up Whiteland, 33 to 39. Center Grove’s girls, meanwhile, turned in an inspired effort to squeak past favored host Franklin, 37 to 40.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>“Franklin’s already beaten us twice this year,” Trojan girls coach Wes Dodson said. “I told the girls I know what we’ve been doing and we’ve been getting better every week, and I was like, ‘Maybe we’re not supposed to win, but I think we’re going to win.’ … It was a really good team effort.”</p><p>Grizzly Cub freshman Lauren Klem darted out to a big early lead and never looked back, finishing a comfortable first on the girls side in 18 minutes, 25.96 seconds. But Center Grove’s Bella Hodges (19:08.68) and Lily Brunsman (19:10.04) took second and third, and the Trojans’ depth narrowly won out in the end.</p><p>Sadie Schemmel (sixth), Elizabeth Madden (10th) and Lara Phipps (16th) rounded out the scoring for 24th-ranked Center Grove. Behind Klem, No. 14 Franklin had Jenna Newton in fourth, Lillian Lacy in eighth, Sydney Clements in 12th and Sydney Woodward in 15th.</p><p>Despite the narrow loss, the Grizzly Cubs remain confident about their postseason prospects.</p><p>“All we can ask for is coming out and doing our best,” Klem said. “I feel like we’ve been doing really well, so hopefully that’ll carry on to the sectionals, regionals and on. I think we’ll be okay.”</p><p>Other girls in the top 10 included Indian Creek freshman Phoebe Dowty (fifth), Whiteland freshman Victoria Jackson (seventh) and Greenwood junior Selena Piñon (ninth). The Warriors were third in the team standings with 62 points, followed by the Braves (103) and Woodmen.</p><p>The boys race also featured a dominating individual win, although Whiteland’s Will Jefferson waited a little longer to pull away. He stayed with the other lead runners for the first three kilometers before he shifted into another gear and broke free. His time of 16:07.74 was more than 36 seconds ahead of the runner-up, Warrior teammate Michael Perkins.</p><p>Jefferson said there was a method to his madness.</p><p>“We wanted to pace some of these guys and get them up top, so I paced them through the first few Ks and we got lucky enough that they finished a great race,” the senior explained, “and then my game plan was just, the fourth K, to hit it really hard and basically sprint it. … It was more about the team victory here today.”</p><p>Trojans Aidan Galt and Gavin Rockwell came in just behind Perkins to finish third and fourth, respectively. Center Grove also had Levi Farmer in sixth, Atticus Martin ninth and Brody Shadle 11th.</p><p>Also in the top 10 overall were Franklin’s Anthony McDonald (fifth), Greenwood’s Conner Watson (seventh), Garrett Mills of Franklin (eighth) and Ashton Spoonamore of Whiteland (10th). The Grizzly Cubs were third as a team with 68 points, followed by the Woodmen (87), Indian Creek (148) and Greenwood Christian (180).</p><p>Center Grove boys coach Howard Harrell made sure to point out that he wasn’t trying to disrespect the other teams by holding out his top runners, who instead competed Saturday evening in the Valley Twilight Meet at the LaVern Gibson course in Terre Haute — where the state meet will take place on Oct. 31.</p><p>“Last year … the meet we struggled at was at the state meet on that state course,” Harrell said, “so I think the more times we get to run there, the better it is for us. That’s kind of the motivation. … We’re trying to build to the state meet; that’s our primary goal.”</p><p>Though state is the end destination for the Trojans, Harrell was thrilled with how his runners performed in winning the county as well.</p><p>“Everyone stepped up today and they ran fantastic, so I’m really happy. … They knew it was going to take a whole team effort. Whiteland’s a good team, too — they’re not going to just give it to us. We were going to have to earn it, and the guys stepped up to the line.”</p>
