<p>The ride was bumpy, but the roller-coaster scenario of the past two weeks positioned the Center Grove boys tennis team precisely where coach Ivan Smith had hoped.</p><p>Faced with the challenge of shuffling and reshuffling his lineup due to notable and potential season-ending absences, Smith utilized the depth of the program he began growing decades ago through the Trojans’ sectional, regional and semistate competitions.</p><p>The result was more 3-2 triumphs than the program is accustomed to, but a victory is a victory.</p><p>“The phrase I use, whether it’s a COVID-19 season or a normal season is ‘find a way.’ That’s just kind of what we try to do,” said Smith, whose seventh-ranked squad hosts No. 5 Munster in a state quarterfinal match on Friday.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>“Having 10 seniors helps, but we practice those other guys, too. They’ve been there every day, and we integrate them into practices, so they should know what to do.”</p><p>Smith has been coaching at Center Grove since the fall of 1977 and is the state’s career leader in victories. Prior to this season, the most players he’s used during postseason competition was eight.</p><p>He’s used 10 since the start of Center Grove’s current run and will incorporate an 11th against the Mustangs.</p><p>Senior Luke Embrey, the Trojans’ No. 2 singles player, has been a steady force throughout the postseason. The same can be said for senior Carson Contos at No. 1 doubles and the Trojans No. 2 doubles combination of senior Glenn Swaney and junior Bennett Strain.</p><p>Stepping in at various times were freshman Max Williams at both first and third singles, soph Evan Davis at the third singles position and seniors Ethan Stone and Ryan Wiseman serving as the other half of the top doubles pairing with Contos.</p><p>“There was a little bit of concern, but the new guys in our lineup really showed our depth,” Swaney said. “Having that many seniors helped because we’ve all been working together for the past three years. We were already close as a team, but the bond has grown a lot over the last few weeks.”</p><p>At semistate, the return of seniors Dhrumil Patel at No. 1 singles and Landen Finlinson at No. 1 doubles helped propel the Trojans to a suspenseful 3-2 decision over 25th-ranked Terre Haute South.</p><p>Earlier this week, senior Seth Jasek, the team’s regular at No. 3 singles, returned to practice; he will be in the lineup against the Mustangs, meaning Center Grove will finally be able to use the lineup it utilized most of the regular season.</p><p>Despite the hurdles it has faced, Center Grove is one of only eight boys tennis teams still heading out to the courts. That might surprise some, but not the Trojan players.</p><p>“Actually, I was not surprised because we knew we had a deep team,” Patel said. “At the moment, there’s not a lot of difference between the top JV kids and some of the varsity kids. It was a great experience for them because some of them will be playing varsity next year.”</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="If you go" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p><strong>Team quarterfinals</strong></p><p><strong>At Center Grove</strong></p><p>Munster vs. Center Grove, noon Friday</p><p>Admission: $5 per person</p><p>Advancement: Winning teams play Saturday in state semifinal at North Central at 10 a.m., with the championship match to follow at 2 p.m.</p><p><strong>State singles regional</strong></p><p><strong>At Fishers</strong></p><p><strong>Saturday</strong></p><p>Mark Baker, Cardinal Ritter (18-4, 3-0) vs. Kyle Hollingsworth, Richmond (17-4, 3-0), 10 a.m.</p><p>Championship: Baker-Hollingsworth winner vs. Quinten Gillespie, Whiteland (20-2, 5-0), 2 p.m.</p><p>Admission: Free</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
