CARMEL
What began as a 15-team race to boys high school golf superiority has effectively been pared to six.
As has become tradition, Center Grove, despite this season sitting on a sand trap-sized goose egg in terms of pervious state meet experience, remains in the hunt.
The Trojans completed the opening round of the state finals at Prairie View Golf Club with a 16-over-par total of 304 for the third spot in the team standings entering today’s final round.
Coach Matt Rodman’s squad is three strokes behind co-leaders Guerin Catholic and Carmel. Others in the hunt are Zionsville (+18), Bloomington South (+23) and Columbia City (+24).
“We’ve been preaching our depth all year long, so it’s the depth and just the kids grinding and playing consistent today,” Rodman said. “I think the back nine is normally a little tougher out here, and we put together a really good back nine score with the wind picking up, too.”
Guerin Catholic and Carmel were fast out of the gate, initially making it look as though the two Hamilton County teams would be left alone to vie for the coveted Indiana-shaped first-place trophy. In time, the Trojans’ consistent play was rewarded as the leaders came back to them.
“I have actually told the kids to stay off the scores and just play our game,” Rodman said. “We’re only focused on us and just doing what we can control. When I see them, I just tell them to keep playing one hole and one shot at a time.”
Senior Sam Slaughter paced Center Grove with a 74 that included a pair of birdies on the front nine and playing 1-under over his final five holes.
Junior Sam Hord demonstrated tremendous consistency, including nine pars and a birdie over his first 10 holes. Hord carded a 75 for the Trojans, followed by junior Drew Rowen (76), senior Brandon Heffner (79) and junior Luke Beetz (86).
Franklin, meanwhile, didn’t play to the level it had in qualifying for its first state finals since 1986.
The Grizzly Cubs started play on No. 10 with No. 1 Damon Dickey opening double-bogey, bogey, double-bogey. The senior birdied the 13th before scoring four consecutive pars and closing his team’s first nine with a bogey.
Dickey, who came in with an under-par scoring average for the season, finished with an uncharacteristic 79.
“I hit a good tee shot on 10. An iron shot into the fairway, and then I kind of thinned one over the green and it bounced really hard,” Dickey said. “I had to play an unplayable ball. I went back and made par with the next ball.
“The next hole … just another tough shot from a short game area. I kind of flubbed a wedge and had a long putt. And then I pulled an iron on the next hole.”
Franklin sits in 14th position, though improved play today could move push the Grizzly Cubs up the leaderboard considering Penn, which ended play Tuesday in eighth, is only 13 shots ahead.
Other Franklin scores were Quin Edwards with an 82, Nathan Blackwell’s 83, Ian McCullough’s 92 and a 96 from Will McGuinness.
Both Center Grove and Franklin have reachable goals in front of them. In the Trojans’ case, it’s winning the second championship in program history to go along with what the 2017 squad accomplished on this same course.
“It just shows what the guys in front of us have set up for all of us and given us those expectations,” said Slaughter, who watched the 2018 and 2019 Trojans finish second here. “I’m hoping I can do the same as those guys did and give the guys below me some expectations to always come out here and perform well.”
