Most seasons, the rivalry between Center Grove and Franklin is more about proximity than parity.
The distance between the schools hasn’t changed, yet Tuesday’s get-together on the Trojans courts is an unusually refreshing step outside the series comfort zone.
The Grizzly Cubs are ranked seventh in the state, just three spots ahead of Center Grove.
“We’re both ranked in the top 10, and that doesn’t happen very often,” said Franklin coach Rusty Hughes, whose 5-0 squad has already scored four shutouts. “They’ve been there a lot more than we have.”
The discontinuation of the annual Johnson County tournament reduced by one the number of times Center Grove and Franklin could meet each season. After Tuesday, the lone remaining possibility for another matchup is during sectional week next month.
Given the teams’ performance so far, such a rematch seems likely.
“It gives us a chance to see (Franklin’s) lineup, and see how we match up against them and what we need to work on,” Center Grove coach Debby Burton said. “I think it’s a great thing both teams are doing well. I don’t see either of us getting out of sectional without playing each other.”
Center Grove is among the state leaders in all-time sectional championships with 31, tied with Crown Point, Warsaw and South Bend St. Joseph for ninth place; Franklin sits at seven, including last season’s, which snapped a 13-year dry spell.
The 2022 Cubs advanced all the way to semistate before dropping a 3-2 decision to Oldenburg Academy. Franklin had previously downed Center Grove, 4-1, in a sectional semifinal, and then defeated Greenwood in the title match by the same score.
“Playing Center Grove tells you where you’re at,” Hughes said. “We have to play our best when we play them or the outcome won’t be real favorable for us. We welcome the challenge, and are excited about playing them.”
Simply based on won-loss records, the No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles matches could be the ones lasting the longest.
For Franklin, No. 1 singles player Rylie Wilkison is 5-0, as are junior Chelsie Rayl, the team’s second singles player, and the No. 3 player, senior Emma Williams. Also unbeaten in five matches is the Grizzly Cubs’ second doubles pairing of Kate Pinnick and Kennedy Urban.
Meanwhile, Center Grove counters with Sloane Small, who is 7-1 at No. 3 singles, and the No. 2 doubles team of Anna Runkle and Peri Small, which is 6-2.
“Center Grove is always a really strong team, so every year we look forward to playing them,” Rayl said. “It had been a while since we had been able to beat them, so (last year’s sectional) was very exciting for the team and for all of Franklin tennis.
“It did give us confidence, but we know they’re always going to be good, too.”
Franklin was idle this past weekend, but the Trojans took part in the Jasper Invitational, defeating McCracken County High School out of Paducah, Kentucky, 3-2, and losing to No. 11 St. Joseph, 5-0, and the host Wildcats, ranked third, 4-1.
Facing Franklin on Tuesday is just more of the same for Center Grove, known to play one of the state’s most difficult schedules every spring.
“We never win a match on one person’s back, and we never lose a match on one person’s back,” Burton said.
